Pioneering Entertainment withPhysical MONO and Intangible KOTO
Koichi Sano
As a kid growing up, I loved the world of computer games and entertainment. The very first video game I played was “Color TV Game 6”, the first ever video game console released by Nintendo. Soon after during my grade school years, Space Invaders became a smash hit followed by my high school years which was spent mostly on NES.After graduating high school, I attended Nagoya University and studied AR (Artificial Reality) under professor Yoshio Tsukio. The computers at the time were not as powerful as they are now, but the lab had the latest full-color Macintosh II. I remember the excitement of seeing the GUI (graphical user interface) and WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) for the first time – which have become so common these days.With the desire to be involved in computer game development, I joined Nintendo after getting the degree. I was assigned to the hardware design team and was part of the team that developed electronics and custom LSI for “SNES CD-ROM Adapter” and “SNES Satellite Broadcast Adapter Satellaview”.After working for over four years, I left Nintendo to join a startup in Shiga prefecture, Shinsedai (SSD), that my boss had just founded. At the time, the leading players in the home console industry were all geared toward the gaming crowd. However, SSD had set its goal to develop a new form of gaming and entertainment experience that “anyone can instinctively enjoy,” which led to a system called “XaviX,” which I was part of developing the system LSI. XaviX was a stand-alone system that did not rely on the existing gaming platforms, and in the early 2000s, it got adopted by many “plug-to TV” type games and toys. After completing the XaviX system LSI, I took on various projects within the company, such as plug-to-TV table tennis for the international market, updated “e-kara” karaoke system, plug-to-TV robot toys, and 3D graphics capable XaviX-2 LSI and system software. As SSD aggressively pursued expanding into the international market, clients consisted of Japanese and American major toy vendors. At the same time, the development of LSI took place in Taiwan, and manufacturing was done in China. As a result, I was out of Japan for more than half of the year, which was not easy but at the same time exciting and fun, where I got to learn what it takes to build a successful business on a global scale.In 2006, I joined Koto, founded by Gunpei Yokoi, renowned for his work in Nintendo as the father of electronic toys and portable games. For over four years, I took part in the development of a new 3D graphics system LSI, plug-to TV Dragon Ball Z Scouter Battle, TV Globe, Digimon Cross Arena, and others before founding Monokoto Inc.
Founded in 2010, the company name Monokoto is coined from two words to develop entertainment – physical product MONO and intangible service KOTO. At Monokoto we offer a one-stop service from ideation to design and production of toys and electronic products, and we take most pride as an expert in electronic toys and devices that incorporate interactive computer graphics and sound technologies. In addition, we offer development services for smartphone apps and games, as well as possess in-house technologies such as smartphone linked SR (substitute reality) figures and SR animation technology on printed media. We continue to innovate these technologies that can bring figurines to life through a smartphone and see cars and animals move around in books.For over 30 years, I have been developing products because I like this job that can bring smiles to people. I still enjoy brainstorming for new product ideas the most, and from my past projects, I enjoyed designing specifications for LSI and logic circuits the most. After founding the company, I have felt pressure to take on non-engineering tasks such as HR, finance, and sales. However, I still enjoy my profession as long as I can spend 20-30% of the time having fun. I believe “work” should be fun as we spend most of our life with it one way or another.Gunpei Yokoi had a philosophy of bringing “lateral thinking with mature technology,” which I adore and believe to be the core value in toy development. Instead of using the latest and greatest technology, he has taught us to think outside the box using mature components and inspire with new ideas. At Monokoto, we often use technologies first introduced to gaming consoles 15 to 20 years ago. However, old does not mean inferior, as what is more important is “how” they are used for “what” purposes. The gaming consoles at this age are all going after the highest computing power and graphics resources. But developing software with rich gaming engines running on such boated hardware limits what developers can get involved in – limiting them to see only a portion of the complete picture of the hardware and software. At Monokoto, we can develop hardware and software internally, optimizing the design for peak performance against the cost target. At the same time, we are constantly working with the latest sensor IC trends and communication protocols, integrating both mature and latest technologies in our design.
As we enter the age of instability, moving forward as planned is getting ever more challenging. Breakthroughs in technology happen almost every day, while the global complexity in society has come to a new stage, making it difficult to predict what will happen next. The COVID pandemic that has hit us was a clear indication of how unpredictable our world lives in is.At Monokoto, we have been finding ways to ride through the wave by being flexible and adapting to the given situation. We have set a goal to develop long-lasting MONO products that do not rely on platforms, such as existing gaming consoles and big players such as Google. For example, it has become increasingly difficult to watch VHS tapes lately, and we all know that even the latest gaming consoles will be put away in the attic in just a few years. Such examples are all too common and come from businesses built on top of a platform. Although there are merits in joining a platform, it is also a double-edged sword for developers as they are at the mercy of the platform provider, who can set its own rules without much say against them. And as for the consumer, they would have to purchase new hardware as the platform evolves, so taking part in it also has its downsides. Using our technical background, we think it will be fun to offer an option to free software and services from platforms that may otherwise have had to rely on them.For the employees working at Monokoto, it is essential to have fun and enjoy developing MONO products and entertainment. In working with the entertainment industry, it is not enough to implement only the features written in the specifications. It must be designed with passion and motivation to build a product that the individual can truly appreciate. The products and services developed at Monokoto go into minute details beyond what’s written in the specifications. These elements may be so minor and may not be apparent at first glance, but they also can determine the quality of the final product. For example, a popular athletic action TV console game created many fans and followers worldwide that may be seen as a whole. However, each individual has experienced different “feelings,” including ease of use during the gameplay. Such minor differences can lead to a big difference in sales, and this is what makes the world of entertainment exciting but also scary.Such attention to detail we pride in needs to be balanced with the schedule requirements for each project. Our staff is always looking for ways to improve the design within the given timeframe. We are not looking for people only looking for a stable 9-5 job, but rather for people who are constantly looking to pick up new skills and be on their own at any time. As we continuously develop new products in various fields every six months, we can offer many growth opportunities for such individuals.If you are looking for a job in the entertainment industry as a planner, designer, or engineer, and if you are looking to gain priceless experience and skills that can stand out in any future opportunities, please feel free to contact us at any time. We look forward to meeting someone who can join our team to develop MONO KOTO with us.
