GYAARCon TOP Total 100 million yen in funding! 2nd GYAAR Studio Indie Game Contest. Announcement of Results! Thank you all for applying!
List of Judges
  • Daisuke Uchiyama

    President & CEO
    Bandai Namco Studios Inc.
    Part-time Director
    Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

    Career
    Joined Bandai in 1994. He worked mainly on producing consumer games, including anime titles such as Dragon Ball and Naruto, as well as a cross-media project for an original RPG titled .hack. At the same time, he helped the business grow worldwide and expand to producing mobile games, anime series, movies, and more. He has held his current position since 2020.
  • Kazunori Sakamoto

    President & CEO
    Phoenixx Inc.

    Career
    Joined Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. in 2000 and was in charge of everything from music promotion to production (A&R). After transferring to Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc., he launched and managed various Kids' Stars projects to create new IPs across the Sony Group with a focus on games and music. He then returned to his original position, where he established and managed UNTIES, an indie game publisher. After expanding the business globally, he established his own company, Phoenixx, Inc.
  • Ken Kuwahara

    General Manager
    Quality Assurance Department
    CX Strategy Unit
    Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

    Career
    Joined Bandai Networks Co., LTD. in 2003. He has worked on the releases of a number of Gundam titles for both consumer and mobile platforms. His works include Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation, SD Gundam G Generation Over World, Gundam Royale, Gundam Card Collection, SD Gundam G Generation Frontier, Gundam Conquest, and more. Since 2019, he has been responsible for the quality improvement of all Bandai Namco Entertainment titles and assumed his current position in 2022.
  • Takahiro Hashimoto

    Manager
    Data Marketing Department
    CX Strategy Unit
    Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

    Career
    Joined Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. in 2017 after working in various fields such as marketing, data, and technology. He was in charge of data analysis of the IP, marketing, and promotion for several franchises and games such as Dragon Ball. He is currently working on the enhancement of development marketing with the goal of developing hit titles.
  • Kazuhito Udetsu

    Specialist
    New Business Production Department
    IP Business Division 3
    Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.

    Career
    Joined Namco (current Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.) in 1996. He has experience in developing (PANIC PARK) and promoting (Taiko no Tatsujin) arcade games, promoting consumer video games (such as the Tales of series and the Idolm@ster series), sales (Akihabara area), production (such as Katamari Damacy, the Idolm@ster series, and Pac-Man), and licensing (in-house IPs such as Pac-Man and Taiko no Tatsujin) He assumed his current position in 2023 and has recently worked on planning and supervising the Tales of Symphonia Festival.
  • Hiroshi Yoshimura

    Group Leader
    Group 2, Studio 1
    Bandai Namco Studios Inc.

    Career
    Joined Namco (current Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.) as a game designer. He started as a Battle Supervisor for Tales of Legendia and focused on developing new titles as a producer and director. His masterpieces include the God Eater series and Code Vein. He is currently working full speed ahead on a development project with fellow capable colleagues.
  • Yozo Sakagami

    Supervisor
    Division Support Unit
    Technology Strategy Department, Group 3, Technology Studio
    Bandai Namco Studios Inc.

    Career
    Joined Namco (current Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.) in 1991. Initially in charge of the visuals for arcade games such as Air Combat, he also has experience being a general manager, developing and producing console games such as the Ridge Racer series, as well as smartphone games such as the Idolm@ster series.
  • Tatsumi Yoshida

    Game Design Director
    Out Game Long-term Planning Section
    Production 4, Group 1, Studio 3
    Bandai Namco Studios Inc.

    Career
    Engaged in game development and operation since 2004. He joined Bandai Namco Studios Inc. in 2017 after gaining experience in developing and operating arcade games, online PC games, browser games, online mobile games, and more. He is currently a game design director for online action RPG Blue Protocol.
  • Yusuke Shigeta

    Producer
    Production 1, Development Enhancement Studio
    Bandai Namco Studios Inc.

    Career
    Joined Bandai Namco Studios Inc. in 2015. After working as a game designer on several major titles, he launched Survival Quiz CITY as a producer and director. He is also in charge of overall in-game designs, including level design and action design. He is currently operating Survival Quiz CITY: Omatsuri Edition.
  • Mari Iwasaki

    Director & COO / General Manager
    Phoenixx Inc.

    Career
    After working as an Operations Manager at Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. where she supervised the release of third-party software, she moved to the publisher side with the indie game publishing label UNTIES (Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.).
    In 2019, she took part in establishing Phoenixx Inc. and has since overseen all publisher operations with a focus on indie games at her current position. She goes about her work full of love and support for games and creators!