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- Miyamoto, Tezuka comment on Nintendo Game Seminar 2013
“This is a new trial to teach what game design is about and getting people together to have fun while thinking and creating. I invite you to please try and participate.” – Shigeru Miyamoto “It’s been over 30 years since the birth of Nintendo’...
1 “This is a new trial to teach what game design is about and getting people together to have fun while thinking and creating. I invite you to please try and participate.” – Shigeru Miyamoto
“It’s been over 30 years since the birth of Nintendo’s Family Computer. In those days, everything involving development had to be handmade through a series of inventions. Compared to today, the development environment has greatly changed, but the thought process that goes into developing, hasn’t changed by much.
In our earlier days, games were only made through Nintendo’s original development environment. Since then, the hurdle has been lowered after having worked on the Wii U, as it is now possible for people without technical backgrounds to make games. Also, if you share the same enthusiasm towards game developing, it wouldn’t be out of possibility for you to come up with something new with Nintendo’s lecturers while bringing a smile to those around you.
Our previous seminars mainly focused on putting together lectures and production. From this point on, the renovated at-home development style will allow you produce with enthusiasm whenever and however much you’d like. So I ask you people with different expertise to gather and enjoy yourselves while coming up with various inventions from zero as we did 30 years ago.” – Takashi Tezuka
link
“It’s been over 30 years since the birth of Nintendo’s Family Computer. In those days, everything involving development had to be handmade through a series of inventions. Compared to today, the development environment has greatly changed, but the thought process that goes into developing, hasn’t changed by much.
In our earlier days, games were only made through Nintendo’s original development environment. Since then, the hurdle has been lowered after having worked on the Wii U, as it is now possible for people without technical backgrounds to make games. Also, if you share the same enthusiasm towards game developing, it wouldn’t be out of possibility for you to come up with something new with Nintendo’s lecturers while bringing a smile to those around you.
Our previous seminars mainly focused on putting together lectures and production. From this point on, the renovated at-home development style will allow you produce with enthusiasm whenever and however much you’d like. So I ask you people with different expertise to gather and enjoy yourselves while coming up with various inventions from zero as we did 30 years ago.” – Takashi Tezuka
link
- Miyamoto on SMB's creation, Luigi's birth, retirement, DLC, Pikmin 3 and more
Miyamoto on creating Super Mario Bros...."We realized people really wanted to be able to run faster. And we found very quickly that being able to run and jump and dodge enemies or holes that you might fall into would create sort of a sense of thrill. We ...
Miyamoto on creating Super Mario Bros....
"We realized people really wanted to be able to run faster. And we found very quickly that being able to run and jump and dodge enemies or holes that you might fall into would create sort of a sense of thrill. We focused on really trying to bring a little bit more of the physical energy, physical activity to the game itself.
What we found that was particularly interesting or fun was that in a game where really your ultimate goal is to try to avoid the enemies and avoid falling into the holes, when all of the sudden you become invincible, you get this sudden desire to sort of run through everything as fast as you can. And there were many people on the team who said, 'This is ridiculous. You shouldn't be invincible. This doesn't make a game.' And I said to them, 'Well what's interesting is the fact that even though you're invincible, you can still fall down a hole and die.' It creates this very strange dynamic in the game that's very fun. I had to persuade them."
How Luigi came to be...
"One of those constraints was that because of memory limitations, the second character had to be identical to the first character in appearance. And so we looked at that and said, 'Well even if we have the same character, we could potentially change the color of the character.' But again we were limited in the color palettes – we didn't have much in the way of additional colors that we could use. And so we looked at the turtles in that game. Their heads are sort of skin-toned, their shells are green, so what we could do is we could use the color palette from the turtle on this character. And so from those technical limitations we said 'Okay. We have these two characters. They look the same, other than the fact that their colors are different. Obviously they must be twins.' From there, we decided, 'Okay, they're twins and this other character [Luigi] must be the younger brother.'"
On working until he dies, preparing the team for a day when he's eventually not around anymore...
"I turn 61 this year, so I'm at an age where as I look around at people who work in different companies and they're all reaching an age where they're thinking about retirement, I guess people might expect me to be thinking of retiring. But at the same time, I look at the work that I'm doing, and the fun that I'm having – this is something that I can still continue to do for a long time." He smiles. "You know, possibly until I die. One thing that's very important for me is to make sure that Nintendo as a company can continue to create products even if I'm not there. So one of the things that I continually say to my teams is 'Pretend like I'm not here. I'm not going help you.'"
On always keeping the player in mind...
"I feel it is an important part of my job to continue to develop our games in a way that, even as we're spending more time and more energy creating these bigger more detailed worlds, we're still continuing to focus on how we can allow the user to creatively play within that space."
On utilizing DLC and new distribution methods...
"We're looking not just at creating a single product, but also at how we take advantage of those distribution methods, potentially creating additional downloadable content for those games. Going forward, we've sort of moved out of simply focusing on the technology and trying to completely create the worlds that had been imagined by the user. As we go forward, we'll start to see new ways that we can leverage technology to create new structures of play or leverage new means of distribution to the consumer."
On Pikmin 3 having multiple captains...
"With Pikmin 3, you'll have the ability to have three different captains or leaders of Pikmin groups and you can switch between them. So it sort of allows you to approach the game from a much more strategic position. The volume of work that you can get done within the timeframe has increased dramatically. And so that in and of itself really enhances the depth of strategy that's available to you in that game."
"We realized people really wanted to be able to run faster. And we found very quickly that being able to run and jump and dodge enemies or holes that you might fall into would create sort of a sense of thrill. We focused on really trying to bring a little bit more of the physical energy, physical activity to the game itself.
What we found that was particularly interesting or fun was that in a game where really your ultimate goal is to try to avoid the enemies and avoid falling into the holes, when all of the sudden you become invincible, you get this sudden desire to sort of run through everything as fast as you can. And there were many people on the team who said, 'This is ridiculous. You shouldn't be invincible. This doesn't make a game.' And I said to them, 'Well what's interesting is the fact that even though you're invincible, you can still fall down a hole and die.' It creates this very strange dynamic in the game that's very fun. I had to persuade them."
How Luigi came to be...
"One of those constraints was that because of memory limitations, the second character had to be identical to the first character in appearance. And so we looked at that and said, 'Well even if we have the same character, we could potentially change the color of the character.' But again we were limited in the color palettes – we didn't have much in the way of additional colors that we could use. And so we looked at the turtles in that game. Their heads are sort of skin-toned, their shells are green, so what we could do is we could use the color palette from the turtle on this character. And so from those technical limitations we said 'Okay. We have these two characters. They look the same, other than the fact that their colors are different. Obviously they must be twins.' From there, we decided, 'Okay, they're twins and this other character [Luigi] must be the younger brother.'"
On working until he dies, preparing the team for a day when he's eventually not around anymore...
"I turn 61 this year, so I'm at an age where as I look around at people who work in different companies and they're all reaching an age where they're thinking about retirement, I guess people might expect me to be thinking of retiring. But at the same time, I look at the work that I'm doing, and the fun that I'm having – this is something that I can still continue to do for a long time." He smiles. "You know, possibly until I die. One thing that's very important for me is to make sure that Nintendo as a company can continue to create products even if I'm not there. So one of the things that I continually say to my teams is 'Pretend like I'm not here. I'm not going help you.'"
On always keeping the player in mind...
