Matsuura Got Rhythm: The State Of NanaOn-Sha's Founder

As everyone knows by now, Masaya Matsuura pioneered music games with PaRappa the Rapper. What many may not realize is that his development company, NanaOn-Sha, is still going strong. Responsible for Namco Bandai's successful Tamagotchi Corner Shop series on the DS and the iPod title Musika, the company also recently announced a partnership with PaRappa artist Rodney Alan Greenblat to create a new music game for the Wii for Majesco.

Gamasutra sat down with Matsuura to discuss his company's unique "jam session" development style, the state of Japanese studios, and his plans for the Wii. Joining the discussion was NanaOn-Sha's overseas business manager, Dewi Turner.