BiteMe Games published a 25-minute interview on December 18, 2025 with Kazunori Nanji, founder of Bexide, a Japanese game studio that launched in 1999 with the hit PlayStation title Doko Demo Issho. The conversation reveals the brutal realities of surviving as an indie developer in Japan for over 25 years, navigating platform transitions from PS1 through mobile to Steam, and the unique challenges Japanese studios face compared to Western developers. Nanji candidly discusses near-bankruptcy moments, the risks of working with IP holders like Holo Live, and why Japanese gamers are finally embracing PC gaming after decades of console exclusivity.
Bexide currently employs around 50 people after starting with under 10 team members. The studio released multiple Doko Demo Issho sequels across PlayStation platforms before pivoting to smartphones around 2014-2015. When mobile KPIs collapsed post-COVID, they transitioned to indie games on Steam and Switch, releasing titles like Fruit Mountain (a Suika Game-inspired physics puzzler) and Treasure Mountain featuring Holo Live VTuber characters. The interview provides rare insight into Japanese indie development culture, IP collaboration economics, and platform strategy decisions that most Western developers never consider.
- How Bexide Survived 25 Years Without Dying
- The IP Collaboration Nobody Talks About
- Why Steam Is Finally Winning in Japan
- Japanese vs Western Gamers
- The Mobile Gaming Disaster
- Advice for New Developers in 2025
- From Programmer to Studio Owner
- The Console Future Nobody Knows
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What This Reveals About Japanese Indie Gaming
How Bexide Survived 25 Years Without Dying
Most game studios don’t last five years, let alone 25. When asked what kept Bexide alive through multiple platform transitions and market crashes, Nanji attributed survival to two factors – effort and luck. The studio’s first hit title Doko Demo Issho provided financial cushion that let them experiment with new platforms without immediately folding when projects underperformed. This initial success created breathing room most indie studios never get.
The key strategy involved platform flexibility rather than betting everything on one ecosystem. Bexide released Doko Demo Issho across PS1, PS2, PSP, and PS Vita before moving to smartphones. When one platform declined, they already had experience on the next emerging market. This constant adaptation required relearning technical infrastructure repeatedly but prevented the studio from becoming obsolete when platforms died.
The smartphone transition around 2014-2015 initially worked perfectly – the mobile gaming boom created massive opportunities for studios willing to pivot from consoles. But post-COVID market conditions changed drastically. Projects with poor KPIs got canceled suddenly, sometimes after substantial development investment. Large projects stopped mid-production when user engagement metrics didn’t meet publisher expectations, creating the worst financial crisis in Bexide’s history. This forced the indie game pivot that defines their current strategy.
The IP Collaboration Nobody Talks About
Bexide’s recent success comes from working with major IP holders, particularly Holo Live for Treasure Mountain. But the economics are brutal – Nanji explained they developed the entire game at their own cost with zero budget from the IP holder. Holo Live grants permission to use their VTuber characters but provides no development funding, marketing guarantees, or financial safety net. If the game flops, Bexide eats the entire loss.
The arrangement works because IP provides marketing reach that indie studios desperately need. Steam releases over 10,000 games annually, making discoverability the primary challenge for developers. Holo Live fans actively search for games featuring their favorite VTubers, giving Bexide immediate visibility to millions of potential players without spending on marketing. The IP holder benefits from fan engagement and brand expansion while taking zero financial risk.
Nanji emphasized the creative freedom this arrangement provides – Holo Indie (the VTuber agency’s game division) doesn’t micromanage development or demand specific features. They review builds to ensure brand consistency but otherwise let developers execute their vision. This contrasts with traditional IP licensing where rights holders impose strict creative control alongside their budget contributions. The tradeoff is simple – full creative freedom in exchange for full financial risk.
Should Small Studios Chase IP Deals
When asked if small three-person studios should pursue IP collaborations, Nanji acknowledged the brutal market reality – the indie game market is extremely strict with thousands of releases making player discovery nearly impossible. IP provides one of the few reliable promotional channels for studios without marketing budgets. Fans of the IP will find and try your game, creating organic visibility that paid advertising can’t match at indie budgets.
But IP collaboration requires resources most tiny studios lack. Bexide has 50 employees and 25 years of experience, giving them capacity to absorb financial risk if an IP game underperforms. A three-person studio betting their survival on a single IP-licensed game with no funding faces catastrophic consequences if it flops. The promotional benefits only matter if you can afford to complete development and weather potential commercial failure.
The strategy worked for Bexide because Fruit Mountain already proved their physics-based mountain climbing mechanic resonated with players. They pitched established gameplay to IP holders rather than designing games from scratch around licensed characters. When initial pitches failed because companies wanted proven results before committing, Bexide took the risk themselves with Treasure Mountain, betting that the Holo Live audience would embrace their existing formula with beloved VTuber characters.