"I feel it is an important part of my job to continue to develop our games in a way that, even as we're spending more time and more energy creating these bigger more detailed worlds, we're still continuing to focus on how we can allow the user to creatively play within that space."
On utilizing DLC and new distribution methods...
"We're looking not just at creating a single product, but also at how we take advantage of those distribution methods, potentially creating additional downloadable content for those games. Going forward, we've sort of moved out of simply focusing on the technology and trying to completely create the worlds that had been imagined by the user. As we go forward, we'll start to see new ways that we can leverage technology to create new structures of play or leverage new means of distribution to the consumer."
On Pikmin 3 having multiple captains...
"With Pikmin 3, you'll have the ability to have three different captains or leaders of Pikmin groups and you can switch between them. So it sort of allows you to approach the game from a much more strategic position. The volume of work that you can get done within the timeframe has increased dramatically. And so that in and of itself really enhances the depth of strategy that's available to you in that game."
- Miyamoto says give the Wii U time for people to understand it
"There was a period when we first released the Nintendo DS that people would say there's no way people can look at two screens at once. I almost feel like, as people get more familiar with Wii U and these touchscreen interfaces, that there is going to co...
"There was a period when we first released the Nintendo DS that people would say there's no way people can look at two screens at once. I almost feel like, as people get more familiar with Wii U and these touchscreen interfaces, that there is going to come a point where they feel like 'I can't do everything I want to do if I don't have a second screen'. ...I feel a device like Wii U, with its ability to continue to offer new features and that network connection and the connection to the TV and the interface, really makes it feel that it's more than just a game machine, but something that offers a lot of practical use and practical purpose in the living room. I look at it as being a very useful device that can do many different things and therefore really seems to be the device that's ideal to have in the living room." - Shigeru Miyamoto
Miyamoto also took some time to talk about Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, games in today's age and making the Wii U experience better.
Miyamoto also took some time to talk about Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, games in today's age and making the Wii U experience better.
- Cuthbert talks about the early days of working with Miyamoto
Coming from an EDGE interview...“Back then Nintendo was just a small company. When I was in EAD doing Star Fox, there were only at the most 40 people, and some of those were just office staff. Miyamoto’s desk was just like a normal desk amongst the ot...
Coming from an EDGE interview...
“Back then Nintendo was just a small company. When I was in EAD doing Star Fox, there were only at the most 40 people, and some of those were just office staff. Miyamoto’s desk was just like a normal desk amongst the others; it was a little bit larger, but not like a super-desk or an office or anything, so you could just go up to him at any point and talk to him.” - Dylan Cuthbert
Check out the full interview here
“Back then Nintendo was just a small company. When I was in EAD doing Star Fox, there were only at the most 40 people, and some of those were just office staff. Miyamoto’s desk was just like a normal desk amongst the others; it was a little bit larger, but not like a super-desk or an office or anything, so you could just go up to him at any point and talk to him.” - Dylan Cuthbert
Check out the full interview here
- Blast from the Past - Miyamoto and Itoi discuss the N64DD
Miyamoto: We haven’t really been sure to what extent we need to explain it to magazines. The 64DD was originally meant as an alternative to CD-ROM. When it comes to the future of gaming media, Nintendo will continue to make cartridges, but we concluded ...
Miyamoto: We haven’t really been sure to what extent we need to explain it to magazines. The 64DD was originally meant as an alternative to CD-ROM. When it comes to the future of gaming media, Nintendo will continue to make cartridges, but we concluded that DD was a better option than CD for expanding the range of gameplay. It would have been easier to understand if the DD was already included when the N64 first came out. It’s getting harder to explain after the fact. (laughs) Here’s the difference between each media: CD holds a lot of data, DD holds a moderate amount of data and backs the data up, and ROMs hold the least data and process the fastest. By attaching a DD to the game console, we can drastically increase the number of possible genres. Distributing hardware that can make these new genres is a benefit of the long life of this industry. The market’s only going to shrink if there’s nothing but price drops and scale expansions for preexisting genres.
Itoi: I came up with a lot of ideas because of the 64DD. All things start with the 64DD. There are so many ideas I wouldn’t have been allowed to come up with if we didn’t have the 64DD. Including the game Cabbage.
This is a small portion of an old, but highly interesting interview with Miyamoto and Itoi. Check out the entire thing here!
Link
- It's On Like Donkey Kong: Miyamoto Joins Miiverse
The legendary creator of Mario and Zelda has finally joined Wii U's online community. Check out his first post, then give him a follow!
The legendary creator of Mario and Zelda has finally joined Wii U's online community. Check out his first post, then give him a follow!
- Miyamoto stops by the Miiverse to celebrate the Year of Luigi
In celebration of The Year of Luigi, Mr. Miyamoto made his Miiverse debut! twitter.com/NintendoAmeric…— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 28, 2013
In celebration of The Year of Luigi, Mr. Miyamoto made his Miiverse debut! twitter.com/NintendoAmeric…
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 28, 2013
- Shigeru Miyamoto tells ABC News that a Nintendo theme park is "not an impossibility", but that the c
Shigeru Miyamoto tells ABC News that a Nintendo theme park is "not an impossibility", but that the company's hands are currently full.
Shigeru Miyamoto tells ABC News that a Nintendo theme park is "not an impossibility", but that the company's hands are currently full.
- Cuthbert discusses butting heads with Miyamoto during StarFox development
Coming from a GDC panel with Dylan Cuthbert... - Cuthbert believed that Shigeru Miyamoto’s input on the game which became StarFox was “removing what was cool” about his original concept“We were very cocky British programmers, thrown into this Japa...
Coming from a GDC panel with Dylan Cuthbert...
- Cuthbert believed that Shigeru Miyamoto’s input on the game which became StarFox was “removing what was cool” about his original concept
“We were very cocky British programmers, thrown into this Japanese environment. We were in awe and in shock at the same time about their process, as we went in intending to make a full 3D shooting game inspired by Starglider 2. But in the process I learned from Miyamoto that ‘No idea must go into a game, even if they are good ideas.’
This was very confusing for us, because at the time British games were full of good ideas. We were at the forefront of 3D, even with isometric games back in ’83, but what we did in Britain was just stuff all these ideas in and then sell it. It’d sell, but people would find, like, half a game. Most of the games I bought in the 80s I would never finish.
So Starglider 2 was initially what we were trying to make: a 3D roaming game. For our first months of working with Nintendo, Miyamoto would add ideas, and then remove them. And it felt like we weren’t really getting anywhere. He said, ‘we’re going to limit it. It’s going to be on rails, and it’s going to be fun and playable and a Nintendo game.’”
- Cuthbert says this change showed him that “you can build ideas and then, by destroying them, find other ideas hiding in the shadows.”
“In our Starglider concept, you couldn’t really see lasers coming from behind you and it could be very hard to find where the enemies were in 3D space. It was a very difficult process for the player. ...[the change] allowed us to make much better boss battles; you were always flying forward and you could always see the boss.
At the time all British 3D games were first-person to be more immersive, but the change allowed us to make it fun to manoeuvre between buildings, and allowed the barrel roll to be visible and intuitive.
With Starglider, the 3D roaming feature was such a big thing in our mind as British programmers we never considered other ways to do it,” he concluded. “It was Miyamoto and Nintendo who came up with these ideas because they didn’t have this background in 3D development.”
