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StarTopic Nintendo First Party Software Development |ST| Nintendo Party Superstars

Reader mode
EAD Ninja said:
Weird Things That Haven't Happened (Yet?)
  • Expansion Game for Ring Fit Adventure
  • DLC for Game Garage Builder
  • First Party Puzzle IPs (Dr. Mario, Puzzle League/Pandel de Pon, Nintendo Tetris, Star Stacker/Wario'sWoods)
  • Odyssey 2????
  • Nintendogs?
Click to expand...
Yeah indeed, at the end of 2019 I would have said that most of this things would happen for sure.
  • I think that something Ring Fit related will come. I feel the reason why it takes so long is because it will be a new game, it maybe went into full production only after they saw its success and of course covid, which everything slows down. Maybe not as a RPG, I could imagine that there will be Ring Fit Fighter (Fighting Game) or Ring Fit Studio (Something more like Wii Fit).
  • Game Garage Builder DLC was probably never in the cards. Garage Builder maybe really was their project to finish of Labo and move on to something new. It will likely take a long time until we see something new (as huge as labo) with a Tsubasa Sakaguchi involvement. Maybe something VR?
  • Tetris is probably covered for them with 99. No Dr. Mario is weird and I think it would be among other puzzle games a great addition to NSO.
  • The ship the Odyssey for Odyssey 2 has probably sailed unfortunately. I really hope that the next 3D Mario game has some kind of Cappy mechanic, Bowser‘s Fury showed me that I can‘t live without it.
  • Nintendogs has to happen. (Hopefully not as a MK Tour Style mobile game though)
 
lexony said:
  • The ship the Odyssey for Odyssey 2 has probably sailed unfortunately. I really hope that the next 3D Mario game has some kind of Cappy mechanic, Bowser‘s Fury showed me that I can‘t live without it.
Click to expand...


What is the real difference between "BOTW 2" launching next Spring and say Odyssey 2 4-6 months later? I do think that the Cappy mechanic is too unique and there are countless of ideas to still explore with it.
 
Something I wonder is why Nintendo doesn’t expand EPD Tokyo more, I would imagine that doing so would allow them to be able to recruit from a much bigger pool of talent (which was the reason why EPD Tokyo exists). I think they should be able to have enough teams to release one game every two years but maybe they are already happy with the state of Tokyo division
 
EAD Ninja said:
What is the real difference between "BOTW 2" launching next Spring and say Odyssey 2 4-6 months later? I do think that the Cappy mechanic is too unique and there are countless of ideas to still explore with it.
Click to expand...
In my mind the scope of an Odyssey 2 Galaxy 2 style game that is just more Odyssey (New Levels + captures and a new gimmick) would be smaller than a BOTW 2 and that we would have seen it before it.

The next 3D Mario could still be thematically an Odyssey 2 of course, but I feel like it will introduce more new ideas.
 
Odyssey 2 should've happened sooner than the other 2017 sequels on the account of there not being substantial DLC for the game, whereas Splatoon, Xenoblade, and M+R all had DLC extend a year and wouldn't have started until mid/late 2018 at the earliest.

Even BotW had roughly a year of DLC which means when a BotW2 could start wouldve been around the same time Odyssey shipped, yet BotW2 with its massive scope is presumably coming sooner.
 
Blue Monty said:
Something I wonder is why Nintendo doesn’t expand EPD Tokyo more, I would imagine that doing so would allow them to be able to recruit from a much bigger pool of talent (which was the reason why EPD Tokyo exists). I think they should be able to have enough teams to release one game every two years but maybe they are already happy with the state of Tokyo division
Click to expand...
  • Miyamoto was encouraging the growth of the Tokyo development team. He wanted more games out of them.
  • Koizumi has been promoted to be one of the main creative faces of Nintendo. He has direct ties to that group.
  • Nintendo moved all of its Tokyo operations (sales, creative development, software tech) to a big new facility they are renting. (But it's not massively bigger.)
  • It looks like they may be renovating/expanding the Tokyo building they own in the meanwhile? The fiscal report hinted but was vague. Also like what are they doing with that building otherwise???

