Koei Unveils New Western Focused Division

Officials from Japanese developer and publisher Koei have announced that Naoki Katashima has been appointed as executive vice president of the company’s UK (Koei Ltd.), French (Koei France) and North American (Koei Corporation) operations, with overall responsibility for all sales and marketing. Katashima’s appointment is described as part of Koei’s new mid-term plan, which also includes the formation of two new global business divisions within the company’s headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. Each division is intended to focus specifically on the Western and Asian markets, respectively. As such, Katashima will serve as the general manager of the division focusing on North America and Europe. He will be based at the company’s UK headquarters in Hertfordshire, England, where he has most recently been based as senior vice president of Koei Ltd. “This new mid-term plan is a very significant development for Koei. The plan demonstrates our renewed commitment to our Western businesses and the importance with which Koei views the markets outside of Japan,” said Katashima. “This plan establishes an entirely new division that unifies all of Koei’s Western territories and represents a substantial part of the company overall," he continued. "Now more than ever, Koei’s development studios and sales and marketing teams around the world are working more closely together to develop remarkable entertainment experiences for video gamers across the globe.”