During this week's Nintendo Direct video, CEO Satoru Iwata took the time to show off what 3rd party developer PlatinumGames has in the pipeline for the Nintendo Wii U. In between the trailers for Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101, Iwata also mentioned that he had a chance to sit down and chat with both PlatinumGames' director/producer Atsushi Inaba as well as President and CEO Tatsuya Minami.

That chat, as it turns out, became another edition of "Iwata Asks;" an interview series that appears on Nintendo's website which features notable company figures (like Satoru Iwata and Reggie Fils-Aime) interviewing internal and external software creators to get a better understanding of their product or service.

For this week's "Iwata Asks," rather than discussing one particular product from PlatinumGames, Iwata's interview shifted its focus mainly towards the studio itself. Discussing topics such as the studio's origins, how it keeps a talented core staff, and what it's looking to achieve in the future. As his interview was finishing up, Iwata asked the duo to say something for the fans. Minami-San took this opportunity to say something rather significant about Japanese game development and how PlatinumGames fits into that equation.

"It's often said these days that Japanese industries are looking sluggish" said Minami-San,"But I don't think so. With what we make, I want to show the world the strength of what it means to be made in Japan and to play a part in that work, and I think that has great significance for developing PlatinumGames on a worldwide scale. As a result, having people say, "Japanese games really are great," was one of my purposes in founding PlatinumGames, so my goal is to achieve that...blaming the times is just an excuse. So we strongly want to be a studio that can win with games that are made in Japan."

At a time when other notable Japanese developers are succumbing to the taste buds of western audiences, Minami-San's take on the matter certainly lends hope to the idea that Japanese game development, as we know it, is still a priority for some. You can check out the full interview on Nintendo's site.