Interview Date: 7/2/2025
Interview Format: One-on-one
Anime Herald: How has the final 12 months handled you and Arc System Works?
Ken Miyauchi: Fairly good.
Anime Herald: Care to elaborate?
Ken Miyauchi: Final 12 months it was me with Seiji Mizushima and Norimitsu Kaiho for Responsible Gear -STRIVE-: Twin Rulers. This 12 months it’s simply me.
Anime Herald: Yep. What would you wish to give attention to this 12 months?
Ken Miyauchi: Clearly the present Responsible Gear -STRIVE-: Twin Rulers has ended. We simply launched Responsible Gear -STRIVE- Season 4. We’re centered on extra updates for Responsible Gear -STRIVE-.
Anime Herald: On that word, I’ve been requested to cross a message alongside: please buff Testomony. I heard that from a number of individuals. Who’s accountable for that?
Ken Miyauchi: Relating to character buffs and nerfs, that’s as much as our battle designers. We see numerous suggestions from the participant base. What we do about character balancing is, since there are numerous gamers the world over, and so they converse numerous totally different languages, if we depend on anyone supply of media, it’s arduous to gather all of the suggestions. Since we’re based mostly in Japan and our product designers converse Japanese, they’ve problem understanding English. As a producer, to keep away from skewing in the direction of one tradition or one nation, I attempt to acquire all of the suggestions from Europe, the US, Japan, Korea, and talk with the battle design group, “What do you concentrate on this?”, “What’s your philosophy about doing this?”
I’m continuously having this dialog with the group.
Anime Herald: If the followers wished to speak an concept or some ideas, what’s the easiest way of doing that?
Ken Miyauchi: Any format is completely nice. We attempt to look into all varieties of media. Reddit, Discord, Twitter, hardly ever Fb. We’ll have a look at YouTube. We additionally look into different preventing sport channels to gather data. There isn’t a particular channel they should use. I’d say any channel is completely nice.
I want to say that the Responsible Gear -STRIVE- neighborhood may be very sincere, easy, and vocal about what they’re pondering and feeling. Each positively, and negatively. We actually admire that. Sharing their ideas permits us to know what they’re feeling. Easy suggestions helps our group. I actually admire how the gamers talk with us.
Anime Herald: I’ll cross that alongside to the individuals of Reddit so that they know they need to preserve sharing their damaging offended ideas. Arc System Works is listening.
What would you want to speak about?
Ken Miyauchi: We’ve been engaged on DC and our future updates.
Anime Herald: What do you have got coming down the pipeline?
Ken Miyauchi: I believe lots of people could have questioned whether or not Responsible Gear -STRIVE- will finish its updates after Lucy [from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners]. We haven’t introduced something. I want to share that we’ve got a giant plan that can shock individuals. They may take pleasure in what we’ve got coming. Our growth hasn’t stopped. Individuals ought to sit up for it.
Anime Herald: Do you have got a tough timeline for when individuals can anticipate this?
Ken Miyauchi: Someday in 2026.
Anime Herald: How lengthy do updates soak up manufacturing?
Ken Miyauchi: I can’t say precisely when it began. We’ve been having projected issues to try this began in Season 2 that we haven’t been capable of accomplish but. There are issues which can be incomplete that we’re engaged on. I’m fairly positive individuals will prefer it.
Anime Herald: Taichiro Miyazaki of Cyberconnect2 stated one thing very fascinating to me. He stated that online game growth is a sequence of innovations. You may have an concept of how lengthy issues may take, however you don’t know. It seems like that’s the place you’re.
Ken Miyauchi: It’s one thing like that.
Anime Herald: Responsible Gear -STRIVE- is on the market on totally different platforms. Do you discover that participant preferences fluctuate wildly by platforms?
Ken Miyauchi: That’s an fascinating query. I’m going to say that there’s some variance relying on the platform. Our main participant base performs on Steam. A number of gamers who play on the Swap aren’t all that aggressive. Our match normal platform is Ps 5. A number of our aggressive gamers observe on Ps 5. After they wish to casually play, they’ll usually decide Steam. Relying on the platform, extra informal individuals will skew the character picks to extra normal all-around characters, like Sol and Ky. Sol and Ky are typically widespread, I’m simply utilizing them as examples.
Extra aggressive platforms are extra various with totally different characters. It gained’t be skewed in the direction of one or two characters.
Anime Herald: Which character is your major?
Ken Miyauchi: Relying on the Season and the timing, it might fluctuate. At present, I’m enjoying Unika. She simply got here out and I discover her enjoyable to play.
Anime Herald: I at all times route for I-No.
Over the previous 12 months numerous online game corporations have handled some robust instances, with a lot of them downsizing. Has Arc System Works confronted these pressures?
