Kenji Matsubara joined SNK three years in the past as CEO of a Japanese recreation firm with a wealthy heritage in preventing video games like King of Fighters.
This yr, on the Tokyo Recreation Present, his firm confirmed off Deadly Fury, whose final installment as a online game was 26 years in the past. That is what it means to attempt to deliver again the golden age of SNK. Matsubara was employed by a brand new set of bosses: the Saudis. The crown prince turned out to be an enormous fan of SNK”s video games. The dominion of Saudi Arabia’s Misk Basis acquired SNK and Toei Animation as a part of a transfer into the sport trade. His mission was to develop the enterprise.
Matsubara was capable of develop the corporate from 200 folks to 600 now, however he isn’t in an enormous rush. Relatively, the funding is a measured push that can deliver again the corporate’s older franchises and launch some new ones as properly. The corporate has added a Tokyo workplace along with its Osaka crew, in addition to a brand new studio in China. Matsubara doesn’t need to develop too quick, however he additionally desires to make a major influence on SNK’s future. He thinks it’s vital to develop however preserve the corporate’s tradition.
There are nonetheless extra methods to develop. The corporate might develop in Europe and North America because it seeks a bigger international footprint. Matsubara additionally stated the corporate’s current teaser with soccer legend Cristiano Rolando might additionally draw numerous curiosity to the corporate’s video games.
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I met Matsubara eight years in the past after I final went to Japan for work. He was then working at Sega, and he was on a panel I moderated throughout a Tokyo go to and he jogged my memory of our encounter by exhibiting me an image. It slipped my thoughts, however he didn’t overlook. It was a pleasant private contact that gave me an perception into him. I interviewed him at SNK’s headquarters in Tokyo forward of the Tokyo Recreation Present.
Right here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
GamesBeat: I believed it will be good to get some context for the way SNK has been capable of develop lately, particularly when a lot of the remainder of the sport trade has had a tough time. How has your technique helped result in a greater final result in the meanwhile?
Kenji Matsubara: I entered SNK about three years in the past. On the time we solely had our one workplace in Osaka. We didn’t even have an workplace in Tokyo. We solely had a few hundred folks, so it was nonetheless a small firm. Nonetheless, just lately Saudi Arabia had bought the corporate. That helped us with our progress. They selected me to take cost.
Earlier than coming into SNK, I did numerous work with numerous completely different firms globally – American firms, Japanese firms. I had numerous expertise, however not working with Saudi Arabia at that time. That was a brand new expertise for me. Once I was chatting with the prince about why that they had bought SNK, it turned out he was an enormous fan of our titles, even again within the ‘90s. A huge fan of our different IPs. He felt that at the time it was a golden age. SNK was one of the shining examples of a popular game company in that era. One of the reasons they became our parent company is that they wanted to bring back that golden age. That’s why they introduced me on, to have the ability to lead that cost at SNK.
After I turned CEO, I needed to be sure that dream got here true, that imaginative and prescient the prince had for SNK, bringing again the glory days of SNK. We arrange an enormous objective to be one of many high leisure firms in 10 years from once we first mentioned the plan. I needed to perform that one step at a time, relatively than simply going for this large objective all of sudden. Slowly planning and actions. In that 10 years’ time, we need to turn into a much bigger firm, however from the beginning, for instance, we put collectively a three-year plan. A variety of my previous expertise helped with placing collectively these plans. I used numerous that have to determine how we’re going to attain that progress. It’s been two years now, and we’re nonetheless placing the plan into motion, arising with the subsequent steps.
To enter just a few extra particulars of that plan, particularly SNK has centered on preventing video games for a few years at this level. Preventing video games generally tend to have numerous hardcore followers typically, extra so than different genres. Now we have numerous followers who actually love these video games, however we now have so many alternative IPs at SNK, so many alternative sequence that we possibly haven’t been utilizing recently to make new titles. There’s numerous potential there. We need to concentrate on different titles as properly, like motion video games, not simply preventing video games, so we will understand our full potential. I need to begin by making actions in these completely different genres and completely different IPs that aren’t essentially preventing video games. Our improvement groups are presently engaged on revitalizing completely different IPs and completely different genres we possibly haven’t touched shortly.
SNK has numerous potential and our dev groups have numerous expertise, however we have to begin by revitalizing the corporate – for instance, by using new guidelines or updating completely different laws. We’re telling all of the SNK staff about this nice potential we now have, however we now have to begin on issues like working with HR, working with every crew to be sure that we’re a cohesive firm that matches into the brand new picture I’ve. We’re updating our greenlight course of for brand new titles and ensuring that there’s a greater stream, a greater construction to the corporate that we possibly didn’t have earlier than. There are fundamental firm guidelines and laws we have to maintain engaged on to ensure we obtain future progress and potential that I consider we now have.
GamesBeat: How many individuals work for SNK now? How have you ever enabled new groups to return collectively?
