PixelPerfectGaming had the pleasure of speaking with Nao Zook of NIS America. Read on to discover what this intelligent, insightful woman of the industry has to say about the future of console gaming, and what NIS America has planned for its fans.
PixelPerfectGaming: Can you tell us how you first became involved with the industry?
Nao Zook: I first got involved with NIS America as a translator. I worked on Generation of Chaos, Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, Spectal Souls, etc. I did the translation for these titles as a part-timer. After working with NIS America as a part-timer, the president of NIS America offered me the position of Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator. Instantly, I said “Yes!” And I started working at NIS America full-time as a PR and Marketing person in 2006.
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PPG: How long have you worked for NIS America?
NZ: Including the part-time experience, I have been with NIS America for almost 6 years. Wow, time does fly!
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PPG: What do you enjoy the most about your job?
NZ: That’s actually a tough question to answer. My job is so broad, and I enjoy most of the things I do as PR and Marketing Manager. If I had to pick one specific thing, I would say I enjoy talking to the press about our upcoming games. I love talking with people, and talking about something we have worked on and are passionate about is really fun and exciting. I see everyone at NIS America working hard to localize our titles, and it is such an honor to be able to represent their effort and time.
Lots of pressure, though! I also enjoy working on various events, such as the NISA Press Event, Anime Expo, etc. and making marketing plans as well. Coming up with ideas about how to promote our titles is always a fun process. We have a very creative marketing team, so just bouncing ideas off of them about what we want to do is lots of fun and very exciting.
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PPG:: NIS America has a very strong line-up for 2011. Just recently, NISA released Hyperdimension Neptunia for Playstation 3. The next big release is Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. Can you give gamers some insight on what to expect from this release?
NZ: Ar tonelico Qoga is the final entry in the Ar tonelico series. But not to worry, you don’t have to play the first two titles to understand this game. If you have, you can get the most out of it, though. The biggest difference in Ar tonelico Qoga is the battle system. The last two titles were more traditional turn-based RPG’s, but this final entry is more on the action RPG side.
You can move around freely during the battles. Also, this time, they use the song magic in a very interesting way. You can equip different guardians to have different BGM, and depending on the type of BGM you equip, you’ll have different battle skills. Diving into the female characters is still there, so you can totally explore the heroines’ minds.
Oh, I can’t forget that this game is the first M-rated game in NISA history. So, check your ID and if you are not old enough to purchase M-rated games, hold on to your game allowance until you are old enough :p This last entry in the Ar tonelico series offers the ultimate Ar tonelico experience. So, you won’t be disappointed!
Also the premium package of Ar tonelico Qoga will come with a hardcover art book and a soundtrack CD. The Ar tonelico series always has awesome music, so we really wanted to include the soundtrack CD in the premium edition! I hope you’ll all enjoy the game experience and the premium edition package!
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PPG: The Nintendo 3DS is right around the corner. Does NISA have any plans to support this new handheld?
NZ: We just had an announcement event for Cave Story 3D in San Francisco last month. I hope your readers heard about it! Well, in case you didn’t hear…we will release Cave Story 3D on 3DS this summer. Cave Story has been released to PC, WiiWare, and DSiWare.
Coming this summer, you will be able to play a new version of Cave Story on 3DS. I have seen the early development of the game for 3DS, and it already looks fantastic. Some may worry that it will lose its charm in the transition from a traditional pixel-art 2D style into a more modern 3D look, but no worries there.
The 3DS version gives lots of details and vivid visual impact. It might have a different feel from the other consoles, but it still has the original Cave Story flavor, and I would say it’s even more charming and intriguing than ever! So to answer your question, yes we will be supporting this new handheld wholeheartedly!
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PPG: Please tell us your opinion of the state of gaming today. For example, how much longer do you think current generation systems will be supported before the next generation is released?
NZ: Hmmm, that’s another tough question. With the 3DS and NGP coming out soon, I think these handheld consoles will have tons of impact on the gaming industry. However, I believe it will be quite a while until these new systems totally take over the current gaming systems. Handheld systems are definitely moving towards something new and adding more depth in gaming experiences.
I guess we will just have to wait and see how they play out. I also think that the first-party companies will not just throw away the current systems just because they have the next generation of systems, so the support will be there for current systems. I think market demands for each system will determine how long there will be support for the current systems. For example, when PS3 first came out everyone got so excited and cheered for it, but it didn’t mean PS2 instantly disappeared.
Gradually, the demands for PS3 got bigger and bigger, so it came time for the PS2 to step back. I am sure there are still people rocking their PS2’s though!
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PPG: What else can gamers expect from NISA in 2011?
NZ: You can expect something new and big this year from NIS America! We are cooking up some exciting titles to announce for 2011. We are planning for the announcement sometime in April-ish, so please look forward to it! (If you have any closing remarks, please feel free to make them!)
I truly appreciate all of your continuous support for NIS America. It is so cliché, but words cannot express how appreciative we are for our fans, and without your support we wouldn’t be here today.
Lastly, we are very excited about our future titles in 2011, and we hope you’ll scream “Heck Yeah!!” once we announce these titles! Thank you for taking the time to read this interview Q&A!
