It's no secret by now that Nioh has a been a big success for Koei Tecmo and developer Team Ninja. In a piece earlier this month I reflected on this success, and mused that it's important for the developer and publisher duo to seize the opportunity brought about by the game, especially in western territories and the US. It seems that the Japanese publisher has indeed taken some of this to heart, if recent remarks are anything to go by.
Speaking with MCV, Koei Tecmo had the following to say regarding Nioh, its success, and the audiences it reached that the company now has the opportunity to firmly hold of.
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With the invaluable help of Sony Interactive Entertainment, we released two early demos, Alpha and Beta, and we were able to give players all over the world a teaser of what we were planning for them while simultaneously being open to their feedback.
As a result we believe we were able to adapt to their expectations and reach out to a brand new audience that hadn’t played our games in the past. In that, Nioh has taught us a lot of valuable lessons and has definitely helped open up an entirely new audience for us.
Nioh’s success, as well as the recent western success of titles like Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom and Dead or Alive, is proof that if we follow the right approach and listen to the needs of the players they will embrace our titles and help our company grow further.
The remarks are a bit long-winded, but they display a refreshing awareness when it comes to acknowledging the secret to most successful companies in any industry: listening to customers. I've no doubt players in nearly all territories are open to more Nioh or at least more like it, so if that's what Koei Tecmo has planned for the foreseeable future it's perfectly fine with me.
For more Nioh, you can check out Game Revolution's extensive coverage of the game here.
