In a recent edition of the Japanese feature “Nintendo News”, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma continued speaking about various aspects of the series, including the new game for Wii U.

One of the questions asked about the type of Zelda he wants the project to become. As he’s done in the past, Aonuma spoke about the large-scale world and rethinking the franchise’s traditions.

His comments in full:

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Bill Trinen on the growth of Nintendo Treehouse, different teams, joining the company

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments

The Nintendo Treehouse has been around for plenty of years, and is one of the main reasons why games are localized from the Big N these days. But there are plenty of different departments inside such as the marketing support team and brand management/Pokemon team.

Bill Trinen, Nintendo of America’s director of product marketing, recently spoke with Siliconera about the different divisions at Nintendo Treehouse as well as the team as a whole. He also discussed his origins with the company and shared a tiny bit about Shigeru Miyamoto.

Check out Trinen’s comments below.

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Takashi Tezuka on Yoshi’s Woolly World’s origins

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Takashi Tezuka divulged the origins of Yoshi’s Woolly World while speaking with USgamer.

Tezuka ended up playing Kirby’s Epic Yarn while developing one of the Mario titles. He was extremely impressed with the visual style Good Feel managed to include with its Kirby title, and “thought it would be a good idea to ask Good Feel to create a Yoshi game”. Good Feel then suggested working with Tezuka to create a Yoshi action game.

Below are Tezuka’s direct comments:

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Takashi Tezuka on Mario Maker – swapping levels online, 3DS version possible, interconnected courses

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 3 Comments

USGamer posted a new interview today with Mario Maker producer Takashi Tezuka. Tezuka spoke about swapping levels through the Internet, the possibility of a 3DS version, and whether interconnected courses is something Nintendo is looking into.

Check out a few excerpts from the interview after the break. You can find more comments from Tezuka here.

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Team17 came close to losing the Worms franchise

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Team17 came close to losing its Worms IP – not once, but twice.

In the late 1990s for example, Team17 signed a publishing deal after receiving extra funding for a game behind schedule. The Worms IP would have been relinquished to the publisher if sales targets for the title were not met within 12 months.

Thankfully, everything ended up working out, as the target was eventually beaten by 1.7 percent.

Team17 owner Debbie Bestwick wrote in a Develop column:

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Mercedes-Benz says its Mario commercial has exceeded expectations

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 5 Comments

Back in May, Nintendo announced that Mario Kart 8 would be receiving Mercedes-Benz DLC. The news was accompanied by a commercial featuring a crossover between Mario and the car company.

According to Mercedes-Benz Japan president and chief executive officer Kintaro Ueno, the ad “has exceeded our expectations.” No surprise there, as the video has been viewed over two million times. Mercedes-Benz Japan has also confirmed an increase in visitors to its showrooms and demand for the car.

Ueno said:

“[The commercial] was quite a talking point, bringing a lot of people to the showroom. This is a new market segment for us, but it has exceeded our expectations. I can say that it’s going well.”

Source

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Aonuma recalls how Zelda: Ocarina of Time helped one girl recover from her illness

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 7 Comments

Eiji Aonuma has shared the one Zelda-related memory that moved him the most.

Back in the day, Aonuma received a fan letter from the mother of an elementary school girl who was sadly hospitalized due to an illness. She gave her daughter Zelda: Ocarina of Time to play.

After initially thinking that it would be impossible to complete, the girl started to get the hang of things and ended up deciding, “if Link is trying this hard, then I will, too!” – referring to her rehabilitation. “And before they knew it, she was back to her healthy self,” Aonuma said.

Check out Aonuma’s full words below.

More: Eiji Aonuma, interview, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, top

Ubisoft again says Wii U needs sales to become a more mass market, liked E3 showing

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 55 Comments

The latest issue of MCV has a few more comments from Ubisoft about Wii U, courtesy of CEO Yves Guillemot and Alain Corre.

First, Guillemot commented on how the Wii U needs additional sales to become a mass market device. He also spoke about Nintendo’s games and how fans are waiting on them to arrive.

More: Alain Corre, interview, top, Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot

Level-5 on the creation of Youkai Watch, anime, international expansion “in consideration in a big way”

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 4 Comments

In the latest issue of Famitsu, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino commented on a wide array of topics pertaining to the Youkai Watch franchise. This includes the creation of the actual IP, the anime, Youkai Watch 2, and more.

Head past the break for Hino’s comments.

“We’ve created a lot of different IPs, and I figured it was about time that we made something like Doraemon, that could be loved by many people over a long period of time. That was the start of it. I researched what would give something appeal and longevity, and pondered what would be relatable to people and developed the open world RPG that children could play, Yokai Watch. I think title’s popularity is the fruits of trial and error.”
“Anime is content that is offered for free, and I strongly promote its use. The [Yokai Watch] anime focuses on problems that modern children face and is made so that the audience can laugh off such problems and be entertained as well.”
“Keita isn’t a child who always does the right thing, but has his own flaws as well, like trying to watch naughty TV shows late at night or making fun of people. Keita’s actions are depicting what is ‘normal’ for modern children. He’s not a good boy, but someone who says what he thinks. I believe that character setting made him very relatable to people.”
“I’m working on bringing out a third yokai that is different from those 2. It’s like with a variety show – you don’t continue with the same members all the time, but switch them out every now and then to change the atmosphere. That’s what makes a show last longer. I believe that Yokai Watch needs such a device.”
“When planning the first Yokai Watch, I already thought to release the sequel as 2 different versions. Children like having things that other people don’t have, so from a marketing perspective, having 2 versions is a good idea. Also, a lot of people play Yokai Watch with their parents. Where people would have some hesitation about getting 2 copies of the same game, if you have different versions, it’s a lot easier for them to buy both.”
“The key for a long-lasting hit piece of entertainment is whether the business side like merchandise, games, and movies is successful. That’s why you develop commercial goods necessary for cutting edge entertainment and include the latest features in your games.”

On another important note, international expansion for Youkai Watch is “in consideration in a big way.”