Eguchi on pressure to produce new experiences, new Animal Crossing on console would take advantage of system’s features, more
Earlier today, USGamer put up a few new quotes from Animal Crossing designer Katsuya Eguchi. Eguchi spoke about the pressure to constantly create new experiences with Nintendo titles, Animal Crossing games on consoles, and more.
You can find Eguchi’s comments below. Also be sure to check out USGamer’s full piece here.
On how Eguchi must always create something new…
“To be honest, yes, I always feel [frustrated about that]. With [Nintendo’s] products, it’s only when people play them and enjoy them that the product actually has value. We constantly have to create something new and provide something new.
“When we put out a product, at that time, it’s the best thing we can offer. But as time passes, we look back and realize that it’s not going to work now. We’re in a different environment. The world outside is a different place. We have to constantly think about what we can create that’s new and refreshing for people who play. That’s the constant sense of pressure that I feel.”
– At Eguchi’s GDC panel, he and Animal Crossing: New Leaf director Aya Kyogoku discussed their desire to keep the latest game fresh without forsaking the series’ fundamental essence
– The team’s challenge in changing the experience came from the way the “experience” is so loosely structured yet so fundamental to the franchise’s identity
– New Leaf refreshed Animal Crossing while not betraying its roots, doing so “very carefully.”
– According to Kyogoku, the revisions applied to New Leaf simply reflect the team’s awareness that play habits and expectations have changed since the original Animal Cross.
“As the series grows, time passes outsid. Technology changes. The way players feel and think, their perspective about gaming changes. As a franchise, to stay relevant, we have to evolve along with that change. For example, that beautiful town ordinance may reduce some of the stress the game could cause. Things like that, we have to take them into consideration and constantly think about them and adjust to how the world has changed around us.”
On how the most important factor in reinventing a series like Animal Crossing over time comes down to never losing sight of its fundamentals…
“Starting with the Nintendo 64, the communication aspect of Animal Crossing back then was about communicating with your family, or your friends that come over, and you would play after you go home. It would be communication with people you actually share a physical space with. As technology becomes more advanced, it expands the scope of what we can do. With the introduction of memory cards on the GameCube or the wireless Internet connection now, the scope of who you can reach out to and who you can communicate with has expanded.
“In real life, back in the day, people would gather physically to talk about their lives – here’s what’s been going on, here’s what’s happening around the world. Now, with the introduction of the internet, that’s done on a global scale, and very quickly. I feel like, as Nintendo’s hardware takes in those new technologies like the wireless internet connection, we’re able to be in sync and move in parallel with how the world is moving forward. I feel like the introduction of technology into our games is a reflection of how we’re moving in parallel with the rest of the world.
“I’d also like to include aspects of our real lives and the real world in the games that we create. Within that process, the thing that hasn’t changed is the desire to express oneself, to show that expression to others, and to find out what others are feeling, what others are going through, what others are doing. With the introduction of new technology, that scope is widening. We’re able to widen that scope in terms of our games that we create at Nintendo.”
On Animal Crossing for consoles/Wii U…
“I think that the current style, the way Animal Crossing is set up, is definitely catering toward a portable system. But the core concept, the world of Animal Crossing and the concepts involved in it, can be brought to a console just as easily. If we were to make another Animal Crossing for a new console, the thing I would focus on would be how to fully utilize the features of that console, and how to integrate that into the concept and the world of Animal Crossing, to create a new way of playing Animal Crossing.”