Matsubara: Now we have greater than 600 staff in the meanwhile. Now we have workplaces in Osaka and Tokyo in Japan. We even have a Chinese language studio, in addition to workplaces in Singapore, Korea, and Taiwan. For dev studios, we now have a studio in Osaka, two in Tokyo, and one in China.
For the Osaka studio, they proceed to work on our traditional IP, the video games everybody is aware of and loves. They proceed to make preventing video games, since that’s an enormous pillar for us, in addition to bringing a few of our IPs to new genres that they’ve by no means touched earlier than. That’s going to be an enormous process for them. For Tokyo, about two years in the past we began that studio. Tokyo is engaged on new IP, triple-A titles that includes brand-new IP for SNK. It’s not like Osaka, which is engaged on our beloved older IP.
We even have a retro studio engaged on retro titles. The retro crew began up very just lately. They’ll be making numerous remakes, reboots, and ports. That’s going to be their focus going ahead. The Chinese language studio is engaged on utilizing our current IP to make cellular video games, cellular variations of traditional SNK in addition to cellular video games with new IP. That’s their important objective.
GamesBeat: Who’s making Deadly Fury, then?
Matsubara: That’s Osaka, sure. They make numerous our preventing video games, specializing in our conventional titles.
GamesBeat: For that recreation, it’s the primary entry within the sequence in about 26 years. How do you method creating demand for that, provided that numerous players right this moment weren’t alive when the final recreation got here out? Do you’re feeling like you could modernize it in any means for contemporary players? Do you possibly need to deliver again traditional titles and revisit franchises extra usually sooner or later?
Matsubara: Once you examine preventing video games to different genres, there’s a probably bigger participant base for motion, journey, extra usually in style genres. We need to deliver again that golden age of preventing video games and produce again the participant base. We need to proceed to assist develop that participant base for preventing video games typically. That’s going to be an enormous factor for us, bringing extra folks into the fold for preventing video games with our advertising and marketing and promotions. Individuals who possibly weren’t preventing recreation followers earlier than.
We seen that different firms like Capcom and Namco–with their preventing video games, they’re including content material of their video games that isn’t essentially simply centered on core preventing recreation followers, however that different followers could possibly be enthusiastic about as properly. We need to do extra of that going ahead, having some elements of the sport that will usher in followers that aren’t simply there for preventing video games. As well as, esports is a large pillar for us. That’s one other a part of our advertising and marketing, a solution to create numerous hype for our video games. Esports is extremely vital to us right here at SNK. We’re at all times on the Evo occasions. We run numerous tournaments ourselves. We need to deliver all of our titles to esports as a lot as potential and present folks what’s actually attention-grabbing about our video games by way of these tournaments.
To go a bit extra into esports, we’re operating the SNK World Championships. That’s an enormous occasion for us. For the primary time, in our earlier event, we introduced the finals to America. We have been in Hollywood, Los Angeles. That was large, to deliver SNK and esports to a world viewers. We’re presently planning our subsequent occasion, and we’d additionally prefer to deliver the finals to North America. We’re making an attempt to make it an enormous occasion for lots of various gamers that the media can cowl, an enormous occasion for esports and the sport trade typically.
Final yr King of Fighters was additionally chosen as a part of the esports Olympics occasion we have been part of in Asia. For King of Fighters to be chosen, that was crucial for Japan, for SNK, and for gaming typically. I really feel that esports goes to be an enormous a part of our advertising and marketing transferring ahead, and particularly for the upcoming Deadly Fury, to deliver it to extra folks than ever. In fact, Saudi Arabia will assist us on that, bringing esports and Deadly Fury to as many individuals as potential by way of tournaments.
GamesBeat: The Saudi relationship appears very acceptable. They’re very enthusiastic about esports as properly. That’s a strategic alignment.
Matsubara: I heard you have been on the Esports World Cup. Sadly I wasn’t capable of meet up there, however I used to be on the finals as properly. It was nice to listen to that they’re doing extra transferring ahead, specializing in the Olympics. Saudi Arabia has numerous plans for esports, and we undoubtedly need to proceed to work with them to ramp up our esports efforts and have extra titles be part of their esports occasions. That’s going to be an vital means for us to deliver our titles and SNK to a extra international stage. That’s an enormous subsequent step for us.
GamesBeat: I’ve been pondering quite a bit about the place the expertise within the recreation trade is around the globe. It’s been attention-grabbing to observe Saudi Arabia’s method. With Manga Productions, they purchased into Toei right here in Japan after which introduced numerous Toei’s animation consultants to Saudi Arabia. They have been coaching numerous their folks in Saudi Arabia. Greater than half of the brand new hires at Manga Productions have been from this program, they usually have been largely ladies. It was an attention-grabbing means for them to generate expertise. Do you’ve among the similar alternatives to coach extra folks and develop the expertise base like they need to? Creating extra jobs in Saudi Arabia, both immediately or not directly, by way of these accelerator packages.