  • Tokyo has grown incrementally but not by much. Odd considering they have a 20+ million seller and are in the hot bed of Tokyo.
  • Obviously it's easier to expand in Kyoto since they own land and they seem to like having so many buildings in close proximity.
 
Anyways to me what makes the most sense is that the Tokyo team spent up to 2 years in pre-production on a game that ultimately went nowhere. So if their current project really began in 2019 to early 2020, then a 2023 release (probably in the 2nd half) would line up vs. somehow needing 6 years to make whatever they're making.
 
Gartooth said:
Anyways to me what makes the most sense is that the Tokyo team spent up to 2 years in pre-production on a game that ultimately went nowhere. So if their current project really began in 2019 to early 2020, then a 2023 release (probably in the 2nd half) would line up vs. somehow needing 6 years to make whatever they're making.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind they did deal with an additional setback besides COVID 19 - an actual R&D relocation. At the end of the day they did hire permanent and contractors for that mysterious 2D project. These types of hires happen way after prototypes/pre production, so we can't write them off just yet.
 
My pet theory is that Bowser's Fury was originally intended to be a full game. When they decided the idea wouldn't work for a full scale title, they farmed the prototype out to NST and started work on something else.
EAD Ninja said:
Keep in mind they did deal with an additional setback besides COVID 19 - an actual R&D relocation. At the end of the day they did hire permanent and contractors for that mysterious 2D project. These types of hires happen way after prototypes/pre production, so we can't write them off just yet.
Click to expand...
iirc the move happened in early 2019, and they advertised for a 3D project in October 2019, then the pandemic happened. Perhaps full production on a new 3D Mario wasn't that advanced when the pandemic hit. Really difficult to know.

The fact they then hired for the 2D project in August 2020 does suggest expansion and reorganisation has perhaps happened alongside relocation. Maybe it's short-term pain for long-term game, and we see more regular output from Tokyo. What's unusual is the lack of smaller titles, too - between 3D World and Odyssey, we had Captain Toad and the NES Remix games come out of Tokyo. As has been established, NST and 1-Up provided a lot of the staff for Bowser's Fury, and 3D All-Stars was handled by NERD and iQue (I think?). So we haven't had the smaller projects from Tokyo, either.

That doesn't mean it's a disaster zone, of course; but it does strengthen the idea that things have changed there.
 