Link
- Cuthbert believed that Shigeru Miyamoto’s input on the game which became StarFox was “removing what was cool” about his original concept
“We were very cocky British programmers, thrown into this Japanese environment. We were in awe and in shock at the same time about their process, as we went in intending to make a full 3D shooting game inspired by Starglider 2. But in the process I learned from Miyamoto that ‘No idea must go into a game, even if they are good ideas.’
This was very confusing for us, because at the time British games were full of good ideas. We were at the forefront of 3D, even with isometric games back in ’83, but what we did in Britain was just stuff all these ideas in and then sell it. It’d sell, but people would find, like, half a game. Most of the games I bought in the 80s I would never finish.
So Starglider 2 was initially what we were trying to make: a 3D roaming game. For our first months of working with Nintendo, Miyamoto would add ideas, and then remove them. And it felt like we weren’t really getting anywhere. He said, ‘we’re going to limit it. It’s going to be on rails, and it’s going to be fun and playable and a Nintendo game.’”
- Cuthbert says this change showed him that “you can build ideas and then, by destroying them, find other ideas hiding in the shadows.”
“In our Starglider concept, you couldn’t really see lasers coming from behind you and it could be very hard to find where the enemies were in 3D space. It was a very difficult process for the player. ...[the change] allowed us to make much better boss battles; you were always flying forward and you could always see the boss.
At the time all British 3D games were first-person to be more immersive, but the change allowed us to make it fun to manoeuvre between buildings, and allowed the barrel roll to be visible and intuitive.
With Starglider, the 3D roaming feature was such a big thing in our mind as British programmers we never considered other ways to do it,” he concluded. “It was Miyamoto and Nintendo who came up with these ideas because they didn’t have this background in 3D development.”
Link
- Miyamoto on Luigi's Mansion and Ghostbusters, Nintendo theme park, and a secret Facebook account
A portion of an ABC interview with Miyamoto...Q: "Dark Moon" multiplayer features four Luigis tracking down ghosts with vacuum-cleaner backpacks. It has a "Ghostbusters" vibe. Are you a fan of the movie?A: I am a fan of "Ghostbusters." That wasn't the ins...
A portion of an ABC interview with Miyamoto...
Q: "Dark Moon" multiplayer features four Luigis tracking down ghosts with vacuum-cleaner backpacks. It has a "Ghostbusters" vibe. Are you a fan of the movie?
A: I am a fan of "Ghostbusters." That wasn't the inspiration for the original "Luigi's Mansion." In fact, when we were developing the original "Luigi's Mansion," we were taking care as a team, even though that wasn't our original inspiration, to make sure that people didn't just assume that that was what we were trying to do.
Q: "Nintendo Land" very much teased us, and everyone wants to actually go to Nintendo Land in person. Have you ever been approached about a Mario theme-park, or is that ever something you would consider in real life?
A: Certainly, with Nintendo being in the entertainment industry, there may come some point in the future where that might become a possibility. But right now we've got our hands full creating our digital products. Certainly, it's not an impossibility.
Q: Are you on Facebook?
A: It's a secret. (Laughs)
I'm not very big on broadcasting my opinions, so I haven't used Twitter all that much. But I do use Facebook quite a bit to communicate with friends.
Q: "Dark Moon" multiplayer features four Luigis tracking down ghosts with vacuum-cleaner backpacks. It has a "Ghostbusters" vibe. Are you a fan of the movie?
A: I am a fan of "Ghostbusters." That wasn't the inspiration for the original "Luigi's Mansion." In fact, when we were developing the original "Luigi's Mansion," we were taking care as a team, even though that wasn't our original inspiration, to make sure that people didn't just assume that that was what we were trying to do.
Q: "Nintendo Land" very much teased us, and everyone wants to actually go to Nintendo Land in person. Have you ever been approached about a Mario theme-park, or is that ever something you would consider in real life?
A: Certainly, with Nintendo being in the entertainment industry, there may come some point in the future where that might become a possibility. But right now we've got our hands full creating our digital products. Certainly, it's not an impossibility.
Q: Are you on Facebook?
A: It's a secret. (Laughs)
I'm not very big on broadcasting my opinions, so I haven't used Twitter all that much. But I do use Facebook quite a bit to communicate with friends.
- RUMOR - Blogger shows how to clean a Game and Watch, removes Miyamoto signature in the process
This is just too unbelievable to be true. Someone that knows how to take apart and clean a Game and Watch surely knows who Miyamoto is and what his signature looks like, right? Well, the person running this blog supposedly had no idea and removed the s...
This is just too unbelievable to be true. Someone that knows how to take apart and clean a Game and Watch surely knows who Miyamoto is and what his signature looks like, right? Well, the person running this blog supposedly had no idea and removed the signature while cleaning. Either he made a grave mistake or is trying to drum up some attention!
Blog here
Link
- Miyamoto pays NA 3DS a StreetPass visit
Shigeru Miyamoto pays all of you with a North American 3DS a visit today! If you have downloaded any information through SpotPass lately, there is a good chance that he might be waiting for you at the gates of the StreetPass Mii Plaza! He has (of course)...
Shigeru Miyamoto pays all of you with a North American 3DS a visit today! If you have downloaded any information through SpotPass lately, there is a good chance that he might be waiting for you at the gates of the StreetPass Mii Plaza! He has (of course) been playing Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, owns all the puzzle pieces and provides you with a level 5 character for StreetPass Quest!
- Miyamoto on GT.TV - Another bro for Mario/Luigi, Pikmin 3 work, surprises for E3 and more
The following details come from the GT.TV interview with Shigeru Miyamoto... - Miyamoto says Luigi has always had a special place in his heart, but hasn't always had a chance to stand out. - Miyamoto says that perhaps some day there will come a time where...
The following details come from the GT.TV interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...
- Miyamoto says Luigi has always had a special place in his heart, but hasn't always had a chance to stand out.
- Miyamoto says that perhaps some day there will come a time where Mario and Luigi need another brother.
- Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was created for the 3DS because Nintendo experimented with a 3D screen during development of the original Luigi's Mansion.
- Miyamoto has been working on Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for quite some time.
- The Pikmin 3 team is close to Miyamoto's desk, so he's able to work closely with them on a daily basis.
- Miyamoto says Nintendo is working very hard on things for E3. We might get to see things that haven't been mentioned yet, but we'll definitely get to see things that Iwata has shown during Nintendo Direct events.
- Miyamoto says Luigi has always had a special place in his heart, but hasn't always had a chance to stand out.
- Miyamoto says that perhaps some day there will come a time where Mario and Luigi need another brother.
- Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was created for the 3DS because Nintendo experimented with a 3D screen during development of the original Luigi's Mansion.
- Miyamoto has been working on Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for quite some time.
- The Pikmin 3 team is close to Miyamoto's desk, so he's able to work closely with them on a daily basis.
- Miyamoto says Nintendo is working very hard on things for E3. We might get to see things that haven't been mentioned yet, but we'll definitely get to see things that Iwata has shown during Nintendo Direct events.
- The Wind Waker Designer Commentary Part 5 - Which Character Does Miyamoto Like Best?
Check out today's installment in the Wind Waker design commentary to find out things like how Salvatore got his name, Miyamoto's favorite character and much more!
Check out today's installment in the Wind Waker design commentary to find out things like how Salvatore got his name, Miyamoto's favorite character and much more!
- Miyamoto on evolving games/hardware beyond the package, Pikmin 3 design,
Get More: MTV Shows Get More: MTV Shows Miyamoto also talked to MTV about what he might be doing if he didn't create video games...Originally, I started off as an industrial designer, and the dream of all industrial designers is to create something that ...
