Resident Evil 5 Producer Fears the West

Amid a growing swell of opinion that Japanese game development is on the wane, Capcom's producer of Resident Evil 5, Jun Takeuchi, has come out and said that he is worried by the output of western developers.

Asked by Japanese gaming bible, Famitsu, what he expects from 2009, Takeuchi said, "I'm worried about the movements of Western developers. Japan is now their target - it's the last big marketplace. The truth is that Western studios are making great games, and they're going to continue to do so next year too."

Takeuchi went on to indicate that Japanese devs are losing touch with their domestic audience. "It's not good if Japanese developers are making games that can't be enjoyed by Japanese people", he said. "I hope that 2009 is a year where developers - not just Capcom, but other makers too - can have big hits that improve the Japanese games industry as a whole."

As for his own company, Capcom, Takeuchi was quietly upbeat. "2009 will also see Resident Evil 5 finally released, and it'll also then see us on to our next step. We haven't shown what Capcom has in store for 2009 yet, so I hope we can surprise you all soon."

This comes following Japanese publishing powerhouse Square Enix strengthening its Western presence with a "strategic partnership" with American developer Gas Powered Games. The move is unprecedented for Square, with the Japanese company previously having only done business with external devs from Japan. Similarly, there have been rumblings about Square showing an interest in ailing Britsoft publisher, Eidos.

Elsewhere, Japanese games company Namco Bandai has taken steps to strengthen its offering for Western gamers with its 'Surge' brand.

While the Japanese games industry is far from on the rocks, 2009 is looking like it could be a key year for the region's placing in the global gaming market.

^{Source: Famitsu via Develop}