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Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani Interview

Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani Interview

by Pentarou on 07-01-2022, 20:25
Topic: MSX Related
Tags: Interview, moo, Niitani, Compile
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Twitter user GSK (@gosokkyu) posted links (and a short synopsis) to a website interview of former founder/president of Compile Masamitsu (Moo) Niitani.

Quote:

former Compile president Masamitsu "Moo" Niitani was interviewed about the dramatic rise & fall of Compile, his extremely modest post-Compile life, his overwhelmingly Korean fanbase on Youtube & more

Quote:

on Nyoki Nyoki, the original 3DS puzzle game he released in 2016: it cost ~¥10M to make (50% of which came from a loan from his parents, the other 50% from a govt grant) & didn't come close to recouping; he's been personally paying off the debt & thinks it'll be clear in a year

Quote:

his income comes from a pension & an unglamorous aged-care job that he works a couple days a week; he wants to bring Nyoki Nyoki to Switch with online play and he's gambling on forex to finance it (but hasn't made anything so far) & also hoping for bigger youtube success

Relevant link: First part
Relevant link: Second part

Comments (6)

By ro

Scribe (5130)

ro's picture

08-01-2022, 09:58

What a terrible 'interview', and a tragic one. Would have ben nice to actually read about compile and its history in computers like msx. Oh well.

By Pentarou

Hero (580)

Pentarou's picture

08-01-2022, 12:52

"life is a box of chocolates..."

Tbh, Compile going bankrupt wasn't unexpected, seeing as ALL the firms involved in making games from the 80's (except CAPCOM & Nintendo) have gone bankrupt, left the business or merged with another firm.
But I'm surprised that, as a consequence, his personal finances were compromised.

ro wrote:

Would have ben nice to actually read about compile and its history in computers like msx.

Try this one then: The Roots of Compile

By Grauw

Ascended (10862)

Grauw's picture

08-01-2022, 13:41

Intriguing and kind of tough to read how Compile and Niitani went from being successful to a sad ending. But having 400 employees at its peak, oof, that’s scary big. I can see how Compile wasn’t able to support itself.

By ro

Scribe (5130)

ro's picture

08-01-2022, 16:20

Pentarou wrote:

Try this one then: The Roots of Compile

Thanx!!

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10158)

wolf_'s picture

08-01-2022, 19:16

....and then right here there are teams of 2..3 making a game for a simple contest. Wink

By Takamichi

Paladin (667)

Takamichi's picture

09-01-2022, 07:00

It is not the first or second time he fails and I am glad to see he looks as cheerful as always.
Compile's rise and downfall had been subject to many Japanese business books and all of them attribute it to Niitani. I personally attribute it to his Arle cosplay. Employee's side of the story by the Mado Monogatari producer accounts salary delay which must had been serious.