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Kenji Matsubara joined SNK three years ago as CEO of a Japanese game company with a rich heritage in fighting games like King of Fighters.
This year, at the Tokyo Game Show, his company showed off Fatal Fury, whose last installment as a video game was 26 years ago. This is what it means to try to bring back the golden age of SNK. Matsubara was hired by a new set of bosses: the Saudis. The crown prince turned out to be a big fan of SNK”s games. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Misk Foundation acquired SNK and Toei Animation as part of a move into the game industry. His mission was to grow the business.
Matsubara was able to grow the company from 200 people to 600 now, but he isn’t in a huge rush. Rather, the investment is a measured push that will bring back the company’s older franchises and launch some new ones as well. The company has added a Tokyo office in addition to its Osaka team, as well as a new studio in China. Matsubara doesn’t want to grow too fast, but he also wants to make a significant impact on SNK’s future. He thinks it’s important to grow but maintain the company’s culture.
There are still more ways to grow. The company could expand in Europe and North America as it seeks a larger global footprint. Matsubara also said the company’s recent teaser with soccer legend Cristiano Rolando could also draw a lot of interest to the company’s games.
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GamesBeat Next is almost here! GB Next is the premier event for product leaders and leadership in the gaming industry. Coming up October 28th and 29th, join fellow leaders and amazing speakers like Matthew Bromberg (CEO Unity), Amy Hennig (Co-President of New Media Skydance Games), Laura Naviaux Sturr (GM Operations Amazon Games), Amir Satvat (Business Development Director Tencent), and so many others. See the full speaker list and register here.
I met Matsubara eight years ago when I last went to Japan for work. He was then working at Sega, and he was on a panel I moderated during a Tokyo visit and he reminded me of our encounter by showing me a picture. It slipp …