About Jerry Momoda

My career in video games began in 1982. Amongst the first ten employees of Nintendo of America, I was hired as their original Game Master and Market Research Analyst. To help early Nintendo games break through in America, I analyzed, tested, and documented my findings with R&D in Japan. In a small way I contributed to the early works of Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda.

Seeking new challenges and adventures, I headed south to California to become a product manager for Sega. I would go on to work for SNK, Atari Games and Namco America. Working on over 90 commercially released titles, several reached critical acclaim and commercial success. I am honored to have learned from and work with some of the most talented people in this industry.

The game franchise I’m most proud of is Namco’s “Tekken” series. At a product planning meeting in Tokyo, pitched a concept for a fighting game that would become Tekken. A global success from day one, I focused on building Tekken into a brand. Tekken 2 and Tekken 3 represent those efforts. This enduring franchise continues to be a cornerstone of Namco and recently celebrated it’s 20th anniversary. Tekken is the best selling fighting game in history.

The peak years of arcade video games were long before the Internet existed. Sadly there is now a lot of misinformation about the early years, published by people who never were there. The experiences I write about are the straight scoop.

Today I’m enjoying retirement. I still enjoy analyzing games for their ability to engage and hook players. I blog, advise game developers and assist a San Francisco Meetup Group, Game Dev Art & Tech SF. I enjoy helping developers create games that better engage players.

I’ve dabbled in other industries, but frankly nothing compares to video games. In 1983 I gave a quote that still rings true today. “In my job, I get to be a kid forever!”

Featured in:

A well crafted video about the historical court case, Universal vs. Nintendo in 1983. It comes at a pivotal time in Nintendo’s history, on the heels of Donkey Kong and in the midst of the Famicom launch in Japan. Look for me. One of Norman Caruso’s early works. A must view!

An interview for the Walter Day Collection, by Todd Friedman. I answer questions about my early experiences in video games and where I see them going. I first met Walter Day and Bill Mitchell when the US National Video Game Team visited Nintendo, in Redmond, WA in 1983.

Mike Bevan of Retro Gamer interviews me for the 30th Anniversary of Duck Hunt. It starts on page 78.

The Story of Punch-Out!! Norman Caruso has created a comprehensive history of Nintendo’s Punch-Out! series. Norman included a short section of my involvement in the classic 1983 arcade game.

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