Tokyo Game Show 2018 was jam-packed full of announcements, many of which we were anticipating and others that were quite the surprise. Nevertheless, Tokyo Game Show 2018 was an impressive event and an exciting experience. Speaking of exciting experiences, we had the opportunity to sit down with President, Executive Producer, and Scenario Writer for Nippon Ichi Software, Sohei Niikawa, who gave us a breakdown of his gaming experiences and life as a gamer. We hope that you enjoy this interview piece as much as we did!
Disgaea 1 Complete - A True Remasterpiece (Nintendo Switch, PS4)
Honey-Chan
Sohei Niikawa
Interview Session - NIS President, Sohei Niikawa
What inspired you to come up with the Disgaea franchise?
We started with a base idea of the Netherworld and demons and after that, we added things that we thought were fun and things that we thought the players would like. For us, anything was permissible when it came to the Netherworld and demons, and so we ended up putting a ton of crazy stuff in the game. As a result, Disgaea, the game with tons of additional content, was born.
Where did the name Disgaea come from?
The opposite of a utopia is a dystopia and that was the origin of the word. I didn't really like the ring of the dystopia though, so using the word Gaia (Earth) I combined them to show that this wasn't Earth and thus, Disgaea.
Being the president of NIS certainly has its challenges, but from a gaming standpoint, what challenges have you been met with during your career?
I would say that as the president, I am still in the thick of it when it comes to challenges. I do believe that both people and companies grow as a result of trials though. The NIS group will continue to meet our challenges head on. As for as a gamer... My university years were the peak. Right when Dragon Quest V came out, I replayed I-IV. I played through all the routes in Romancing SaGa. Got all three Rings of the Dead to make Liches in Ogre Battle. Bought a 3DO just to play Policenauts... My daily schedule was crazy. I would sleep, then wake up before class and game, then go to class. I would come back and go back to sleep then wake up and game again... That cycle was on loop and how I lived.
Will there be any plans to release a new Disgaea title for current consoles? Disgaea 6 perhaps? *laughs*
After Disgaea 1 Complete, we are planning other things for Disgaea for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. We aren't really at the point where we can make any kind of announcement about the content for Disgaea 6 or when it will be released, but it is coming, so please look forward to it.
Will there be any new IPs coming from NIS in the near future?
Yes, we like to have new IP come out every year. We will continue to challenge ourselves to create and develop new IP, so please lend us your support!
Do you have any messages you want to give to fans of NIS?
Thanks to all the fans, we have welcomed our 25th year as a company. 15 years ago, we established NIS America and have been able to bring our titles to fans around the world. Because of the support of our fans, we are able to continue making games. We are so grateful to them. Thank you to all of you. Your existence is our energy and so long as you are there, we will continue making games for you. Please continue to support us!
Final Thoughts
While Tokyo Game Show 2018 may have come to an end, it’s still truly a pleasure to have experienced this interview with Niikawa-san, as he not only showed us how passionate he is about creating new content, but that he’s a very passionate gamer himself! We look forward to more content from NIS America and of course, new information pertaining to the Disgaea franchise in the near future! From all of us here at Honey’s Anime, we thank you and wish you all the best in your future endeavours Niikawa-san!
Editor/Writer
Author: Rob "NualphaJPN" B.
A passionate fan of gaming, writing, journalism, anime, and philosophy. I've lived in Japan for many years and consider this place to be my permanent home. I love to travel around Japan and learn about the history and culture! Leave a comment if you enjoy my articles and watch me play on twitch.tv/honeysgaming ! Take care!