Get More:
MTV Shows
Get More:
MTV Shows
Miyamoto also talked to MTV about what he might be doing if he didn't create video games...
Originally, I started off as an industrial designer, and the dream of all industrial designers is to create something that sort of amazes and surprises people. I ultimately chose the path of creating video games, but if I hadn't been creating video games, I think that and hope that I would be creating things that are similar to that. So, when I look at that as being something that perhaps I might have been able to create, but ultimately wasn’t able to because of the path that I chose, I have a tendency to look at the person that created that thing as a potential rival. So that's sort of where that thought came from.
Link
- Miyamoto on game violence, Wii U's future, embracing online
A portion of an NY Times interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...Q. What do you think of the conversation we’ve been having in the United States about games and violence since the elementary-school shooting in Newtown, Conn., in December?A. That’s a difficu...
A portion of an NY Times interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...
Q. What do you think of the conversation we’ve been having in the United States about games and violence since the elementary-school shooting in Newtown, Conn., in December?
A. That’s a difficult question. As someone who creates games and understands that children play those games, it’s a subject that I’m very sensitive about. We’ve seen through a variety of media that when people see or experience violence on screen, there is a certain amount of entertainment that people get out of that.
Mario is a character that, I feel, doesn’t need to use guns. But when it comes to violence, you then have to ask, “So, if Mario doesn’t use a gun, is it appropriate for Mario to hit people?” And, in fact, when we were creating the game Super Smash Bros., we had very long and deep discussions about whether or not we thought it was appropriate for Mario to hit people.
Q. The Wii U hasn’t sold as well as the Wii. Have you been disappointed by its reception?
A. I think that the Wii U still has a long future. We really view it as being the ideal device that families are going to want to have connected to that screen in the living room that everyone is going to gather around and watch. Certainly in the short term I would want to see it performing with probably a little more momentum. I think in the long term I’m not at a point where I’m concerned yet.
Q. What’s most exciting to you about video games right now?
A. For a long time at Nintendo we didn’t focus as much on online play because for many years doing so would have limited the size of the audience that could enjoy those features. But certainly now we see that so many people are connected to the Internet. It opens up a tremendous amount of possibilities.
Q. What do you think of the conversation we’ve been having in the United States about games and violence since the elementary-school shooting in Newtown, Conn., in December?
A. That’s a difficult question. As someone who creates games and understands that children play those games, it’s a subject that I’m very sensitive about. We’ve seen through a variety of media that when people see or experience violence on screen, there is a certain amount of entertainment that people get out of that.
Mario is a character that, I feel, doesn’t need to use guns. But when it comes to violence, you then have to ask, “So, if Mario doesn’t use a gun, is it appropriate for Mario to hit people?” And, in fact, when we were creating the game Super Smash Bros., we had very long and deep discussions about whether or not we thought it was appropriate for Mario to hit people.
Q. The Wii U hasn’t sold as well as the Wii. Have you been disappointed by its reception?
A. I think that the Wii U still has a long future. We really view it as being the ideal device that families are going to want to have connected to that screen in the living room that everyone is going to gather around and watch. Certainly in the short term I would want to see it performing with probably a little more momentum. I think in the long term I’m not at a point where I’m concerned yet.
Q. What’s most exciting to you about video games right now?
A. For a long time at Nintendo we didn’t focus as much on online play because for many years doing so would have limited the size of the audience that could enjoy those features. But certainly now we see that so many people are connected to the Internet. It opens up a tremendous amount of possibilities.
- Miyamoto on new ideas, new characters, Wii U sales, 3DS/Wii U connectivity, E3 and more
Miyamoto on balancing new ideas for established characters and new ideas new content altogether."We obviously are interested in bringing out new ideas, but at the same time we also have our hands full with trying to bring many of our popular franchises t...
Miyamoto on balancing new ideas for established characters and new ideas new content altogether.
"We obviously are interested in bringing out new ideas, but at the same time we also have our hands full with trying to bring many of our popular franchises to new systems. So, the struggle for us then becomes, how do we find the balance in there and try to deliver the content that people want while also surprising them with something new?
Looking at, for example, Animal Crossing. "Animal Crossing is a game that we've been making for essentially 10 years now in different iterations. With the latest version [Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the 3DS] ... we really finally feel like we've fleshed out that Animal Crossing idea into sort of the definitive version of that game. So, in game development there are a couple of different approaches you can take, and one is to take the franchises that already exist and continue to develop those and develop deeper content for them and evolve those franchises in new ways."
Miyamoto on working with new gameplay ideas vs. new characters...
"From my perspective, we approach it not from, ‘What is the next character?' But really, ‘What is there within this structure of video games or this sphere of video games, from which we can create new play structures?' and ‘How can we develop these new types of play structures and new types of games and deliver those to consumers in a way that will be satisfying for them?' In some cases it may be that those new structures will use existing franchises. So we're focused more on the play and the interaction rather than necessarily on a specific character as the IP.
There are, within the room in which I work, a number of people who are very passionate about wanting to do new things and do different things. In fact, we do have a small team that's been formed and is working on new ideas. Hopefully we will be able to share those with you at a time when those ideas have taken more concrete form."
Miyamoto on Nintendo Direct vs. E3...
"Well it used to be we would save many of our announcements for E3 and announce them at the show, but what we have seen over the recent years is that there are a number of different ways and a number of different times when we have more opportunity to make those types of announcements. So I can't today make any promises that we're going to do at E3, but I do think that this particular is going to be a year where we're seeing more regular announcements from Nintendo about what's coming and that some place within the announcements we will hopefully have something to share about NFC. As I think Mr. Iwata has been saying lately, where we do see tremendous value in E3 is it's a place where people can come and they can actually get their hands on and try the software we have been talking about. So I think that's what people have been looking forward to at E3."
Miyamoto on focusing on 3DS/Wii U interaction, rather than dual GamePad support...
"Of course within Nintendo we've been giving a lot of thought to this and connectivity itself is something that we've been working on for many years.
The problem then of course [with the GameCube] was that you had some people who might have both systems, but many people didn't. So the connectivity features were something that couldn't be enjoyed by all players. That was really our drive and focus with creating Wii U and the Gamepad. It was enabling that second screen to be something that was a part of the system itself, so that people were able to have the full experience there. Separate from how the GamePad and Wii U are leveraging some of those connectivity ideas, we're also exploring how Nintendo 3DS can connect to Wii U and different ways that we have data exchanges between those two.
So while we don't currently have anything that we can talk about officially that's going to leverage cross-play with a single title, we are looking at different ways to leverage the 3DS connection with the Wii U; how we can share that data and how we can allow people to take advantage of those sorts of connectivity features."
Miyamoto on download speeds, utilizing StreetPass and cellphones to speed up online purchases...
"There's nothing I could really say from a Nintendo standpoint. We do have features like SpotPass that does allow for data to be delivered overnight while you're sleeping and things like that and again this isn't necessarily what Nintendo's doing, but technologically speaking the technology exists. For example, if somebody were to be able to access a shop from a cell phone and make a purchase from a cell phone and then maybe have that content be downloaded to your system, that type of a technological structure already exists. So there's certainly the possibility that we could look to explore that area further, but it's not anything that we're prepared to announce or really talk about at this point."
