Iizuka was asked by ONM this month if Big the Cat will ever receive his own game. In response, he said that such a proposal is “a nice idea”, and feels that the character would be well-suited in a fishing title.

As far as spin-offs in general are concerned, Iizuka said: “if there was a game in which we could use the characters in the best way, we might consider it.”

Iizuka’s comments in full:

“That’s a nice idea! At Summer of Sonic a lot of people were asking if we might feature characters like Shadow, or if there was any possibility of spin-offs. The focus isn’t on taking characters and building around them, but on the game itself. Obviously, if there was a game in which we could use the characters in the best way, we might consider it. For Big the Cat, if it’s a fishing game, it’s a possibility.”

Thanks to joclo for sending this our way.

Aonuma’s dream is for Miyamoto to tell him: “I couldn’t make a game like this”

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Eiji Aonuma may be in charge of the Zelda series for the most part, but Shigeru Miyamoto is still around as a significant member of the team. In fact, Aonuma feels that Miyamoto is still “the most important user for the Zelda games before their release.”

Aonuma recently spoke about Miyamoto’s importance to the development of Zelda titles with ONM:

“I think that Miyamoto is the most important user for the Zelda games before their release. How he sees the games is a guide for us in terms of whether what we are making is any good, including whether it is right for Zelda, because users will be sure to judge them even more harshly after the release.”

Aonuma also discussed a dream of his – to hear Miyamoto say, “I couldn’t make a game like this.”

“A long time ago I came up with the phrase ‘upending the tea table’ for him, but recently there haven’t been any big upendings, so maybe that’s proof that I’ve come closer to his vision. My dream is to have Miyamoto say to me, ‘This is amazing. I couldn’t make a game like this,’ but there’s still a long way to go. I will keep trying my best.”

Source

Video: Hideki Kamiya at PAX Prime 2013

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos | 0 comments

Capcom posts $940 million in revenue in latest financial results

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments

Capcom’s latest financial result are in. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, the company posted ¥94 billion ($940 million) in revenue. That’s up from ¥82 billion ($820 million) the year prior.

In spite of the financial gain, Capcom’s Digital Contents Business – which accounts for a little more than 57 percent of the publisher’s total income – saw a profit loss by more than 50 percent. Console, Windows PC and mobile titles primarily encompass this sector.

Going forward, Capcom will emphasize its online games division, which experienced a revenue increase of 45.9 percent. Additionally, the company is planning more DLC.

COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto said:

“I regret to say that, up to now, we had few plans for the full-scale implementation of DLC. From here on out, we need to focus on the long-term provision of content starting at the earliest stages of development. Furthermore, in terms of user response, if the additional related content we are providing continually to users online is deemed uninteresting from the start, there will be no ongoing business to pursue. This means that, more than ever before, the creation of underlying content is the key to success.”

Source

1-UP Studio now hiring

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

1-UP Studio is now hiring following a restructure earlier this year. The company’s staff count was reduced from over thirty members to just eighteen. Five graphic designers are wanted for field and character elements. New staffers won’t begin work until December.

While not confirmed, it’s possible that 1-UP may be helping out with development of Super Mario 3D World. You may remember that the team, when it was known as Brownie Brown, contributed to Super Mario 3D Land on the 3DS.

Source

Tribute Games not currently planning Mercenary Kings for Wii U, but “would love to go back on Nintendo consoles at some point”

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments

A few months ago, there was talk of Tribute Games becoming a licensed Nintendo developer. Some thought such news could result in a Wii U version of Mercenary Kings. However, while we’ve received official confirmation of Tribute’s dev status, the studio informed us that there aren’t any plans at present to bring the game over to Nintendo’s console.

Tribute co-founder Jean-Francois Major explained: “Considering the size of our team, we have to pick our battles.” For now, the company is focused on completing the PlayStation 4 and PC versions.

“In the end, we pick where we go to next based on where we see getting the biggest audience. A lot of people have been asking for a Vita port, not so much a Wii U one. So it can always help us guide our decisions.”

On the bright side, we were told that as former Game Boy Advance developers, Tribute “would love to go back on Nintendo consoles at some point.”

River City Ransom: Underground Kickstarter opens, could come to consoles/handhelds

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Conatus Creative has launched a new Kickstarter for “River City Ransom: Underground” – a sequel to the legendary NES game. The company managed to acquire a license from Million in April, allowing the team to make an official installment in the series.

River City Ransom: Underground features a 2.5D open world, beat’em up gameplay with RPG elements, as well as more stores, items, local co-op play, and online co-op.

PC is Underground’s only confirmed platform at present. However, consoles and handhelds are also being considered, possibly as stretch goals.

You can find more about River City Ransom: Underground over at the official Kickstarter page. The campaign requires $180,000 CAD by October 9.

Nintendo ultimately not included in the Nikkei 225 stock index, their stock falls 8.4%– the biggest drop in 2 years

Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in General Nintendo, News | 4 Comments

Amid speculation that Nintendo might be added to the Nikkei 225– a stock index that takes a big group of Japanese companies and assigns a monetary value to them as a whole– the company’s shares rose 31%. Today, we learned that they will not be added to the Nikkei 225, resulting in a sharp 8.4% drop in share price. This is the biggest single drop Nintendo has experienced in two years.

Via Polygon

G4 not being rebranded as the Esquire Network after all

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments

G4 was originally expected to be rebranded as the Esquire Network this year, but those plans have apparently been discarded. Instead, it will launch on the Style Network.

The initial plan was to scrap G4 and kick off the Esquire Network in late April. But that never happened, and G4 will still be kept around. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the channel will continue “for the foreseeable future, though it’s highly unlikely the company will invest in more original programming.”

Source