Nintendo Q&A

Nintendo held a small breakfast reception this morning at the DICE summit to allow journalists to question Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata, Nintendo's director and general manager of the corporate planning division in Kyoto, Japan. The following is a complete transcript from that meeting.

Q: Did Pikmin turn out to be the game you had wanted it to be?

Shigeru Miyamoto: For the most part, I'm pretty happy with it. The one thing that I think was kind of unfortunate was that it ended up being a game that appealed to people who really like games. We did manage to get pretty easy control in Pikmin, but I would have liked it more if there had been a certain level of tension in the game--tension that would have made it difficult for people who weren't as familiar with gaming and were maybe new to gaming. For the most part, I was satisfied, but it would have been nice to have it be a bit less of a hard-core game, I think.

Q: Are US versions of Animal Forest Plus, Doshin the Giant, and Animal Leader planned or on the way?

SM: Actually, work on Animal Forest is progressing and moving along quite well. As for Doshin the Giant and Animal Leader, we are in the process of looking as to whether or not those games are going to be suitable for the US market. But I think that hopefully they will be, and we are hoping to go ahead and work on converting those to English as well. So go ahead and raise your voices and encourage us to do so. [laughs]

Actually, as for Animal Forest, I'm translating it and working on it with our localization team. It's a game that has a lot of text in it--text for 300-plus characters--an incredible amount compared with some of the past games we've seen. It's taken quite a while to get through it and get it all done, but we are working on it, and it's coming along quite well.

Satoru Iwata: If you look at an RPG, like an RPG with a lot of text in it, it's probably got four or five times something like that.

SM: I know Nintendo's said in the past that they're not going to make big games, but that's not always the case. When we need to, we will.

Q: Will there be a planned release period for Animal Forest Plus in the US?

SI: We're thinking about later this year, perhaps in the fall--sometime around then.

Q: Do you think that more Japanese titles will come over to the US, or will there still be some that are exclusive to Japan?

SM: Well, I think that for the most part, games that will end up staying in the Japanese market might be tie-ins with Japanese animation that hasn't come overseas. Nintendo also supports some independent directors, and it's possible that some of the work that they do might not come over to the US. But actually, for the most part, Nintendo focuses mostly on creating games that will appeal to a broad audience and can be sold around the world.

SI: Nintendo certainly does have access to markets all around the world. With the cost and time involved in making games, it just makes sense to be focused on that from the beginning of development and move forward with that in mind.

However, there are certain tendencies in different countries where [the market] requires certain genres of games to ensure the success of a console. One example of that would be in the US market--if a console came out and never had an American football game for it, then people might not be as interested in it because American players like to play football games, even though those types of games don't do very well overseas. So, in the sense of trying to support the needs of the market having a software lineup that matches the expectations of the users in specific markets, we'll have to rely on software production houses to provide those types of niche games that might end up not being sold in other markets just to ensure the success of a console.

Q: Can you tell us about the current development status of the new Zelda game?

SM: [laughs] Well, I've actually just come from Europe, where I did a lot of press interviews, and this question came up a lot. I was asked it very often. What I've been saying is that it's in a state right now where by the end of this year, you will be able to play it, and I don't really want to show it at this point because I think when you just look at the game without actually sitting down and playing it and getting a feel for the gameplay, then really the topic of discussion becomes the graphics rather than the game itself. So what I can say is that it will be playable at E3, and I would like for everybody to pick it up there and see what they think about it at that point--and then form their opinions about the game.

Q: We've heard that Mr. Yamauchi is going to retire. Who will take his position afterward?

SI: Mr. Yamauchi has been saying for some time now that he was going to retire this year. And he actually already said this to his staff at Nintendo of Japan at the beginning of the year as well. And he's been saying it recently again. However, while I'm sure he knows and has a plan for what will happen after his retirement, he hasn't said exactly what that plan is. I believe his thought is that he will keep that close to him until just prior to his retirement. So while I'm sure that deep in his heart he does have a plan, I do not know what that is.

SM: Since all of you have shown up so early this morning and some of you are probably hung over, I'm sure you're looking for solid answers to at least a few questions. So, I can say that I'm sure it's not me. [laughs]

Q: What are the keys, besides the obvious, to making good games for Nintendo and to surviving against Sony and Microsoft? Would Nintendo ever consider selling its games to one of these companies?

SI: Well, making good games is obviously important, but it's not enough to really win out in a competition. I think it's all about how different you can be from your competition and how you can set yourself apart. Because really, when it comes down to it, when you have really large companies that are strong and well financed and are competing in an industry like this, and if all they're doing is competing on the same merits, then really, ultimately what it comes down to is that whoever has the most money will win. So really, I think the most important thing for Nintendo is to make good games--but also to do what it wants and to try to define the difference that makes Nintendo what it is. And this is something we've really been focusing on since last year. And that really is the direction I think we'll be going.

