Koei goes West: Plans to increase focus on Europe and US

With Dynasty Warriors games being huge system sellers in Japan, it's safe to say that developer/publisher Koei has everything sewn up in the home country. The company, however, has never had much more than a cult appeal outside of its base territory, but has announced that it is going to strengthen its focus on international affairs.

Naoki Katashima has been appointed vice president of Koei's UK, French and North American divisions, and will be overseeing all sales and marketing. His new position will see him stationed in sunny Hertfordshire, UK. With this appointment, Koei has effectively split its resources in two, with seperate divisions taking care of both Japanese and Western business affairs. 

"This new mid-term plan is a very significant development for Koei. The plan demonstrates our renewed commitment to our Western businesses and the importance with which Koei views the markets outside of Japan," Katashima stated. "This plan establishes an entirely new division that unifies all of Koei’s Western territories and represents a substantial part of the company overall. Now more than ever, Koei’s development studios and sales and marketing teams around the world are working more closely together to develop remarkable entertainment experiences for video gamers across the globe."

Koei is, of course, the company responsible for bringing several NIS titles to the UK, as well as Persona 3, and has been providing the West with niche' titles for years. Any focus on the West by a Japanese company is fine by me, and it's all the better that it happens to be one of my favorite companies doing it.