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Interview:Zelda Universe June 16th 2013 (view source)
Revision as of 19:15, February 8, 2015
, February 8, 2015Text replacement - "<br>" to "<br/>"
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{{Interview/Q|JASON|Alright, so I'll get started. Obviously you're developing ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds|A Link Between Worlds]]'', which is a sequel to ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]''. We're wondering how the overall development of the Zelda series has changed since A Link to the Past was shipped twenty years ago now, and how has the change in development and in Nintendo changed ''A Link Between Worlds'' and it's development and made it a different Zelda game?}} | {{Interview/Q|JASON|Alright, so I'll get started. Obviously you're developing ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds|A Link Between Worlds]]'', which is a sequel to ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]''. We're wondering how the overall development of the Zelda series has changed since A Link to the Past was shipped twenty years ago now, and how has the change in development and in Nintendo changed ''A Link Between Worlds'' and it's development and made it a different Zelda game?}} | ||
{{Interview/A|AONUMA|Actually, I didn't work on ''A Link to the Past''. At that time I was working on another project, and [[Shigeru Miyamoto|Mr. Miyamoto]] was working on creating ''A Link to the Past''. But, having played it, I was really, really impressed, and that was actually the game that made me want to direct my own game. And then I started working on Zelda, and some twenty-plus years later here I am working on ''A Link Between Worlds''. But Mr. Miyamoto always wanted to do more with <i>A Link to the Past</i>'s story, and he's actually tasked me with doing that for quite some time, so I'm really happy to have come to that point where we're actually working on continuing that.<br><br>And because I wasn't directly involved in <i>A Link to the Past</i>'s development, I can't really speak about how development has changed, so I can't really respond to that part of your question, unfortunately. But what I can say is, well… I was working on Zelda after it became the 3D Zelda, so that's when my involvement started. But taking this flat world and creating one with dimension is something that we are working on doing. And it's interesting, because when I proposed this to my staff what I actually did was I took the flat, two-dimensional world of ''A Link to the Past'' and, on my PC, created a version of the same world with dimension. And to think that what was originally ''A Link to the Past'' can now be created on a PC so easily by one person speaks to how far we've come.}} | {{Interview/A|AONUMA|Actually, I didn't work on ''A Link to the Past''. At that time I was working on another project, and [[Shigeru Miyamoto|Mr. Miyamoto]] was working on creating ''A Link to the Past''. But, having played it, I was really, really impressed, and that was actually the game that made me want to direct my own game. And then I started working on Zelda, and some twenty-plus years later here I am working on ''A Link Between Worlds''. But Mr. Miyamoto always wanted to do more with <i>A Link to the Past</i>'s story, and he's actually tasked me with doing that for quite some time, so I'm really happy to have come to that point where we're actually working on continuing that.<br/><br/>And because I wasn't directly involved in <i>A Link to the Past</i>'s development, I can't really speak about how development has changed, so I can't really respond to that part of your question, unfortunately. But what I can say is, well… I was working on Zelda after it became the 3D Zelda, so that's when my involvement started. But taking this flat world and creating one with dimension is something that we are working on doing. And it's interesting, because when I proposed this to my staff what I actually did was I took the flat, two-dimensional world of ''A Link to the Past'' and, on my PC, created a version of the same world with dimension. And to think that what was originally ''A Link to the Past'' can now be created on a PC so easily by one person speaks to how far we've come.}} | ||
{{Interview/Q|DANIEL|What made you decide that this was the right… because you talked about how Miyamoto has asked you for a long time to make something in the world of ''A Link to the Past''. Was the 3D something that made you decide that this was the right time to do that? Or was it something else that made you think, "now is the time we want to make the sequel"?}} | {{Interview/Q|DANIEL|What made you decide that this was the right… because you talked about how Miyamoto has asked you for a long time to make something in the world of ''A Link to the Past''. Was the 3D something that made you decide that this was the right time to do that? Or was it something else that made you think, "now is the time we want to make the sequel"?}} | ||
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{{Interview/Q|JASON|Along that lines, though, we obviously do have a very active user base that likes to voice a lot of their opinions about the Zelda series. They may not know whether or not you guys look at what they say – which I would love to believe that you do, because we care. And I'm just wondering: what is the largest change, or the most important change, that you've made to the Zelda series as a whole because of feedback from fans?}} | {{Interview/Q|JASON|Along that lines, though, we obviously do have a very active user base that likes to voice a lot of their opinions about the Zelda series. They may not know whether or not you guys look at what they say – which I would love to believe that you do, because we care. And I'm just wondering: what is the largest change, or the most important change, that you've made to the Zelda series as a whole because of feedback from fans?}} | ||
