Asako also spoke about how talks with Nintendo began years ago. Originally, DeNA hoped that Nintendo would be interested in releasing games on Mobage.

More: DeNA, interview, Shintaro Asako, top

Super Mario Maker – Michel Ancel interview, now with English subtitles

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

Nintendo of France published a video interview with Rayman creator Michel Ancel last week, who is making a level for Super Mario Maker. Naturally, it was only available in French at the time. But Nintendo UK has now uploaded the same video with English subtitles, which you can watch below.

More: interview, Michel Ancel, Super Mario Maker

Hideki Kamiya very much open to working with Capcom again

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 11 Comments

Hideki Kamiya spent many years at Capcom. He worked on the Resident Evil and Devil May Cry series, and eventually moved on to Clover Studio – a subsidiary of Capcom – where he directed Okami as well as Viewtiful Joe.

Despite what some may think, there’s no bad blood between Kamiya and Capcom. It was actually his decision to leave the company, which he “felt a little bad for”. And if the opportunity were to present itself, he’d be very much open to teaming up with Capcom once again.

Kamiya told Metro during an interview at Gamescom last week:

…I can honestly say that if there’s ever an opportunity, that makes sense for me or the studio, to work with Capcom again I would very much welcome that opportunity. Of all the publishers, not just Japanese publishers or partners, I can say with confidence that Capcom still holds a very, very special place in my heart and I love them dearly. It’s one of my favourite companies.
[laughs] And why I say that is because they really helped shape me to who I am today. I spent a long amount of time with them and they helped me grow into who I am. They are one of the few remaining companies in Japan… you know we’ve seen so many other companies being merged and bought out and acquired but they remain the Capcom that they started out as. So seeing that strength and power that still is Capcom today is very reassuring. And it shows the confidence, it shows the love and passion of what they do. So I really do welcome the opportunity to work with Capcom again.

More: Capcom, Hideki Kamiya, interview, PlatinumGames

Nintendo – more on franchise annualization, GamePad “the only real innovation in this console cycle”, 3DS talk, more

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 67 Comments

Over the past few days, Examiner has been putting up a bunch of quotes from Scott Moffitt, executive VP of sales at Nintendo of America. There are still comments from Moffitt to read up on, including topics that cover franchise annualization, the Wii U GamePad, the 3DS, and more. Head past the break for a roundup of his different remarks.

More: interview, Scott Moffitt, top

Inafune says he doesn’t make games he can play, talks Mighty No. 9 difficulty

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 1 Comment

Kotaku UK recently asked Mighty No. 9 creator Keiji Inafune if he’s the game’s best player currently. To this, he noted:

“It’s not an option to make a game that I can play! It’s best to make a game that I really have to make an effort to play. My staff, though, are really good.”

Mighty No. 9 has no training mode or anything of the sort, and as Inafune puts it: “Everybody, even beginners, has to deal with what’s thrown at them!” What the developers have instead done is incorporated a learning curve.

As Inafune explained:

“There are systems built in that train players, in a way, to be quicker and more skilful by the end. This is what we do with dashing. We want players to take risks in the game, yes, but we do balance that.”

Inafune also elaborated on Mighty No. 9’s dash system, which allows players to build up combos if they’re quick, effective and manage to not die.

“It’s a system that really challenges players. And we want even expert players who are really good at the game to be challenged. When they think they can master it, there are mechanisms that make them realise they have to think twice.”

Source

More: Comcept, interview, Inti Creates, Keiji Inafune, Mighty No. 9

Image & Form planning a game that connects SteamWorld Heist and Dig

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Image & Form is planning a game that connects SteamWorld Heist and SteamWorld Dig. That’s according to Brjann Sigurgeirsson, who shared the information during an interview with Power Up Gaming.

When asked if Steamworld Heist ties into Steamworld Dig, Sigurgeirsson said:

“It does, yeah. There are some flashbacks. But there is at least one game coming in between so that game is sort of going to tie them both backwards and forwards.”

Sigurgeirsson sadly didn’t provide any additional details. He was asked about what sort of game Image & Form has in mind, but only mentioned:

“I’m not sure. *Laughs* Well, I’m not sure I’m going to talk about it. *Laughs* Right now we’re sort of focusing on Heist so I don’t want to get into details about it.”

