Danganronpa creator says game devs should write their own scenarios rather than outsource, even if they’re not good writers 

Kazutaka Kodaka, known for his work on the Danganronpa series and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code, recently made a guest appearance on Byking Channel’s creator talk show. Kodaka talked about his approach to writing game scenarios and shared his views on game companies outsourcing to professional writers. 

Now affiliated with Too Kyoo Games, Kodaka has a proven track-record in writing unique characters and despair-filled stories full of dark humor and unexpected twists. The game designer has been writing nothing but original scenarios for over 10 years – his last involvement with an existing IP being Detective Conan & The Kindaichi Case Files back in 2009.

When asked how he gets started on writing an original scenario for a game, Kodaka prefaces his response by saying that he does not consider himself to be a “pure” scenario writer. “For me, scenario equals game design. So, to answer the question ‘Where do you start when writing a scenario’ – I start from game design. In other words, everything starts by answering questions like: What kind of systems does the game use? Is it 2D or 3D? Does it have action mechanics?”

Against this background, Kodaka goes on to say that he does not acknowledge specialized scenario writers. Based on his experience working on anime and plays, the Danganronpa creator gives the opinion that specialized scenario writing tends to boil down to assuming a passive role. Basically, the writer ends up simply arranging the various ideas and specifications coming from the directors and producers. “I think movies are more interesting when written by the director, and the same goes for video games.” Kodaka comments. 

In this vein, Kodaka adds that he is wholeheartedly against game makers outsourcing their scenarios to specialized writers. “Whenever I feel that something is off in a game, it’s usually related (to the scenario writer being out of touch with the game).” Therefore, he believes that the person writing the scenario should always be someone directly involved in the creation. “Even if they’re bad at writing, it’s far better when a person within the development team handles the scenario.” In a follow-up post on his personal X account, Kodaka further specified what he meant by saying that it’s best for game scenarios to be written directly by the director or planner of the title.