Koei Tecmo has been making strides in their respective industry, both in game development and game publishing. With JRPGs like Nights of Azure and the Atelier series, both developed by Gust, and the immense, almost gargantuan success of the Dead or Alive series, it wouldn’t be too far from the truth to say that Koei Tecmo can become one of the next premier Japanese publishers in the West. The company has also capitalized on its trademark Dynasty/Samurai Warriors formula, collaborating with IPs across both video games and manga. Thus, spawning the likes of Hyrule Warriors, One Piece: Pirate Warriors, and Dragon Quest: Heroes.
Thanks to ZhugeEX, we are provided a peek into just how successful Tecmo Koei has been during the first half of the 2015/16 fiscal year.
- Arslan: The Warriors of Legend – 60,000 units sold in Japan and Asia
- Nights of Azure – 150,000 units sold in Japan and Asia
- Samurai Warriors 4: Empires – 100,000 units sold in Japan and Asia
- Dead or Alive 5: Core Fighters – 4 million downloads
- Nobunaga’s Ambition 201X – 600,000 downloads
- My Gamecity (gaming platform) – 800,000 members
It’s worth noting that Nights of Azure is an entirely new IP for Koei Tecmo, also known by its Japanese name Yoru no Nai Kuni. With 150,000 units sold primarily in Japan and Asia – and debuting at #4 in software sales in Japan – it could prove to be even more beneficial for the company with its approaching North American release date of March 29th, 2016. With game software revenue down 10% due to delays, the future may look bleak though Koei Tecmo reportedly shattered their initial earnings forecast, bringing in a 45.7% increase at ¥2,477 million.
Cheeky of Koei Tecmo, however, was that they featured a bullet point in their collaboration expansions hinting at a “large-scale… collaboration with a prominent overseas IP.” It’s rare to see the West and East combine their efforts for a video game, in more ways than simply publishing games in North America, so whatever this could manifest into will be interesting.
All stops are being pulled out, it seems, for 2016 with Toukiden 2 and Nioh, both revealed at Tokyo Game Show 2015, and a list of releases in North America and Europe including the aforementioned Nights of Azure, Arslan: The Warriors of Legend, an Attack on Titan collaboration, and Atelier Escha & Logy Plus: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky.
For more information on release dates and available titles, all provided by Koei Tecmo, check out their official website: http://www.koeitecmoamerica.com/
Sources: AnimeNewsNetwork, ZhugeEX, I Play PS Vita, Niche Gamer
