Virtuos opens Tokyo studio to strengthen relationship with Japanese developers

Global development company Virtuos has opened a new studio in Tokyo to strengthen its relationship with Japanese developers.

Virtuos said the new development studio will allow it to work more closely with partners like Square Enix, which it has collaborated with on titles like Final Fantasy X/X-2 and Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, while expanding its in-market capabilities.

The Tokyo studio will be led by Pierre Guijarro, who'll serve as general manager. Guijarro prevously worked at companies incluidng 2K and Koei Tecmo and is credited on numerous triple-A projects like NBA 2K19, Sid Meier's Civilization VI, and Dead or Alive 5.

"Japan has always been a key global game hub and it is a particularly exciting time for Virtuos to expand our presence and in-market capabilities, given the increasing demand in Asia for creative game design—such as levels, quests, downloadable content—and adaptation services," said Guijarro, laying out the studio's ambitions in a press release.

"Our team is looking forward to supporting Japanese developers on both creative and technical needs, and contributing to the continual growth of the local games industry."

Virtuos continues expanding after talking up internal development ambitions 

Virtuos added that its Tokyo studio will be "attuned to the market, cultural, and production needs unique to Japanese clients," and said the team comprises experts in distributed development who can speak both Japanese and English to ensure seamless communication with its development partners.

The ultimate aim of Virtuos Tokyo is to provide more Japanese creators with full access to the company's suite of game production services. With that goal in mind, Virtuos hopes to have further expanded its Tokyo studio by the end of 2024.

The news comes a few months after Virtuos cut the ribbon on a new Prague studio to bolster its engineering capabilities. Prior to that, the company explained it was exploring the world of in-house development with a view to releasing its own original titles, such as deck-building title Mahokenshi.