A good concept can't be too new. If you're a painter, you don't try to reinvent paint; you think up new ways to mix it. Think of that one combination nobody else has thought of, and strike upon that new color that will catch everyone's eyes—that's the concept that will lead to your next big hit.
Your concept also has to "clash." Your creative drive is going to clash with your business interests; you need to make it work. Balancing originality and speed is just as important. It might seem like anyone can churn out hit concepts, but it takes knowledge and experience.
Also, you have to take care of your concepts once you think them up—watch over them, cultivate them, recognize when and how to help them grow. At comcept, we know how.
Japan's game industry is in trouble. An unprecedented slump in sales and diversifying entertainment industry have pushed Japan into a vicious cycle: you can't spend time and money on your games unless they sell, but they won't sell unless you spend the time and money. To survive, game creators have stopped evolving and instead try to live off their past glory. This is a tragedy. Japan is not drawing out the full potential of its creative workforce. It's happening with games, and it's happening across all content industries.
What we need right now, both in the studio and in the boardroom, are concepts—concepts good enough to pull together the best creators, psych them up, and squeeze out the best they have to offer.
The age of creating and marketing content for Japan only is over. We have to put out content with worldwide appeal. And to do that, we need to collaborate with overseas partners and design content that people in other countries will like, too. It comes down to the concept, and at comcept, ours will always pass the test. By sharing these strong concepts with our business partners, we know it's possible to motivate their talent and create the best content out there.
KEIJI INAFUNE
Conceptor and CEO / comcept, Inc.
Keiji Inafune has been shaping the game industry since 1987, when he joined Capcom Co., Ltd. A string of hit games and series, including Mega Man, Resident Evil 2, Onimusha, Lost Planet, and Dead Rising, have made him a star creator respected both inside and outside the industry. In 2006, Inafune was promoted to senior corporate officer and served as manager of development and content manager.
In recent years, as domestic game companies struggled to keep pace with their rapidly evolving overseas counterparts, Inafune realized the Japanese game industry was facing a crisis. Recognizing the corporatization of creative talent as a primary cause, he decided to seek new ways to invigorate his industry and expand his own horizons as a creator, and left Capcom in November 2010.
A month later, he founded comcept, and in January the next year he established a second company, intercept, Inc. As CEO of both enterprises, he continues to develop cross-media content for games, film, literature, and more, while reaching out to the world with compelling concepts.
