CyberConnect 2 CEO rails against social, mobile gaming

Hiroshi Matsuyama, CEO of Japanese development studio CyberConnect2, has spoken out against the current explosion of social and mobile gaming, although he admits to playing them in order to understand their success.

Speaking in an interview with Gamasutra, the .hack and Naruto developer said that he was disappointed with the trend away from core games, saying social and mobile titles were largely "junk" and "rubbish".

"Everybody is talking about social this, and social that. Even Bandai Namco. I don't like that," Matsuyama told his interviewer, admitting that he was "up to level 250 on Kaito Royale," by Japanese social giant DeNA.

"And Gundam Royale," he continues. "So stupid. They're not fun at all. But, I have to play it. The reality is that it has over 3 million users, and it's true that they're making money.

"I need to be aware of those businesses, so of course I play them. GREE's Dragon Collection. I've played that, too. This is my iPhone, and this is my Android phone, and I play these games on both of these phones - but they're all rubbish.

"Native apps - I'd be willing to play those. But, if you're asking whether I'm playing a decent social game right now, the answer is no."

But the executive's dismissal of mobile gaming isn't universal. He's a big fan of Chair Entertainment's Infinity Blade - the sequel to which has been announced for the iPhone.

"I think that game is really good. I love that game. I even finished it. That was fun. It was a proper game. But, the others are junk. They're not fun."

CyberConnect2 is currently working on Asura's Wrath and six other projects, including a full length anime movie.