Nintendo on new IPs, Splatoon’s popularity with players, using leftover ideas in Splatoon 2
The Verge published some choice quotes from some of the developers at Nintendo, including Shinya Takahashi, general manager of Nintendo’s software division, Nintendo EPD. Takahashi started off by commenting on when it makes sense to introduce a new IP.
He said:
“It’s not just about new characters. It’s also about thinking about how people will accept new systems and gameplay. Sometimes new intellectual property is the best way to introduce that.”
“Whenever we see a new, really fun prototype, there’s always going to be a moment where we think: ‘How do we give the most people the opportunity to play this? Is it something that needs to be in a Mario game, or is this something that feels like it should go in a new direction?’ And that’s a debate that happens every single time.”
Elsewhere in the piece, The Verge shares some words from Splatoon series producer Hisashi Nogami. Nogami said the following about the franchise’s popularity:
“We continue to be surprised at how much emotion people feel toward these characters, and the fan art and stories they’ve created.”
“I don’t think it’s actually one particular element — like story or characters — that makes it stand apart, and creates that dedication [amongst fans]. If it were just the looks, if it was just because this weapon looked particularly cute, that wouldn’t be enough if the gameplay wasn’t there to back it up.”
“With Splatoon, we created new characters, and the fanbase responded well to those. That may have paved the way for more of that type of new game experience.”
Last but not least are some words from Splatoon 2 lead programmer Shintaro Sato. Sato spoke about how leftover ideas from the first game are being used in the sequel:
“We had so many ideas, so many things that we wanted to put in the first game. But it really ended up being a distillation of those ideas. And we had many ideas leftover that we were able to bring over to Splatoon 2.”
