The-O Network: For people who are not familiar with your work, could you describe what you do and how you got involved with CyberConnect2? 

Taichiro Miyazaki: I started as a game developer 28 years ago; it's been quite some time since we’ve been in this industry. We hold a core value in video game production, which is respect for Japanese manga and anime because this is what powers us. We are fans of this global phenomenon that everyone is so fond of. It has great content and unique expressions when it comes to Japanese manga and anime. We want to propagate work on that passion to make that into a video game experience. 

While we work on our original titles, we also have entrusted IPs. The production scale would work about half and half, half originals and half IPs. For the non-IPs, we are known for Naruto games, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and Dragon Ball Demon Slayer. Thanks to our fans, they are known for pretty high quality, (are) well received, and we are very proud of what we do. Additionally, I've been a developer for 2 years, and I've been doing this for 25 years, and I'm a publisher now. 

Since 2 years ago, over 25 years, we have always been a developer in the game industry. Just 2 years ago, we have just debuted ourselves as a game publisher, with our own IP called Fuga Melodies of Steel. This is what we published 2 years ago as the first installment of the series. This year in May, we just published the direct sequel Fuga: Melodies of the Steel 2. This time, we are here at Anime Expo to talk about this game. 

T-ONO: Can you tell us some of the challenges that come with being a publisher versus a developer? 

We pride ourselves as professional game developers. However, when it comes to sales and PR there are some hard lessons to learn. There is an inherent learning curve when it comes to publishing a game. 

T-ONO: Can you point to any games in particular that you may have learned anything from or been inspired by? 

TM: I don’t know where to start as there are many games that I adore and get inspired by. At CyberConnect2, what we pride ourselves on is our anime-style expressions and visualizations. We specialize in stylized character modeling and cel shading. As a video game fan, I also enjoy playing realistic modern games. Speaking of modern games, there are more new generation consoles. With those consoles, there are a lot of launch titles that make use of new console capabilities. When I play those, it is kind of why I [am] open [to seeing] what those new generation consoles can do. It is a learning experience as a video game developer with our style and games.  What we try to do for each one of our titles is that we want to leave lasting impressions on the players, whether it be suffering or inspiration or just touching moments for the players who are playing our video games. Whatever marks the other titles leave on our hearts, we remember those titles, hold them dear to them, and get inspired by those games so that we can deliver similar experiences for our fans. 

T-ONO: When it comes to photorealistic games versus, cel-shaded, would you say one is maybe easier than the other to develop for?

TM: We have actually never worked on photo-realistic games. Our speculation is from playing those games as a fan. When it comes to photo-realistic games and the advancement of next-generation consoles it requires remaining truthful to what we see in the real world. 3D motion capture has to match what we see in the real world. In a way, I feel like there is an ultimate goal that these games should reach. 

When it comes to anime-style cel-shaded expressions and with animation and proportions in mind, some of them are not realistic at all and that is the beauty of it. I feel like sometimes there is really no right answer. We just have to look for the right expressions that speak true to us during that specific scenario. It does change from time to time. I feel there is a different kind of challenge but when it comes to difficulty I feel like those different sets of challenges are about the same. 

T-ONO: Would you be interested in working on a more modern photo realistic game in the future? 

TM: We have no current plans to at the moment. We have seen so many other developers that are skilled and talented with photo-realistic expressions. So many game studios in North America globally are critically acclaimed when it comes to expression. In Japan as well we have seen Square Enix and other companies who are well known for their more modern photo realistic expressions. 

While we admire and get inspired by those video game companies, I feel like there would be a big challenge if we are to pursue that path. More than anything, what we as a team hold at our core is the passion and respect for Japanese Anime. We want to make video game adaptations based on those ideas and expressions and pop culture. We feel that this is the global strength that we are well known for. We wish to hone our skills in that regard. 

T-ONO: With next-gen consoles in mind, such as the PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X, what is your opinion on the current state of AAA game development and do you believe it has gotten any easier or more difficult? 

It kind of goes both ways. We appreciate and embrace the advancement of the technology that new generation consoles bring to us. It enables us to work with a lot of new expressions and gives us a more creative space to deliver more meaningful experiences that we would have held off on due to limitations. We have so many capabilities with the new-generation consoles and we are very excited. On the other hand, it does present a lot of technical challenges and difficulties that we need to learn and get used to. It kind of goes in both ways. 

T-ONO: Do you think big-budget AAA games are still sustainable in today's industry? 

