Yoshiki Okamoto, the legendary Capcom producer behind Street Fighter 2, revealed in a February 14, 2026 interview that he now develops mobile gacha games and personally spends approximately $500,000 on them as market research. According to Sponichi Annex, Okamoto stated his goal is “to make sure the people who spend the most don’t end up dissatisfied.”
From Arcade Quarters to Digital Gambling
Okamoto’s career spans gaming’s transformation from arcade cabinets to mobile monetization. At Capcom during the 1990s, he produced Street Fighter 2, which generated revenue through 25-cent arcade plays and $60 home console ports. His current gacha development focuses on free-to-play mobile titles on Android and iOS that earn through randomized loot box purchases.
The producer’s half-million-dollar spending serves as direct user research into “whale” behavior — industry terminology for the small percentage of players who generate the majority of gacha game revenue. Industry data shows that 0.15-2% of free-to-play mobile game users account for 40-50% of total revenue, with individual whales sometimes spending $10,000-$50,000 monthly on a single title.
Testing What Whales Experience
Okamoto’s research method involves playing through the full spending progression that top-tier players encounter. This includes purchasing premium currency bundles, rolling for rare characters with sub-1% drop rates, and navigating pity systems that guarantee desired items after specific spending thresholds. By experiencing these mechanics firsthand at whale spending levels, he gains insight into reward pacing, duplicate character systems, and whether monetization feels exploitative versus rewarding.
The approach differs from traditional game development where designers test core gameplay loops without necessarily engaging with monetization at extreme levels. Okamoto’s spending places him in the exact player segment his games target for revenue generation.
Gacha Economics and Player Psychology
Gacha games use randomized reward systems modeled after Japanese capsule toy vending machines. Players spend premium currency (purchased with real money) for chances at rare characters, weapons, or cards. Drop rates for the highest-tier items typically range from 0.3% to 2%, requiring players to make dozens or hundreds of attempts to obtain specific content.
The model has generated regulatory scrutiny in multiple countries. Japan requires gacha games to publish drop rates. Belgium and the Netherlands have classified certain loot box mechanics as gambling and banned them. China mandates disclosure of odds and limits spending for minors. Despite controversy, the mobile gacha market generated over $88 billion globally in 2025 according to industry estimates.
Shift From Premium to Whale-Focused Design
Okamoto’s statement about satisfying big spenders reflects a fundamental business model change in gaming. Street Fighter 2 earned revenue by selling millions of copies to a broad player base. Modern gacha games earn comparable or greater revenue from thousands of whales rather than millions of casual players.
This economic shift influences game design priorities. Instead of balancing progression for players who pay $60 once, developers optimize engagement systems to retain users spending thousands monthly. Features like daily login bonuses, limited-time banners, and power creep that makes older characters obsolete are designed to maintain whale spending rather than one-time purchases.
Industry Reception
Reactions to Okamoto’s interview highlight divisions within the gaming community. Some developers praised his commitment to understanding his audience, noting that direct experience with monetization systems reveals friction points that analytics cannot capture. Critics argued that spending half a million dollars to design games for other big spenders ignores the vast majority of free and low-spending players.
The producer’s transparency about whale-focused design contrasts with industry practices where companies publicly emphasize player choice and value while internal documents prioritize monetization optimization. Okamoto’s directness about his target demographic — and his willingness to personally fund that research — provides rare candor about mobile gaming economics.
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