Yohei Shimbori Now Works on Tekken 8

There was no intention of me writing this as a professional news article because I really am in distinct shock, and I'm sure there will be more articles pertaining to Yohei Shimbori in the near future that will go that route but for now let's just take it in as the holy shit moment that it is.

At first, I will admit that I had to check multiple sources to believe this was real, but Yohei Shimbori is now a Producer/Director Assistant for Tekken 8. Now I think while that it is indeed a surprise; it should not be of a surprise to most of us because of all of the signs Dead or Alive players have seen throughout the development cycle of Tekken 8. This brand jump to say the least has made things interesting as there are going to be a lot of former doubters or even advocates of Shimbori at Koei Tecmo thinking "well maybe it's time we show the world we don't need Shimbori" or "this might be a way to open up business and make some real fucking money."

While I was scrolling through the responses on X I saw a lot of mixed emotions from the Dead or Alive community, but perhaps the smartest response was from FSD Nichol (give this guy a follow) that stated:

The DOA players had it right the whole time. Crazy new environmental interactions, unbreakable throws on counter, stuff we have been trained to deal with for quite some time. Happy to see where Shimbori ended up after that fiasco with KT! Looking forward to Tekken 8.

The genius behind Katsuhiro Harada was to theoretically state that if you don't see the value in Shimbori and if you don't want him; I'll take him. That being said this opens an entirely new level of business if Koei Tecmo and Bandai Namco can come to some terms. It would mean opening the Tekken roster to Dead or Alive characters; and now that they have Shimbori even the most purist of the DOA fandom would jump to the opportunity to play.

Even if Dead or Alive 6 was met with a mixed reaction, it doesn't mean that Yohei Shimbori can't recover his career in a different way and despite my personal feelings (and many others) I hope that he succeeds, and I hope the people upstairs are open to making good business decisions that would satisfy both fanbases.

 

History repeating itself. Tōkidenshō died so DOA could live, now DOA died so Nioh could live.






A bunch of us saw the signs but oanisd actually did the work and put the footage together side-by-side, over a year ago, so they deserve the credit if anything.

Lots of people saw that before the comparison and Ponton literally predicted everything to the credits and was right so wtf are you smoking on?

 

I mean kek even the health/meter bar colors looked sus

 

we both know nobody played 2 and 3 competitively outside of a select few

Why was that? Is it because there wasn't an arcade release for 3/2U and Mr. McRib? EVO didn't switch to consoles until 2004 but even then 2U came out late '04. Was there no competitive scene either for the arcade versions of DOA2? Only people in the East Coast who played?

DOA3 sold a million copies a few months after it came out and then 2 million. With those kind of numbers I'm surprised.

Itagaki screwed up this franchise in a lot of ways, I think DOA3 being Xbox exclusive and with no arcade release was a big mistake in the long run.

 

Itagaki screwed up this franchise in a lot of ways, I think DOA3 being Xbox exclusive and with no arcade release was a big mistake in the long run.

The reason Itagaki didn't make an arcade version of DOA3 is because arcades were dead/unprofitable (especially in the U.S.) and he deemed it pointless. As for it not being on the PS2? The hardware wasn't good enough compared to what he could do on the original Xbox.

 

That's not the reason why it was Xbox exclusive. It was because Microsoft went to Tecmo and made a deal with them to make the next DOA game exclusive on the Xbox. They were in need of "showpiece" games that could flex what the Xbox was capable of. Itagaki saying otherwise or what his "reasons" were is total revisonism.

And arcades were not dead or unprofitable in 2001 either. That's simply not true and does not reflect the history of their decline in the mid to late '00s.

Anyway that's beside the point I'm making.

 

I do think it is undeniable the US marketing of DOA3 and onward probably forever stained this series. The "She Kicks High" campaign sullied it and DOAX (with an M rating) came in to hammer in the nails.

Because the marketing before 3 it was more about the fighting just like other fighting game ads at the time. They had a different vibe. Sure they showed sexy women but it was never the focus. DOA was made to be this fluid 3D fighter first with some sexual inneundo. So the ads say one thing and the reality of these games are different.

But thanks to that marketing sticking in people's minds and "M-rated" DOAX, it just gets dismissed as an unserious boob franchise. Like the Leisure Suit Larry of fighting games (which I think Rumble Roses fits the bill better).

