I Wanted to Be a Lifelong Maker, Even if It Meant Resigning as President. Interview with Munehira Niikawa, Former CEO of Japan's One Software [TGS2025]
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/991/G999110/20250926020/
Editorial Department: Mizuki Akki Photographer: Nagayama Wataru | 2025/09/27 02:00 (UTC)
During the Tokyo Game Show 2025, we had the opportunity to interview Mr. Sohei Niikawa, former president of Nitroplus and creator of series such as “Disgaea” and “Furigana,” who recently stepped down from his role at the company.
Mr. Niikawa left Nitroplus in August 2022, after which he remained largely out of the public eye until April 1st this year, when he announced the founding of his own super-niche studio, Super Nitch (see related article here).
At Tokyo Game Show 2025, several titles associated with Mr. Niikawa are on display—making it a great chance to explore his journey from stepping down as president all the way through his current activities.
Just like in his days at Nitroplus, Mr. Niikawa remains deeply hands-on. Thumbnail image No.001 / “I resigned as CEO just so I could keep creating throughout my life.” Interview with Sohei Niikawa, former President of Nitroplus – TGS2025
I Resigned as CEO Just to Keep Creating
4Gamer:
Thank you very much for taking the time today. It’s been a while since we’ve seen you in public like this—after stepping down from Nitroplus, you were largely out of sight.
Sohei Niikawa (hereinafter “Niikawa”):
Yes indeed. I created an X account under my name (link) and officially launched the Super Nitch website on April 1st this year—April Fool’s Day, to be precise.
4Gamer:
So it’s great that we can finally talk again after all this time. I’d like to go back quite a bit—may I ask why you decided to leave your role as president at Nitroplus?
Niikawa:
It was three years ago, when I turned 49. Originally, I joined the company straight out of university as part of the first batch of new hires. Over time, I worked in sales, PR, and eventually project management—writing scenarios, producing titles, even selling them myself. After 13 years of this, I became CEO.
But even after becoming CEO, I still loved being on the front lines, so I kept doing both sales and development.
4Gamer:
You produced quite a few titles after becoming CEO.
Niikawa:
At around age 45, the leadership team began discussing that it wasn’t ideal for the CEO to remain constantly in the field—especially since younger people wouldn’t have room to grow.
That was true, of course. I realized I shouldn’t just stay put indefinitely, so I stepped away from frontline work. But naturally, this meant my hands-on creation time decreased significantly.
4Gamer:
And your responsibilities on the management side increased accordingly.
Niikawa:
To be blunt—I found that aspect boring. I entered the industry because I loved making games, but being unable to create anything was more painful than I’d expected. It left me feeling hollow.
So as I approached 50, I reconsidered my life’s direction and decided: even if it meant starting from scratch, I wanted to get back into creation.
I told the chairman that I lacked confidence in growing a company as an executive, and didn’t want to become a burden—so I resigned.
4Gamer:
Did you have a plan ready for what to do after leaving?
Niikawa:
No, not at all. It was quite sudden—I didn’t prepare anything like launching a new company or laying groundwork beforehand. I just quit straight away (laughs).
Still, since I left because I wanted to create something, I had plenty of ideas. So instead of limiting myself to games, I began exploring various fields across entertainment—leading me to establish Super Nitch as an all-encompassing creative studio.
4Gamer:
What was the first thing you launched with Super Nitch?
Niikawa:
We started by dividing work into two areas: creating new titles and supporting others. On the creation side, around that time, a novelist named Kitarayama Romantico recently left their role as CEO of a game company.
4Gamer:
Around the same time?
Niikawa:
Yes. I began producing his novels, turning them into comics and games—handling behind-the-scenes content development.
On the support side, companies that had previously purchased my experience offered me positions: “Could you serve as an outside director?” or “Would you help us restructure our business and improve performance?” So I accepted those roles.
4Gamer:
…Isn’t this somewhat off-track from your original goal of just creating?
Niikawa:
At first, I thought so too. But as I worked with these companies, it became clear that to truly help them succeed, we needed to create a flagship title together—because only by collaborating directly could things really work out.
In the end, my work split into two streams: producing Kitarayama Romantico’s works and supporting other studios’ projects.
4Gamer:
What specific titles have you been involved with?
Niikawa:
HoloLive’s Cover has recently launched a game division under their subsidiary CCMC, creating an indie brand called “holo indie.” I’m serving as an external producer for them—such as in the case of “HoloLive Treasure Mountain.”
