Nippon Ichi has quickly become a company that many equate with being one of the best in the console gaming industry with regards to creating strategy titles. Ever since Atlus published Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for the PlayStation 2, fans have been lining up to see what this developer has next in store. This summer the company, who now is responsible for publishing their own titles, will release Makai Kingdom for the PlayStation 2, and as expected, anticipation is at a fevered pitch. So when the opportunity arose to sit down and speak with Yoshitsuna Kobayashi came available, we jumped at the chance.

eToychest: First, let me thank you for agreeing to speak with us about Makai Kingdom. Before we begin, can you tell us a little about yourself and your role on this the project?

Yoshitsuna Kobayashi: My name is Yoshitsuna Kobayashi and I am the executive director of Makai Kingdom. Please let me thank eToychest for this wonderful opportunity. For Makai Kingdom I overlooked the entire process of the development from the planning stages and took part in the actual game programming.

SBG: It seems that previous NIS strategy titles follow a certain progression – they all retain certain elements of previous games, but diverge in some rather significant way. What is the most significant difference between Makai Kingdom and previous games such as Disgaea or Phantom Brave.

YK: Being able to create your own kingdom and inviting(summoning) them onto the battle field is the biggest change made. Also we can’t forget to mention that A