The other week Examiner got some insight straight from CEO Hiro Maekawa on how Natsume has managed to ride out these tough times. With no interest in spending big budgets on mainstream genre IPs and rewarding their loyal fanbase with a steady stream of niche titles, the company has certainly held their own in a time where other publishers are laying off employees by the hundreds, sometimes thousands. In fact, Natsume has not laid off a single employee in the past 13 years. Admittedly, it helps that they keep things small, with a staff of 6. Vice President of Operations Graham Markay chimed in with his own perspective on what is it has been like to work for this company for over 12 years, starting out as a humble translator but learning quickly the benefits of taking on other responsibilities.
J Station X: Harvest Moon finally adds same-sex relationships with a mod called 'Pride Parade' that makes the series a bit more inclusive to LGBTQ players.
Josh from Controller Crusade writes "Anyone who has followed the Harvest Moon franchise since it burst on the scene in 1997 (1996 in Japan) knows the many ups and downs it has endured. The odd thing about Harvest Moon games is that even when they’re not that great they are still incredibly addicting. Depending on what aspect of the games you like to focus on, you’ll enjoy certain titles more than others. Personally I like to mix it up and do a little bit of everything, not pigeon hole myself into one type of task or chore. Here are my personal highs and lows for the Harvest Moon series."
Hardcore Gamer: Natsume, best known as the developers of the Harvest Moon series, have a special fondness for plush animals. Whenever a new game comes out, they always make sure to pair it with one of their adorable plushes as a pre-order bonus.