4Gamer:
At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, there are also titles you’re producing.
Niikawa:
Yes. The biggest one is “Etranje Overload,” featured at the HappyNet and Gemdrop booths. Then there’s holo indie’s "#HoloRivers" and “MYRIAD DEATH -MIRIAD DEATH-”, as well as “PIXEL DASH: Toast of Destiny,” a collaboration with animation studio ZenoToon.
Additionally, we have media exhibitions—such as “Cosmic Galaxy Wars” co-created with Ryokō Kobayashi and “Demon’s Night Fever” by Arc System Works.
4Gamer:
That’s an incredible number! So you’re basically involved in all of these as a producer?
Niikawa:
Yes. I’ve never been much for directing—I can’t code, draw, or compose music, so my role is to write stories and characters. I put everything into words, turning them into specification documents that others use to develop games. I work best in partnership with directors—this hasn’t changed since my time at Nitroplus.
Aiming for Lifelong Creativity
4Gamer:
Even after all this time, it’s clear you’re having a lot of fun.
Niikawa:
Absolutely! Now that I’m here, I’ve decided to stay active for life. I spent 26 years at Nitroplus—so now, even if I’m independent, I want to keep going for another 26 years at least.
4Gamer:
That’s definitely something only lifelong dedication can achieve (laughs).
Niikawa:
I’m having so much fun I don’t think it’ll be a problem. When you enjoy what you do, your body stays healthy too.
Right now, I’m doing things I never had time for before—making everything feel fresh and exciting. Recently, I’ve been working on board games and plan to release two titles at the Game Market in November.
4Gamer:
Are those under a circle (independent group) or corporate banner?
Niikawa:
I’m collaborating with independent groups. One is “Poo Detective,” co-created with Mosaicgari, where players guess which “poo” was assembled from various parts—character designs by the renowned artist Bukubuku Oka.
The other is a goblin-chase board game called “Demon King Quest,” made in collaboration with Spica Design.
4Gamer:
So you’re actually sitting on the circle side, then?
Niikawa:
I think so. Board games offer a unique kind of fun—they can be created quickly and cheaply, showcasing gameplay’s core appeal more directly than digital titles do.
4Gamer:
What kind of board games do you personally prefer?
Niikawa:
Simple and easy-to-understand ones. I like games that even people who don’t speak the same language can play together—very straightforward designs.
Also, recently I’ve become interested in music. Last week, I attended Magical Mirai featuring Hatsune Miku, and found the creators’ booths at the CD sales event incredibly fun—where Vocaloid producers sold their work directly. Next time, I’ll probably be there too (laughs).
4Gamer:
So you’re planning to produce something?
Niikawa:
Exactly. I’d love to collaborate on creating songs like those.
4Gamer:
You’re incredibly energetic—doing so many things at once! Does Super Nitch have any employees?
Niikawa:
No, it’s just me. I treat the company as a body—but in reality, I’m essentially freelance. I plan to keep running this one-person operation indefinitely.
4Gamer:
So you’re truly doing only what you want now?
Niikawa:
Yes. I don’t know how long I’ll last, but I’m free to choose what I do.
I also founded a subsidiary of Super Nitch called Chimera Agency—a support unit for creators who can make games but don’t know how to sell them—as well as the publishing label Chimera Bunko—both run entirely by me alone.
I love creating, and I love supporting other creators too. When I see someone making something I truly like, I want to help them release their next work quickly—so that’s why I do this support business.
4Gamer:
In a way, you’re an incredibly passionate fan (laughs).
Niikawa:
Yes—the “Cosmic Galaxy Wars” title comes from Chimera Agency. I especially wanted to support Ryokō Kobayashi, who created it.
4Gamer:
Wait—wasn’t Mr. Kobayashi the real-life inspiration behind “Magic Sword Ryokō,” one of the characters in Disgaea: Hour of Darkness?
Niikawa:
Exactly. I consider him a genius—but he’s been away from the game industry for about 20 years. His absence is a massive loss to the field. But fortunately, just as I resigned, he was also thinking about returning—so it felt wonderful to be able to collaborate again.
4Gamer:
As someone who’s played many of your titles over the years, I’m really looking forward to seeing more that feel like “pure Niikawa.”
Niikawa:
In that sense, “Etranje Overload” and “Demon’s Night Fever” are particularly infused with my own creative voice—so please do give them a try.
4Gamer:
Understood. Thank you very much for your time today.