MOTOHIRO OKUBO

Soulcalibur VI’s dev loves classic Namco STUDIO BANDAI NAMCO / ROLE GAME PRODUCER – TEKKEN 7 & SOULCALIBUR VI

What’s your favourite PlayStation game of all time, on any system? That’s a very difficult question. I’ve played many games since joining the game industry, and I ended up getting really into some games even though I was just planning to check them out for business. Recalling my school days when I was purely enthusiastic about a game itself, the first Ridge Racer was my favourite game that I played the most back on PlayStation. I didn’t pay much attention to the Namco logo on the game, but it might have inspired me to unknowingly to enter this company.

What PlayStation series most affected you? My memory is too vague for a detailed answer to this question, but I presume the Dragon Quest series. It’s a masterpiece that’s affected gamers of my generation for long time. Indeed, I was surprised that many people I know bought the newest title [Dragon Quest XI] even though they’re in their 40s. At the time it must have been difficult to propose fusing the traditional and the new together when that series began development, which was totally fresh. The Dragon Quest series has a very long history and still affects old and new players, which is really a great reference to me.

What game or series most influences you? My very first game was not released on PlayStation, but Virtua Fighter has been a big influence for me. I never expected that myself in my 40s could use the knowledge gained during my teenage years. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone at work that I love Virtua Fighter.

Which PlayStation game or series or developer changed the industry? It’s a similar answer to #2, but I presume Final Fantasy VII was the trigger for these now-in-their-40s people to buy PlayStation at that time, even while they didn’t have much money. I believe the Final Fantasy series is still leading the latest visual technology on PlayStation.