Miyamoto on episodic gaming, download content and the idea of selling dungeons separately with Oracle of Ages/Seasons...
"When we first released The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of the Ages and Oracle of Seasons on GameBoy Color many years ago, the original idea for those games was for them to be more episodic in content and the development actually started with the notion of potentially trying to sell dungeons individually. At the time that we were working on the Oracle games, we felt that it just wasn't right to deliver the game in that fashion. But when we look at, for example, what we've done with the eShop and the possibilities that lie there and particularly with the fact that we're able to patch now existing games that have already been released, that then opens up the possibility for downloadable content or adding new levels to a game that's already been released.
So certainly we're seeing the way that this is already changing things and it's definitely an area that we're still looking at and we'll continue to look at. From where the technology is and the eShop has developed to at this point, we do have the ability to sell as a package game or only as a digital game, we have the ability to sell in increments or different installments so we can explore those different functions."
Miyamoto on this being the year of Luigi...
"Well, Luigi has been one of our characters for many, many years, but we've never really had much in the way of games that have Luigi in the starring role. He's had sort of a more prominent role in the Mario and Luigi series and there is one of those games coming out this year, but with that game and then with Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon coming, we felt it was really the time to make this the year of Luigi."
Miyamoto on expanding the Wii U and getting it into more homes...
"I think there is a lot more that we can do from a systems standpoint and so we're continuing to look at improvements that we can make to the system itself. New features that we can add and, of course, more important than that is really delivering a strong software line for Wii U and software that takes advantage of the uniqueness of the system itself and in particular the GamePad.
We're really focused on delivering content that takes advantage of that GamePad interaction and makes that second screen something that's very meaningful and so that's where we need to put our focus. So we're going to continue in the coming months to enhance the system, develop the system, and then also put our primary focus on developing strong content to make the Wii U a very appealing piece of hardware that I think when we get a couple years down the road it's going to seem very natural for people that Wii U is the system that they would have connected to their living room television."
Full interview here
- Miyamoto on internal Luigi supporters, no storyline in New Super Luigi U, Mario appearance undecided
Get More: MTV Shows Multiplayer: In "Super Luigi U," does Luigi have his own storyline, or does he just have the levels available to him?Miyamoto: He doesn't get his own story, but all of the levels have been redesigned for Luigi, so it should be a pretty...
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Multiplayer: In "Super Luigi U," does Luigi have his own storyline, or does he just have the levels available to him?
Miyamoto: He doesn't get his own story, but all of the levels have been redesigned for Luigi, so it should be a pretty good role for him.
Multiplayer: Does Mario make an appearance at all?
Miyamoto: I can't say yet.
There are some people that say that they want Mario to appear, but Mr. Tezuka is saying that he's not going to let Mario into this game.
- Miyamoto overseeing animated Pikmin shorts, due out this year
- being overseen by Miyamoto - could be released via Nintendo Video - may be sold off if they do well - originally created a video with Pikmin for movie theaters, telling people to turn their cellphones off - this was used in Toho Cinemas on about 150 scr...
- being overseen by Miyamoto
- could be released via Nintendo Video
- may be sold off if they do well
- originally created a video with Pikmin for movie theaters, telling people to turn their cellphones off
- this was used in Toho Cinemas on about 150 screens and 60 theaters
- first short will feature Olimar blending up what appears to be a red Pikmin. When the other characters see Olimar, they see him with a knife and start to back away. That's when they bump into a pile of carrots, which is what Olimar is really blending up.
"When Olimar first discovered the Pikmin he named them based on the PikPik brand carrots in his home world, so he clearly loves carrots. I thought it would be fun to have a scenario where it seems like he is going to eat the Pikmin. So it's kind of dark, but he doesn't eat them." - Shigeru Miyamoto
- Nintendo hasn't discussed whether they'll do this type of animation project for other characters
- Miyamoto also states he isn't stopping work on game creation to handle this animation. It's just a side-project.
- could be released via Nintendo Video
- may be sold off if they do well
- originally created a video with Pikmin for movie theaters, telling people to turn their cellphones off
- this was used in Toho Cinemas on about 150 screens and 60 theaters
- first short will feature Olimar blending up what appears to be a red Pikmin. When the other characters see Olimar, they see him with a knife and start to back away. That's when they bump into a pile of carrots, which is what Olimar is really blending up.
"When Olimar first discovered the Pikmin he named them based on the PikPik brand carrots in his home world, so he clearly loves carrots. I thought it would be fun to have a scenario where it seems like he is going to eat the Pikmin. So it's kind of dark, but he doesn't eat them." - Shigeru Miyamoto
- Nintendo hasn't discussed whether they'll do this type of animation project for other characters
- Miyamoto also states he isn't stopping work on game creation to handle this animation. It's just a side-project.
- Miyamoto: Pikmin 3 Should've Been Released Sooner
Miyamoto has said that it would've been ideal to release Pikmin 3 close to Wii U launch, and promises there's more to come from the console.
Miyamoto has said that it would've been ideal to release Pikmin 3 close to Wii U launch, and promises there's more to come from the console.
- Miyamoto shares his favorite parts of Hyrule Historia, favorite NES/Famicom games
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- Miyamoto wanted Pikmin 3 closer to Wii U launch, new IP vs. established characters, comparing 1980s to now
A portion of a Time interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...T: The launch window lineup for the Wii U was light on titles starring mainstream Nintendo characters, which was actually kind of refreshing given all the off-the-beaten-path alternatives like ZombiU, ...
A portion of a Time interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...
T: The launch window lineup for the Wii U was light on titles starring mainstream Nintendo characters, which was actually kind of refreshing given all the off-the-beaten-path alternatives like ZombiU, Nano Assault Neo, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Toki Tori 2, LEGO City Undercover, Pikimin 3 and The Wonderful 101.
SM: If you look back at the launch of Wii, we were able to prepare a game like Wii Sports, which at the time was clearly a new game, and launch that alongside a Zelda game. With the Wii U, we took a similar approach by launching Nintendo Land as well as a Mario game — though we’re working on Zelda for Wii U, that’s going to take us a little big longer.
From my perspective, I think ideally it would have been nice if we’d been able to release Pikmin 3 closer to launch, but the Wii U — though it shares the Wii name — is obviously a brand new system, with new chips and graphical capabilities. It can do a lot more, and in the process of developing a lot of the features and functionality, the resources required to best utilize those features drew on some of the same resources that might have been spent developing games, thus we weren’t able to bring quite as robust a lineup initially.
At the same time, we still have new things to learn about how to leverage the features and functionalities of Wii U in ways that create fun and interesting new ways to play, including new gameplay systems. As we become even more familiar with the hardware, we’ll be able to do more from a software standpoint. That’s an area we’re currently devoting resources to.
T: With series like Pikmin and others like Nintendogs or Steel Diver you’ve been at the forefront of new IP for Nintendo. That said, most of your games involve taking existing IP and retooling it for new gameplay ideas. Are you more inclined these days to want to develop new IP, or to retool existing material?
SM: Whenever I start working on something I always start with creating new gameplay. After that gameplay becomes more concrete, we look at which character is best suited to the gameplay. So I guess from my standpoint, the ideal situation would be that we’re creating an experience that’s so new and so unique that we can present it to consumers with a new character or IP in a way that would be easiest for them to really understand the concept and enjoy the gameplay. But it may also be that in some of those cases it makes more sense for it to involve some of the characters that are more familiar to our fans.
