Drakengard 3 producer downplays claim that Japanese market is shrinking

Drakengard 3 producer Takamasa Shiba has expressed confusion over claims that the Japanese game market is shrinking in a new interview.

Speaking in the pages of Famitsu, and picked up by Kotaku, Shiba said, "Everyone says the Japanese game market, particularly the console game market, is shrinking. When I hear that, I just think ‘Huh?’

“The thing is, the divide between what sells and what doesn’t is strongly defined and I agree that games geared for your average user have been on the decline. So I can say without fear of misinterpretation that the number of game users is increasing, and I feel that it’s only the light users who occasionally play games who are decreasing in number.”

Elsewhere in the interview Shiba revealed that Drakengard 3 was pitched as a PS3 title when Sony was gearing up to launch the console, but the pitch was rejected and eventually became NeiR, which is actually pretty interesting.

It's a neat interview, where Shiba explains - quite openly - that Drakengard 3 eventually got the greenlight due to sequels selling better and posing a lower-risk prospect than new IP. You have to admire his honesty.

Meanwhile, we've got fresh Drakengard 3 screens here.