Umamusume actually pulled off an “amazing” feat to be able to make the game

The creator of one of Japan’s most influential horse racing sims has admitted he was “amazed” that Umamusume: Pretty Derby devs managed to release their viral game.

As reported by Automaton, Derby Stallion developer Tsuyoshi Kaneda reflected on the complex negotiations required to use real horse names, revealing just how difficult the process was.

Kaneda, who helped shape the long-running Derby Stallion franchise beginning in 1991, explained that gaining approval required not only the Japanese Racing Association but also individual owners, trademark holders, and other industry stakeholders.

Classic horse racing sim dev amazed by Umamusume

“Personally, I was amazed that they actually managed to pull it off from the start. It’s already difficult enough to have the horses simply appear as they are, but they went as far as to turn them into girls, so I’m certain they had to go through all kinds of trouble to achieve that. But I have so much admiration for the fact that they were able to carry it out and are currently thriving,” the developer said.

Kaneda then recalled his own difficulties when creating Derby Stallion. “To use the real names of the horses, we went on to negotiate with the JRA (Japanese Racing Association). They told us they had no problem with it, but of course, directed us to discuss it with the horse owners as well,” Kaneda recalled.

Even though he could use the horses’ names in the game, he couldn’t always assign them ability stats. Despite this, Kaneda said that support from professional jockeys ultimately helped push negotiations forward.

“With all that said, it was really a bumpy road, but when it came to names of racehorses in particular, actual jockeys who were playing Derby Stallion at the time put out a good word for us, saying it would be ‘beneficial for the industry.’ So, we continued our negotiations, but I remember it was extremely tough.”

The breakthrough finally came with the release of Derby Stallion ’96, which marked the first time the series could feature real racehorses and jockeys, five years after the original game launched.