Why Steam Is Finally Winning in Japan
Steam historically struggled in Japan where console gaming dominated for decades. Nanji confirmed Steam wasn’t even on Bexide’s radar until after 2020 when mobile projects collapsed. Now Steam represents their most important market alongside Nintendo Switch, which maintains strong Japanese presence. The dual platform strategy balances Steam’s weak Japanese penetration against Switch’s domestic dominance while maximizing global reach.
Console price increases accelerated Steam adoption dramatically. PlayStation 5 launched at premium pricing that Japanese consumers resisted, forcing Sony to create cheaper Japanese-specific models. Game prices also increased – major releases now cost 8,000-9,000 yen ($60-70) compared to traditional 6,000-7,000 yen pricing. Meanwhile, mid-range PC prices decreased as component costs fell, making Steam-capable computers price-competitive with consoles for the first time.
The value proposition shifted fundamentally – consoles only play games while PCs handle gaming, internet, creative work, and productivity. Nanji mentioned Bexide employees who work at game studios yet don’t own consoles beyond Switch because their work PCs already run Steam. This practical consideration drives adoption more than any marketing campaign. Young people especially recognize that buying a decent PC provides more utility than a single-function gaming console.
Japanese vs Western Gamers
When asked about differences between Japanese and Western gamers, Nanji emphasized that gaps between development cultures and player preferences shouldn’t shrink – they represent personality and identity worth preserving. Forcing Japanese developers to adopt Western sensibilities or vice versa eliminates the creative diversity that makes gaming interesting. Good games transcend cultural boundaries without abandoning their origins.
He pointed to Uma Musume Pretty Derby as an example – an intensely Japanese game about anthropomorphized racehorses that became a massive global hit without compromising its cultural identity. The developers localized carefully for Western release but maintained the core vision rather than redesigning for perceived foreign tastes. This proved audiences worldwide embrace authentically Japanese games when developers execute well and localize thoughtfully.
Nanji advised Western developers targeting Japan to avoid simulating Japanese anime aesthetics badly. Western studios creating anime-inspired games often produce work that Japanese players immediately identify as inauthentic and reject. Instead, developers should leverage their own cultural strengths and originality while ensuring high-quality Japanese localization. Translation quality matters enormously – bad localization generates negative Steam reviews that tank sales regardless of gameplay quality.
The Mobile Gaming Disaster
Bexide’s smartphone era from 2014-2020 initially succeeded brilliantly. The mobile gaming boom created opportunities for studios pivoting from declining console markets. Free-to-play business models with measurable KPIs let developers iterate quickly based on player data. The transition felt like perfect timing – they rode the wave before market saturation destroyed margins.
Post-COVID everything collapsed. Mobile game success depends on specific KPIs measuring daily active users, retention rates, and monetization metrics. When Bexide’s large projects failed to hit KPI targets, publishers canceled them immediately mid-development. Years of work vanished overnight with zero revenue to offset development costs. The sudden cancellations created the worst financial crisis in studio history, worse than any previous platform transition.
This forced the indie pivot around 2020-2021. Rather than chasing mobile KPIs for publishers, Bexide started developing smaller indie titles for Steam and Switch where they controlled destiny. Console and PC games require long development without KPI feedback until release, operating on faith rather than data. But they also avoid sudden cancellations – once you finish development, you can release and recoup investment rather than losing everything to a publisher’s metrics.
Advice for New Developers in 2025
Nanji strongly recommended aspiring developers keep their day jobs while making games as side projects initially. Modern game engines like Unity dramatically reduced barriers to entry, making game development accessible as a hobby or side business. Starting with side projects lets you learn without catastrophic financial consequences when early games inevitably fail or underperform.
He warned that quitting your job to start a game studio immediately is extremely dangerous without prior success. Most developers underestimate the time and resources required to complete and ship commercial games. Side projects provide realistic assessment of your capabilities, work ethic, and whether game development actually suits you before betting your financial survival on it.
Nanji’s own career started as a university student developing games with friends for fun. He realized game development excited him more than other potential careers, leading to part-time work at game studios before full employment. This gradual transition from hobby to part-time to full-time provided safety nets at each stage rather than jumping immediately from student to studio owner. The measured approach gave him skills, experience, and industry connections before taking entrepreneurial risks.
From Programmer to Studio Owner
Nanji began his career as a programmer in the mid-1990s during the PlayStation 1 era. He describes this period as revolutionary – the “next generation console” era where PlayStation and Sega Saturn transformed game development fundamentally. Nintendo’s Famicom and Super Famicom required specific proprietary technology and massive budgets to develop and publish games, creating high barriers to entry.