MisterSpo said:
iirc the move happened in early 2019
Click to expand...
The move of Nintendo's Tokyo staff to Kanda Square happened in 2020. For the sake of adding to the conversation, here's a full timeline of 3D Mario / EPD Group 8 projects this hardware era:
  • Super Mario Odyssey
    • Announced: January 2017
    • Released: October 2017
  • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: March 2018
    • Completed: April 2018
    • Released: July 2018
  • Captain Toad DLC (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: February 2019
    • Released: March 2019
  • Job Recruitment for 3D Action Game (October 2019)
  • Job Recruitment for 2D Action Game (August 2020)
  • Super Mario 3D All-Stars (SM64 by iQue; SMS and SMG by NERD; UI / intergration by EPD)
    • Announced and released: September 2020
  • Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: September 2020
    • Completed: November 2020
    • Released: February 2021
Feel like it's worth elaborating on 3D All-Stars further though as there are certain oddities within it that are hardly mentioned by anyone (despite being disovered ages ago). As referenced above, the menu and intergration of the three games into one package was handled internally. The menu in 3D All-Stars uses the LunchPack engine which had not been utlised by EPD 8 prior. Curiously, the files for that game launcher menu include references to a massive number of data with unknown origins that can be tied back to EPD 8. First, a list of test stages:
TestHayakawaVrPikmin00Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin01Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin02Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin03Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin04Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin05Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin06Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin07Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin08Stage TestHayakawaVrPikmin09Stage TestHayakawaVrTour001Stage TestHayakawaVrTour003Stage TestHayakawaVrTour005Stage TestHayakawaVrTour006Stage TestHayakawaVrTour007Stage TestMatsudaBuildHouseTest000Stage TestKurihara0000Stage TestHishinuma000Stage TestHishinuma003Stage
Click to expand...
All of the filenames here include the names of who presumably created them, and they all line up with EPD Tokyo staff credited as recently as Odyssey:
  • Takeshi Hayakawa
  • Hirokazu Matsuda
  • Tatsuya Kurihara
  • Hiroaki Hishinuma
Then, a large number of references to sound files (that can't be called on because they aren't present):
Aforce01_Default.baatn Arwing_Default.baatn AtmosOnlineEnemy_Default.baatn AtmosOnlineKinoko_Default.baatn AtmosOnlinePlayer_Default.baatn AtmosOnlineShadowRock_Defau.baatn AtmosOnlineShadow_Default.baatn Balloon_Default.baatn Base.baatn BeaconTarget_Default.baatn BinauralTestFly_Default.baatn BlockHard_Default.baatn BlockSoil_Default.baatn CannonBullet_Default.baatn CannonEnemy_Default.baatn CannonSequencer_Default.baatn Cannon_Default.baatn CheckPointFlag_Default.baatn Chorobon_Default.baatn CocoNut_Default.baatn CoinRing_Default.baatn CoinStack_Default.baatn Coin_Default.baatn CourseClear_Default.baatn CrystalCage_Default.baatn Default.baatn DefaultVolume.baroc DemoKinopio_Default.baatn DemoMario_Default.baatn DemoPeach_Default.baatn DoorWarp_Default.baatn EnergyCan_Default.baatn FallBlockTest_Default.baatn Far.baatn Far.baroc FlyBattery_Default.baatn GliBird_Default.baatn GoalBell_Default.baatn Grass_Default.baatn HorrorPlayer_Default.baatn ItemHeart_Default.baatn Jewel_Default.baatn Kameck_Default.baatn KariKari_Default.baatn KoopaShip_Default.baatn Kuribo_Default.baatn KyoroHei_Default.baatn LadderPlayer_Default.baatn Lift4x4M_Default.baatn Luigi_Default.baatn Mario_Default.baatn MedFar.baatn MedFar.baroc Medium.baatn Medium.baroc MedNear.baatn MedNear.baroc MissionAllDeadEnemyFighter_.baatn MissionAllDeadEnemy_Default.baatn Mummy_Default.baatn Near.baatn Near.baroc NeedleTrap_Default.baatn NetworkPlayer_Gesture.baatn NewRollOffCurve.baroc NinPlayer_Default.baatn PlayerStick2D_Default.baatn PowerStar_Default.baatn ProwresDirector_Default.baatn ProwresPlayer_Default.baatn ProwresReferee_Default.baatn