The new Japanese office is headed by Tomo Ohno, Vice President of Business Development, with additional support from Japanese speaking employees based in the UK. This increased presence will help drive sales of SN Systems' development tools software which has increased by 400 per cent in the past year in Japan, as well as help SN Systems build even closer ties with key programmers, putting the company at the nucleus of the developmental process.
To further its communication links to the Japanese market an alliance has also been formed with globally established games middleware provider Criterion Software. The aim of the alliance is to combine both companies' experience in this specialised marketplace to help promote and market a complete games development solution package.
Mr Ohno commented "The structure of games development is still very different depending on where you are in the world. What we want to do is communicate our experiences to studios on an international basis and demonstrate how using the correct tools can dramatically increase productivity and help avoid common pitfalls. As games become increasingly complex, games developers could really benefit from looking at the experience of tools developers and other studios around the world. We have worked with many studios in many different countries and are in a prime position to gather and distribute this knowledge through our tools."
He continued, "The global agreement further strengthens SN Systems' close relationship with SEGA and confirms our international position in the marketplace. The opportunity to liaise on product and market developments will help push boundaries in terms of the speed and efficiency of the games development process and ensure the industry keeps pace with consumer demands."
The global agreement between SN Systems and Sega is an important step for the industry with next generation consoles looming on the horizon and the task of developing games becoming increasingly more complex. In order to make the transition from current platforms to the next generation consoles smoother, this technical alliance will provide SN Systems with a much closer understanding of the exact needs of the games developer and the problems they are likely to confront.
The direct result of this will be development tools sculptured to fit the very specific and complex needs of the games developer quicker than ever before. This close relationship with Sega will ultimately cut development costs, increase efficiency in games development and provide new and improved products for next generation consoles. SN Systems is already working with Sega to convert Sega Game Libraries and make it compatible with "ProDG", SN Systems' leading build tools suite. Future research projects will also be encouraged through mutual job exchanges.
H. Morishita, Officer, Corporate R&D of Sega Corp., commented: "Having access to cutting edge development tools is a fundamental part of our business and we are delighted to have signed this technical alliance with SN Systems. I expect the closer collaboration between our two companies to inspire a new creativity in effective and high quality game development."
Commenting on the expansion Andy Beveridge, Director at SN Systems, said: "With over 30 per cent of the world's games industry based in Japan, a strong international distribution network is essential for the success of our business. This expansion will build on the growth we have already experienced in Europe and the US and provide the constant presence we need to maximise the business opportunities in Japan."