Matsubara: We’re a part of the identical mother or father firm as Manga Productions, and I’m very accustomed to what’s occurring there, the method in the meanwhile. At the moment, we’re bringing folks from Saudi Arabia to work at our Osaka workplace. That’s already transferring. A few of our individuals are working over in Saudi Arabia full time as properly. It’s a bit completely different from what you’re speaking about, however that’s the place we’re in the meanwhile.
Sooner or later, I believe there can be a part that’s related to what you’re speaking about, serving to them prepare folks in Saudi Arabia. Not in the meanwhile, however which may be a possible part sooner or later. At the moment we’re working with Misk on their internship efforts. We’re going to proceed to work with them in that regard. We need to maintain working with them sooner or later on issues like this, and there could also be an effort sooner or later round one thing just like what you’ve described.
GamesBeat: I by no means thought we might come to some extent the place we had too many video games. There are just a few million within the app shops now, in addition to user-created video games on platforms like Roblox. There have at all times been winners and losers within the recreation trade, however after the pandemic, numerous American and European firms expanded very quick. A variety of firms within the U.S. and Europe employed lots of people, after which they hit a slowdown. They’ve been shedding lots of people extra just lately. I’m unsure we’ve seen that as a lot in Japan, and I’m wondering what the distinction is. In hindsight, it feels just like the American and European firms greenlit numerous video games, however didn’t have sufficient expertise and high quality behind every one. However I’m unsure concerning the trigger and impact concerned in what we’re seeing within the trade proper now. I’m wondering what your ideas are.
Matsubara: I really feel like there are two large causes for this. After the pandemic, many firms within the west, as you talked about, grew very giant after which had this layoff interval. One motive I believe not numerous Japanese firms went by way of the identical–in Japan there’s a tradition we now have round making an attempt to make an organization greater, however sustaining the corporate tradition, ensuring that sticks round. Scaling up, however maintaining that tradition alive is essential. When you make the corporate greater, you be sure you’re doing all of it as a crew. You’re maintaining all of the groups linked collectively as you scale up, discovering methods to maintain that firm tradition alive all through the method.
On the similar time, I additionally word that numerous Japanese firms simply didn’t develop as large or as rapidly as some in North America and Europe. There wasn’t essentially as a lot to shed afterward. At numerous Japanese firms, the main focus isn’t to turn into actually large all of sudden. It’s to proceed to have the ability to get a product out to followers over an extended time period. We’re going ahead for the lengthy haul, versus extra quick progress. There are good and unhealthy elements to that, in fact, and I’m positive firms within the west have their very own emotions about that. However due to that, we’re not seeing as a lot shrinkage. We’re seeing slower progress, however not as many layoffs.
GamesBeat: What’s your highway map and technique for brand new IP and taking your current franchises into the longer term? What’s SNK’s future like within the close to time period, in addition to the long run?
Matsubara: As I discussed earlier than, I began working right here about three years in the past. We created a mid-term plan about two years in the past at this level. Particularly, I need to improve our pipeline of titles typically, with extra output of SNK titles frequently. That’s bringing current SNK IP to new genres, and in addition creating all-new IP as properly. We’re not mentioning any particular titles, however we’re having a few of these video games popping out in 2026, 2027, 2028. They want a number of years of improvement. This could be for brand new and current IP.
In the meantime, we’re making an attempt to ramp up our dev groups and improve worker numbers general. We need to turn into extra international typically, particularly with our improvement efforts. We’ve licensed out completely different titles prior to now, and now we need to work with our advertising and marketing crew and our western gross sales and enterprise crew to do extra work in these areas globally – doing gross sales work globally, doing advertising and marketing work globally. That’s a process we now have right here on the firm. We presently don’t have workplaces in North America or Europe, so there’s nonetheless quite a bit that we have to do transferring ahead to turn into a world firm. We hope to create new workplaces in these areas to assist our publishing efforts, particularly within the west. And naturally we need to ramp up our improvement alternatives and different alternatives with our M&A crew. That’s the total highway map in a nutshell.
Not too long ago we introduced that we’re working with Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s an enormous partnership for us. That’s thanks largely to the prince and our mother or father firm. That’s helped us arrange the sponsorship that we’ve just lately introduced. We’ll be sharing extra particulars sooner or later, however that is large not just for us at SNK, however for Deadly Fury as an IP typically. It’s going to be large for the sport and the corporate. As a result of we’re working with one of many largest superstars in soccer, that’s thrilling for everybody right here. We’re wanting ahead to doing extra with him sooner or later.
I labored at Sega for about six years. Sega has turn into a really international firm. They’ve purchased a number of firms in Europe, and naturally they’ve workplaces in North America and Europe. They’ve 1000’s of individuals engaged on video games, even in Europe. We’d prefer to get to that stage within the close to future and do one thing related at SNK. Now we have some catching as much as do, in fact. We need to develop extra titles and publish extra titles on a world stage.