RideTestWalkPlayer_Default.baatn SceneSkyHigh_Default.baatn SePlayArea_Default.baatn SePlayObj_Default.baatn SePlayRail_Default.baatn ShootingStarTargetDust_Defa.baatn ShootingStarTarget_Default.baatn SkyCloudPlayer_Default.baatn StatueMarioBig_Default.baatn StatueMario_Default.baatn SwimPlayer_Default.baatn TestEnemy_Default.baatn TestScene_Default.baatn TestSe_Default.baatn Test_Default.baatn TrainingIchinoBlockBreak_De.baatn TrainingIchinoBlock_Default.baatn TrainingIchinoEnemy_Default.baatn TrainingKuriharaBlock_Defau.baatn TrainingKuriharaEnemy_Defau.baatn TrainingMasakazeEnemy_Defau.baatn Trampoline_Default.baatn VeryFar.baatn VeryFar.baroc VolumeReductionNormal.baroc VoxelKnuckle_Default.baatn VoxelTreasure_Default.baatn VrBaseballBatter_Default.baatn VrBattleShipCannonBall_Defa.baatn VrBattleShipCannonLauncher_.baatn VrBattleShipEnemy_Default.baatn VrBattleShipPlayer_Default.baatn VrBattleShipTorpedo_Default.baatn VrChappy_Default.baatn VrDiveFlareBomb_Default.baatn VrDivePlayer_Default.baatn VrDiveSequencer_Default.baatn VrDiveTorch_Default.baatn VrDoor_Default.baatn VrDungeonGhost_Default.baatn VrDungeonPlayer_Default.baatn VrFairy_Default.baatn VrFlyBasabasa_Default.baatn VrFlyBonusBall_Default.baatn VrFlyBossBasabasa_Default.baatn VrFlyBossBirdBall_Default.baatn VrFlyBossBird_Default.baatn VrFlyBossFireBall_Default.baatn VrFlyBossFireWeakPoint_Defa.baatn VrFlyBossFire_Default.baatn VrFlyCage_Default.baatn VrFlyCalcAnswer_Default.baatn VrFlyCapsule_Default.baatn VrFlyCrawler_Default.baatn VrFlyFairyPrincess_Default.baatn VrFlyGate_Default.baatn VrFlyKameckBall_Default.baatn VrFlyKillerMagnum_Default.baatn VrFlyKillerMagnum_KillerMag.baatn VrFlyKiller_Default.baatn VrFlyKiller_Killer.baatn VrFlyPlayerAttackBall_Defau.baatn VrFlyPlayerClient_Default.baatn VrFlyPlayerGodShot_Default.baatn VrFlyPlayerGod_Default.baatn VrFlyPlayer_Default.baatn VrFlyRaceFairy_Default.baatn VrFlyRaceRing_Default.baatn VrFlyRestStep03x15_Break.baatn VrFlyRestStep03x15_Default.baatn VrFlyRopeSlider_Default.baatn VrFlySequencer_Default.baatn VrFlyShootingBall_Default.baatn VrFlyShootingTargetBig_Defa.baatn VrFlyShootingTarget_Default.baatn VrFlyStepSeed_Default.baatn VrFlyTruck_Default.baatn VrGenieDoorPump_Default.baatn VrGenieEnemy_Default.baatn VrGenieHand_Default.baatn VrGenieHeroine_Default.baatn VrGenieMagicPot_Default.baatn VrGenieNpc_Default.baatn VrGenieNpc_ScaleChange.baatn VrGeniePlayerInfo_Default.baatn VrGeniePlayer_Default.baatn VrGenieSunMoonEnergyBall_De.baatn VrGenieTitanSeed_Default.baatn VrGliderAirplane_Default.baatn VrGliderPresentBox_Default.baatn VrGunEnemyBullet_Default.baatn VrGunEnemy_Default.baatn VrGunPlayerBullet_Default.baatn VrGunPlayer_Default.baatn VrJetHoverPlayer_Default.baatn VrJetHoverSequencer_Default.baatn VrJumpPlayer_Default.baatn VrKingPlayer_Default.baatn VrLightEnemyArrowArrow_Defa.baatn VrLightEnemyArrow_Default.baatn VrLightPlayer_Default.baatn VrLightSequencer_Default.baatn VrLightWatchPoint_Default.baatn VrMachPlayer_Default.baatn VrMachRock_Default.baatn VrMachSequencer_Default.baatn VrMenuSequencer_Default.baatn VrNpcGenie_Default.baatn VrPikminShip_Default.baatn VrPikminSnakeCrow_Default.baatn VrPikmin_Default.baatn VrPlanePlayer_Default.baatn VrPlaneSequencer_Default.baatn VrPlayerHand_Default.baatn VrPlaySequencer_Default.baatn VrPunchPlayer_Default.baatn VrRaceEnemy_Default.baatn VrRacePlayer_Default.baatn VrRaceSequencer_Default.baatn VrSelectPlayer_Default.baatn VrSkyDivingPlayer_Default.baatn VrSkyDivingSequencer_Defaul.baatn VrStealthEnemyWalk_Default.baatn VrStealthPlayer_Default.baatn VrStealthTorch_Default.baatn VrSurfPlayer_Default.baatn VrSurroundPlayer_Default.baatn VrTextBoard_Default.baatn VrTextClock_Default.baatn VrTextEnemy_Default.baatn VrTextPlayer_Default.baatn VrTextPresentBox_Default.baatn VrTitanAirBubbleItem_Defaul.baatn VrTitanTouchActor027_Defaul.baatn VrTorch_Default.baatn VrTourPlayer_Default.baatn VrTourSequencer_Default.baatn VrTourTeresa_Default.baatn VrTrainPlayer_Default.baatn VrUfoCage_Default.baatn VrUfoCannonBall_Default.baatn VrUfoCannonLauncher_Default.baatn VrUfoFairyPrincess_Default.baatn VrUfoPlayerBullet_Default.baatn VrUfoPlayer_Default.baatn VrWalkMan_Default.baatn WoodBox_Default.baatn
Click to expand...