{{Interview/A|AONUMA|Hmm… I think the project that reflects our reaction to fan opinion is probably ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]''. The incentive for us to create that different version of the Zelda universe was certainly as a result of ''The Wind Waker'' criticism that we received. Fans were saying that it wasn't what they were looking for, it wasn't what they were hoping for, so that's why we went with this different graphic presentation. So I think that's probably the one, the biggest change that we made.<br><br>I still remember eight years ago at E3 when we ran that first video of Twilight Princess. It was received very well; there was a standing ovation! So I still remember that moment very well.}} | {{Interview/A|AONUMA|Hmm… I think the project that reflects our reaction to fan opinion is probably ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]''. The incentive for us to create that different version of the Zelda universe was certainly as a result of ''The Wind Waker'' criticism that we received. Fans were saying that it wasn't what they were looking for, it wasn't what they were hoping for, so that's why we went with this different graphic presentation. So I think that's probably the one, the biggest change that we made.<br/><br/>I still remember eight years ago at E3 when we ran that first video of Twilight Princess. It was received very well; there was a standing ovation! So I still remember that moment very well.}} | ||
{{Interview/Q|DANIEL|I wanted to ask, how has your relationship to the fans changed? Because, in the old days, you had to rely on market analysts and the press. But, nowadays, you have the internet, you have fan sites, you have Miiverse, where you can connect to fans directly. Has that changed your connection to the fans or your perception of the fan base?}} | {{Interview/Q|DANIEL|I wanted to ask, how has your relationship to the fans changed? Because, in the old days, you had to rely on market analysts and the press. But, nowadays, you have the internet, you have fan sites, you have Miiverse, where you can connect to fans directly. Has that changed your connection to the fans or your perception of the fan base?}} | ||
{{Interview/A|AONUMA|It certainly has changed. When I started, the voices I was hearing were heard indirectly. Someone did a market analysis like you said, and I heard the results of that. Now, with fan sites and Miiverse, its almost as though we're sitting in the same room, kind of like we are right now, because there's no go-between; it's direct. But with regard to how fan voices or fan opinion affects my daily work and my creative process, I certainly have the fans in mind when I'm creating something, and I want to create something that will make them happy, but it's my creative responsibility to also give them something they didn't know they wanted. An element of surprise always has to be there, because I'm a creative person; it's my job. If I just took the opinions of fans, I'm just gathering information, I'm not creating my own ideas. In that sense, I like to leave a little bit of distance between myself and my fans, because it's that distance that allows me the space that I need to, again, deliver something that you guys don't expect.<br><br>And with regard to the kind of opinions or fan response that I really want to hear, it's "What stayed with you?" What left an impression? What made you feel happy? What made you feel sad? That kind of information is really helpful to me. I understand that people will have specific requests with regard to a certain dungeon, or "We want to see this particular item in the game," or something like that. But even more than that I really value the emotional experience that people have, and as a creator it's very important for me to leave an impression, and I'd like to hear what those impressions are.}} | {{Interview/A|AONUMA|It certainly has changed. When I started, the voices I was hearing were heard indirectly. Someone did a market analysis like you said, and I heard the results of that. Now, with fan sites and Miiverse, its almost as though we're sitting in the same room, kind of like we are right now, because there's no go-between; it's direct. But with regard to how fan voices or fan opinion affects my daily work and my creative process, I certainly have the fans in mind when I'm creating something, and I want to create something that will make them happy, but it's my creative responsibility to also give them something they didn't know they wanted. An element of surprise always has to be there, because I'm a creative person; it's my job. If I just took the opinions of fans, I'm just gathering information, I'm not creating my own ideas. In that sense, I like to leave a little bit of distance between myself and my fans, because it's that distance that allows me the space that I need to, again, deliver something that you guys don't expect.<br/><br/>And with regard to the kind of opinions or fan response that I really want to hear, it's "What stayed with you?" What left an impression? What made you feel happy? What made you feel sad? That kind of information is really helpful to me. I understand that people will have specific requests with regard to a certain dungeon, or "We want to see this particular item in the game," or something like that. But even more than that I really value the emotional experience that people have, and as a creator it's very important for me to leave an impression, and I'd like to hear what those impressions are.}} | ||
{{Interview/Q|CODY|In the original ''[[The Legend of Zelda|Legend of Zelda]]'', [[Link]] is named Link because he is a link to the player. However, in more recent Zelda games, Link has become more of a character in his own right. In ''The Wind Waker'', his facial expressions were a large part of the game, and it was emotional to see him wave goodbye to his family on [[Outset Island]]. And in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]]'', Link even has a relationship with [[Zelda]]. So do you feel that Link is becoming less of a link to the player and more of a character in his own right?}} | {{Interview/Q|CODY|In the original ''[[The Legend of Zelda|Legend of Zelda]]'', [[Link]] is named Link because he is a link to the player. However, in more recent Zelda games, Link has become more of a character in his own right. In ''The Wind Waker'', his facial expressions were a large part of the game, and it was emotional to see him wave goodbye to his family on [[Outset Island]]. And in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]]'', Link even has a relationship with [[Zelda]]. So do you feel that Link is becoming less of a link to the player and more of a character in his own right?}} | ||
