Japanese comedian and YouTuber Eiko Kano, renowned for his wildly entertaining playthroughs of the Resident Evil series, recently shared details about a conversation he had with Shinji Mikami, the director behind the original RE and RE4, concerning playthrough videos and gaming streams.
According to Nikkan, on June 18, Kano appeared on a television program where he discussed memorable moments from his life, highlighting his meeting with Mikami as particularly remarkable. The topic of gaming streams can be contentious among developers (especially in Japan), with opinions split on whether they serve as beneficial free marketing or result in lost sales as viewers consume games passively. Aware of these differing views, Kano had felt uneasy about his streaming activities.
Despite having Capcom’s explicit permission, Kano was worried that revealing the stories and puzzles of Resident Evil games might upset the creators. When he eventually met Mikami in person, he decided to inquire directly about his perspective. Kano was prepared to cease streaming if Mikami disapproved, but the director reportedly replied, “If viewers watch a playthrough of a game all the way to the end and are satisfied with just that, then it was only that good of a game.”
Mikami further explained, “Our job is to create games that inspire people to play them themselves, even after watching someone else complete them, so feel free to keep streaming.” This indicates Mikami believes developers are fully accountable for how playthroughs impact their games. Notably, Kano mentions receiving a nearly identical response from Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii on the same subject (though this doesn’t seem to align with Square Enix’s streaming guidelines for the series).
Curiously, Square Enix’s Naoki Hamaguchi, director of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, echoed a similar view recently, stating that as playthroughs grow in popularity, RPGs must evolve to make viewers eager to play the games themselves rather than just passively consume their narratives.