Nintendo on approach to Switch’s software lineup going forward, how Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit came to be
This information comes from Nintendo’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing for the fiscal year ending March 2021…
Shuntaro Furukawa (Representative Director and President): We recently announced our software lineup for the second half of this fiscal year (ending March 2021). It starts with the release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars on September 18, followed by Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit in October. Koei Tecmo Games will also release Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity in November. (Nintendo will publish this title in overseas markets.) And then next year, we have more titles slated for release, including Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.
Nintendo Switch is just now entering what we consider the middle of its lifecycle, so there are many more titles currently under development to be released in the next fiscal year (ending March 2022) and beyond.
Shinya Takahashi (Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer): Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is based on the concept of using a game console to control an RC kart equipped with a camera. The concept was proposed by a U.S. company, Velan Studios, whose founders were involved with us during development of a Wii U title. The first demonstration of their proposal was so impressive that we ultimately started working with them through the trial and error process to figure out the details of what kind of product we wanted to develop.
Ko Shiota (Director, Senior Executive Officer): I see Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit as a good example of our integrated hardware-software entertainment approach, demonstrating the Nintendo way of creating products by combining the various play ideas that come from software developers with the technology ideas put forward by hardware and system developers. I think this style of play, which integrates the real world and game world in a way that feels natural, can only come about because Nintendo is able to combine ideas from hardware and system developers with the ideas from software developers. Collaborating with Velan Studios and with our European development subsidiary, NERD (Nintendo European Research & Development), has enabled us to develop a product that leverages our core strengths.
