It’s no secret that the Japanese game industry has been struggling lately. Still, don’t expect them to go quietly into the night. According to Keiji Inafune, CEO of Comcept and former head of global R&D at Capcom, they’re going somewhere else entirely: 

In sum, for Japanese game companies to regain their global competitiveness, they will need to invest more creatively, act less like bureaucrats, and do a better job of understanding other cultures. But even in a creative sector such as games, it’s hard for large, established organizations to change. Last year, after 23 years at Capcom, I decided to follow my own advice about taking risks. I left the company and have decided to strike out on my own. I want to try to change the industry. And I felt that I didn’t want to end up being known only as “Capcom’s Inafune.” Instead, I want to build my own brand. Think of Steven Spielberg. He’s not “Universal’s Steven Spielberg.” He’s just Steven Spielberg, even though he started with Universal.

It may be too late-or too hard-to tackle the US market at this point. The next big market is China. There I see many opportunities. My sights are on Asia.

-Richard Clark

[via]