When we created the original Wii Sports, we could have done it as a “Mario Sports” game, but we decided not to. Similarly with Wii Fit, that could have been a “Mario Fitness” game, but in both of those cases we ultimately decided that introducing those games as new IP or new franchises was a better approach. Because those games don’t have specific characters associated with them, people may not view them as new IP, but certainly when we created those games we intended them to be new franchises. It may be that in the future, as we’re generating new ideas, we’ll come across an idea that makes the most sense to release with a new character.
T: Would 1980 Shigeru Miyamoto in his wildest dreams have anticipated what’s happened over the past three decades?
SM: I don’t think I could have imagined where we’ve ended up. At the time in the 1980s, games fell categorically somewhere between toys and technology, and I think what I didn’t imagine happening over time was that gradually games began adopting more and more of the latest technology, to the point where games today are at the very forefront of technology and something everybody seems to be paying a great deal of attention to. The other thing I couldn’t have foreseen back then is that — particularly today when you look at the state of the consumer electronics industry, which had been where some of the most advanced technology was being used — that you see a number of the companies in a tough situation in a way that hasn’t hit gaming.
T: The launch window lineup for the Wii U was light on titles starring mainstream Nintendo characters, which was actually kind of refreshing given all the off-the-beaten-path alternatives like ZombiU, Nano Assault Neo, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Toki Tori 2, LEGO City Undercover, Pikimin 3 and The Wonderful 101.
SM: If you look back at the launch of Wii, we were able to prepare a game like Wii Sports, which at the time was clearly a new game, and launch that alongside a Zelda game. With the Wii U, we took a similar approach by launching Nintendo Land as well as a Mario game — though we’re working on Zelda for Wii U, that’s going to take us a little big longer.
From my perspective, I think ideally it would have been nice if we’d been able to release Pikmin 3 closer to launch, but the Wii U — though it shares the Wii name — is obviously a brand new system, with new chips and graphical capabilities. It can do a lot more, and in the process of developing a lot of the features and functionality, the resources required to best utilize those features drew on some of the same resources that might have been spent developing games, thus we weren’t able to bring quite as robust a lineup initially.
At the same time, we still have new things to learn about how to leverage the features and functionalities of Wii U in ways that create fun and interesting new ways to play, including new gameplay systems. As we become even more familiar with the hardware, we’ll be able to do more from a software standpoint. That’s an area we’re currently devoting resources to.
T: With series like Pikmin and others like Nintendogs or Steel Diver you’ve been at the forefront of new IP for Nintendo. That said, most of your games involve taking existing IP and retooling it for new gameplay ideas. Are you more inclined these days to want to develop new IP, or to retool existing material?
SM: Whenever I start working on something I always start with creating new gameplay. After that gameplay becomes more concrete, we look at which character is best suited to the gameplay. So I guess from my standpoint, the ideal situation would be that we’re creating an experience that’s so new and so unique that we can present it to consumers with a new character or IP in a way that would be easiest for them to really understand the concept and enjoy the gameplay. But it may also be that in some of those cases it makes more sense for it to involve some of the characters that are more familiar to our fans.
When we created the original Wii Sports, we could have done it as a “Mario Sports” game, but we decided not to. Similarly with Wii Fit, that could have been a “Mario Fitness” game, but in both of those cases we ultimately decided that introducing those games as new IP or new franchises was a better approach. Because those games don’t have specific characters associated with them, people may not view them as new IP, but certainly when we created those games we intended them to be new franchises. It may be that in the future, as we’re generating new ideas, we’ll come across an idea that makes the most sense to release with a new character.
T: Would 1980 Shigeru Miyamoto in his wildest dreams have anticipated what’s happened over the past three decades?
SM: I don’t think I could have imagined where we’ve ended up. At the time in the 1980s, games fell categorically somewhere between toys and technology, and I think what I didn’t imagine happening over time was that gradually games began adopting more and more of the latest technology, to the point where games today are at the very forefront of technology and something everybody seems to be paying a great deal of attention to. The other thing I couldn’t have foreseen back then is that — particularly today when you look at the state of the consumer electronics industry, which had been where some of the most advanced technology was being used — that you see a number of the companies in a tough situation in a way that hasn’t hit gaming.
- Miyamoto - Wii U update will make the system 'much improved', Wii U vs. smartphones/tablets
A portion of a Time interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...T: Let’s talk about the Wii U system updates. The Wii U launched with interface issues and missing applications, including slow load times for native apps. Why weren’t the slow load times caught be...
A portion of a Time interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...
T: Let’s talk about the Wii U system updates. The Wii U launched with interface issues and missing applications, including slow load times for native apps. Why weren’t the slow load times caught before release, and why is the update to improve system performance taking until spring?
SM: It’s a tough question, certainly, but I think it’s also an accurate observation. For Wii U in particular I would say that in preparing the system for launch, it was a project on an unparalleled scale for Nintendo. We had multiple different teams working on multiple different segments of the hardware and its features simultaneously. Certainly we’d had experience with that type of development designing the 3DS, but with Wii U the scope of the project was far beyond our development of the 3DS hardware. And with many of those features, you don’t get a true sense for how they interact or where the advantages and disadvantages lie within the broader framework until you’re able to bring all the components together into a single unified system.
Even during the testing phase, it’s difficult to ascertain what facets of those interactions between the applications are resulting in inconveniences for the consumer until you have an opportunity for many people and lots of consumers to try these features out — to understand how they’re using those features and what they’re doing as they’re switching between them. Since the system was released, we’ve spent a great deal of time looking at how people are using it and where they feel it can be improved, and we’re currently continuing out preparations for this first major system update that’s coming. What we want to do is make sure that when we release it, that we address as many of the different opinions about how people would like to see the system improve as we can at once. We hope to cover a wide range of requests while simultaneously ensuring it’s a very stable update to the system.
T: Do you anticipate a significant performance upgrade to the Wii U interface itself?
SM: We think that by this summer, the system is going to be very much improved over how it’s performing currently. Of course when it comes to the actual hardware, those decisions have already been finalized, and one of the things we focused on in making those decisions was the speed of the connection between the Wii U system and the Wii U GamePad. We strongly feel the transfer speed between those two devices is so strong that it’s not something that can necessarily be achieved by other devices that haven’t been designed specifically with that in mind. So as we get into these other system-based updates, our anticipation is that because of the amount of effort we’ve dedicated to the GamePad’s wireless connection to the hardware, these additional improvements are going to make for an overall device that’s even more convenient to use.
T: How worried are you about the elephants already sharing the room with the Wii U, meaning tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices along with set-top boxes from players like Roku and Apple?
SM: I look at it from two different angles. One is how you can use a device like Wii U — to make an experience that up until now has happened on a single screen — into a better and more convenient experience. And I think that the Wii Street U powered by Google application we’ve recently released for Wii U is an example of how we’ve taken an existing application and really enhanced it through the use of Wii U and the GamePad.
I think the other goes back to, as I was mentioning before, the response time between the streaming of visuals from the Wii U hardware simultaneously to the TV and to the GamePad. Certainly from an interactive standpoint, when it comes to interactive content, because of the strength of that streaming capability of Wii U, my feeling is that the more you start to see other devices that are integrating connectivity with smartphones or tablets through special applications, the more that that’s simply going to illustrate the benefits of having Wii U because of the advantages it has in terms of its interactive elements and how the system streams graphics to the Wii U GamePad screen.
