https://www.otaquest.com/masayoshi-kikuchi-interview/
Concept Art for JSR, have not seen this before, was it in the Dreamcast Collected Works?
I liked this interview, but it ended sort of abruptly, I would have liked to know more about his position on developing mobile games, if he wants to return to console development, a potential new game, or Naganumas Twitter shenenigans
Anyway here is how JSR did not do well and how Yakuza 1 came to be:
Concept Art for JSR, have not seen this before, was it in the Dreamcast Collected Works?
I liked this interview, but it ended sort of abruptly, I would have liked to know more about his position on developing mobile games, if he wants to return to console development, a potential new game, or Naganumas Twitter shenenigans
Anyway here is how JSR did not do well and how Yakuza 1 came to be:
OTAQUEST: Jet Set Radio was rated highly overseas. How did that make you feel?
Masayoshi Kikuchi: When I go overseas for events like E3 I see something that we built from the ground up being applauded and rated very highly not just from Japanese fans, but from foreign fans and the media as well. That 's definitely an amazing feeling. Right after it was released we got letters in French and in German and I remember being in the office asking if there was anyone who could read them. However, in regards to Jet Set Radio, we didn't specifically set out to make something that would be popular overseas but instead aimed to tread uncharted territory in gaming as a whole. I think it being so popular overseas is just a result of that. I was honored to receive so many commendations, but I didn't get the impression that it necessarily meant more sales…. So we were motivated to make something that would be profitable and also be popular in Japan.
OTAQUEST: And that led to the birth of Yakuza. What was it like in the beginning of the planning phase?
Masayoshi Kikuchi: After the split SmileBit was re-integrated back into SEGA, I began working under Nagoshi Toshihiro, and Nagoshi and I talked about the next project. That's when Nagoshi mentioned the idea of creating a new game using the concept of the dark underbelly of Japanese society, and based on that we put together the plan for Yakuza. I was the producer and Ueda became the director. It also just so happened that at that time, the two of us were watching a lot of gokudou (yakuza-type) movies such as Battles Without Honor and Humanity and saying, "I wish we could make this kind of atmosphere into a game." So that idea was a lifesaver.