‘Atelier’ Series Producer Admits Difficulty In Trying To Satisfy Both “Asian And Western” Gameplay Demands, Asks Fans To “Keep On Sharing Your Opinions”
According to Atelier Yumia producer Junzo Hosoi, while the franchise’s recent boom of international success is certainly welcome, it also brings with it the distinct challenge of how to simultaneously satisfy the wildly different gameplay demands of both Asian and Western players.
Offering his thoughts on this East/West divide during a recent interview with video game news outlet Automaton, Hosoi recalled, “Recently I went to Europe and North America for the first time, to do some work regarding Atelier Yumia. There I could actually feel the contrast between the Asian and Western sentiment, as well as the differences between our way of thinking and the Western players’ demands.”
“For example, in the West, many players are looking for a ‘more straightforward action-packed gameplay experience,” he explained. “However, in Asia, that kind of direction would be considered ‘too simple,’ and players say they would rather like us to ‘focus on making Synthesis [a staple Atelier series gameplay mechanic that, as its name suggests, invites players to fuse items together in order to make different ones] stronger.'”
“While hearing all these opinions makes me realize how difficult game development actually is, I’d still want players to leave a Steam review or give us any kind of feedback, because it’s really valuable information for us,” Hosoi concluded. “That’s why I’d want to tell all our players, keep on sharing your opinions with us!”
Though the producer was explicitly talking about the difference in East/West gameplay demands, some on social media had a kneejerk reaction to Automaton’s headline – ‘As the Atelier franchise goes global, the dev team is torn about how to reconcile Western and Japanese players’ vastly differing demands’ – and presumed he was instead talking about each region’s differing views on ‘attractive characters’.
However, while Hosoi did admit during a 2023 interview with Nintendo Life that the series was making a conscious move away from fanservice in service of wider audience appeal, it should be explicitly noted that the topic of character designs and art styles did not come up during his recent talk with Automaton.
Further, despite this shift in art direction, fans can rest easy knowing the Atelier franchise is still delivering its fair share of attractive female characters – from the ample-chested Yumia in Atelier Yumia, to the Atelier Ryza line’s titular heroine with her huge ‘personality’, to the upcoming lead of Atelier Resleriana Rias Eidreise.
Ultimately, in light of the various responses that their coverage received, their topics ranging from gameplay, art directions, or otherwise, Automaton both thanked fans for their feedback and promised, “We’ll make sure to get your message across to the devs at Koei Tecmo!”
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