Former Sega exec Toshiro Nagoshi founds new gaming studio

Sega’s former chief creative officer, Toshihiro Nagoshi, has created his own gaming studio called Nagoshi Studio with the help of Chinese gaming company NetEase.

Joining Nagoshi is a core team of eight former Sega employees who previously worked for its subsidiary, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. The Ru Ga Gotoku team is primarily known for its work on the Yakuza games, which Nagoshi himself directed.

For the past thirty years, Nagoshi has steadily built up a portfolio that includes over 100 titles. Since 1990, he’s been working in the gaming industry and has produced everything from Daytona USA and Bayonetta to numerous Sonic games, Super Monkey Ball games and the Yakuza games.

Ironically, Nagoshi was once dubbed “the man who won’t leave Sega.” Now, it appears the seasoned game director and producer is ready to branch out on his own for a little more creative freedom and control. At his new studio, Nagoshi will serve as President and Representative Director.

NetEase Games asserted that Nagoshi Studio now “enjoys full authority to manage and create the kinds of games that they are passionate about” in a press release issued yesterday.

Personal — Nagoshi wrote about the importance of video games and the changing industry landscape in a heartfelt note published on his new studio’s website. “Changes are continuing to unfold with greater and greater speed. What only yesterday had been considered the height of cool suddenly becomes outdated before you know it.

“But no matter how the times change, I believe that what people essentially want from entertainment has not changed one bit. People see their dreams in entertainment. People look to entertainment to give them hope in life, to soothe them in times of difficulty, and to add excitement in happy times. People look to entertainment to provide the spark for all kinds of events.”

As a leader, Nagoshi emphasized the importance of not being afraid making mistakes, open communication among all levels of staff, dedication and perseverance as important values he wishes to uphold at his new studio.

Personnel — Nagoshi’s founding team has three artists: Kazuki Hosokawa, Naoki Someya, and Toshihiro Ando. On the backend, Koji Tokieda joins as a programmer and Mitsunori Fujimoto as an engineer. Daisuke Sato will produce games for the studio and Taichi Ushioda has come on board as a game director. Last but not least, Masao Shirosaki will serve as Nagoshi Studio’s game designer.

For those interested in working with Nagoshi Studio, the Tokyo-based team is currently hiring a planner, manager, artist, and programmer.

It’s currently unclear what types of games Nagoshi Studio will work on, but if their oeuvre is any indication, the sky is the limit for this AAA team.