Kohei Shibata

Kohei Shibata (柴田 剛平, Shibata Kouhei) is a director and project manager for Koei Tecmo's Team NINJA brand, having been part of the company's Tecmo side since 1998.

During his job hunting days, Shibata only had a vague idea of what he wanted to do for the rest of life. When video games came to mind, he thought back to the fun he had with them in his childhood and decided to apply for work at Tecmo. He was drawn to the company at the time due to their unique perspective in the creation of high-quality games like the Monster Rancher series.

Shibata's main concern as project manager is being able to plan ahead as unforeseen setbacks may hamper game production if contingency plans are not put into place. He stresses the importance of thinking forward in advance as it helps planners adjust their team's budget and work time for any problems encountered in the future. He also encourages new employees to express their opinions and be more involved with the team.

Whenever Shibata oversees the development of collaborative works, he constantly communicates with partnered companies for feedback on how to better handle their IPs since keeping them faithful to the original is necessary to attract fans. He likens the negotiations to a game of tennis in which two sides bounce off different ideas to one another until a conclusion that satisfies both parties has been reached.

Works

 * Deception III: Dark Delusion - screen data designer
 * Gallop Racer 2001 - planner
 * Super Shot Soccer - data worker
 * Fatal Frame - motion manager, planner
 * Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly - planner, product manager
 * Fatal Frame III: The Tormented - project manager
 * Tokobot Plus: Mysteries of the Karakuri - producer
 * Super Swing Golf - producer
 * DS Nishimura Kyōtarō Suspense - special thanks
 * Super Swing Golf Season 2 - producer
 * Undead Knights - producer
 * Quantum Theory - producer
 * Dead or Alive: Dimensions - project manager
 * Dead or Alive 5 - project manager
 * Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate - studio manager
 * Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z - producer
 * Nioh - project manager
 * Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order - project line producer
 * Nioh 2 - project manager
 * Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia - project manager