GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Q&A: Q Entertainment's Shuji Utsumi and Takeshi Hirai

CEO and director of development house discuss the ins and outs of making Meteos Online.

6 Comments

Given the rise to prominence of Q Entertainment since it debuted its portable pair of popular puzzlers Lumines and Meteos (on the PlayStation Portable and DS, respectively) last year, it seems unusual to think of the group as being stumped by a development challenge. But converting Meteos for the PC as Meteos Online was a particularly difficult nut to crack, according to a developer interview on Japanese gaming site Famitsu.com.

The Web site today featured an in-depth interview with Q Entertainment CEO Shuji Utsumi and director Takeshi Hirai where they discussed the at-times-problematic development of Meteos Online. The game is based on the designs of Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Nintendo's Kirby and director of the first two Super Smash Bros. games. However, Sakurai "is busy with a new project," so Hirai (who also directed the DS version of Meteos) is spearheading the development process now.

"Since we had no experience with online PC games, everything was new to us," Hirai noted. "We had about six members who were involved with the DS version of Meteos, but we didn't know where to start. ... We struggled with how to develop Meteos in its transformation into an online game. ... We paid special attention to creating a 'live' screen that allows the status of the [other] players to be assessed accurately. When playing with people in remote locations, you mustn't lose track of the other player, and you must also show them your own identity."

He added that the hardest part to get right was the controls. The PC version had to be adapted for the mouse and keyboard in place of the DS touch pen.

"I struggled with this problem every day for nearly a month, until it gave me nightmares," Hirai said. "While you can quickly move [the blocks] with the touch pen, the mouse and keyboard initially just didn't produce any sense of speed."

In the end, though, Hirai thinks the PC interface turned out well, saying that once players get used to the keyboard and mouse, they can actually play faster than with a stylus.

Hirai also filled in some of the details that will distinguish the PC version from its DS counterpart. "A maximum of six players will be able to participate in individual or team battles, but we've also improved the other features of the game. ... During team battles, you can store up Meteo blocks sent by friendly players and use them in combo techniques called 'Friend Meteos.'"

The game is currently undergoing closed beta testing, with an open beta to follow. Utsumi remarked, "I really want to hear feedback from players of the DS version."

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 6 comments about this story