Katamari Damacy maker Takahashi moved back to Japan after To a T flopped

The developer of Katamari Damacy, Keita Takahashi, has been forced to move back to Japan following the release of his most recent game, To a T.

Speaking to GamesRadar, the industry icon said that his most recent project failed to meet commercial expectations following its release earlier this year, meaning he had to move from San Francisco back to his home country.

To a T was developed by Takahashi’s Uvula studio, and published by Annapurna Interactive, with collaboration from accessibility charity AbleGamers.

“I don’t think anyone tries to make a niche game. The title ‘niche game’ is just a result. I know my games are far from mainstream,” Takahashi said.

“I recently returned to Japan, and one of the reasons I had to do [so] was because To a T didn’t sell well. This is a risk of being independent, and I’m willing to take it, but I don’t think it’s a question of niche or traditional, it’s a question of whether people like it or not.

“I believe there is still room for new ideas, and unfortunately, To a T just wasn’t a good fit. But I think the situation is what it is.”

Takahashi also lamented the fact that, despite creating the Katamari Damacy series, he does not own the IP. The development vet said that he has ideas for future projects in the franchise, too.

“I wish I had the Katamari Damacy IP,” he said.

“Anyway, I’m glad that the game and characters are still loved today. In many ways, I have some interesting ideas for Katamari Damacy that only I could come up with. If I have the opportunity to work with Bandai Namco again, it would be a very interesting project.”

Keita Takahashi directed Katamari Damacy, which came out in 2004, before leading work on We Love Katamari, which launched the following year.

In 2019, he created Wattam with Annapurna Interactive, before partnering with the publisher for To a T.

When GamesIndustry.biz spoke with Takahashi back in 2022, the developer lamented the fact that for all his efforts to push video games forward as a medium, the industry was still the same as it ever was.

“It’s never changing,” he said. “It’s always like that. Because I’m trying to go against the current trend of game we have right now. You know, shooters or fighting games. They never change, but almost all people love that kind of game, which I understand. Shooting or fighting is kind of fun. But as a game designer, that’s kind of sad, because we couldn’t provide a different perspective for the player. I understand fighting is fun, but this is a different perspective of fun. I still believe games are a very unique media, which is interactive, has music and vision, can provide you with a more emotional story. But we still provide the player a very tiny, small perspective of life experience.”