China’s NetEase Hatches Japanese Games Production Unit Pincool

China’s NetEase Games has established PinCool, a Tokyo-based game studio focused on developing titles for game consoles. That is a significant diversification, considering that PC and mobile are the major formats for games play in China. And the company says the company it will also be involved in planning and producing a range of additional forms of entertainment.

The new company is headed by representative director and president Ichimura Ryutaro, a 20-year veteran of the games industry and long-time producer of the “Dragon Quest” games franchise. Beyond serving as lead producer for games such as “Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King” and “Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies,” Ichimura also led other areas of the Dragon Quest IP franchise including live events and exhibitions.

He is joined by Ogura Takashi as a PinCool board member. Previously, Ogura was involved in branding and marketing, business development, and business strategy for a number of online businesses including “Doraemon” at Epoch “Duffy” at Oriental Land and “Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai” at Square Enix.

“[Ichimura] has shaped the RPG genre and inspired countless game developers around the world so we’re very excited to see him join NetEase Games and begin a new journey with PinCool,” said Simon Zhu, global president of investments and partnerships at NetEase Games.

“We also aim to release smaller titles while we continue our work on large-scale titles. I’m looking forward to what lies in store in the adventure of PinCool!,” said Ichimura.

The company name comes from the Japanese phrase ‘pin to kuru,’ meaning when an idea clicks.