Creating Good Games in a Good Environment

What kind of career paths do staff at Nagoshi Studio typically follow?

Nine people, including Nagoshi, have worked in the studio since its establishment in 2021 [*see this article for details], and they are the core of the organization. As of April 2024, the number of employees is more than 60. The tendency is for many of them to have extensive experience in home video game development and to have held leadership positions in various job types (designer/programmer/planner).

We have many experienced staff members and currently do not hire new graduates, but we do welcome individuals in their twenties to early thirties. For designer positions, we prioritize sense/taste and technical skill sets over career experience. For programmer positions, we seek staff across a wide age range. If you fit the projects we are working on at the studio, you can excel in certain roles even if your career in home game development is relatively short.

What type of talent would excel at Nagoshi Studio?

The game the studio is developing is a completely original title for the worldwide market, using Unreal Engine 5. If you are interested in games that incorporate cutting-edge graphic expression, powerful action, and deep drama, and are willing to keep improving your skills, I believe that we could work together with you on exciting jobs. Since we are not a large-scale game studio, we are particularly looking for people who are willing to actively communicate across job categories, generate ideas, and propose improvements to the development flow.

What aspects of the studio attracted the staff to join the company?

According to interviews with staff who have joined the company, many of them feel the value of working under Toshihiro Nagoshi and being exposed to his knowledge from close up. Fortunately, the studio has many creators besides Nagoshi with advanced skills and expertise. It’s an environment where you can improve through friendly rivalry while sharing a high level of expertise through work with your colleagues. Also, many staff members find it rewarding to experience game development using Unreal Engine 5 in one of the best development environments in the industry [see this article for details].

In addition, one of the characteristics of Nagoshi Studio is that we set a high salary level compared to other game studios in Japan. We pay attention to creating a work environment, including salary and treatment, so that our creators can fully demonstrate their creativity.

Can I work from home?

Based on Nagoshi’s policy that “close communication is essential for game development, and face-to-face conversations are desirable to deepen discussions,” the staff members are required to come to the office full time in principle. However, that doesn’t mean that there are zero cases of remote work. There are special cases of people working at home for a set period, depending on family circumstances or health reasons. There are rarely any complaints about working at the office because of the ease of communication among staff, the studio’s convenient location just a minute’s walk from JR Ebisu Station, and the flexible work hours system. Many staff members seem to like the close proximity and friendly atmosphere among staff members, including those in sections different from their own.

What kind of employee benefits do you provide?

Since its establishment in 2021, Nagoshi Studio has had a solid foundation structure in place and has been expanding initiatives on that base that have been requested by our staff. For example, we provide a subsidy for fitness usage. This is a system that is truly a result of staff feedback. The company provides partial financial support for outside activities that promote health and wellness through exercise, such as fitness gyms and swimming. Some staff members have taken up exercise as a result of this program, and the studio hopes that the physical and mental refreshment will lead to better game creation.

We have comprehensive welfare group term insurance for executives and employees in case of emergencies, and group long-term disability income insurance (with premiums paid by the company) in case of prolonged inability to work due to illness or injury, providing a safety net for emergencies. In 2024, we also introduced a corporate defined contribution pension plan. For more details, please refer to the recruitment page’s application guidelines.

Please give a word to those considering a career change to Nagoshi Studio.

As the studio is still in its early days, we would like to continue to improve the environment in which we work, while flexibly incorporating feedback from our staff. My personal attention is on taking care of the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of all staff members. We try to make sure that they are not getting run down, that they are not having any problems, and that their working hours are appropriate. Although these are basic things, we will be sure not to neglect them going forward, so that all staff members can work comfortably

In our regular catch up meetings and daily communications, we feel that the satisfaction level of our staff is high, and our studio has a low turnover rate (5% from establishment until April 2024). Game creators who want to test their skills at a high level are encouraged to knock on our door. Led by Nagoshi, our studio is composed of accomplished staff, but please don’t feel pressured. We look forward to hearing from you through our recruitment page or through talent agencies.