When your product is something that's a necessity of life that people can't live without, that's really when the size of a company and a company's power and a company's finances really come into play. That's when those types of elements become necessary for competition. But, really, video games aren't a necessity of life. Even entertainment--you know people like entertainment, but the entertainment that people choose to use to entertain themselves doesn't necessarily have to be video games and doesn't necessarily have to be Nintendo's products. So I think what we really need to do is focus on how we can make Nintendo and its products essentially the form of entertainment people are choosing. I think we can do this by creating new things--by coming up with ideas that people have never come up with before and creating games with elements that have never been seen before. I honestly think that our teams and Nintendo as a whole have the strength to do that. I've never been worried that we would ever fail in that arena.

SM: To me, truly, it's not a competition. I know it is to the media and to a lot of people who look at the numbers, because they look at how things are selling and look at the competition aspect of the video game industry. But to me, creativity isn't really a competition. Really, it's more about a competition with yourself to see what kinds of creative things you can come up with. And you may end up producing things that seem like they're in competition with other products, but really you're just trying to challenge yourself, and I think that's really what this is all about.

I'm actually reluctant to continue to create new series in traditional franchises, but, because they sell, we do--because users demand them, and we do have to continue on the series and put out these new games. That's one of the biggest things that concerns me as well. When you really break it down, I think that Nintendo is a company that focuses on software, whereas some of the other companies focus more on the hardware side. Hardware companies have a tendency to create things that people have already seen and are already familiar with, and what they do is try to one-up these things and make them more beautiful and essentially repeat things that people have already seen. So the hardware makers are always talking about what they're going to do in the future. But I think anybody, even a young child, can look at what they've done and what they're working on and really kind of guess at what they're going to have available in the future. I'm sure a lot of people here are even talking about network gaming and what's going to come out of that, but I think even a young child can look at that thought and make a pretty good guess as to what types of network games are going to come out.

We at Nintendo want to create things that users have not seen up until this point--as well as things that they cannot expect. And I think that even I don't know what's going to be next--I don't know how to solve that mystery. So I think it's my job to find out what that new thing is going to be. That's kind of a long answer, but... [laughs]

SI: So I think the media will often refer to Sony and Microsoft as game industry giants. And it's true that in the sense of the size of the company, they really are giants, but to me, the question is who the giant is among the software makers and among those who are selling software. Really, it's our job to bring surprise and excitement and entertainment to the player. And to do that, we have to try to show them things they've never seen before to give them the surprise and excitement they expect out of video games. People have always asked us, "Aren't you worried that Microsoft's coming into the gaming industry?" But the fact of the matter is we really think that, because we're competing on such different levels, we've never once been all that concerned about it. Sorry about the long answers! [laughs]

Q: Your emphasis on surprise and original software is excellent, but there have been many instances of larger companies entering a market and causing a certain amount of attrition. Could you address how Nintendo plans to stand its ground against Microsoft?

SI: Well, I think that, as any market matures gradually, you're going to see a fewer number of companies dominating more and more of the market share, and in that sense, you can definitely look at the companies that have been involved in the industry and pick out the winners and the losers. But, at the same time, when that happens, you do find that you can no longer compete only on ideas and that financing and whatnot does come into play. And you look at where Nintendo is at now in terms of financing, our teams, our human resources, so now I think we're really the strongest in the industry. And naturally, I think you're going to see a tendency in the years to come--a tendency toward the number of publishers in the game industry decreasing and a few publishers and some software houses starting to dominate more and more of the market--but I think Nintendo is going to be around for a very long time.

Q: How do you see Nintendo's image now, and has that image changed over time? Where do you see it going?

SM: Well, I think that when you look at the big picture, it's true that during the N64 era, Nintendo did have an image as being a younger, more focused company. Actually, I think a lot of that had to do with our competitors trying pin us down as being more kiddy-oriented for their own PR purposes. And I think also maybe even in the era when Sega and Nintendo were competing, the same thing happened, and Nintendo was given a more childish image. But the fact of the matter is that we have always focused on making games for all ages and have tried to have a library that is well balanced and appeals to people who are very young and very old. Nintendo has always had a main focus on having its game systems be systems that the entire family can sit down and play and enjoy. So in that sense, I think that we're going to continue to focus on that and promote that idea and basically move in that direction.

SI: The core of how we make our games isn't going to change. One thing that we're really proud of is the fact that we can make games that young kids enjoy. Really, I think it's a question of how we are going to focus on changing our image. Or basically giving people an image of Nintendo that we feel is accurate. For a long time in the US, there's even been kind of a negative image of gaming as being something you do all alone in a dark room. And really what we're trying to do with the GameCube is bring it out of that dark room and put it in the living room, where the whole family can sit down around it and enjoy and have a good time together. And so I think in regard to the future, we thought too much that maybe if we just made a good game, then people would understand and see that we're a good company, so I think going forward, it's going be a question of how we manage that image and get people to understand Nintendo the way we want them to understand it.

Q: When are you going to reveal titles for Triforce? Are you going to reveal titles at the next E3? Are these titles going to be brand new, or will they be sequels like Smash Bros.?

