{"id":56564,"date":"2026-02-10T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=56564"},"modified":"2026-02-09T17:29:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T08:29:39","slug":"think-twice-before-saying-your-favorite-manga-is-one-piece-cyberconnect2-ceo-on-how-japanese-game-company-interviews-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/think-twice-before-saying-your-favorite-manga-is-one-piece-cyberconnect2-ceo-on-how-japanese-game-company-interviews-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Think twice before saying your favorite manga\u00a0is One Piece. CyberConnect2\u00a0CEO\u00a0on\u00a0how\u00a0Japanese game company interviews work\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe Game Industry Guidebook\u201d (unofficial translation), written by\u00a0CyberConnect2<\/strong>\u00a0president Hiroshi Matsuyama and published by Kadokawa, is set to release on February 16.\u00a0Featuring a\u00a0collection of\u00a0Matsuyama\u2019s\u00a0personal insights and data based on surveys\u00a0of\u00a0around 40 domestic game companies, the book provides advice to aspiring game developers and those already working in the industry.\u00a0CyberConnect2 is known for developing the .hack series, the Fuga: Melodies of Steel trilogy, and several titles in the Dragon Ball, Naruto and Jojo\u2019s Bizarre Adventure franchises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given\u00a0that\u00a0Japan\u2019s\u00a0hiring rate for aspiring game dev applicants is currently\u00a0quite low\u00a0at about 1.9%,<\/a> Matsuyama hopes that his book will help prepare future generations of developers. An excerpt published by\u00a0Famitsu<\/a>\u00a0goes into some of the common interview questions at Japanese game companies and\u00a0the\u00a0intentions\u00a0behind them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After interviewing several game companies, Matsuyama found that most of them ask a similar set of questions when interviewing applicants. One of the most important questions requires an applicant to list down all of the titles developed\/published by the company that they have played. Those who haven\u2019t played many of the company\u2019s games will very likely be rejected, cutting down the number of applicants. Another set of questions delves into the technical abilities of the applicant and their commitment to the job, further shortening the waiting list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Matsuyama\u00a0also\u00a0found one game company\u00a0which, like his own,\u00a0always\u00a0asks\u00a0applicants about their personal favorite\u00a0piece of\u00a0media, be it a manga, anime,\u00a0game\u00a0or\u00a0movie.\u00a0Using the topic of One Piece as an example,\u00a0Matsuyama goes into why this is a great interview question and what kind of answer the interviewer\u00a0is\u00a0looking for.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what it is\u00a0about One Piece that\u00a0you\u00a0love, a\u00a0superficial\u00a0answer such as \u201cI love how the protagonist Luffy teams up with his friends and goes on adventures,\u201d would get\u00a0you\u00a0rejected, he says. This is because the\u00a0answer doesn’t delve into specifics,\u00a0reflecting\u00a0the applicant’s inability\u00a0to, in a\u00a0future\u00a0hypothetical\u00a0scenario,\u00a0explain the company\u2019s products\/services\u00a0appealingly, should they be hired.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An applicant\u2019s delivery is also taken into consideration. If they are overexcited to talk about the details of why they love the series to the point of becoming incoherent, then there is a high chance they will be rejected. On the other hand, if they manage to deliver a compelling explanation while retaining a certain amount of enthusiasm, that shows they can communicate effectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matsuyama\u00a0notes\u00a0that answering a question about favorite media with something as popular as One Piece is a very risky move.\u00a0Since\u00a0interviewers\u00a0are\u00a0likely to\u00a0be familiar with it,\u00a0they will\u00a0expect the applicant to deliver a\u00a0unique\u00a0analysis, so it\u00a0essentially means\u00a0raising the bar\u00a0for the responder.\u00a0This does not mean that providing an obscure piece of media as\u00a0an\u00a0answer is\u00a0the solution though, as the company that asks these questions admits that it\u2019s not about the popularity of the media that matters, only that the applicant can express their passion for it in an\u00a0articulate and\u00a0engaging way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s fine, even if it’s a work we don’t know. If we hear <\/em>the explanation<\/em> and think, ‘We’ve never heard of that, but it sounds interesting!’ then <\/em>the candidate passes<\/em>. After all, the ability to convey your passion for a work to a complete stranger in an engaging way is essential in this industry.”<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, these questions are more common in game publishing roles, such as for producers, marketing, and sales positions, rather than development positions. Since the goal is to gauge an applicant\u2019s ability to convey the appeal of something, applicants for behind-the-scenes roles such as programmers and game designers are less likely find these questions in their interviews. It should be noted that CyberConnect2 applications uses similar questions as well, so keep that in mind in case you\u2019re looking to apply <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Game Industry Guidebook is set to release on February 16 and costs 2,200 JPY<\/a> (roughly $14 USD). There are currently no plans for an English translation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:\u00a0\u201cGame designers who ask for ideas, programmers who don\u2019t know C++.\u201d CyberConnect2 CEO on the top reasons why aspiring game devs fail to enter game companies<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danganronpa creator became a game dev because of an argument he had while working part-time that made him think \u201cWhat am I doing with my life\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CyberConnect2\u00a0CEO\u00a0talks about what Japanese game companies look for in aspiring candidates during interviews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":56582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[64,3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-56564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-development","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nThink twice before saying your favorite manga\u00a0is One Piece. 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