Lunatic_Gamer
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At the Tokyo eSports Festa 2025 held from January 10 to 12, Koei Tecmo participated in a joint lecture hosted by Japan’s Association of Copyright for Computer Software (ACCS). During the conference, Tomotoshi Nishimura, general manager of Koei Tecmo’s legal affairs department, talked about the company’s stance on doujinshi and other forms of fanart based on their games.
According to an event report by GameWatch, Nishimura started off by establishing that Koei Tecmo has no qualms about users making derivative works based on their intellectual property, and that they even openly support so-called otaku culture. This is evident from their sponsorship of events like Comiket, where fanartists sell doujinshi – essentially profiting off copyrighted material.
On the other hand, Koei Tecmo also has boundaries when it comes to fanart. Nishimura cites that the company has previously taken down 200-300 doujinshi based on the Dead or Alive series from four online platforms. In addition, the company takes “strict action” against around 2,000 to 3,000 pieces of fanart (posted on social media and art platforms like Pixiv) it deems inappropriate each year. Given the size of the Dead or Alive franchise and fandom, these numbers don’t actually seem that high, so it’s likely that Koei Tecmo is only stepping in when things really go too far.
Reasons for the takedowns include artists making derivative works based on art released for games that are not out yet, as well as altering characters for “adult purposes,” in a way that’s damaging to their image. Nishimura comments that Koei Tecmo’s creators view their characters “like daughters,” which is why they are forced to take action in such cases.
“They’re like daughters to us” - Around 3,000 pieces of offensive Dead or Alive fanart gets removed by Koei Tecmo yearly - AUTOMATON WEST
Koei Tecmo's legal department talks about the company's stance on doujinshi, including measures they've taken against offensive Dead or Alive fanart.
automaton-media.com