Ken Miyauchi: Not likely. As it’s possible you’ll know, we bought AQURIA to increase our growth studio. AQURIA are recognized for engaged on motion video games and RPGs. We’re recognized for preventing video games. Now we are attempting to realize their experience on motion video games and RPGs. We’re presently doing numerous inner trials to realize extra experience on these totally different fields.
(Editor’s word: The press launch refers to it as a capital alliance.)
I believe Arc System Works is in a wholesome state of affairs in comparison with what you described earlier. We’re doing numerous small trials and taking a little bit of time to organize for bigger tasks sooner or later. I hope Arc System Works followers can anticipate to see greater titles sooner or later.
Anime Herald: For these motion video games, are you extra centered on 2D or 3D?
Ken Miyauchi: We aren’t specializing in both 2D or 3D. We’re recognized for our anime type. That’s the path we’d wish to preserve going. It actually is determined by who’s the mission supervisor; who’s the lead.
Anime Herald: Have been you concerned within the discussions about buying the opposite studio, or does that go on above you?
Ken Miyauchi: That’s above me. I’m not in these discussions. It stunned me after I discovered we acquired AQURIA.
Anime Herald: What are your tasks right here at Anime Expo?
Ken Miyauchi: I don’t have any tasks at Anime Expo, itself. I flew over from HQ in Japan. I’m right here for the AX panel, and a few enterprise conferences, and doing interviews like this.
Anime Herald: Are there any non-work-related issues you’re looking ahead to right here at Anime Expo or in Los Angeles?
Ken Miyauchi: I used to work at Arc Methods America in Torrance. I visited the individuals who I used to work with and grabbed dinner with them.
Anime Herald: It’s unusual. Final 12 months we had a full desk. This 12 months it’s a lot quieter.
Ken Miyauchi: The explanation for that’s as a result of proper now there’s Japan Expo in France. Most of our group went to Japan Expo. We’ve just lately established Arc Methods Europe in Paris. Since it’s nonetheless new, we are attempting to help it.
Anime Herald: Have you ever visited the brand new studio?
Ken Miyauchi: Sure.
Anime Herald: You get to go to some good locations.
Ken Miyauchi: Actually?
Anime Herald: I believe so. What are you most excited for throughout the remainder of your time right here at Anime Expo?
Ken Miyauchi: Artist’s Alley! I’ll attempt to go tomorrow. It was too crowded yesterday (July 4th)
Anime Herald: Again to Arc System Works. Are there any tasks within the pipeline that you’re allowed to speak about?
Ken Miyauchi: Not likely. I want I may.
Anime Herald: Then talking extra typically, are there any tasks that stunned you? One thing that you just didn’t anticipate to work on at Arc System Works?
Ken Miyauchi: Nothing negatively stunning.
Anime Herald: What’s your work day like every day?
Ken Miyauchi: The producer position at Arc System Works doesn’t have a transparent job description. I’ve freedom when it comes to what I do. Primarily, I’m accountable for making choices when it comes to what shall be within the Responsible Gear -STRIVE- updates. I ensure to speak with each part, and our administrators. Speak with them about what they wish to do with the sport. Speak with the battle design group about what gamers expect to see in future updates. I’m the one taking duty for what we’re doing.
Anime Herald: Is that this often over e mail, or in particular person?
Ken Miyauchi: Arc System Works is only one constructing. We don’t have a number of buildings. We’ll stroll up the steps. The Responsible Gear group is on one complete flooring. I’ll go to the particular person I wish to discuss to and say “Hey, hey.”
Anime Herald: How does it work for those who get numerous suggestions saying these characters must be buffed, and these characters must be nerfed?
Ken Miyauchi: We don’t have a specific format. We are inclined to not like doing issues in a gathering format. That takes up numerous time. If it’s one thing we have to discuss big-picture, a serious imaginative and prescient, then we’ll have a gathering. Neighborhood response and suggestions adjustments over time. I’ll simply go as much as them and ask them and ask “What do you assume?”
Anime Herald: Are you able to discuss any particular situations prior to now?
Ken Miyauchi: I’d keep away from speaking about that. I don’t wish to get caught by our battle designers.
Anime Herald: How are the interior politics of that?
Ken Miyauchi: It’s flat. I simply don’t wish to put them into the main target of the dialogue. A few of them was once gamers who at the moment are battle designers. I wish to ensure they preserve their work perspective wholesome. I strive to not discuss an excessive amount of about how we work collectively.
Anime Herald: How would you describe the work tradition at Arc System Works?
Ken Miyauchi: We’re creatively pushed. It gained’t at all times be the usual means of doing issues. If it’s a superb artistic concept, they’ll say “Simply go on.”
Anime Herald: Thanks very a lot.
Ken Miyauchi: Thanks. I admire you coming by.
