Keita Takahashi calls Japanese games sector a "zombie" that focuses on sequels too much

Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi believes the Japanese game industry is in a bit of a sad state, and has suggested the sector does its best work after it has hit a downward slope.

Speaking with GamesTM magazine, Takahashi said the industry in Japan needs "an injection of life" to get it out of its zombie state, and start making more "genuine, original games".

"I think the Japanese industry is like a zombie," he said. "We don’t know what to do until we’re at the very bottom, and only then can we start looking at where things are going wrong.

“When we go down, we see new technology like PlayStation Move and things pick up a bit. We never hit rock-bottom, and it’s like a zombie that never dies. It needs an injection of life. I think in Japan there’s too much a focus on sequels. There are too few genuine original games being made and, for me, that is why Japanese gaming is not doing so well at the moment.”

Takahashi left Namco Bandai back in September after starting to feel as if he "didn't belong there anymore".

He’s now overseeing the re-design of a park in Nottingham, and works at his studio Uvula, which he co-founded with his spouse back in October.

Thanks, Develop.