SI: The Triforce arcade board was essentially an announcement of cooperation between Namco and Sega and Nintendo, which stemmed from the fact that Namco and Sega took a look at the GameCube architecture and the capabilities of the GameCube and the cost effectiveness of it, and they decided that it was a system that was extremely well suited to making arcade games. Because of that, they wanted to use it as an arcade board for their future business in the arcade game industry. With that in mind, Nintendo was happy to cooperate with them, but that doesn't mean that we're necessarily thinking about making arcade games. Obviously, nobody can see what the future holds, but at this point, it's not our plan. However, if they are making games for an arcade system that's based on GameCube architecture, then that will mean it will be much easier to bring those styles of games to the GameCube--and that will essentially provide the GameCube with a much broader and much more appealing library of games. With that in mind, I think probably in the weeks and months leading up to E3, there will be a high probability of some announcements as to what types of things you'll see on the Triforce hardware.

SM: It sounds like something that I said in an interview in Europe has worked its way rapidly around the world. [laughs] I think maybe I did say that something like Smash Bros. might appear on the Triforce board when I was in Europe. But really, the whole idea of the arcade board came out of discussions between Sega and Namco. It really was an idea that came from them. So being somebody who really got his start in the video games and the arcade game industry, of course in the back of my head, I think, "Hey, maybe it would be nice to make some arcade games again," but actually we don't have any plans for that at this point. We don't have anything going on.

Q: Do you know if Namco is converting Soul Calibur 2 to run on the Triforce board?

SI: Actually, we don't know at this point--that's Namco's decision.

SM: Namco is a company that manages its information very well. So unless it's something that we've spoken directly with them about doing, we can't tell if they're working on it or not. [laughs] But I think the fact that we could work together with companies like Sega and Namco to produce something means that we've seen a change in the industry.

Q: How has development on the next Pokémon game gone? Will we see its release this year?

SI: We actually think that there's a variety of things that could be done with Pokémon on the Nintendo GameCube, and because of that, we're really looking at several possible directions we could take with Pokémon on the GameCube. One thing I would like to note is that the next generation of the Gold and Silver games, essentially a Pokémon for Game Boy Advance, is being worked on in Japan and is underway. While we haven't announced anything yet, I do think it will probably be out in Japan this year, and of course, we're not sure of localization, but I'd like to think maybe we could get it out in the US this year--definitely as soon as we possibly can. But in terms of the GameCube, there are definitely some different ideas we could do with Pokémon, and that's what we're thinking of now. But you'll probably be hearing some announcements on that in the near future.

Q: Mr. Miyamoto, you've mentioned in the past that many designers want to be ahead of the pack rather than carrying the past with them. Can you elaborate on why it's important for video game designers to carry the past? And isn't that a hard thing to do in a field that's so young?

SM: I think what I was trying to get at was that the video game industry as a whole has a very brief history. And, because of that, it seems to me that a lot of people look at what's been done and what's succeeded, and they try to repeat that on their own. So a lot of people really look at video games mostly in terms of the business aspect, and I think that's almost kind of sad. I'd like to see a lot more people come into the industry who are interested in making games for a much broader audience than just the standard gamers. I think it will be important for the industry to get that new flood of creativity to get it going in many directions at once, rather than focusing too much on the one hot topic.

Q: What are the differences between Japanese and American consumers?

SI: I think this is actually going to be a topic of discussion at the panel we'll be sitting on tomorrow. [laughs] We haven't actually thought of many distinctions. People always ask us about the differences between games--why one game is more popular than others. But really, I think the question is not so much about the differences--it's more about the commonalities. And we really look at how we can create a game that will not succeed in a specific market but will succeed worldwide and in all markets. And I think, possibly because there are few examples of games that have succeeded worldwide, people tend to ask these questions. Look at a game that hasn't done well in some markets and ask what's different about it and why it didn't do well. But I think the point is to look at where the commonalities are and try to take advantage of those to make games that will succeed in both markets.

Clearly, there are games like American football, which has almost all of its popularity exclusively in the US, or games like F1 racing, which have most of their popularity in Europe, or games like soccer, which have almost no popularity in the US. Games that seem to simulate or reflect things that exist in real life like that are really going to be dependent more on the culture and more on what is popular in a specific country at a given time. And that will kind of determine how well they'll sell in those different markets. But when it comes to making games for everyone, we've kind of shown with Super Mario Bros. and Zelda that there are commonalities. Basically, with these games, we've shown that you can make games that are popular around the world. And actually with Pokémon, it's kind of interesting because Pokémon was not designed specifically to be a series that would be popular around the world. And yet it's succeeded around the world and has done very well. I think that when you're making games, if you can find that element of fun that's intrinsic to human nature and that anybody, regardless of what country they live in, can find the game fun and interesting, then you're going to find that your game is going to do very well around the world.

Q: With the rising cost of game development and the prevalence of cookie-cutter games, will Nintendo work with third parties to help them develop original titles?

SM: Nintendo's been helping some creative directors and whatnot, not so much on a corporate level, but more with some of the young independent creators and game designers. More recently, you can see an example of that in Doshin the Giant and Animal Leader, which will be out in Japan this month and next month. Those are games in which Nintendo actually helped with the coding and provided some of the funding to help keep the projects going. So you can expect to see that ongoing.