PlayStation changed everything by opening development to smaller teams with accessible tools and lower barriers. Sony actively sought original titles through programs like Game Yarouze (“Let’s Create Games”), an audition/competition for indie developers. Nanji entered this audition, won, and used Sony’s funding to establish Bexide. This opportunity wouldn’t have existed under Nintendo’s closed ecosystem, making PlayStation responsible for his entire career.
He stopped actively programming during the PS2 era, transitioning from game code to development tools. Writing code for shipping games requires bug-free, certified work that demands intense focus and testing. Tool development let him continue programming without that pressure – internal tools don’t face the same quality standards as commercial releases. He still codes today but creates development tools for his team rather than game logic.
The Console Future Nobody Knows
When asked if studios can survive on consoles alone or must embrace PC gaming, Nanji hedged – it depends entirely on the specific game title and genre. Certain games remain better suited to console audiences, while others thrive on PC. Genre and gameplay style matter more than blanket platform strategies. A studio making games perfectly matched to Switch audiences can sustain itself without PC releases.
But Bexide clearly prioritizes Steam now after ignoring PC for their first 20 years. The Western console market decline, particularly Xbox’s collapse and PlayStation’s struggles, makes PC increasingly important for Japanese developers targeting global audiences. Japan’s domestic market remains strong for Switch and somewhat viable for PlayStation, but international sales require Steam presence to reach the massive PC gaming audience.
The challenge is that Japanese and Western players prefer different platforms. Steam dominates globally but historically underperformed in Japan. Switch remains strong domestically but lacks the technical capabilities for certain game types. This creates difficult strategic decisions – do you optimize for domestic Japanese market, international Western market, or try serving both? Bexide’s answer is both Steam and Switch, accepting the increased development cost of supporting multiple platforms to maximize total addressable market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Kazunori Nanji?
Founder and owner of Bexide, a Japanese indie game studio established in 1999. He started as a programmer on PlayStation 1 and created the hit series Doko Demo Issho. The studio now employs 50 people and focuses on Steam and Switch indie titles.
What is Doko Demo Issho?
Bexide’s first and biggest hit title released on PlayStation 1 in 1999. The franchise spawned sequels across multiple PlayStation platforms and remains popular in Japan over 25 years later.
How does IP collaboration work with Holo Live?
Holo Indie grants permission to use VTuber characters but provides zero development budget. Developers fund games entirely themselves and keep creative control. The IP holder doesn’t guarantee promotion – VTubers may play the game organically if interested, but it’s not contractually required.
Why is Steam growing in Japan now?
Console prices increased significantly while mid-range PC prices decreased. A gaming PC now costs similar to consoles but provides more utility beyond just playing games. Young people especially value the multi-purpose nature of PCs over single-function consoles.
What advice does Nanji give new developers?
Keep your day job and make games as side projects initially. Game engines like Unity make development accessible as a hobby. Quitting your job to start a studio immediately is extremely dangerous without prior success.
How did Bexide survive 25 years?
Early hit title provided financial cushion. Platform flexibility – transitioning from PS1 to mobile to Steam rather than staying locked to one ecosystem. Luck in timing transitions during growth periods rather than decline.
Should Western developers make anime games for Japan?
No – Nanji says don’t simulate Japanese anime aesthetics badly. Keep your own originality and cultural strengths. Good games transcend boundaries without abandoning their identity. Focus on excellent localization rather than pretending to be Japanese.
What happened to Bexide during mobile gaming?
Thrived initially 2014-2020 but post-COVID, large projects with poor KPIs got canceled suddenly mid-development. This created their worst financial crisis ever, forcing the pivot to indie games where they control their destiny.
What This Reveals About Japanese Indie Gaming
Nanji’s interview exposes realities Western developers rarely consider. Japanese indie studios face structural disadvantages – limited venture capital, minimal government support, and cultural attitudes treating indie development as hobby rather than viable career. Platform holders like PlayStation and Nintendo provide some assistance, but nothing approaching the funding ecosystems Western developers access through publishers, investors, and crowdfunding.
The IP collaboration model reveals creative solutions to marketing problems. Western indie developers spend months building social media presence, creating trailers, and chasing press coverage. Japanese studios leverage existing IP fandoms for instant discoverability, trading development funding for promotional reach. Neither approach is superior – they reflect different market conditions and available resources.
Bexide’s 25-year survival demonstrates the importance of adaptability over perfection. They didn’t make the best games in each genre or dominate any platform. They made good-enough games across changing platforms, surviving through flexibility rather than excellence. This pragmatic approach kept them employed and creative when more prestigious studios closed after betting everything on single platforms or genres.
Watch the full interview on BiteMe Games’ YouTube channel for deeper insights into Japanese game development culture. Follow Bexide on social media to track their latest indie projects including Fruit Mountain Party. And if you’re a Western developer considering the Japanese market, remember Nanji’s advice – stay authentic to your culture while ensuring top-quality localization, because good games transcend borders when developers execute with integrity.