TM: Speaking strictly from the perspective of the production duration and ever-growing budget, it’s not necessarily a good trend. However, I feel like it just needs to be well-balanced. When it comes to scheduling and budgeting, Dragon Ball Z Kakarot took us five years to finish the production which was not originally planned. We kept running into new challenges along the way. That was our first time making an open-world game. Thanks to the extra time we believe it paid off due to the global recession and sales which is still going to this day. We appreciate the fans in a way that we were able to deliver a meaningful experience over those five years. In terms of business, we need to match the sales balance. 

When we worked on Fuga: Melodies of Steel we wanted to have a small production team to get the cycle going. It kind of presents a tough challenge for new developers coming into the field. If they take five years to finish one project, it hinders their training and career path. Ideally, we wanted to have a balance of a AAA title that would take three plus years and a smaller project that finishes in about two years so we can have those projects hand in hand and have more control and have them be more sustainable for developer staff. As a business manager, having a good balance between projects seems to be the key to this new trend.  

T-ONO: Fuga Melodies of Steel is currently available on Microsoft Game Pass. Can you tell us your opinion of Microsoft Game Pass? 

TM: Being a first-time publisher, we weren’t really familiar with the subscription-based video game service. We weren’t very sure at the beginning, but in the end, everything turned out very well. Because we were a new publisher. We were able to sell our name as a publisher behind this title and Microsoft Game Pass provided more channels for the players to learn about us as a publisher. It’s difficult to draw a direct comparison when looking at sales and downloads. However, we embrace the opportunity and we appreciate the offer from Microsoft since it helped us expand our audience. 

T-ONO: Can you tell us about the development process of Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2? 

TM: Overall we are very satisfied with the development process on Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2. It was more on schedule when compared to the first title. After Fuga: Melodies of Steel went on sale, we received good reception with high scores on Metacritic and other review sites. We also listened to user feedback and read social media to see what players were saying. The game is not a live service game, but we did release a small number of patches to improve the game experience. Overall I believe we were able to deliver a higher quality experience with Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2. 

T-ONO: Can you tell us how Fuga Melodies of Steel 2 has been received and how has the fan feedback been?  

TM: First of all, we appreciate the fans who already purchased the game and played it considering that it was just released in May. We appreciate all the fans who have played it so far and overall we are seeing good reviews on it so we're very happy to see those responses from fans. 

T-ONO: Was Fuga: Melodies of Steel always considered to be a tactical game? Did you have any other genre in mind? 

TM: Yes, we always wanted Fuga to be a tactical game since day one. However, we’re pretty well known as action game developers. We also pride ourselves in storytelling and strive to make a good storytelling experience, because we want to leave lasting impressions on our fans. In doing so, I believe our storytelling and tactical genre have a nice fusion. We are very proud of what Fuga can bring to the players. 

T-ONO: What was the inspiration behind the art style of Fuga: Melodies of Steel? 

TM: We aimed for a retro, somewhat nostalgic art style. Since this title is set in the same universe as Tail Concerto and Solatorobo, which we developed in the past, but takes place before those stories in the timeline, we paid special attention to any cultural differences that might entail. For creative inspiration, we took cues from animated movies like Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Miyazaki, as well as the artworks from the movie Mortal Engines.

T-ONO: Were there any difficulties or challenges you faced developing either of these games? 

TM: This is true for both titles. This is our original title with no entrusted IP. Aside from our other games, it came from the team staff's passion. It was difficult to match their passion with what our fans wanted. With the team staff's interest and direction, there were no right answers, so we had countless rounds of test plays involving other teams in other business departments who were not necessarily involved with game development because we wanted their feedback as nongamers. While it may not have been a challenge in the end, it did turn out to be a good thought process that we went through. 

T-ONO: CyberConnect2 will open a brand new studio in spring 2024 in Osaka. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

TM: CyberConnect2 Osaka will develop our games in cooperation with our Fukuoka main office and Tokyo studio. This new studio will focus on cinematics, which is something we excel in. We hope everyone will stay tuned for our future productions at CyberConnect2 as we continue to move forward, now with an additional base of operation!

T-ONO: Could you provide a closing statement for our readers who may be interested in playing Fuga: Melodies of Steel 1&2? 

TM: We are big fans of Japanese Anime and Manga. We believe in the positive effect it can bring to all of us. This can be said not just for Japanese people, but for fans worldwide. Because we are fans ourselves, we pride ourselves in bringing those experiences to fans worldwide. We hope our titles bring positive thoughts into our day-to-day lives. We always have our bad days, but at the end of the day, we hope our game brings our players some kind of hope or something good into their lives. After all, video games are entertainment and we hope that they will bring the drive to survive through this tough world out there. We want to live with determination and those meaningful experiences that we hope to deliver in our games and striving protagonists that we aspire to. We want to deliver the same experiences to fans worldwide.