Rune Factory 4 Special devs on the decision to bring back the game for Switch and more; Rune Factory 5 talk
Posted on 5 years ago by Oni Dino(@Oni_Dino) in News, Switch | 0 comments
In last month’s issue of Nintendo Dream, the Japanese magazine published an interview all about the Rune Factory series. The main focus was Rune Factory 4 Special and topics like bringing back the game for Switch, but there was also some brief Rune Factory 5 talk.
We’ve translated the full interview, which you can find below. It’s with Yoshifumi Hashimoto, president and representative director of Hakama as well as Marvelous game planner Shirou Maekawa.
Story of Seasons producer on the possibility of the series transitioning to consoles
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 4 Comments
Story of Seasons is known for its strong ties to handhelds. In the future though, perhaps it could migrate to consoles. Producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto is aware of interest in North America in having it happen, and if fans continue to express interest, the developers may “start being more concerned about that.”
Hashimoto said in a recent interview:
So first of all, we get more of the North American fans’ voices that they want this game to go to this console. If we get a lot more feedback like that, maybe we will start being more concerned about that. We choose the platform depending on the number of users on that console. We have younger generations of fans like kids playing Story of Seasons. Kids like to have a handheld system, so we tend to focus on that userbase.
The latest game in the series, Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns hits the 3DS next year.
More: Yoshifumi Hashimoto
Story of Seasons series will be getting same-sex relationships in the future
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 63 Comments
Story of Seasons doesn’t have same-sex relationships… yet. It’s definitely something Marvelous is keeping in mind, however.
Producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto told Polygon:
“It’s not like we’re not thinking about [same-sex relationships]. We know that it has to be there sometime in the future. If we have to allow same-sex [relationships], we have to put more characters who are the same gender. As a game, it’s going to be so much more volume, two or three times more. It’s going to be a little difficult.”
When Polygon brought up Stardew Valley, which has a variety of relationships, he said that Story of Seasons will catch up “sooner or later.”
Masahiro Sakurai, Yoshifumi Hashimoto, Akihiro Hino share brief comments about 2016
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 7 Comments
A whole bunch of developers spoke with Famitsu this week about their aspirations for 2016. Aside from what we posted regarding Etrian Odyssey V from Atlus’ Shigeo Komori, here are some of the other Nintendo-related comments we’ve come across:
Masahiro Sakurai: I want to enjoy every Sunday. But it’s not like the next job hasn’t been decided yet.
Rune Factory and Story of Season’s Yoshifumi Hashimoto: I haven’t announced new titles yet, but some are already on the move.
Level-5’s Akihiro Hino: In 2016, other than expansion of Yokai Watch’s world, we’ll also announce titles with brand-new world settings.
Bokujo Monogatari producer shares a message for fans
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Yoshifumi Hashimoto, the producer of Bokujo Monogatari, is celebrating this week’s launch of Story of Seasons with a special message. Hashimoto wanted to share the following as he reflected on the accomplishments of the series’ past and his feelings of gratitude toward fans:
Over eighteen years ago, we were inspired to create a game that was not about battling fantastic monsters but about the cycle of life. At the time, there was little corporate interest in a farming simulation about the natural cycle of life and death. But over the course of the many games in the Bokujo Monogatari series, millions of players grew crops, raised animals, and perhaps even learned about the life of a farmer, who takes care of a farm top to bottom with his own two hands.
More: marvelous, XSEED Games, Yoshifumi Hashimoto
Forbidden Magna producer on the game’s origins
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 2 Comments
Wondering how Forbidden Manga came to be? Prior to Neverland’s closure, the studio was asked if they were interested in making another Rune Factory or moving on to something completely different. As we now know, the latter option was chosen.
Producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto told Siliconera the following about Forbidden Magna’s origins:
“It’s human nature that when you work on the same thing over and over, you want to branch out and do something different. We asked the Rune Factory team if they wanted to create another Rune Factory or if they wanted to branch out and create something else. They said they wanted to challenge themselves with something else and that was the beginning of Forbidden Magna.”
Story of Seasons dev on the theme of life and death
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 2 Comments
This information comes from head of development Yoshifumi Hashimoto…
“[The original Harvest Moon] released at a time when games were all about battles and monsters, and we made a game about being a farmer, but not a farmer with a tractor,” he said. “You took care of things with your bare hands. If you didn’t take care of your animals, they would die. Initially, we received complaints from parents who said the game was too dark. But this whole game is about a farmer’s life. I want people to experience what life is like.”
– Hashimoto doesn’t see a game like Story of Seasons or any of the Harvest Moon titles forcing a message onto players
– He believes the actions and consequences in the game make it easier for players to understand life and death
– He said he recently heard on Japanese radio of a kid whose pet died, and who explained to his parents that the pet had “run out of batteries”
– He hopes Story of Seasons helps younger players understand that the world is a bit more complex than that
“Death is a touchy subject to talk about. But it’s one of the things I’m really proud of doing in my games. I was thinking of what kind of life I could have the user experience … I wanted to make it easier for players to understand life and death.”
Forbidden Magna producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto leaves a message for fans
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 1 Comment
Forbidden Magna producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto left a message for fans on the game’s new website.
According to Hashimoto, the game came about after development on Rune Factory 4 was completed. He and other people around him shared a desire to create something new. “And that’s how the new challenge of Forbidden Magna came to be,” he said.
You can find Hashimoto’s full message below.
Marvelous AQL is working on a number of titles for 2014, including one that may surprise fans
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 7 Comments
Marvelous AQL’s Yoshifumi Hashimoto, who is the producer of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, shared a few words about what lies ahead in 2014 while speaking with 4Gamer last month.
Hashimoto said that the company has a number of titles in the pipeline, “so we hope they’ll be announced and available to the market soon.” There’s one in particular that he believes may “really surprise you.”
Hashimoto’s comments in full:
2013 was fun and busy on the daily, but it’s over. It’s now 2014. First, “Harvest Moon: Connect to a New Land”, and we’ll be publishing “Valhalla Knights 3 Gold”. Some other things are being worked on now, so we hope they’ll be announced and available to the market soon. Because there are titles with considerable power, stay tuned! Amongst them is one that might really surprise you.
