We ask developer Tomohiro Nishikado everything from the standard questions to urban legends about Space Invaders. Space Invaders was a game that was also a social phenomenon, and you could argue that the history of Japanese games began with it. Why is it that developer Tomohiro Nishikado joined Taito and made games? Why did Space Invaders have a vertical monitor? Why did it use a joystick? And what was the company structure like at Taito back then? We interviewed Mr. Nishikado to ask him these kinds of questions. If you read these alongside the other four interviews in this book, you'll certainly deepen your understanding of the Space Invaders legacy. Tomohiro Nishikado - Taito Advisor Born in Osaka Prefecture's Kishiwada City in 1944. He joined Pacific Industrial, a development subsidiary of Taito, in 1968. There he worked electro-mechanical games such as Sky Fighter, and a Pong clone called Soccer. And in 1978, the previously mentioned huge hit known as Space Invaders was released. Continue Reading