As mentioned before, EPD 8 have not yet released an actual game using the LunchPack engine yet, using their own proprietary engine 'al' since 3D Land; but the presence of these files suggests that could change eventually. The weird presence of Pikmin is also an interesting oddity, with most of the test maps featuring Pikmin in the name and there being a few sound files referencing it too (SnakeCrow = Burrowing Snagret). Keep in mind, Pikmin has not yet had a title in the LunchPack engine either as 3 does not use it.

EDIT: Oh right, I forgot to properly conclude my point. Perhaps the team taking the time to adap to LunchPack (every other EPD team but them and EPD 3, Zelda, are using it) is a possible explanation for why the next 3D Mario hasn’t popped up yet.
 
Last edited:
MondoMega said:
The move of Nintendo's Tokyo staff to Kanda Square happened in 2020. For the sake of adding to the conversation, here's a full timeline of 3D Mario / EPD Group 8 projects this hardware era:
  • Super Mario Odyssey
    • Announced: January 2017
    • Released: October 2017
  • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: March 2018
    • Completed: April 2018
    • Released: July 2018
  • Captain Toad DLC (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: February 2019
    • Released: March 2019
  • Job Recruitment for 3D Action Game (October 2019)
  • Job Recruitment for 2D Action Game (August 2020)
  • Super Mario 3D All-Stars (SM64 by iQue; SMS and SMG by NERD; UI / intergration by EPD)
    • Announced and released: September 2020
  • Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: September 2020
    • Completed: November 2020
    • Released: February 2021
Feel like it's worth elaborating on 3D All-Stars further though as there are certain oddities within it that are hardly mentioned by anyone (despite being disovered ages ago). As referenced above, the menu and intergration of the three games into one package was handled internally. The menu in 3D All-Stars uses the LunchPack engine which had not been utlised by EPD 8 prior. Curiously, the files for that game launcher menu include references to a massive number of data with unknown origins that can be tied back to EPD 8. First, a list of test stages:

All of the filenames here include the names of who presumably created them, and they all line up with EPD Tokyo staff credited as recently as Odyssey:
  • Takeshi Hayakawa
  • Hirokazu Matsuda
  • Tatsuya Kurihara
  • Hiroaki Hishinuma
Then, a large number of references to sound files (that can't be called on because they aren't present):


As mentioned before, EPD 8 have not yet released an actual game using the LunchPack engine yet, using their own proprietary engine 'al' since 3D Land; but the presence of these files suggests that could change eventually. The weird presence of Pikmin is also an interesting oddity, with most of the test maps featuring Pikmin in the name and there being a few sound files referencing it too (SnakeCrow = Burrowing Snagret). Keep in mind, Pikmin has not yet had a title in the LunchPack engine either as 3 does not use it.
Click to expand...
Now this is super interesting information, even if I don't know what to make of it. Thanks, compadre!
 
