This comes from an IGN interview with Bill Trinen...

On how Nintendo describes the title
''It is a difficult thing to understand. Your first impression is really going to be to compare it to an Animal Crossing, or to look at it as a sort of simulation game. But we don’t really look at it so much as a simulation. We look at it really as this sort of living breathing world, and it’s a bit of an alternate reality, where the Mii characters of people you know in everyday life come together to interact and mingle. And the results of it are incredibly funny, with unexpected moments that occur between all of these characters.''

Why the word Tomodachi is still used
''I look at names as kind of a peculiar thing. Looking back, there was a time when Pokemon was not going to be a great name for that franchise, or people thought Wii was not going to be a great name for that system. And so, from that perspective, when we’re looking at naming something, we’re often looking at trying to find something that has a unique sound or a unique feel to it. And, certainly, taking a word like ‘Tomodachi’ and combining it with life has a little bit of that intrigue.''

Their approach to the localization
''What the localization team has done is probably very similar to the process that went into the localization of the original Animal Crossing. We looked at that and said, ‘OK, We’re not changing the core gameplay or the structure of the game as it currently exists.’ What we wanted to do is try to find those moments where the localization team can find a way to make [it all] a little bit more relevant for people here in the US. The personalities will be a huge reason why this game is what it is,” Trinen said. “They really are the next evolution of the Mii characters, and the first time that you really see Mii characters who genuinely have a personality. And, of course, they also have a voice.''

Bill also said that the Image Share Tool will be directly implemented into the game for easier use.


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Source: IGN