It still strange to me with that many copies sold of DOA3 there still wasn't some kind of a competitive scene.

 

That's not the reason why it was Xbox exclusive. It was because Microsoft went to Tecmo and made a deal with them to make the next DOA game exclusive on the Xbox. They were in need of "showpiece" games that could flex what the Xbox was capable of. Itagaki saying otherwise or what his "reasons" were is total revisonism.

And arcades were not dead or unprofitable in 2001 either. That's simply not true and does not reflect the history of their decline in the mid to late '00s.

Anyway that's beside the point I'm making.

First paragraph is 100 percent correct. Second paragraph is almost 100 percent correct, but arcade was dead for DOA for majority of players as most players did not find arcade stick necessary to play the game high level.

I do think it is undeniable the US marketing of DOA3 and onward probably forever stained this series. The "She Kicks High" campaign sullied it and DOAX (with an M rating) came in to hammer in the nails.

Because the marketing before 3 it was more about the fighting just like other fighting game ads at the time. They had a different vibe. Sure they showed sexy women but it was never the focus. DOA was made to be this fluid 3D fighter first with some sexual inneundo. So the ads say one thing and the reality of these games are different.

But thanks to that marketing sticking in people's minds and "M-rated" DOAX, it just gets dismissed as an unserious boob franchise. Like the Leisure Suit Larry of fighting games (which I think Rumble Roses fits the bill better).

It still strange to me with that many copies sold of DOA3 there still wasn't some kind of a competitive scene.

The reason DOA3 didn’t have a competitive seen despite selling so many copies was because it was a launch title for Xbox and was a graphical showcase of what the system could do. Had majority of Japanese players taken DOA seriously at the time it would have sold much more.

 

First paragraph is 100 percent correct. Second paragraph is almost 100 percent correct, but arcade was dead for DOA for majority of players as most players did not find arcade stick necessary to play the game high level.

But he was talking about arcades generally speaking in the US. In hindsight, not having an arcade release makes Itagaki look smart because he had foresight so he tells this story when the actual history says otherwise.

As far as not "finding an arcade stick necessary at high level" that makes zero sense in historical context. If anything it was probably the lack of distribution of DOA1/2 in the US which made access to playing the arcade versions all the more difficult.

The reason DOA3 didn’t have a competitive seen despite selling so many copies was because it was a launch title for Xbox and was a graphical showcase of what the system could do.

This is a non sequitur.

Had majority of Japanese players taken DOA seriously at the time it would have sold much more.

Xbox sold like shit in Japan and if Itagaki is to be believed:

“We sold more than 2 million copies of the game worldwide, which was a lot better than the company’s projection, so was a big success. But it came with one big problem: Japan. Microsoft first told us they will prepare 500,000 units of the console at the launch, so our sales team piled up orders for 262,000 copies from retailers. I still remember these figures clearly. And then, soon before the launch, Microsoft Japan apologized and said they were only able to secure 250,000 units. Wait a second, that’s fewer than the planned dispatch copies of Dead or Alive 3. There was nothing we can do by that time, and the launch date had come. Xbox console itself got sold out quickly for sure, but not every gamer that purchased the Xbox likes a fighting game. I think Dead or Alive 3 in Japan sold 170,000 to 180,000 copies. Then retailers get some leftover, and they just want to clear inventories quickly because it was a busy season for them. What happened was Dead or Alive 3 went into a wagon from shelf and marked down to as low as 300 yen ($3), just a month after the release. The game got an unfair reputation and called “a $3 game,” and i was so sad about it. You know, when gamers see a cheap game in a wagon, they tend to judge it’s a terrible game. It was frustrating and sad. And that promoted other software companies unwilling to publish games on Xbox. Look, Dead or Alive 3, which bet on Xbox, is now sold only for $3. Japanese game companies tend to be more passive and want to see how the first penguin would perform, rather than they being first to jump off. So they moved away, and since seeing not many games from Japanese companies, Japanese game fans also faded away. If Microsoft was able to prepare 500,000 units at the launch as they promised, the thing could be much different and Xbox might have gained a whole different market position in Japan. That was a real watershed for Xbox in Japan. I have to say the first Xbox’s launch in Japan was a massive failure.”

How many Japanese players were taking DOA seriously before the release of 3? I'd suspect few.

