Toshihiro Nakaya On His Love For ‘Virtua Fighter’ And The Future Of The Series

InnovationGamingToshihiro Nakaya On His Love For ‘Virtua Fighter’ And The Future Of The SeriesByOllie Barder,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Ollie Barder covers Japanese pop-culture and gaming from Tokyo.Follow AuthorApr 28, 2026, 03:00am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Toshihiro Nakaya, head of IP for the Virtua Fighter and Super Monkey Ball series at Sega.SegaWith a new Virtua Fighter game on the way, I caught up with Toshihiro Nakaya at Sega to find out what the future holds in store for the beloved fighting game series.Nakaya’s full job title at Sega is Head of IP Promotion, Business Division, RGG Studio. That means he’s primarily responsible for business development, external partnerships, licensing, and community management.However, in real terms, he serves as the head of IP for the Virtua Fighter and Super Monkey Ball series, and acted as general producer on Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.Before I get to that, I wanted to find out more about Nakaya and what drew him to working at Sega.“I was born in 1974 in Kochi Prefecture, located on the island of Shikoku in Japan. It’s a mountainous coastal region overflowing with nature, meaning I spent much of my childhood outdoors playing baseball and fishing. My parents also ran a toy shop, so I was raised alongside model kits, radio control cars, tabletop games, and video games. Being brought up in a home where I could play any game at any time, I can still clearly picture the look of envy on my classmates’ faces. Since I was so involved in rugby during my teens, I didn’t spend a lot of time playing video games at home. Instead, I’d spend my downtime at the arcade playing motion-based and competitive games. The technological advancements were revolutionary. New titles brought visuals and effects you had never seen before, one after the other, making it an era where each game was its own...