Miyamoto On What Makes Nintendo Different
Love him for his awe-inspiring creativity or hate him for bringing the world WiiMusic, when Shigeru Miyamoto speaks people listen. Recently, Nintendo's brightest star sat down with Edge Magazine to discuss a wide variety of topics that include the icon's typical workday, "lifestyle-oriented titles," and how they aren't all that different from "serious titles."
While Nintendo's recent success with expanded casual audiences might be good for business, this has given hardcore fans the opportunity to wonder if Nintendo is still interested in making games for them and what's so innovative about what they're doing now. Edge took the time to ask Miyamoto about what he considers innovative about today's Nintendo games and got an interesting response...
Our basic principle is very clear: we're always trying to be different from everybody else. Many other companies might try to do the same things as someone else who's already been successful in a certain area: they think in terms of the competition, and they think in terms of how they can be better than their predecessor in any established arena. But Nintendo always tries to be unique instead. We always try to be different all the time. Even when we're working on those so-called 'serious' titles, when we're hard at work on a Zelda or Super Mario Bros., amongst ourselves in the same development team, the way we discuss the game is to ask: "What's new? What's fresh about this title?" That kind of focus on trying to be new, to be unique every time, of trying to create something different every time, will be carried on and on and on, so that even when we are working on several other titles, our spirit of trying to be different is always there in the background somewhere.
My take on what Miyamoto is saying here is that Nintendo could provide hardcore fans with the titles they so achingly long for, but they aren't exactly interested in making those experiences if they aren't different. I'm sure there's an argument against putting uniqueness in front of the demands of fans, but it's really hard to dispute the man's track record, especially this generation of hardware. One thing that I feel that many developers could stand to learn from this interview is the lack of developmental differences between making something along the lines of a Zelda title and WiiSports Resort. Maybe if more game creators would make the same considerations and focus the same level of detail to their casual games they would find more success on Nintendo's kooky platforms.
[An Audience With Shigeru Miyamoto] Edge Online
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Posted to Video Games on 16 December 2009
· Comments (3)
Other stuff like this: development, ds, edge, interview, nintendo, shigeru miyamoto, shiggy, unique, wii
I dunno, Nintendo only seems to have a few successful (both economically and critically) titles going for them this generation, it seems. Sure, they are more successful obviously in the hardware department, but most people I know eventually have the glamour of that hardware wear-off on them, and they turn back to the competition for their gaming. I think that while he is trying to be different, which is good, he's not being very successful at it since there aren't nearly as many titles critically acclaimed on Nintendo platforms as there are on other platforms.
I wonder if they asked themselves that when they were making Animal Crossing Wii. Apart from a couple of new features, that game is almost identical to the previous AC games.
"We always try to be different all the time."
... *looks at pokemon*