 

What do you mean illogical? It sold in the beginning of a console lifespan because it was one of the only options to buy. See Dead or Alive: Ultimate's sales as what DOA3's would have been if made in that time. A successful launch title doesn't mean instant offline success especially when DOA3 was best played on a Japanese system, and as you said they didn't sell. We all know that Itagaki story and that DOA3 went in the Japanese market's bargain bin.

Nobody gave a shit about playing DOA in an arcade. One of those reasons is because you don't need a stick. You want historical context go watch Master, Kwiggle, Lopedo, SR and BladeZ compete at tournaments. As someone that has worked at an arcade and has worked on broken cabinets -- I know firsthand that people come practice with the arcade cabinets that require a stick at tournaments to preserve the quality of their own sticks.

 

I don't want to say it being a launch title didn't contribute anything to the success of DOA 3 but.. it's not like a million copies of Azurik: Rise of Perathia were sold. DOA3 was a hella good game and that's the predominant reason why it sold so well.

As for Dead or Alive: Ultimate, the branding was kind of confusing. As a hardcroe fan I loved Ultimate but trying to explain to the masses that this was not a sequel or update to thier latest release, DOA3 but a redone version of 2 with online play and a lot of extra content with some of the characters of 3 but not all of them... I mean... yikes. If you were reading OXM or frequenting Game Forums you got it; but everyone else? Pretty sure they gave a head tilt of confusion and a "why would I go back to playing DOA2?" (A damn shame since it is easily the best DOA game ever produced T_T)

 

Nobody gave a shit about playing DOA in an arcade. One of those reasons is because you don't need a stick. You want historical context go watch Master, Kwiggle, Lopedo, SR and BladeZ compete at tournaments. As someone that has worked at an arcade and has worked on broken cabinets -- I know firsthand that people come practice with the arcade cabinets that require a stick at tournaments to preserve the quality of their own sticks.

Those players weren't even around in 2001. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 2001 NOT 2013!!!!! Xcal was still in diapers.

It being a launch title and not having a competitive scene has ZERO correlation.

You can have the final word in this conversation because I'm utterly baffled.

 

Those players weren't even around in 2001. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 2001 NOT 2013!!!!! Xcal was still in diapers.

It being a launch title and not having a competitive scene has ZERO correlation.

You can have the final word in this conversation because I'm utterly baffled.

Good because you haven’t tied together one fucking point. Saying “illogical” doesn’t deem you right. Your explanation in this debate is void of any fact. The point was DOA never needed a stick and somehow you think a successful launch title should have warranted a competitive scene.

I’m honestly not even trying. I could tear you apart so bad in an essay it would be slight work, and I don’t want to, but Jesus Christ

Who cares when the players were born? The point made is that professionals don’t need a stick for DOA and never have.

 

Well l mean... it probably didn't matter too much in the west, but the arcades and it's influence was pretty major in Japan in a way. DOA3 also released first in NA over Japan if I remember correctly (which could have some influence). We also have to remember that Japan favored the PS2 more in general during that period (Sony products overall). Many wouldn't buy an Xbox for a single game, on top that Xbox wasn't selling well over there. It ended up being more than just lack of players to take it seriously, it was also based off platform preference as well as Japan arcades was still at it's peak here. Truth be told, there just wasn't a legitimate reason to buy an Xbox out there.

Probably wouldn't be such an issue for players overseas if DOA was multiplatform to begin with. It's a double edged sword of having DOA3 be it's best developed on the most powerful system in that time period (OG Xbox), but at the cost of putting it on a platform that didn't exactly sell like hotcakes in Japan. CvS2 was also booming around there in 2001 and was arguably the most played arcade game for half months.

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On the topic of sticks. DOA didn't really need a stick because the buffering system is very loose to begin with where it's more pad friendly now including the fluidity of movement. Technically anyone can play most fighting games without a stick, but DOA is probably the most obvious of the bunch to where they loosened it that makes it accessible to any player for most peripherals, which in my opinion is a blessing that some fighting games do should take notes from. Especially anyone that's trying a fighting game for the first time which is very likely someone on first approach with a game pad. One of the bits that DOA has done right.

