Koei Tecmo's recent shareholders Q&A briefing, which was held in October 2024, has just been published, and it shows that the company is planning some big expansions in the long term.
The publisher and developer — known best for Dynasty Warriors, the Atelier series, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Nioh — is looking to expand its employee numbers from 2,500 to 5,000, doubling its scale and allowing the company to "steadily produce AAA titles" (via Automaton Media, Stealth).
It will also be shifting its focus to more PC and console games, as it “expects the console and PC game market to grow” due to new hardware releases. Well, surely that includes the successor to the Nintendo Switch, then.
The company also noted that the mobile game market has reached maturity, and "significant growth is unlikely to be seen", hence the focus on console and AAA titles. Perhaps we'll get to see more Dynasty Warriors games on the next Nintendo console.
Koei Tecmo has been around since 2009, after the merger of Koei (founded in 1978) and Tecmo (founded in 1967). The company is made up of multiple subsidiaries, including Omega Force — the team primarily responsible for the Warriors games and spin-offs (including Fire Emblem Warriors and Hyrule Warriors) — Gust — which it acquired in 2014 and who are the team behind the Atelier franchise — and Team Ninja, known for Nioh, Dead or Alive, and Ninja Gaiden.
2025 looks to be a huge year for the publisher, as Dynasty Warriors: Origins is due to launch on consoles on 17th January 2025. Not on Switch, however. But the Switch will be getting Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land on 21st March 2025 along with a second Atelier, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian, later in the year.
What do you think of Koei Tecmo's plans? Do you think we'll see more Koei Tecmo games on the Switch 2? Dive into the comments and let us know.
[source koeitecmo.co.jp, via automaton-media.com, x.com]
Comments 26
Hopefully this means more games on Xbox. Not sure why you would look for console growth and ignore one of the 3 even if it is the lowest selling. Atelier is a good step forward.
I can’t have been the only one that misread the title as an Altlier Warriors game incoming 🤣
Fingers crossed them expanding will be for the best and personally I'm looking forward to seeing more games from them on Switch and/or its successor!
This seems very positive. I'm a fan of pretty much everything cited in this article under the Koei Tecmo publishing roof, so hopefully, with good management, this expansion will be good for all.
PS. I can think of a reason why they might ignore Xbox...
@K1LLEGAL Probably because it's the lowest selling console and the gamepass lowered software sales.
Very surprising decision, I thought Rise of the Ronin hadn't performed well and the last Dynasty warrior had flopped.
@K1LLEGAL what Atelier and Dead or Alive player has an Xbox Series whatever Phil is calling it now?
Hopefully they bring back Blue Reflection. That's the kind of game I want on my Switch.
So pretty~....
Anyways, I still want to play the first game on Switch
@Sonicka : Don't worry, you certainly are not.😉
Ah, mobile - I spent half the article wondering what Koeimo was even shifting their focus to PC and consoles from.😅 Ironically, I can barely even recall seeing them in the mobile domain often, with solely Atelier Online and the literally unplayable (outside the usual five countries the mobile market likes to call "global") Resleriana springing to mind. Although perhaps the latter is the very trend to explain my lack of familiarity with this lineup?😆
@Sonicka I mean, why not - Warriors All-Stars (mostly TV-chained to this day but hacked Vitas do have access to the patchlated port) already had Sophie in the roster, so there's a foundation to build on. If anything, I'm lowkey surprised that an Atelier Warriors DOESN'T exist yet... maybe that's where the increased console/PC focus might factor in down the road?😏
We. Want. DEAD OR ALIVE 7!!! Who's with me?!
...
(crickets)
@Zeebor15 everything is an Xbox.
So… all of them?
@Sonicka I would play that. I’d also like Ryza for Smash but I’m not holding my breath.
Personally, I think any 3rd party dev that owns their IPs should try to publish on all consoles and PCs. Nintendo will want their Pokemon and Fire Emblems inhouse, same with Sony with Astro Bot and God of War. Anything else shouldn't have their reach held back. (Financial strain considered, but I'm not an expert to debate on the topic)
@K1LLEGAL What I hate most about Microsoft is they're never graceful in defeat. No much like my father they always have to lie, change words, move goalposts, and add * to everything until the rules become so weird and specific to only them that they win by default
@Zeebor15 maybe they do, i’m sure they all try and make themselves seem as pretty as possible (well Satya would rather condemn Xbox…) but if Koei Tecmo want more sales in the console market, there is one open for them. And say what you want about Gamepass but putting your game on Xbox in general then allows for the opportunity to put it on Gamepass in the future should you need the revenue.
But of course it’s easier to just shrug it off like eh only 30 million consoles why bother.
@fenlix That's why so many accept a fat paycheck for releasing games on Game Pass instead.
Rebellion and several others release all their games on day one on Game Pass every year.
Less than 50% of Xbox owners have Game Pass, so they sell copies outside GP anyway to Console owners, Steam and Windows Store for PC.
If you buy on Windows Store you get PC and console version at no extra cost.
There is nearly 700 PC+Xbox cross purchases so far.
Hard to look at a video game company planning to double in size and not think about all the layoffs.
@Zeebor15 Gotta spin for investors
Hopefully the Switch's successor will be their priority and not the Playstation, not only does Nintendo not impose censorship regulations (which is why I STRONGLY defend that Dead or Alive should come back with the Switch as its only console), but Koei Tecmo and Nintendo have been doing some fantastic work together!
@stinkyx I am! though I'd be content with a Dead or Alive 5 Deluxe on Switch to hold me over. (it's probably my favorite fighting game ever made. I main La Mariposa).
Project Zero/Fatal Frame please. I'm waiting for it
@Tamlyn Should get 2 on modern consoles first. Im waiting on that one. We got 4 and 5 on modern consoles. 2 should be the next one.
Koei Tecmo is probably one of my favorite game companies at this point. I'm looking forward to many of their upcoming games. Only problem is, I don't really have the time for every one of them! Anyway, I'm looking forward to what their future brings. Hopefully it brings more Fatal Frame.
Atelier Yumia, Atelier Resleriana and they should have a new DOA game on Switch 2 seeing how that new DOA romance game will be doa on PS5. Let's get a new Fatal Frame Koei. As well as the other games they got in their back pocket.
@stinkyx Ayane main here, DOA 7 for sure! or a Reboot.
Hopefully this is a good decision for the long run.
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