History buffs love to ask “what if?” questions. question. A completely hypothetical situation to explore how small changes can affect the course of world events. Video games that explore this kind of question usually fall into the grand strategy genre, where the goal is to put the player at the head of a faction and dominate their opponents through political manipulation or violence, and explore historical epics. See what happened if there was an involvement. I’ve gone the other way.
One developer who has always been at the center of the grand strategy genre is Kou Shibusawa. A division of Koei Tecmo that has produced some of the best and most famous historical strategy titles, dating back to the original NES. We had the chance to speak with some of the heads of this well-known studio, discussing their history in the genre and why players keep coming back.
What’s your name?
If the name Kou Shibusawa sounds familiar, it’s because it casts a long shadow over gaming history.
It was originally the pseudonym of Yoichi Erikawa, co-founder of Koei in 1978 and still the CEO of Koei Tecmo. Over the years, he produced games under pseudonyms as a way to distinguish his role as head of the company from his role as a game developer. In 2016, the decision was made to rename Koei’s historic strategy game division, and the team adopted the founder’s pseudonym as the brand.
“From the early days of series such as ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ and ‘Nobunaga’s Ambition’, ‘A KOU SHIBUSAWA PRODUCTION’ was displayed at the start of the game,” says the studio director. Romance of the Three Kingdoms Road producer Yukinori Ito. “So some of the players may not know Kou Shibusawa, but I think they knew him by name.”
The choice to establish Kou Shibusawa as a distinct entity within the Koei Tecmo hierarchy seems to have influenced the studio’s focus.
The producer of ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS XIV says, “Each development staff member is raising awareness of our company’s IP.” Kazuhiro Echigoya. “Until then, home video games and online/web games were being developed separately, so the production process was different, so it felt like the teams were doing completely different jobs, and their awareness and stance toward IP seemed distant. But now we all consider ourselves guardians of the IP and are working on further development and expansion of the IP so that the process of introducing new characters becomes easier. became. […] It certainly made it easier to focus on it. “
Kou Shibusawa – a team, not a human – develops some of the longest-running series in Koei’s catalog. Franchises like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga’s Ambition allow players to explore unconfirmed histories, continuing the eponymous legacy of deep historical strategy games featuring huge characters. increase.
long legacy
Koei has been porting PC games for as long as Nintendo has been making consoles. In Nobunaga’s Ambition, players take on the role of the feudal lord or titular Nobunaga Oda during the Warring States period of Japanese history beginning in his 15th century, while in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, dynasty warrior This franchise is a spin-off, loosely arranging the events of the Three Kingdoms period in China much earlier.
By the time the Shibusawa Kou Team brand was established in 2016, there were over 25 mainline games in both series.
Unfortunately, not all of those games were hugely successful in the West. Uncharted Waters continues to let players sail from his 15th century to his 16th century seas, but has failed to find an audience outside of Asia. This is strange because this is one of Kou Shibusawa’s few series focused on events in the West.
“The theme of the series is […] It’s a game that originated in Europe, so I definitely want players in Europe and North America to enjoy it. ” Yuhei Shojithe producer of Origin of unknown waters, rebooting the series in early 2023. It doesn’t seem particularly opposed to bringing the series to the West – as usual, it’s a matter of demand.
In addition to these historic titles, the studio has also had some odd collaborations published under its name. Pokémon Conquest was a turn-based strategy RPG that was a crossover between Nobunaga’s Ambition and Pokémon for the DS.
Kou Shibusawa also worked with Intelligent Systems on Fire Emblem: Three Houses in 2019. He was entrusted with the development of the simulation game title, ”explains the producer and director of the upcoming Nobunaga’s Ambition Awakening. Ryu Michi.
Co-titles like this may be rare, but they’ve produced some extremely fun and unique games, even if they deviate from the studio’s other work.
the devil is in the details
Kou Shibusawa’s games never quite come close to the anachronistic feel of the Civilization series, despite their flexible approach to events written in history books.
One of the key features of every series this studio makes is their focus on detail. Grain prices, for example, can bring down entire empires if those in charge aren’t careful. If an ambitious subject gains too much power, another rival may emerge that must be contended.
All of these features are part of the experience, not a studio that avoids giving players a challenge. “of Nobunaga’s Ambition: Haoden (released in 1992, limited to Japan) adopted a system that more faithfully reflected historical events, such as medals of honor and control over warlords.” When asked which game in the series had the best balance, Ryu says: “Although the title was text-based, many players enjoyed it because the specs at the time made it difficult to visualize. Therefore, some players may consider this a title for hardcore enthusiasts.” I’m trying again with my latest work, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening.”
“Regarding balance, it is difficult to say which one is the most balanced. achieved great success. as a potential candidate.
Switch history
Since its early days, Koei has focused on the idea of adaptive history. Games like Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening offer the opportunity to explore an alternate history. How will these events unfold if another mastermind orchestrates them? Will Nobunaga be able to achieve his dream of unifying Japan? Who will be the first to conquer China’s divided landscape?
“There is a popular belief that history, including Japan’s Warring States period, is something that cannot be changed, but what we know is only part of it,” Liu continues. “Even now, new discoveries and interpretations are being made. That’s why the more we learn about Japan’s Warring States period, the setting for Nobunaga’s Ambition, the more our creativity is stimulated.”
While you might expect national issues like this to be played with a serious tone, there’s an occasional air of whimsy about how the team approaches these alternate timelines. Often this involves simply removing a particular person from history, or tasking the player with helping another warlord achieve a goal, but the Japan-exclusive ” Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence used the Switch’s IR camera to allow players to import family, friends, and pets. Once added to the game, a randomized warlord is generated according to the shape seen by the camera at the bottom of the right Joy-Con.
“I wanted players to enjoy creating warlords.” [pictures of] Friends, dogs, and other things around us,” says Ryu.
We asked about Switch and how the process of working with the platform holder’s console has changed, given the developer’s experience with Nintendo hardware dating back to the ’80s. “Even now, porting a PC title to a Nintendo console is still a challenge,” says Echigoya. “We always design everything for PC, so there are a lot of things to consider when porting titles. Still, I can say that the development process for Nintendo Switch has become easier than before. .. [laughs]“
Ryu also agrees with that sentiment. “As creators, we always think about what we can do when new features are implemented on the hardware. The development process for the Nintendo Switch version[s] It’s both easier and more difficult. To be honest, I often struggled with how to deal with simultaneous operation of the controller and touch panel. [laughs]“
future
No wonder Kou Shibusawa’s team has been tight-lipped about future plans, but it’s clear that the historical strategy genre is still alive and kicking. According to Ryu, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening features warlords who “think and act independently” without the constant need for direct orders, making early games a major influence on the genre. It is said that it inherits the spirit of innovation.
with gratitude To Yukinori Ito Kazuhiro Echigoya Yuhei Shoji, Ryudo.
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening is coming to Switch on July 20th. If you’re a Shibusawakou fan (studio or fan) and want to see more KS games coming to his Switch in the West, let us know below.
