Yoichi Erikawa, the CEO of Koei Tecmo, has announced that he is stepping down from his role more than 45 years after forming the company originally known as Koei back in 1978 with his wife, Keiko.
Koei merged with Tecmo back in 2009, and up until that point Yoichi and Keiko Erikawa were running the company. Following the merger, Kenji Matsubara, the COO of Koei, took over the role of CEO, but resigned after it sustained 18 months of losses; Erikawa then assumed command as CEO.
Koei Tecmo has now revealed in a statement posted to investors that Hisashi Koinuma will take over as Representative Director, President and CEO on April 1, 2025, with Yoichi assuming the role of Representative Director and Chairman. His wife will shift to Director and Chairman Emeritus, having previously served as Representative Director and Chairman.
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Our group aims to become the World’s No. 1 Digital Entertainment Company under the spirit of ‘creativity and contribution’. We have been gradually preparing for the transition to the next generation of management through discussions in the Nomination and Compensation Committee. To achieve further growth and profitability for our group, we have decided to implement a new management structure starting from the fiscal year 2025.
Erikawa said in December 2024 that he probably would have been fired over the lengthy development cycle for Nioh had he not been CEO of Koei Tecmo.
Koei Tecmo is best known for its work on the Dynasty Warriors franchise among many other IPs, with the latest entry in that series, Dynasty Warriors Origins, arriving back in January 2025. You can read our full verdict on the game here.
[Source – VGC]