Yes, you're right. We can only talk about hypothetical scenarios. Multiplayer or not, game quality, marketing campaign ... Too many unknowns. All we have are the numbers of the previous three.
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He is playing Metroid Prime 4 right now in his Project Scarlett at home.
Yeah, I figure it's just random test stuff. I just didn't recognize it.
It's like this robot they used for the Bezel engine, I guess
If Retro Studios were to dabble with this property, I could see it being Nintendo's answer to the Tomb Raider franchise.
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Back when people forced this idea into existence as a rumor during the early Wii U days, it was still referred to as their answer to Uncharted lol.
Yeah, I figure it's just random test stuff. I just didn't recognize it.
It's like this robot they used for the Bezel engine, I guess
Could have been a potential new character if Astro Bot didn't beat them to the punch.
is it just me or does this interview kinda imply their relationship with nintendo is no longer as solid as it was? i sure hope yoshi's crafted world didn't have a lot to do with it. it didn't do super hot in reviews or sales but it was a fantastic game imo.
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Nothing Ebisu actually says there himself indicates anything of that sort.
looks like they have more plans for self-published games, and they're not really a big studio capable of working on multiple projects at once. i just kinda assumed that like in the past, after one game finished nintendo would get them to work on the next game. so i dunno, maybe something has changed. all speculation of course.
seems like some companies just want to have something to their name that's not owned by other companies
boooo
jk, i hope we get more games from them, no matter who the publisher is. i like their stuff.
Their self-published titles seem like incubation projects to me. I bet they still have a big contract from Nintendo for another Switch game.
i hope so. i was counting on one more platformer from them on switch. a new wario land maybe.
I've been looking through NIntendo's recruitment page and some of the interviews with various developers, and one thing I noticed was that there was a part within EPD called "Planning & Production Department" several producers and planners are assigned to. I assume this is the Department within EPD that comprises all the Production Groups that oversee and manage all the games. I remember EAD had the "Software Development Department" headed by Takashi Tezuka, which handled all the actual game development, so I'm pretty sure EPD has a "Software Development Department" as well, perhaps a "Technology Department" like EAD as well. Either way, Nintendo EPD's actual structure and hierachy is weirdly complex, similar to most other Japanese companies.
I can only assume Ebisu looks exactly like Ebisumaru.
And yeah, people like reading a lot into comments about diversifying series/publishing. Recall how Game Freak obviously hates Pokémon and puts all their effort into Pocket Card Jockey.
And yeah, people like reading a lot into comments about diversifying series/publishing. Recall how Game Freak obviously hates Pokémon and puts all their effort into Pocket Card Jockey.
I expect
Smash reveal (Private video just went up on YouTube)
Bayo 3 gameplay reveal
Brand new game announcement
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Do you have any thoughts on what could come from Nintendo first party in 2020?
Many of the announced project for 2020 are still very early in development, stuff like Bayo 3, MP4 and, likely, BOTW2 might not even come in 2020. First half of 2020 is heavily dependent of Animal Crossing at this point.
In the optimistic sight, probably, they'll drop the bombs in the January (February?) Direct. If they don't, then something bad is going on behind the scenes at Nintendo.
Anyway, Nintendo's absence from VGA was weird to say the least.
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None of these have any release date associated with them. MP4 is definitely not 2020 because we know that got rebooted a year ago. BotWis far along, as is Bayo3 at this point.
I had a thought. What if EPD's internal software group (where all of Nintendo's big in-house games are made) was chopped up and spun-off into 4 or so independent development subsidiaries. EPD itself would transition into strictly an oversight division, and Nintendo's studios would operate similarly to Sony's Worldwide Studios, or Sega's Dreamcast era studios. Where each company has its own name, management and culture..
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Wasn't the entire point of having everything under one roof to get away from arbitrary divisions of "teams" so people could freely move between projects as they are needed and see fit? I don't see what they'd gain from chopping up EPD again.