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{{Interview/Q|JASON|Okay, so, another question. In my travels, something I've found is that the people who know Zelda are not always the people you would expect to have played Zelda or even video games. I likened it almost to a secret of people who just love Zelda and you'd never know it. And this always makes me wonder about the experiences that people have had, and there's always a story that someone has to tell about this person they met that knows Zelda and you never thought. I'm wondering if you have any stories like that, of a person you may not have thought would've played your games, but you met them and they have and it changed their life in some way.}} | {{Interview/Q|JASON|Okay, so, another question. In my travels, something I've found is that the people who know Zelda are not always the people you would expect to have played Zelda or even video games. I likened it almost to a secret of people who just love Zelda and you'd never know it. And this always makes me wonder about the experiences that people have had, and there's always a story that someone has to tell about this person they met that knows Zelda and you never thought. I'm wondering if you have any stories like that, of a person you may not have thought would've played your games, but you met them and they have and it changed their life in some way.}} | ||
{{Interview/A|AONUMA|I think you probably know this one – Robin Williams. He was such a huge fan he named his daughter Zelda. So, when we did the recording for the commercial, I met him and he is in fact a huge Zelda fan, and I was very flattered and very proud.<br><br>Oh, but please share with me if you have information about hidden Zelda fans, because there might be a group I don't know about!}} | {{Interview/A|AONUMA|I think you probably know this one – Robin Williams. He was such a huge fan he named his daughter Zelda. So, when we did the recording for the commercial, I met him and he is in fact a huge Zelda fan, and I was very flattered and very proud.<br/><br/>Oh, but please share with me if you have information about hidden Zelda fans, because there might be a group I don't know about!}} | ||
{{Interview/Q|JASON|I would just love to tell a little story. I also have my own new startup company, and I was seeking venture capital investment, and I met the investor and he invited me back for lunch the next day. And we went up to this very fancy restaurant, he took me up to the top of a big building, and we sat down and talked for an hour about my company. And at the very end he goes, "So, you do Zelda?" and talked about how he and his son went to the Zelda Symphony, and how his son goes to Zelda Universe, and they played Zelda together, grew up on Zelda. For me, this is amazing. You've really built a series that ties people together in, I think, ways that none of us can even imagine how vast this is, and it's so amazing to me.}} | {{Interview/Q|JASON|I would just love to tell a little story. I also have my own new startup company, and I was seeking venture capital investment, and I met the investor and he invited me back for lunch the next day. And we went up to this very fancy restaurant, he took me up to the top of a big building, and we sat down and talked for an hour about my company. And at the very end he goes, "So, you do Zelda?" and talked about how he and his son went to the Zelda Symphony, and how his son goes to Zelda Universe, and they played Zelda together, grew up on Zelda. For me, this is amazing. You've really built a series that ties people together in, I think, ways that none of us can even imagine how vast this is, and it's so amazing to me.}} | ||
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{{Interview/Q|JASON|Alright, we'll wrap this up with one last question, and it's probably the single most important that I could ask – it's very important. Everyone in the Zelda community, ever since ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia|Hyrule Historia]]'' came out, has had just one burning question. Where does ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' fit into the [[timeline]] of Zelda?}} | {{Interview/Q|JASON|Alright, we'll wrap this up with one last question, and it's probably the single most important that I could ask – it's very important. Everyone in the Zelda community, ever since ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia|Hyrule Historia]]'' came out, has had just one burning question. Where does ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' fit into the [[timeline]] of Zelda?}} | ||
{{Interview/A|AONUMA|[laughing and gesturing toward himself] The ''Super Smash Bros.'' space is like a black hole. It's something that doesn't exist, where you have all these characters from their own special places coming together to battle it out.<br><br>So that black hole, it's always there. Regardless of what platform you are, it's a space that exists. And if it switches platforms all those characters just get sucked up into that space.}} | {{Interview/A|AONUMA|[laughing and gesturing toward himself] The ''Super Smash Bros.'' space is like a black hole. It's something that doesn't exist, where you have all these characters from their own special places coming together to battle it out.<br/><br/>So that black hole, it's always there. Regardless of what platform you are, it's a space that exists. And if it switches platforms all those characters just get sucked up into that space.}} | ||
{{Interview/Q|JASON|I think we need to draw a new timeline, then. [gesturing] We have the timeline, and then we have, all around it, it's all in Super Smash Bros.}} | {{Interview/Q|JASON|I think we need to draw a new timeline, then. [gesturing] We have the timeline, and then we have, all around it, it's all in Super Smash Bros.}} | ||