Sessions

PR BM  PD MX


Providing end-to-end services to the video game industry: from design consulting in the early stages of development to testing, localization, and customer support.

PR Program Sponsor

Pole To Win Co., Ltd.
Date  
September 1 (Wed) 11:20 - 12:20
Format  
Session (60min.)
Expected Skill

Anyone involved in game planning, development, design consulting, testing, localization, QA, marketing, sales, customer support, and management

Ideas Take Away

・ Methods for efficient global development, including case studies that touch on American/Japanese market trends and differences in customer needs
・ Effective uses of design consulting and testing from planning to development in order to improve product quality
・ Efficient customer support methods that link game testing and design consulting in order to increase customer satisfaction

Pole To Win has specialized in game testing for 17 years, but we started out as a small game store. One summer day, a boy clutching a pile of change came to the store to buy a game he had reserved 1 year ago. A year of scrimping and saving--all for this moment. The smile on his face when he finally got his game was the starting point for our company.

Since then, we have mainly worked behind the scenes to support game development, but last August we established an office in San Francisco to cope with the dizzying changes occurring in the market. In addition, this April we were happy to welcome to our group SARUGAKUCHO, Japan's leading game consulting firm. PITCREW, another group member, performs customer support, as well as manual site monitoring and operation.

As the industry continues to globalize, we see new developments from US-Japan collaborations every day. What can we do to help maintain a healthy game industry in Japan? What must we do? These are the topics we will address.

* The session contents are based on the information provided by the speakers.

  • Teppei Tachibana

    Teppei Tachibana

    Director（President&CEO）

    Pole To Win Co., Ltd. （Pole To Win America, Inc.）

    Teppei Tachibana is a Director at Pole To Win Co., Ltd. Since August of last year, he has been in charge of the customer support , focus testing, game testing, and localization services at Pole To Win America, Inc.

    [Message]

    Starting August of last year, we began offering game testing, localization, and focus testing services in the US. We plan to continue to expand the services that we offer, taking advantage of our base in Japan, while simultaneously catering to differences in consumer preferences and client needs between Japan and US markets.

  • Toru Hashimoto

    Toru Hashimoto

    Chief Tuning Officer

    SARUGAKUCHO Inc.


    After working at Nintendo, Toru Hashimoto entered Marigul Management Inc. in 1996. In February of 1997, the company established a division for game design evaluation and balancing named "Sarugakucho," which became SARUGAKUCHO Inc. in 2000.

    With the title of "Chief Tuning Officer," Mr. Hashimoto serves as the company representative. He plays games that are in development every day, constantly forming new ideas to make them more fun and accessible. For him, work is play and play is work.

    [Message]

    We are always happy to hear someone thank us for an enjoyable game or say how glad they were to be able to play it. The game creators put their hearts into making these games, and it's only right that we do the same as we polish them up into their final form. We firmly believe that this results in superior products. As "polishers" who stand between the creators and the players, we work our hardest to ensure that as many people enjoy the final product as possible.

  • Naoto Konishi

    Naoto Konishi

    President

    PITCREW CO.,LTD


    After working at a foreign-affiliated accounting firm and an IT consulting firm, Naoto Konishi joined PITCREW as President in October 2008. He is a certified public accountant.

    [Message]

    As more and more game content moves online, continued post-purchase customer support is becoming an important issue. We will be introducing a variety of customer support case studies with the goal of increasing customer satisfaction and creating loyal customers. The case studies and expertise covered will include using forums in coordination with game promotion, managing online communities, and monitoring online postings.