Takashi Okaniwa, CEO of VOYAGE SYNC GAMES Inc. / CEO of VOYAGE GAMES Inc. / Director of I&V games, Inc.

We have a spirit of challenge and want to surprise the world.

■ Profile

In April 2011, he joined EC Navi Co., Ltd. (now VOYAGE GROUP Co., Ltd.). In August 2014, he founded VOYAGESYNCGAMES Co., Ltd., a game publishing company, and became a director. In October 2016, he became representative director. In November 2017, he founded VOYAGEGAMES Co., Ltd., and became representative director. In April 2018, he founded SelvasM (now I&Vgames, Inc.), a joint venture between Korean corporation Infraware, Inc. and VOYAGE GROUP, and became a director. He oversees game-related businesses in Japan, China, and Korea.

President Okaniwa has had a keen sense of information since he was young and has taken on a variety of challenges. What is the background and passion behind his current business of importing overseas smartphone games, localizing them for the Japanese market, and releasing them in Japan? We spoke to the president, who aims to be number one in Asia.

■I joined the company after a fateful encounter

　I had several part-time jobs during my university years, but when I was in my fourth year I received a job offer from VOYAGEGROUP, so I worked there as an intern. My job was a new business that provided coupon services, run mainly by students, and I was constantly doing sales, requesting restaurants and beauty salons to issue coupons. With the number of competitors rapidly increasing, the competition became so intense that it became a battle of willpower, and the business withdrew before I could even join. However, I ended up joining VOYAGEGROUP in April.
　I had a vague idea that I wanted to work in the internet industry, but at the same time, I had always dreamed of becoming a CEO, so I was looking for a company that would give me an opportunity to do so early on. What made me decide to join the company was that Twitter was just starting to become popular at the time, and while looking at various companies, I came across a post about VOYAGEGROUP being the first company in Japan to hire people on Twitter, and I felt that the atmosphere and sense of distance were similar, so I felt like it was a fateful encounter.
　After joining the company, I still wanted to start a new business, and around July 2014, the director at the time asked me, "I'd like to start this kind of business, what do you think?" I answered, "I think it's a good idea," and he said, "Then you go and do it," and I was put in charge of my current business.

■ We work on our own unique business and value the atmosphere within the company

　Our company provides smartphone games, but we mainly import games made overseas, localize them for the Japanese market, and distribute them here. Localization involves not only translating into Japanese, but also adapting characters for Japanese audiences. We have branches in China and Korea, and we've come to realize that being able to speak the language is definitely a good thing, as subtle nuances can be difficult to convey through an interpreter.
　VOYAGE GROUP has strengths in advertising and marketing, which form the backbone of its business. This makes it easier for us to conduct marketing and generate business synergies compared to other companies, and I believe this is also what differentiates us from other companies. However, because we do a lot of business with overseas companies, business practices and laws differ from country to country, and many unexpected things happen. Even if we share the same goals, problems with national systems often become a barrier, making it difficult to move forward. At times, it was difficult to find anyone to consult with, and we had to solve each problem one by one on our own, which was really difficult.
　However, our company is a very open company, and we have places where everyone can gather and talk freely. This environment is conducive to communication, making it easy to seek advice and also leading to the creation of new ideas and services.

■ Move forward without being afraid to take on challenges

　I think it's fun to take on a challenge. There are many challenges in the internet industry because there are no precedents, but it's really satisfying when we think about things ourselves and see results. It makes me feel glad that I'm doing this. It's good to work with people who are honest, sincere, greedy for everything, and eager to grow. Our company values ​​ability. There are no strings attached, so we give opportunities to those who want to do it, and you can take on challenges from a young age. There are many opportunities for highly motivated people.
　When I started this game business, I didn't know much about games either. Many people around me were critical and said it would be impossible, but I'm the type of person who gets more fired up when people think it's impossible, so I worked hard with the determination to prove them wrong, and that's how I got to where I am today, so I think the desire to grow is important.
　My goal for the future is to become number one in Asia. I think it's a high hurdle, but it motivates me to work hard. I also want to try my hand at a variety of things, not just games. And I want to surprise the world.

■Message

　Being a university student is the only time you have a lot of free time, so you should do what you love to the fullest. Once you enter the workforce, it becomes difficult to control your time, and it's even harder to take a week off. I think the experience of doing what you love will be useful somewhere in the future.
　Don't think too hard about doing what you like. It's good to calmly think about things that you normally find fun. If you try too hard to find something, it will only put pressure on you. In any case, don't overthink it. When I was a university student, I never thought I would end up working in a game-related job. I think it's good to try a variety of things and dig deeper into the things that you find interesting. So, don't worry too much if you can't find something interesting right away.

Student newspaper April 2021 issue Taichi Saotome, 2nd year student at Bunkyo University