Dear Reader:
Japanese devs share their interest in Switch, discuss game ideas and controller uses
The following info comes from Famitsu (translated by NE), who spoke with 45 different Japanese developers about Switch. You can find info from those interviews below.
Camelot – Hiroyuki Takahashi and Shugo Takahashi (Mario Tennis, Golden Sun)
Hiroyuki liked that they focused on the controllers in their presentation
Shugo says ARMS feels very Nintendo
Grasshopper Manufacture – Suda51
THOUGHTS ON PRESENTATION
I did the “Pro-Wrestling LOVE Pose” at the presentation, but I don’t think people were digging it. But it broke the ice with the audience, so I think I’ll keep doing it. I’ll call it “SWITCH LOVE” instead of “Pro-Wrestling LOVE”! Anyway, I announced to everyone that I will be bringing back my most beloved character, Travis Touchdown. I’m so glad I got to announce his comeback at such a huge smackdown. It’s slammin’!
INTERESTING ASPECTS OF SWITCH
There’s a lot of different ones, but the biggest innovation is the HD Rumble. Playing games takes way too much time, doesn’t it? So I think it’s really important that the HD Rumble is used just right for physical experiences, and I want to invent some brand-new mechanics.
Square Enix – Ryota Aomi (Dragon Quest Heroes series producer; also producing Dragon Quest Heroes 1-2 for Nintendo Switch)
INTERESTING ASPECTS OF SWITCH
- HD Rumble is hard to understand it without experiencing it in person, but it’s really amazing
Jiro Ishii (General director and producer for 428 and other sound/visual novel games)
THOUGHTS ON PRESENTATION
- as a fan of analogue games, it is overwhelming in a positive way
- wonders if an HD Rumble novel is possible
- finds it a good fit for romance-themed visual novels
- can’t stop fantasizing about new and exciting uses/possibilities for it
Spike Chunsoft – Yuichiro Saito (Danganronpa series associate producer; also produced Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky, etc.)
- surprised they kept the price in that range, thought it would be higher
- keeps imagining new ways to use HD rumble
SEGA – Takashi Iizuka (Sonic series producer; also producing Sonic Mania for Nintendo Switch)
- very excited thinking about all of the different ways to use Joy-Cons and their features
- feels the focus on new IPs was unsatisfactory, and they should have focused more on existing titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
SEGA – Toshihiro Nagoshi (Yakuza)
- it’s up to the software studios to make the most out of it
SEGA – Mizuki Hosoyamada (Puyo Puyo series producer; also developed Sonic series; currently developing Puyo Puyo Tetris S for Nintendo Switch)
- if Mizuki made a new game, it would focus on the split nature of the Joy-Con
NIS – Sohei Niikawa (president and producer; produced Disgaea series, Hayarigami, etc.)
INTERESTING ASPECTS OF SWITCH
- lots of demand for NIS games on mobile/handheld devices
- looking forward to developing games for Switch
PlatinumGames – Atsushi Inaba
THOUGHTS ON PRESENTATION
- very interesting that Nintendo pushed the newer employees front and center during the presentation
- price is seriously cheap
Marvelous – Kenichiro Takaki (Senran Kagura producer)
- wants to use HD rumble so people can feel softness
- already has something planned
Level-5 Akihiro Hino (CEO)
THOUGHTS ON PRESENTATION
- please be a huge success!
- would also like for Level-5 to develop an appropriate game for the hardware
- was hoping for a camera
Idea Factory – Norihisa Kochiwa (Hyperdimension Neptunia series executive producer and general director of Idea Factory and Compile Heart)
- would like to make the kinds of games we’re known for on the Switch using the new Joy-Con features
Atlus – Kazuyuki Yamai (Shin Megami Tensei series producer)
- hopes that the new play-styles possible with the Switch, together with traditional playstyles, will spread the joy of video games to many people, become the topic of conversations, and revitalize this industry