Key Players
- SapWorks

Both SapWorks and you personally have enjoyed considerable success. What brought you to Japan?

My career in game development actually stems from a lifelong fascination with Japanese culture and games like “Nobunaga’s Ambition”. I first came to Japan over 26 years ago, moved to Tokyo and quickly found work as a game programmer. Since then, I’ve had the chance to contribute to numerous titles since the original PlayStation era.

After many years in Tokyo and later founding my own company in Okinawa, I relocated to Sapporo in 2013, drawn by its balance of urban convenience and quality of life.

I’d been collaborating with Skymap Games for many years on various titles, such as Nintendo’s Mario Kart Live, when an opportunity came up to contribute to the company’s global development efforts and take on large-scale game projects, and I was invited to lead its Japan operations.

For me, nothing has changed in one sense – I continue making games, but now on a larger scale, with greater reach.

Why did SapWorks Chose Sapporo for its Japanese base?

Immediately, I could see huge potential from living and working in Sapporo. For a start, it offers incredible accessibility – we still spend some of our time in Tokyo which is just 90 minutes away, and international connections are growing every year.

Sapporo is an ideal city for creative work, with a high quality of life and nature right at our doorstep, yet providing all the necessary infrastructure for game development. Even our name SapWorks derives from Sapporo, reflecting our commitment to building and growing from Hokkaido. It’s the perfect place to build for Asia and the world!

How did you navigate the process of setting up in Sapporo?

Even with my knowledge and experience of living in Japan, establishing a foreign-owned company in Japan can be complex. We knew the city actively supported the creative and IT industries, so when we were considering the best place to locate the business, having access to Sapporo Transnational Expansion & Partnership (STEP) was one of the decisive factors.

We received a significant amount of support from the STEP team during the process of founding our new entity. STEP helped us get trusted introductions to legal and tax professionals experienced with foreign companies and organized on-site support and meeting coordination. They even arranged free interpretation services when we needed them.

Without STEP, I honestly don’t think we could have done this! Having official City of Sapporo backing really boosted our credibility when we were setting up and made all the difference.

Sapporo is fast carving out a reputation as the “City of Games”. Why do you think this is, and what are the factors that most appeal to you?

It’s true that Sapporo has a long history in game development and a close-knit creator community. As a company that thrives on its collaborations with local businesses and developers, we love the culture of having regular gatherings that bring developers together in an open, welcoming environment. It’s less about formal networking, more about genuine collaboration.

Access to talent is another big plus. There are numerous universities and vocational schools producing very talented engineers. Our ambition at SapWorks is to create opportunities right here in Sapporo for those developers so they don’t need to leave Sapporo to work on world-class titles.

Now that the company is firmly established, where do you see your future?

We are expanding rapidly and expect to grow our current three-person team to around 20 employees within the next three to four years. While we still commute to places like Tokyo and Kyoto for industry events, we really appreciate the quality of life that Sapporo offers – it’s what made me relocate here all those years ago. Developers work hard but we also strive for a good work-life balance – and Sapporo does that. I like to say that great games come from great lives. Sapporo gives us both.