Interview:Edge ETC 1999

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Q. How do you feel about getting to grips with Nintendo's new console technology?

SM. Of course I'm very excited and looking forward to the launch of the Dolphin, but I'm also very busy. Whenever we encounter new technology - especially with a high specification like Dolphin - it's not easy. Dolphin is going to be a very powerful machine, but if we're going to make videogames to fully use the hardware, it merely becomes a competition of technology. That is not what our own game creators are anticipating. Rather, we are looking forward to the opportunity to develop more unique and different games.

Q. The step from 16bit to 32- and 64bit was most obvious in the jump from two to three dimensions. What sort of jump should be expected with Dolphin?

SM. It's easy to notice the transition from 2D to 3D. I don't think Dolphin will present that kind of clear transition from one generation to another. The N64 was a 3D machine and Dolphin is, of course, also a 3D machine. But I have to admit that, while the N64 didn't have the ability to realise the perfect 3D world, Dolphin is going to do so. In other words, it's like the transition from NES to Super NES. It's an upgrade version of a similar format. So when it comes to the creative side, I think it's a stage along the same path that we are working on right now. Having said that, I think we can widen the uniqueness and give more routes for the videogame creator to make videogames with more new ideas. In the past, on the N64, developers faced some difficulties creating 3D pictures. Now they are going to find it pretty easy, so they will have more spare time and resources available to devote to the creation of more unique ideas in Dolphin games. I hope that Dolphin succeeds through creative new ideas rather than the creativity of new technology.

Q. How will the shift to DVD change the picture?

SM. With optical media available, it's going to present thirdparty developers and other publishers with the opportunity to invest in our DVD system with much more ease. I think its going to present a good business model.

Q. What other technologies are you looking forward to working with?

SM. Already we have made announcements that in Japan we are going to link the Game Boy Color with cellphones. Also we are working on the 64DD in Japan on something that could be compared to internet gaming. Those are the areas I'm working on in software development right now.

Q. Have you come up with any new game concepts derived from new technologies such as connectivity?

SM. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to tell you anything because if I tell you something then that's going to be seen by our competitors! Seriously, it's going to be the idea that counts in this kind of new business. So what we have to do between now and the launch is to keep strict confidentiality among ourselves. I'm talking about concepts which, once you hear them, you'll think 'Oh yeah, that's a great new idea, I can do that', but until you hear it, you'll never even think of it. That's the kind of concept I'm working on.

Q. Do current Internet games running on networked PCs hold much interest to you?

SM. Actually, I don't use PCs very often and in fact I'm not even getting the chance to play videogames very much myself. When I use the internet, it's just for business purposes. But of course, many of the game designers in our department are monitoring what is happening in the Internet field when it comes to videogames. If you just focus on avid personal computer game users it should be very interesting and the market should grow. But our market is much larger than that of PC users. Last week we had the Nintendo Spaceworld '99 in Tokyo. There were many, many parents and children coming together and enjoying the show, and that is the big market we're talking about. I don't think that the Internet games can appeal to that mass audience.

Q. How do you get the best out of the very large teams you require to make games nowadays?

SM. When I come to think about it I have to tell you I really don't know. But the way I work is like this. I talk to many different game directors and designers about many very different game ideas and each of these teams or directors then starts working on different experiments. At some point during the game development I meet with them again to discuss what's going on and again we have talks so that we can put everything together into one game. Those are steps we always take.

Q. Where do you get the inspiration for those ideas?

SM. Mostly when I'm making a game and I encounter some troubles - that is the time when I get inspiration. When we are doing some little experiments for the programming we can think about those ideas. It's like there are ideas around [motions about his head] not in a good shape, and then I try to think about how we should convey them to the game users: what would be the most recognisable way for people to appreciate the idea? Then I shape it into some kind of concrete game idea. As an example of these sorts of ideas, there are many games nowadays which require you to play for 40 hours. I think it's good when you notice after 40 hours that 'Oh yes, I've played 40 hours'. But if you think from the beginning you've got to play for 40 hours, that might not seem like such a good idea. So I'm thinking right now that maybe I should work on some different unique games which don't ever require you to think you'll be playing for some specific time period.

Q.Have you ever dreamt up any new characters to join Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong?

SM. [Laughs and points to the Edge cover that has been staring up at him throughout the interview] Sonic, how about Sonic?

Q. Ah. Erm, yes. Sorry about that.

SM. [Laughs] It's okay, Mr Naka is my friend. I'm the kind of designer who tries to make game systems first and only decides at the end what sort of game character should fit into the world of the particular new game. I have not yet decided what kind of characters would have the most appeal on the Dolphin system. But whether it be me or other creators, Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong have become so important that some games should be created to use them on Dolphin, that's for sure.

Q. Should gamers ever expect another game where Mario goes against Donkey Kong.

SM. Of course - they have already met in Smash Brothers. But let me think about it. [Long pause] Yes!

Q. What about Luigi? As Mario's brother, will he ever fulfil his historic potential?

SM. Yes, I think Luigi will make an appearance in the near future because there are many staff members at Nintendo who wish to see Luigi get more of the spotlight.

Q. With multiplayer games so popular on the N64, are you interested in creating a version of Mario or even Zelda for two or more players?

SM. Yes, I really appreciate the fact that the fourplayer mode is enjoyed so much by the N64 users. I'm very interested in those games. At Nintendo Spaceworld it was fourplayer games that attracted most attention, and I think it's becoming a core of N64 games. I think it's very important that some people are playing games together. For the creators, this means not only making games and trying to convey some messages in them, but also thinking about how different people make use of the information we have provided. I think that's important.

Q. Your games have all been strongly character based, whereas in the west there has been a trend towards firstperson games. Any plans to explore the area?

SM. Yes, I am interested in making firstperson-viewpoint games. Rare's GoldenEye game is already a good game with firstperson viewpoint. I'm almost of the opinion that my style of making small characters on the screen appear and go here and there, it may be old fashioned by now.

Q. Another hugely successful concept has been Pokemon. Do you think you can take this style of game further in future titles?

SM. Yeah, Pokemon is very unique. I was the producer of Pokemon myself and from the very beginning we were thinking of incorporating so many different characters. Pikachu, for example, just happened to become the main character for many people. It was not intended to be so when were creating the game. Many people are thinking of making Pokemon-type games but I don't think that in terms of the business we should make too many Pokemon-type games ourselves. The success of Pokemon depends on the very unique features of the game system. You are trading your charater with your friends. What you get from your friends is not the character you have created but one that your friends have trained. You are going to see something quite different from the one you have trained. That's the interesting point about it and that kind of thing is maybe what we should explore more. Because of the uniqueness of videogames we can create many different characters.

Q. It's 20 years since you first began making games with Nintendo. Will you still be making games in another 20 years? If so, what do you expect them to look like?

SM.You know it is often said that a movie director can make movies until he or she dies [laughs], and it may be possible for me to continue to the end. But I know that I have the responsibility to train and nurture more young people to become better creators, directors and producers. For the maintenance and the expansion of the industry I've got to work [on that], I understand that, but at the same time I really want to make something of my own. When it comes to game development maybe I can't make such giant games any more, maybe it's more the compact games I should work on. In the end, 20 years from now, I don't know what kind of games I'll be working on. Probably Nintendo will continue to be the entertainment company and will have to appeal to mass audiences, but I believe that 20 years from now videogames will become very different.