Next Level – being a second-party Nintendo dev, quiet on projects, more could be done with Punch-Out!!
Next Level Games’ Ken Yeeloy, in a recent interview, sounded off on several topics. Yeeloy commented on the studio’s development process, how being a second-party Nintendo dev affects projects, projects in the works (nothing could be revealed as expected), some continued interest in Punch-Out!!, and more.
Read on below for a few of Yeeloy’s words.
On what other IPs Yeeloy would like to work on…
NL: I would love to work on a Zelda or Mario title. Those are the pinnacles of Nintendo IP and I think it would be a lot of fun to go through the process of building one of those games. Trying to come up with new mechanics and puzzles that fit those franchises would be a huge challenge and would be extremely rewarding to see in the end product.
On Next Level’s development process…
NL: Nintendo has taught us to focus on finding the core gameplay so that’s what we try to do. We discuss and agree with what it is we want to accomplish with the gameplay and then there is a lot of iteration on our part. Within the iteration is a fair amount of experimentation which is one of the more fun parts of the development process because you can sometimes get a completely new and cool idea spawning out of the original idea that you were working on.
On how being a second-party with Nintendo affected the way Next Level handles projects…
NL: It has definitely been for the better. They have always offered us great IPs to work with so it takes the pressure off us to try to come up with something to pitch to them. Given the IPs they’ve given us already, it is always exciting to see what new proposals they have for us. They certainly make us feel like we are an integral part of their long-term plans.
On projects Next Level Games has in store…
NL: Unfortunately I can’t say anything about any current projects but we do have both dev kits in the studio.
On Little Mac being playable in the new Smash Bros…
NL: I was extremely surprised and excited when the reveal happened! It looks like they put a lot of effort into his character moveset and I think he will fit quite nicely into Super Smash Bros. 4.
On the possibility of returning to the Punch-Out!! series…
NL: Well that would ultimately be Nintendo’s decision but I think there are things we could still do to make it fresh while keeping some of the nostalgia.
