Tez Okano has some experience of cult classics: he’s the director behind the likes of SGGG, Astro Boy Omega Force and Gunstar Super Heroes. But in Sega HQ, in the appropriately named Ohta-ku south of Tokyo, he’s talking about a new business model. One that might keep a failing genre alive and, if Okano has his way, one that might see a few more classics revived. We sat down with the director of the PS2 title Thunder Force VI to discuss aiming for the core.

Why have you chosen to develop an arcade shooter, especially given how the genre is struggling? And how did you persuade Sega to do it?

Well, it’s quite simple. I’m a man from the arcade and I really love this genre. I’ve wanted to make it for some time now. Shooters are a special genre, even in the arcade: they’re not something you can really make big profits from, so they’re often seen as a sign of prosperity. I mean, only companies that are profitable elsewhere can enjoy themselves developing an arcade shooter. I wanted to see if you could develop this kind of game profitably, try a new business model if you like.

You want to know a secret? There’s no such thing as a Thunder Force VI project. The real one is Project STG. It is our attempt to revive a genre with Thunder Force VI being the first step. Developing a single shooting game would not be profitable: this is a first step which will be used as base for future steps, and using names that fans will get very excited about. So Sega won’t judge this project on Thunder Force VI alone but in the context of what we’re trying to achieve.

Yes, obviously they were concerned about the business aspect: it’s quite normal for people managing a company like Sega to be very careful about being profitable! But I made the case that in today’s worldwide video game market, there are very few genres left for Japanese game makers. It is meaningless for us to try making a FPS for the West. Users overseas are not very interested in Japanese RPGs either. So we are left with very few genres where we can develop, release and be profitable. But among these options, shooting games are one. But there would be very little meaning in making just one shooter. So my focus was to offer a new business model in which the first title would be a base on which others would come. Our company understood it and let me go forward.

Now, I said that the people in charge of managing this company are very anxious to be profitable. But at the same time, these people know about games too. When I put my idea on the table I realized they also loved shooting games. So during the meeting we spoke about money but also about all those past glorious arcade shooters: they particularly loved Tatsujin! So adding all these elements together, I got the green light for my project. I believe that it’s because this is Sega, which has such a long history in the arcade, that I was able to get my project approved. If it was a company entirely focused on profitability, there would have been little chance of a shooting game being developed.
 
So why Thunder Force VI specifically?

Well, this is one game I really wanted to make. At the end of SGGG, you have a shooting sequence which is a tribute to this series. Now, try to imagine how Sega could ever revive a genre with its own licenses. Should we have done Crying? Whip Rush? Come on! Of course it had to be a name as legendary as Thunder Force! I plan to include some traditional features of any past shooters like the Sound Select mode! There will be some slow down as well!
 
You’ve assembled a specific team for this: did you ever consider going with one of the bigger studios like G.rev or even Treasure?

I have lots of good experience working with Treasure. I think in total we’ve worked on 3 projects. Treasure is an incredible company when it comes to the arcade and especially shooters: but I felt that Thunder Force would have become a Treasure game and not a Thunder Force. If you look at Gradius V on the PS2, it is a Treasure game. So I preferred a team that would leave the soul of Thunder Force intact, and I wanted a very basic shooting experience like you would have enjoyed during the arcade golden age. I think Treasure has this unique artistic and innovative approach which was not in line with these requirements.