As people are using the system and getting familiar with everything it can do and really learning how to use Wii U and the GamePad, I think the last remaining hurdle for Wii U becomes one of storage in terms of being able to store media. But since we’ve designed the system in a way that allows people to simply add the amount of storage media they need to supplement Wii U, we think it essentially gives people the greatest flexibility within a single device to really make the most of their entertainment in the living room.
T: Let’s talk about the Wii U system updates. The Wii U launched with interface issues and missing applications, including slow load times for native apps. Why weren’t the slow load times caught before release, and why is the update to improve system performance taking until spring?
SM: It’s a tough question, certainly, but I think it’s also an accurate observation. For Wii U in particular I would say that in preparing the system for launch, it was a project on an unparalleled scale for Nintendo. We had multiple different teams working on multiple different segments of the hardware and its features simultaneously. Certainly we’d had experience with that type of development designing the 3DS, but with Wii U the scope of the project was far beyond our development of the 3DS hardware. And with many of those features, you don’t get a true sense for how they interact or where the advantages and disadvantages lie within the broader framework until you’re able to bring all the components together into a single unified system.
Even during the testing phase, it’s difficult to ascertain what facets of those interactions between the applications are resulting in inconveniences for the consumer until you have an opportunity for many people and lots of consumers to try these features out — to understand how they’re using those features and what they’re doing as they’re switching between them. Since the system was released, we’ve spent a great deal of time looking at how people are using it and where they feel it can be improved, and we’re currently continuing out preparations for this first major system update that’s coming. What we want to do is make sure that when we release it, that we address as many of the different opinions about how people would like to see the system improve as we can at once. We hope to cover a wide range of requests while simultaneously ensuring it’s a very stable update to the system.
T: Do you anticipate a significant performance upgrade to the Wii U interface itself?
SM: We think that by this summer, the system is going to be very much improved over how it’s performing currently. Of course when it comes to the actual hardware, those decisions have already been finalized, and one of the things we focused on in making those decisions was the speed of the connection between the Wii U system and the Wii U GamePad. We strongly feel the transfer speed between those two devices is so strong that it’s not something that can necessarily be achieved by other devices that haven’t been designed specifically with that in mind. So as we get into these other system-based updates, our anticipation is that because of the amount of effort we’ve dedicated to the GamePad’s wireless connection to the hardware, these additional improvements are going to make for an overall device that’s even more convenient to use.
T: How worried are you about the elephants already sharing the room with the Wii U, meaning tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices along with set-top boxes from players like Roku and Apple?
SM: I look at it from two different angles. One is how you can use a device like Wii U — to make an experience that up until now has happened on a single screen — into a better and more convenient experience. And I think that the Wii Street U powered by Google application we’ve recently released for Wii U is an example of how we’ve taken an existing application and really enhanced it through the use of Wii U and the GamePad.
I think the other goes back to, as I was mentioning before, the response time between the streaming of visuals from the Wii U hardware simultaneously to the TV and to the GamePad. Certainly from an interactive standpoint, when it comes to interactive content, because of the strength of that streaming capability of Wii U, my feeling is that the more you start to see other devices that are integrating connectivity with smartphones or tablets through special applications, the more that that’s simply going to illustrate the benefits of having Wii U because of the advantages it has in terms of its interactive elements and how the system streams graphics to the Wii U GamePad screen.
As people are using the system and getting familiar with everything it can do and really learning how to use Wii U and the GamePad, I think the last remaining hurdle for Wii U becomes one of storage in terms of being able to store media. But since we’ve designed the system in a way that allows people to simply add the amount of storage media they need to supplement Wii U, we think it essentially gives people the greatest flexibility within a single device to really make the most of their entertainment in the living room.
- Miyamoto about conveying the message of Wii U
One last bit from the Miyamoto interview, which was done by GameSpot...GameSpot: With regards to the Wii U, conveying the message of the Wii U seems a bit more difficult than the original Wii. With the original Wii you could pick up a Wii Remote and play ...
One last bit from the Miyamoto interview, which was done by GameSpot...
GameSpot: With regards to the Wii U, conveying the message of the Wii U seems a bit more difficult than the original Wii. With the original Wii you could pick up a Wii Remote and play tennis and you would instantly get it. Do you think this has potentially impacted sales?
Miyamoto: I think it's very common for Nintendo products to be the type of thing that until you play it, you don't really understand how fun it is. Wii had an advantage, because watching people play it looked interesting. When you saw other people playing a game that looked interesting. But even then, it was still the type of thing that you had to play it for yourself to confirm. And once you played Wii, people had instantly a lot of fun. And what that did was reinforce for them that what they had seen was in fact true. Certainly, I think that helped Wii.
From that perspective, I think Wii U certainly has a little bit more of a challenge because it doesn't have that 'looking-fun' element to it. But I think that as people bring it into the living room and begin to play it, particularly when you experience with five people, you really do get a sense for how fun Wii U is. And I think that's the key; to try to get as many people to try it out as possible. Even with Wii, if people played a game, but it wasn't fun, it would't have had the result that it did. So I think the key for us is continuing to focus on the fun of our products.
GameSpot: Can you talk specifically about how you're going to go about do that? How you're going to go about conveying that message more clearly to consumers.
Miyamoto: [laughs]. Ask these guys [points to public relations and marketing executives sitting in the room].
I think the key thing is to give more people more opportunity to come in contact with the system and play it. One of the things in Japan that we had been doing, is we had been careful because we wanted to make sure people understood it properly. We had been giving as many opportunities for people to try it out at demo units, at retail, or ensuring that there was somebody there to demonstrate and make sure that they were getting a proper understanding. But I think what we're finding now is we really just need to get as many people as possible to get their hands on the system so that they can see how fun it is.
GameSpot: With regards to the Wii U, conveying the message of the Wii U seems a bit more difficult than the original Wii. With the original Wii you could pick up a Wii Remote and play tennis and you would instantly get it. Do you think this has potentially impacted sales?
Miyamoto: I think it's very common for Nintendo products to be the type of thing that until you play it, you don't really understand how fun it is. Wii had an advantage, because watching people play it looked interesting. When you saw other people playing a game that looked interesting. But even then, it was still the type of thing that you had to play it for yourself to confirm. And once you played Wii, people had instantly a lot of fun. And what that did was reinforce for them that what they had seen was in fact true. Certainly, I think that helped Wii.
From that perspective, I think Wii U certainly has a little bit more of a challenge because it doesn't have that 'looking-fun' element to it. But I think that as people bring it into the living room and begin to play it, particularly when you experience with five people, you really do get a sense for how fun Wii U is. And I think that's the key; to try to get as many people to try it out as possible. Even with Wii, if people played a game, but it wasn't fun, it would't have had the result that it did. So I think the key for us is continuing to focus on the fun of our products.
GameSpot: Can you talk specifically about how you're going to go about do that? How you're going to go about conveying that message more clearly to consumers.
Miyamoto: [laughs]. Ask these guys [points to public relations and marketing executives sitting in the room].
I think the key thing is to give more people more opportunity to come in contact with the system and play it. One of the things in Japan that we had been doing, is we had been careful because we wanted to make sure people understood it properly. We had been giving as many opportunities for people to try it out at demo units, at retail, or ensuring that there was somebody there to demonstrate and make sure that they were getting a proper understanding. But I think what we're finding now is we really just need to get as many people as possible to get their hands on the system so that they can see how fun it is.
