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Posted by: David Sanchez

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Remember when Fez creator Phil Fish was called a racist for saying that Japanese games suck? Well, some people may call him a racist, but there's one man out there who openly agrees with what Phil Fish said. That man is Japan's own Keiji Inafune, the brilliant mind behind the Mega Man franchise.

"There was a Canadian guy who appeared in a documentary film and did a Q&A afterwards," began Inafune in an interview with Wired. "And a Japanese person asked what he thought of Japanese games, and he said he thought they sucked. That’s what’s necessary."

"It’s very severe, but very honest," continued the industry icon. "Unless Japanese people feel embarrassed from the experience of getting harsh comments, saying [new games] could have been better is not an opinion they would take seriously. When they’re embarrassed and they feel obliged to change, it would make a difference."

Inafune has been very adamant about his thoughts on how Japanese game development isn't where it once was. He's stated in the past that developers in Japan aren't taking the business seriously, which is hurting the games they make. There are plenty of Japanese games that I really dig. (Demon's Souls and Xenoblade Chronicles instantly come to mind.) So while I certainly wouldn't say I agree 100 percent with both Inafune and Phish, their remarks about the industry are certainly thought-provoking.

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Tags: Keiji Inafune, Japan, Phil Fish