 

DOA's offline competitive scene started after DOA3, but was mostly a handful of players (and I mean like no more than 5) in Texas and the North East (mostly New York). Offline scene didn't start growing until DOA Ultimate where DOA2U had the opportunity to be in Evo through fan vote but lost to Smash Bros Melee. While the boom in the community was during the online access of DOA2U, most of the competitive players would have rather played DOA3. However, DOA3.1 was the desired game to play and buying a Japanese Xbox or Modding your American Xbox (and run the risk of being banned off Xbox LIVE and 2U) was just unfeasible to most. By the time DOA4 came out the scene had enough players in it to at least get TECMO to decide to market it as a serious fighting game (with sex appeal on the side). You can go back to watch the DOA4 commercials and they are a far cry from the Original Xbox's perverted focused advertisements. Also, I don't feel like linking it but DOA2: Hardcore for PS2's ad was just about a beauty pageant of girls fighting each other, which isn't the exact same as "She Kicks High", "Play with a friend, or play with yourself", and "For hot beaches, there's no power greater than X." ads of DOA3 and DOAX.

 

That beauty pageant fight was actually for DOA Ultimate. What I want to know is... did anyone ever actually see these ads when they aired? The only advertisment I ran into for DOA was what appeared in Game Magazines and Website Banners.

By the time DOA4 came out the scene had enough players in it to at least get TECMO to decide to market it as a serious fighting game (with sex appeal on the side). You can go back to watch the DOA4 commercials and they are a far cry from the Original Xbox's perverted focused advertisements. Also, I don't feel like linking it but DOA2: Hardcore for PS2's ad was just about a beauty pageant of girls fighting each other, which isn't the exact same as "She Kicks High", "Play with a friend, or play with yourself", and "For hot beaches, there's no power greater than X." ads of DOA3 and DOAX.

 

Ah, you were right:

Could be worse, like Australia's

 

It's funny because I use to defend DOA in saying that its sex appeal was overblown. I grew up on Marvel comics and X-men and always saw characters like Storm, Rouge and Psylocke as just being cool kickass super heroes, and that was very much in line in how I saw the DOA cast. Looking at these ads and revisiting my old comic collections has taught me that... 13 year old me didn't have eyes XD.

 

The DOA4 US ad is sick could use less Eliot though kek

 

Good because you haven’t tied together one fucking point. Saying “illogical” doesn’t deem you right. Your explanation in this debate is void of any fact. The point was DOA never needed a stick and somehow you think a successful launch title should have warranted a competitive scene.

I’m honestly not even trying. I could tear you apart so bad in an essay it would be slight work, and I don’t want to, but Jesus Christ

Who cares when the players were born? The point made is that professionals don’t need a stick for DOA and never have.

It fucking matters because I'm talking about a game that launched in TWO THOUSAND FUCKING ONE. Not people who competed in DOA5 which is your entire fucking list. I'm talking about the first DOA game that was EXCLUSIVELY released on console.

People preferring whatever controller they wanted in 2013 has NO fucking relevance to 2001. ZERO. ZIP. ZILCH. NADA. That has fucking nothing to do with DOA being "dead" in Western arcades prior to DOA3's release. Stop with the red herrings.

Now DOA3 and after? Sure, the series was clearly tuned for console pad play and you don't need a stick. Nobody is arguing against this or debating it. It's this nonsensical connection you're trying to make from competitive players NOW to somehow explain why DOA was dead in the arcades pre-2001.

It's literally like saying well the radio was dead in the 1940s because people had a television set in 1960.

 

It fucking matters because I'm talking about a game that launched in TWO THOUSAND FUCKING ONE. Not people who competed in DOA5 which is your entire fucking list. I'm talking about the first DOA game that was EXCLUSIVELY released on console.

People preferring whatever controller they wanted in 2013 has NO fucking relevance to 2001. ZERO. ZIP. ZILCH. NADA. That has fucking nothing to do with DOA being "dead" in Western arcades prior to DOA3's release. Stop with the red herrings.

Now DOA3 and after? Sure, the series was clearly tuned for console pad play and you don't need a stick. Nobody is arguing against this or debating it. It's this nonsensical connection you're trying to make from competitive players NOW to somehow explain why DOA was dead in the arcades pre-2001.

It's literally like saying well the radio was dead in the 1940s because people had a television set in 1960.

Is this the primary point you are tying to make? DOA never needed one in the entirety of its existence and it’s one of many reasons DOA wasn’t played in arcade by many.

The point I thought you were trying to make was that DOA3’s sales should have meant a bigger offline scene.