- Miyamoto ''grateful'' for Luigi's Mansion fans, working with Next Level Games
Even more from the GameSpot interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...GameSpot: Going back to Luigi's Mansion, the franchise is one that has seen a dedicated following throughout the years. Why do you think that is?Miyamoto: The first thing I want to say is I'm v...
Even more from the GameSpot interview with Shigeru Miyamoto...
GameSpot: Going back to Luigi's Mansion, the franchise is one that has seen a dedicated following throughout the years. Why do you think that is?
Miyamoto: The first thing I want to say is I'm very grateful to everybody who feels that way. There are actually quite a number of Luigi supporters internally, as well. And in fact the reason that we were able to do the Year of Luigi this year is because there were so many people who wanted to work on Luigi titles and it just, by coincidence turned out all of the projects they were working on ended up releasing this year.
When you have a meal in front of you, and you have people who eat meat or you have people who eat vegetables, there's sort of the main dish and then you might have a dessert or a salad. Luigi is green, so maybe he's kind of like a salad and right now it seems like people tend to like lighter fare. [Luigi] is a little weaker and timid and maybe people like timid things these days. I guess Link's green, too [laughs].
On the other hand, I do think that the world of Luigi's Mansion and sort of the kind of "scary feel" to the mansions and whatnot is something that has a big contrast to the Mario games, which obviously are very bright and more action-focused. So having that nice story that wraps around the Luigi games is something that perhaps lingers with people a little bit longer and when they think back and remember it, they think 'Oh, I want to experience that again.'
GameSpot: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was a co-development between Next Level Games here in the West and Nintendo's studios in Japan. Can you talk about what that relationship was like, working across the world?
Miyamoto: The background for that is we've worked with Next Level Games for a number of years now and there's another producer internally at Nintendo who I've also worked with for a long time: Kensuke Tanabe. And he's been working with Next Level Games and has also worked on the Donkey Kong series. He was able to find Next Level Games and start working with them originally and help build that relationship that allowed us to work with them all these years.
GameSpot: Going back to Luigi's Mansion, the franchise is one that has seen a dedicated following throughout the years. Why do you think that is?
Miyamoto: The first thing I want to say is I'm very grateful to everybody who feels that way. There are actually quite a number of Luigi supporters internally, as well. And in fact the reason that we were able to do the Year of Luigi this year is because there were so many people who wanted to work on Luigi titles and it just, by coincidence turned out all of the projects they were working on ended up releasing this year.
When you have a meal in front of you, and you have people who eat meat or you have people who eat vegetables, there's sort of the main dish and then you might have a dessert or a salad. Luigi is green, so maybe he's kind of like a salad and right now it seems like people tend to like lighter fare. [Luigi] is a little weaker and timid and maybe people like timid things these days. I guess Link's green, too [laughs].
On the other hand, I do think that the world of Luigi's Mansion and sort of the kind of "scary feel" to the mansions and whatnot is something that has a big contrast to the Mario games, which obviously are very bright and more action-focused. So having that nice story that wraps around the Luigi games is something that perhaps lingers with people a little bit longer and when they think back and remember it, they think 'Oh, I want to experience that again.'
GameSpot: Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was a co-development between Next Level Games here in the West and Nintendo's studios in Japan. Can you talk about what that relationship was like, working across the world?
Miyamoto: The background for that is we've worked with Next Level Games for a number of years now and there's another producer internally at Nintendo who I've also worked with for a long time: Kensuke Tanabe. And he's been working with Next Level Games and has also worked on the Donkey Kong series. He was able to find Next Level Games and start working with them originally and help build that relationship that allowed us to work with them all these years.
- Miyamoto talks about Pikmin 3, ''shifted'' for the better
GameSpot: With regards to Pikmin 3, what's one point of gameplay you can point to and say "that's only possible because of what the Wii U can do?"Miyamoto: When I create a game, I don't necessarily always try to approach it from the idea of leveraging eve...
GameSpot: With regards to Pikmin 3, what's one point of gameplay you can point to and say "that's only possible because of what the Wii U can do?"
Miyamoto: When I create a game, I don't necessarily always try to approach it from the idea of leveraging every feature or every ability of that new piece of hardware. In the case of Pikmin in particular, the approach that we took was really less of an approach of how can we [...] take advantage of what the Wii U is doing, per se, and instead how can we take what was that Pikmin experience and really make it a deeper experience for players.
So of course we're taking advantage of the graphics and improving the play control and whatnot and I guess if you were to look at it more broadly, you might not necessarily say that it would be impossible to do it on another system. But I guess speaking plainly, the idea is really that Wii U is the best system to be able to achieve all of the different things that we're trying to do with this new Pikmin game. One of the biggest features of Pikmin 3 is the fact that you have the map on the GamePad at all times and because Pikmin is a strategy game, it's the type of game that you might play the same levels over and over again. Having that map--and the fact that you have the three different leaders that you switch between to command your Pikmin--and having the touchscreen on the map will allow you to change perspective or jump to a specific leader and quickly give orders.It makes it much more efficient for you to achieve the goals that you have strategically within the game.
GameSpot: Pikmin 3 was recently delayed a couple of months. Can you talk about the reason for that delay and what's happened in the time since?
Miyamoto: I don't know how far I should go in explaining this, but at Nintendo, there is often sort of a notion that the games I'm working on always get delayed. And in my mind, there's really two kinds of games: games that get delayed and then there's games that sort of shift [laughs]. And in the case of Pikmin, we were working on Pikmin in advance of [the Wii U launch] and I was spending a lot of time focusing on placement of items and enemies and things like that and levels. And so from my perspective, Pikmin gradually just became one of those games that sort of shifted [laughs]. I'm sorry. I know everybody is waiting for it.
Miyamoto: When I create a game, I don't necessarily always try to approach it from the idea of leveraging every feature or every ability of that new piece of hardware. In the case of Pikmin in particular, the approach that we took was really less of an approach of how can we [...] take advantage of what the Wii U is doing, per se, and instead how can we take what was that Pikmin experience and really make it a deeper experience for players.
So of course we're taking advantage of the graphics and improving the play control and whatnot and I guess if you were to look at it more broadly, you might not necessarily say that it would be impossible to do it on another system. But I guess speaking plainly, the idea is really that Wii U is the best system to be able to achieve all of the different things that we're trying to do with this new Pikmin game. One of the biggest features of Pikmin 3 is the fact that you have the map on the GamePad at all times and because Pikmin is a strategy game, it's the type of game that you might play the same levels over and over again. Having that map--and the fact that you have the three different leaders that you switch between to command your Pikmin--and having the touchscreen on the map will allow you to change perspective or jump to a specific leader and quickly give orders.It makes it much more efficient for you to achieve the goals that you have strategically within the game.
GameSpot: Pikmin 3 was recently delayed a couple of months. Can you talk about the reason for that delay and what's happened in the time since?
Miyamoto: I don't know how far I should go in explaining this, but at Nintendo, there is often sort of a notion that the games I'm working on always get delayed. And in my mind, there's really two kinds of games: games that get delayed and then there's games that sort of shift [laughs]. And in the case of Pikmin, we were working on Pikmin in advance of [the Wii U launch] and I was spending a lot of time focusing on placement of items and enemies and things like that and levels. And so from my perspective, Pikmin gradually just became one of those games that sort of shifted [laughs]. I'm sorry. I know everybody is waiting for it.
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