Mizuguchi: Next-gen Xbox title won't be music-oriented

TOKYO--Former Sega producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has been the focus of media attention since Microsoft announced that he will be producing games for the next-generation Xbox. While Mizuguchi has been willing to talk about the motivations behind his entries, he's been silent about any of his upcoming projects. In a recent interview with Xbox's official Japanese Web site, however, Mizuguchi intimated that his new project will not focus on music.

This news is somewhat surprising, since Mizuguchi, the creator of Space Channel 5 and Rez, has become known for infectiously groovy music-related games.

"I want to challenge a new category since I get bored easily," said Mizuguchi in the interview. "When I previously made a music game after I created a racing game, people from all over the place asked me why I stepped into such a different direction. The reason is, I want to try my hands on various different [game] categories."

"I'm thinking of making an action game with an extreme amount of drama, which [I hope] will remain in the heart of its players," continued Mizuguchi. "I can't disclose its [exact] category and its world view yet, but it will contain a lot of first challenges for me. If there's one thing that can be said, it will be a game that [I] want to continue for a long time. I hope to produce it with a theme that goes on for eternity."

Mizuguchi also commented in the interview that he sees the next-generation consoles not just as new machines, but as the starting point of a major shift in gaming history.

"I believe that we are at a historical turning point [in gaming]," said Mizuguchi. "If we were to look back at today in a not too distant future, I believe that we will be saying to ourselves, 'Ah, so that was the first step that led to the major changes.' I think we're at that kind of a revolutionary time right now, in terms that games will become a media of expression," commented Mizuguchi. "I see the possibility that [people's] views towards games will change. ... Entertainment may perhaps become differentiated as 'interactive or not interactive.' I feel that [the next-generation consoles] will be the starting point where videogames will become extremely incredible."