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Aya Kyogoku

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons director Aya Kyogoku and producer Hisashi Nogami have talked about adapting the franchise for a global audience.

In an interview with Spanish outlet La Vanguardia, the developers were asked about Japanese customs like bug catching and how the team goes about making local customs into something that can be universal. The two said in response:

In an interview with La Vanguardia, Animal Crossing: New Horizons director Aya Kyogoku was asked about representing diversity. Kyogoku was able to speak about how Nintendo was able to take things further in New Horizons.

Kyogoku gave one example by mentioning that “players can now freely change the skin tone of their character”. She also pointed to the fact that it’s possible to customize a host of features including hairstyles, clothes, and more.

According to Kyogoku, she and the rest of the team “always try to take into account this type of diversity, while also compiling comments from the localization teams in other regions.” Nintendo ultimately wants players to “be who they want to be and enjoy the games how they like.”

Kyogoku’s full words:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons director Aya Kyogoku spoke about the evolution of the franchise in an interview with Spanish outlet La Vanguardia. In her view, the new Switch game marks the start of the series’ third generation.

Here’s our full translation of Kyogoku’s comments, courtesy of Nintendo Everything reader jesusxd96:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons director Aya Kyogoku has weighed in one what defines the spirit of Animal Crossing.

During an interview with French outlet 20 Minutes, noted that each player would probably have their own thoughts and feelings. However, Nintendo does “seek to make Animal Crossing a sort of common language, a starting point for communication between a large variety of people.”

Kyogoku said:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

In a recent interview with French outlet 20 Minutes, Animal Crossing: New Horizons developer Aya Kyogoku discussed Nintendo’s approach to the Switch game. Kyogoku was asked if the team went about making an ultimate version of sorts rather than something entirely new.

In response, the Animal Crossing director said Nintendo always tries making the latest entry “the best game possible,” which was also the case with New Horizons. At the same time, Nintendo wants to preserve the “memories and affection” players have of previous titles like Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Kyogoku’s full words:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is introducing something we didn’t really see with previous games. The Switch title is receiving regular updates, which are primarily tied into seasonal events. Bunny Day kicked things off right around launch, and the game is continuing to go strong with Nature Day and more.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons director Aya Kyogoku spoke about the approach to future updates in an interview with CNET. Although Kyogoku wouldn’t dive into any specifics, she did mention that Nintendo is looking to continue surprising players “in two years or three years down the road”.

Kyogoku’s full words:

If there’s one thing Tom Nook is known for in the Animal Crossing series, it’s the debts he collects. Players need to pay off loans to expand their house, which is a mechanic that carries over into the series’ latest entry. But although some may look at Tom Nook as a character primarily interested in money, the developers behind Animal Crossing feels he’s just misunderstood.

New Horizons producer Hisashi Nogami mentioned to The Verge that “Tom Nook is a very caring, really great guy.” Since he’s an adult, “he’s very careful with money.”

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has launched, but the game will be receiving more content in the future in the form of seasonal updates. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has made work more difficult, and many people from around the world have been affected. Animal Crossing: New Horizons could be impacted due to the current times.

Speaking with The Washington Post, director Aya Kyogoku said that development for the updates “is still going”. However, if the situation with the coronavirus worsens, there could be adjustments. “We’re not sure if we have to shift anything, but I think we have to be flexible,” Kyogoku said.

IGN recently spoke with Animal Crossing: New Horizons director Aya Kyogoku and producer Hisashi Nogami. During the interview, one of the topics discussed was the collaboration art that fans have been making for the new Switch game and Doom Eternal. These two titles technically only share the same release date, but the internet has really run with the idea of Animal Crossing and Doom coming together.

Kyogoku told IGN:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Most Switch games make use of cloud saves through Nintendo Switch Online. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, however, isn’t one of those.

Speaking with IGN, director Aya Kyogoku and producer Hisashi Nogami explained that the lack of compatibility is in place to preventing cheating. Nogami noted how Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an online game, and cheating is a concern with such titles. Kyogoku, meanwhile, also said that the in-game economy could be abused if cloud saves were enabled.


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