Danganronpa Creators Aim for Genre Expansion and Fan Dedication

Spike Chunsoft CEO Yasuhiro Iizuka plans to remain steadfastly dedicated to their fanbase while also taking a prudent approach as they expand in the West with other genres. Read on to learn more about Iizuka’s comments.

Spike Chunsoft to Prioritize Core Fanbase While Broadening HorizonsSpike Chunsoft Cautiously Expanding in the Western Market

Spike Chunsoft is known for niche narrative games like Danganronpa and the Zero Escape series. However, in a recent interview, CEO Yasuhiro Iizuka emphasized that the studio is looking to expand its horizons while staying true to their fanbase.

"We believe that our strength lies in handling content related to Japan’s niche subcultures and Japanese anime," Iizuka said in an interview with AUTOMATON during BitSummit Drift. "Up until now, adventure games have been our main focus, and in the future, we would like to do this and more by adding other genres to the mixture."

Iizuka intends to "take slow and thoughtful steps" as they expand in the West. "We have no intention of drastically widening the range of our content," Iizuka said. He believes that "suddenly going for genres like FPS and fighting games or trying to publish Western titles for Western gamers would put us in a field we’re simply not good at."

Spike Chunsoft is renowned for their "anime-style" narrative games, but the studio’s portfolio extends beyond this niche. While they’ve ventured into genres like sports with Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, fighting with Jump Force, and wrestling with Fire Pro Wrestling, their reach also encompasses publishing popular Western titles in Japan, such as Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, Cyberpunk 2077 for PS4, and the Witcher series.

Despite this, Iizuka prioritizes avid fan satisfaction above all else. "We want to keep cherishing our fans," he said. "I want us to become the kind of publisher with fans who… visit once and keep coming back to us."

While he did promise to bring their loyal fanbase "the games and products that they love and want," he also emphasized that they are "also going to be sneaking in some surprises here and there to catch people off guard."

As to what these are, fans would just have to wait and see, but rest assured that Iizuka’s decisions are driven by a deep appreciation for their fans. "Our fans have supported us for many years, and we don’t want to disappoint them," he affirmed.