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Atsushi Nagashima
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Atsushi Nagashima is an executive director at Creatures, Inc. and the current game director of the TCG. Nagashima joined Creatures in 2001 and became game director of the TCG in 2007,[1] succeeding Takumi Akabane in that role.
TCG director
As game director, Nagashima oversees the design of the game's environment and systems.[2] For each expansion, this process entails interpreting the systems and world of the video games, creating the theme of the set, selecting Pokémon, then designing data and illustrations for each card.[3][4][5] Mechanics and balance are refined after extensive play-testing, with the set's premier cards and Trainer cards taking particularly long to calibrate.[6][7] Work on a new expansion begins about one year before it releases.[8] The designers typically anticipate which cards will be strong and design the metagame around them, though they are pleasantly surprised when players discover unexpected synergies.[9][10]
Nagashima has claimed that, as card games age, newly introduced cards must either be more complex or more powerful than previous cards, and acknowledges that the TCG has made cards more powerful over time.[11] This is because the TCG prioritizes simplicity and accessibility to ensure that both children and their parents can enjoy the game.[12]
Trivia
- Nagashima has stated that his favorite card is Machop from the Skyridge expansion, as he enjoys the card's illustration in the context of the card's evolutions and the worldview of the set.[6]
- Nagashima has stated that Darkrai is one of his favorite Pokémon, and believes that are a lot of strong Darkrai cards in the TCG because of his influence.[11]
References
- ↑ How the Pokemon Trading Card Game stays the very best (the best there ever was), GamesRadar+
- ↑ Pokémon Trading Card Game: Enjoyed Around the World - Column - Pokémon Trading Card Game Illustration Contest 2024 - PTCGIC2024
- ↑ How Pokemon Cards Are Made in 8 Steps, IGN
- ↑ Pokemon TCG Game Director Reveals How the Popular Card Game Gets Made, ComicBook.com
- ↑ Visiting Creatures: What’s behind the Pokemon Trading Card Game?, MeriStation
- ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 How Pokémon cards have continued to evolve with the video-games, despite going underground, The Telegraph
- ↑ Game director Atsushi Nagashima on why Pokémon Trading Card Game is still so popular, Evening Standard
- ↑ Inside Pokémon's house of cards, Eurogamer
- ↑ I Found Pokémon TCG Heaven and It's at Creatures HQ in Japan, IGN
- ↑ An Interview with Atsushi Nagashima About Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield—Darkness Ablaze, The Pokémon Company International
- ↑ Jump up to: 11.0 11.1 Trade Secrets: The Making Of A Pokémon Card, GameInformer
- ↑ Pokemon Card Managers On Origins Of The Card Game And The Varied Illustrations, Siliconera