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ding ding ding
that other scenario is from the "be more like sony/other and have cool teams with cool names" universe that some fans really want to wish into existence.
This move would make EPD a more western-style R&D management division like SIE Worldwide Studios. Where they would oversee 14-15 development studios plus outside companies.
EPD is still divided into groups, but the scenario I propose is the software development department being spun-off. It's probably never going to happen, but it'd still be interesting to see Nintendo do something like this.
I get what it would do. The question was, what would they gain from it. Why would they divide EPD into multiple studios when all of them are already located in a single building.
Well in theory, the studios would gain a great degree of autonomy from main EPD management. Where they can initiate projects on their own, and EPD would be there to support them along the way. Each studio would be able to develop games and software in their own style, and have their own development culture and process for making games. This is sort of how it works now (I think), but this would further accentuate that.
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Lots of redundancies, cool team names, less flexibility. :)
Let's do it!
I guess I just don't see how that would benefit their software output. Just looking at their Switch releases there's already lot of diversity in gameplay, aesthetics and "style". Not to mention that this way there's the possibility for people to move around between teams and bring in new ideas. Their one blind spot, M-rated "gritty" games, wouldn't really be covered by such a change because it's just not the kind of stuff that EPD makes, probably never will.
The current structure seems to be most conductive to making the kinds of games they want to make and are good at. I'm not sure they need to "accentuate" what they already have and in turn lose all the benefits they gained when they restructured.
That's the way to go. Nintendo needs to operate more as global company, which they are, but their current management is still very japanese centric which restricts their autonomy. Most publishers operates this way in the current development business, it's nothing wrong to properly adapt to it's standards. I won't oppose Nintendo expanding their EPD studios (and others) to US, Europe, Asia, etc., or open studios cattering to those markets. They're actually in need of it because since 2002, NOA was downgraded to a publishing brand and lost the autonomy they had in the Arakawa/Lincoln days. This is something that needs to be restored.
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The argument is about the actual Japanese EPD, which would be redundant since everybody is already in the same building.
It would be like the Sega structure with Sonic Team, Amusement Vision, Smilebit and so on.
It's difficult to predict how the software development may be structured in the future. Even though Nintendo has traditionally been heavily reliant on keeping their primary hub internalized in Kyoto, I think they need to commit to establishing R&D facilities outside of Kyoto (Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, etc.). They ultimately want to recruit the best talent, and having their main hub in Kyoto (and a small one in Tokyo) can exclude a large pool of talent.
Expanding outside of Kyoto is going to become an inevitability one day. It's been 17 years or so since they opened their Tokyo offices, one in Osaka should have followed years ago. Would have been great if Hashimoto had joined them there as a producer after he left PlatinumGames (provided that he was interested).
I was hoping that Furukawa would invest more in studios/development outside of Japan considering his time in Germany but I haven't really seen anything indicating that.
I was hoping that Furukawa would invest more in studios/development outside of Japan considering his time in Germany but I haven't really seen anything indicating that.
Yeah. The Tokyo team has always seemed isolated though, even now.
My argument is a further explanation/reason for why I agree with lazyboi's opinion and this is the way to go.
Eh, I really doubt Nintendo will ever want to grant autonomy to their western divisions, especially after the Sega fiasco. Plus, other stuff like Project HAMMER.
Possibly even more so if the rumors that Retro failed to come up with a new IP are true.
We're way more likely to just see them expanding through other Japanese tech hubs as EAD Ninja pointed out.
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New NCL employee interviews for their employment section.
Got a bigger view of the Bezel engine prototype from the other week here:
Got a bigger view of the Bezel engine prototype from the other week here:
Coming to a reality near you!
Nintendo Land 2 would be cool, but unsure how it would work without the asymmetric gameplay the first one relied on.
as interesting as it was, it wasn't completely necessary. or rather, it really didn't need the gamepad all that much. stuff like the ship in metroid blast could be easily adapted. and stuff like Pikmin Adventure didn't need the gamepad at all