Source

More: Brjann Sigurgeirsson, Image & Form, indie, interview, SteamWorld Dig, SteamWorld Heist

Splatoon producer on the game’s origins, 4-on-4 matches, Super Jump, and name

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 16 Comments

This month’s issue of Nintendo Dream has yet another interview with one of the developers behind Splatoon. This time, the Japanese magazine spoke with producer Hisashi Nogami.

Going back to the origins of Splatoon, Nogami commented on how program director Shintaro Sato came up with the idea of inking. Sato wrote a program for a drawing system, which included affixing textures on models and processing shadows. He thought at the time, “If I replace a shadow with the possibility of repainting with a color, wouldn’t that be a new way to play?”

Nogami also spoke about the decision to feature 4 on 4 matches in Splatoon:

Nogami: It’s not like we couldn’t have made 3 vs. 3 battles, but if just one player is splatted, the balance changes drastically and the enemy team can make a push in one go.
Nogami: On the other hand, when we tried increasing the number of players, the effect of splatting one person was small.
Nogami: However, when we tried 4 vs. 4, just splatting one player got the other team into a quite unfavorable situation. It is like a power play in ice hockey.

More: Hisashi Nogami, interview, Nintendo Dream, Splatoon, top

Nintendo on the timing of NX’s announcement, decision to pursue mobile, reaction

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News, Switch | 26 Comments

Scott Moffitt, executive VP of sales at Nintendo of America, has once again spoke about the reasoning and timing of NX’s announcement.

Moffitt told Examiner:

“Going back to the reveal, it was important for us to reinforce to our loyal game fans out there that we remain committed to the world of dedicated game platforms. We believe there is magic that occurs when you have a marriage between the hardware, operating system and game content itself. It was important for us to recommit, on behalf of our game fans, to that business. We didn’t want people to think we were migrating away from that core principle, which is we believe in the power of dedicate game platforms and we are going to remain in that business.”

Moffitt went on to talk about Nintendo’s decision to pursue the smart devices as well. He said that this space will be used as an “additive” for the company’s console business.

“We can’t deny the massive install base of smartphones out there, and some fans that aren’t old enough yet to afford their own gaming console, perhaps for those consumers they can start to appreciate some of our content and build a relationship with some of our characters and our franchises. We feel it’s going to be an additive to our console business.”

More: interview, Scott Moffitt

Monster Strike 3DS – lots of content, local play, more

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

This week’s issue of Famitsu features an interview with Koki Kimura, the producer on Monster Strike for 3DS. Kimura touched on the amount of content in the game, confirmed plans for local multiplayer, and more. Our translation of Kimura’s comments are below.

On how much volume there is in the game…

When it comes to the RPG section, we are anticipation there’s as much volume as in a usual title. Of course, we are also considering creating content that you can enjoy even after finishing the storyline. By the way, we don’t have plans to implement a similar payment system to the mobile version.

On how the story progresses…

It’s still a secret. Although this game and the anime shares the same world and characters, the target audience is a little different. The anime is targeted to middle school boys, while this title is created so that younger people, even elementary school students, can enjoy the game.

On whether it uses connections such as the Internet…

We are planning to support local play in this title so that players that gather together can enjoy the game. I’d also like to use the StreetPass function of the Nintendo 3DS.

On whether systems and monsters from the mobile version appear in the game…

Although the systems and monsters in the 3DS version are created based on the mobile game, there are original elements like exploring villages, so we are planning to add things that aren’t in the mobile version. For that reason I’d want people that have played the mobile game to enjoy this title and of course kids who don’t have a smartphone, too. Please look forward to follow-up information.

More: Famitsu, interview, Japan, Koki Kimura, Monster Strike, top

Company EVP says risk-taking is in Nintendo’s DNA

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 31 Comments

Examiner has put up another excerpt from its interview with Nintendo of America executive VP of sales Scott Moffitt. In these latest quotes, we get to see what Moffitt had to say about Nintendo taking risks, which he says is “in our DNA”.

He stated:

“It’s in our DNA, it’s what makes us tick, and it’s what brought all of us to Nintendo. We like to be a company that’s willing to take some risks on a franchise like Splatoon, propose new forms of gaming to gamers, and see what their reactions are.”
“Often times, those [ideas] work, sometimes they don’t, it’s always risky to be an innovator, but that is woven into our DNA and is a bedrock value for Nintendo.”

As for why Nintendo continues to take risks, Moffitt says that it’s all for the gaming community. He explained:

“I think gamers have come to appreciate that from us, but also to respect it and expect it. They want us challenging the norms and challenging conventions, and I think that’s part of our role in the broader industry.”

Source