There's this guy named Shuhei Yoshida. He's called the living legend of PlayStation. He was at Sony for 31 years, worked on the original PS projects, and is known as a key figure who led the brand to its peak. As the former President of SIE Worldwide Studios, he oversaw the development of massive hits like God of War and Uncharted. In a recent interview with a Japanese webzine in early December, he discussed the gap between the Japanese and Chinese game development environments. Full news below:
Former PlayStation Studios Head Shuhei Yoshida: "Japan Can't Catch Up to Chinese Studios" — "China's development speed is incredible. Their turnover is also extremely fast."
Shuhei Yoshida, former head of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Worldwide Studios, stated that Japanese game developers are failing to keep pace with their Chinese competitors. In an interview with 4Gamer (translated by Automaton), he noted that Chinese studios like HoYoverse, the developer of Genshin Impact, develop games at a much faster rate, and it's common for employees to work long hours in the office. Yoshida said, "The development speed in China is astonishing. Personnel turnover is fast, and the overall development moves very quickly." He added, "I once spoke with people from HoYoverse, and we discussed how it's quite difficult for Japanese developers to make games the same way they do. Not to mention the legal issues involved." He further commented, "I think there are parts of the development process that Japanese developers simply cannot replicate. One reason Chinese games are so strong is the environment that allows for hiring massive amounts of manpower capable of working long hours." Finally, he concluded, "Of course, we don't know what changes the near future might bring, but looking at the current situation, I believe that is the biggest factor."
HoYoverse has achieved massive success with its game lineup. Genshin Impact surpassed $5 billion in cumulative mobile revenue, reaching that milestone faster than any other game. Meanwhile, the free-to-play action RPG Zenless Zone Zero surpassed 50 million global downloads just days after its release. On the other hand, the 996.ICU movement began in 2019 to combat long working hours in China. '996' refers to working from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week. The movement points to Chinese labor laws stating workers shouldn't exceed 8 hours a day and maintains a list of companies practicing the 996 schedule.
3-Line Summary: 1. Former SIE Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida says Japanese devs find it hard to match the rapid development speed of Chinese devs. 2. He notes that China's massive workforce and environment for long working hours are factors Japan can't easily replicate legally or culturally. 3. Citing the success of companies like HoYoverse, he evaluates this difference in the development environment as a core factor in their current competitiveness.
Source: Singgle Bungle Earth Gallery [View Original]
"Users are debating whether China's '996' grind culture is the secret sauce or just human rights violations, while some are busy defending Nintendo and others are roasting the lack of innovation in modern JRPGs."
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