{"id":64167,"date":"2026-03-28T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=64167"},"modified":"2026-03-27T12:43:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T03:43:43","slug":"great-games-almost-never-sell-just-because-theyre-great-gnosia-producer-talks-about-the-importance-of-having-a-good-business-lead-rather-than-just-focusing-on-raw-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/great-games-almost-never-sell-just-because-theyre-great-gnosia-producer-talks-about-the-importance-of-having-a-good-business-lead-rather-than-just-focusing-on-raw-creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"“Great games almost never sell just because they’re great.” Gnosia producer talks about the importance of having a good business lead rather than just focusing on “raw creativity”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In an interview with Denfaminicogamer<\/a>, Petit Depotto producer Toru Kawakatsu, who produced and directed 2019\u2019s Gnosia<\/strong>, spoke about his experience working with an indie studio, and how important the balance between business smarts and creative impulses is in game development. As Kawakatsu explained, the harsh reality of the video game industry is that you can\u2019t run away from the \u201cbusiness side\u201d of development if you\u2019re serious about wanting to sell your title to a wider audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I\u2019ve gained experience, I\u2019ve come to realize that idealistic beliefs like \u2018If you make something good, it\u2019ll grab people\u2019s attention and sell well\u2019 are almost never true. In reality, it\u2019s difficult to make it without a certain level of financial understanding and business sense,\u201d said Kawakatsu. \u201cThere are tasks that aren\u2019t particularly creative that you just can\u2019t escape from. In fact, they\u2019re crucial. Dreams alone will only take you so far \u2013 you\u2019ve got to face reality, follow a sound, reliable procedure and keep on researching, thinking, and moving at a rapid pace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cOn the other hand, I think that sort of business-oriented thinking can become a kind of distraction from pure creativity.\u201d Kawakatsu stressed that despite the essential value of business skills in a commercially driven field like game development, the Petit Depotto team are dedicated to developing works that remain true to themselves and their own creative intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that creators should engage in dialogue with their own inner world before considering how it will be received by others. I think that a deeper creative philosophy can be cultivated by thoroughly engaging with a purely creative work,\u201d Kawakatsu explained. From there, he believes that it\u2019s his responsibility as a producer to enhance what he calls the \u201cresolution\u201d of a work as much as possible, developing it into a more polished, palatable form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTo be frank, I believe that if a creator simply expresses their raw creative vision, it can result in something almost too highbrow, which makes it difficult for others to understand and connect with it,\u201d said Kawakatsu. \u201cIndie games usually take three or four years to develop when working on them full-time, so we naturally want them to sell and be successful. Otherwise, we won\u2019t be able to keep creating them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kawakatsu concluded by summarizing his joint role as both director and producer: \u201cI need to understand the work better than anyone else, while also possessing the business acumen to adjust the intensity of the game\u2019s content as necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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