Koei Tecmo president and CEO Hisashi Koinuma (who succeeded founder Yoichi Erikawa last year), recently discussed the company’s substantial growth in recent years with Famitsu.
With the goal of expanding its development pipelines and broadening its release catalog, Koei Tecmo increased its staff from 2,500 to 2,850 individuals between 2024 and 2025. This year, the company has welcomed an additional 193 new team members in Japan, bringing its total workforce beyond 3,000 employees.
In 2024, Koei Tecmo outlined a mid-term strategy aiming to grow to a “5,000-strong workforce,” and according to Koinuma, the company remains dedicated to this objective. He confirmed that hiring will continue steadily, complemented by internal training programs designed to nurture talent.
Presently, Koei Tecmo’s game development is organized under six distinct brands—including notable teams like Team NINJA, Omega Force, and Gust—as well as one studio (the newly established AAA Studio). The company is developing an infrastructure that enables each division to deliver a consistent flow of new titles. Koinuma also expressed interest in launching new brands to explore diverse gaming concepts, noting that existing brands already cater to dedicated fanbases expecting specific intellectual properties and genres.
Although Koinuma kept the direction of any potential new brand under wraps, he invited fans to anticipate future updates.
A significant shift for Koei Tecmo has been its strategy to manage global publishing of its games internally whenever possible. Koinuma explained that this approach led to the company self-publishing Nioh 3, unlike its predecessors which were distributed through Sony partnerships. This move provided clear benefits, including the ability to launch the game simultaneously on PC, where it became the fastest-selling title in the series. While Koinuma acknowledged that some exceptions and partnerships may still be advantageous, he emphasized the need for Koei Tecmo to build a self-sufficient structure capable of handling all aspects of its operations.