How important is the arcade business for Taito going forward?
This may be more of a business question… HA: Oh, it’s definitely one of the most important focuses the company has. Arcade operation is one of our core businesses, and in order to keep things fresh for visitors, we’re constantly trying to develop new stuff for the arcade market. I’ve heard that game centers like Taito’s Hey, and so on, have been slowing down in terms of number of users. Is that a concern, and are there things you can do to try to get people back into arcades? HA: I think the only real solution is to keep releasing new and innovative things. Arcades in Japan have had these cycles of peaks and troughs — when they’re in the midst of a recession, some hit title comes out and their popularity shoots right back up. I think we’re definitely in a valley right now, and that means not just Taito, but everyone in the industry needs to work on creating the next big thing. People’s tastes in entertainment change over time, and it’s important that all of us change along with thos
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