0
MondoMega said:
The move of Nintendo's Tokyo staff to Kanda Square happened in 2020. For the sake of adding to the conversation, here's a full timeline of 3D Mario / EPD Group 8 projects this hardware era:
  • Super Mario Odyssey
    • Announced: January 2017
    • Released: October 2017
  • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: March 2018
    • Completed: April 2018
    • Released: July 2018
  • Captain Toad DLC (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: February 2019
    • Released: March 2019
  • Job Recruitment for 3D Action Game (October 2019)
  • Job Recruitment for 2D Action Game (August 2020)
  • Super Mario 3D All-Stars (SM64 by iQue; SMS and SMG by NERD; UI / intergration by EPD)
    • Announced and released: September 2020
  • Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (co-developed with NST)
    • Announced: September 2020
    • Completed: November 2020
    • Released: February 2021
Feel like it's worth elaborating on 3D All-Stars further though as there are certain oddities within it that are hardly mentioned by anyone (despite being disovered ages ago). As referenced above, the menu and intergration of the three games into one package was handled internally. The menu in 3D All-Stars uses the LunchPack engine which had not been utlised by EPD 8 prior. Curiously, the files for that game launcher menu include references to a massive number of data with unknown origins that can be tied back to EPD 8. First, a list of test stages:

All of the filenames here include the names of who presumably created them, and they all line up with EPD Tokyo staff credited as recently as Odyssey:
  • Takeshi Hayakawa
  • Hirokazu Matsuda
  • Tatsuya Kurihara
  • Hiroaki Hishinuma
Then, a large number of references to sound files (that can't be called on because they aren't present):


As mentioned before, EPD 8 have not yet released an actual game using the LunchPack engine yet, using their own proprietary engine 'al' since 3D Land; but the presence of these files suggests that could change eventually. The weird presence of Pikmin is also an interesting oddity, with most of the test maps featuring Pikmin in the name and there being a few sound files referencing it too (SnakeCrow = Burrowing Snagret). Keep in mind, Pikmin has not yet had a title in the LunchPack engine either as 3 does not use it.

EDIT: Oh right, I forgot to properly conclude my point. Perhaps the team taking the time to adap to LunchPack (every other EPD team but them and EPD 3, Zelda, are using it) is a possible explanation for why the next 3D Mario hasn’t popped up yet.
Click to expand...
With the recent frequent NST collaborations, I can see NST becoming sort of a 1-UP Studio for EPD 8.
 
NST also has a hardware/tech team, and the company as a whole isn’t that big unless they‘ve expanded significantly since 2019.

I think I’m starting to agree with Bowser’s Fury being a scrapped EPD concept that was later given to NST to flesh out.

ILikeFeet said:
so did 1Up. at least this is better than what NST had been doing lately
Click to expand...
Time to go from a Mario vs DK factory to a Captain Toad factory.
 
N75 said:
NST also has a hardware/tech team, and the company as a whole isn’t that big unless they‘ve expanded significantly since 2019.
Click to expand...
You mean NTD? Even though they are both located in the the Redmond campus of NOA, they are different subsidiaries.
 
Quoted by: N75
1
Honestly, the concept of doing DLC doesn't make a lot of sense for EPD. Wasn't DLC invented because you want to keep the production side of the team going while preproduction figures out the framework for the next game? The way EPD is structured teams are fluid, which would keep people working anyways, thus DLC only takes away development resources from EPD as a whole.

MondoMega said:
EDIT: Oh right, I forgot to properly conclude my point. Perhaps the team taking the time to adap to LunchPack (every other EPD team but them and EPD 3, Zelda, are using it) is a possible explanation for why the next 3D Mario hasn’t popped up yet.
Click to expand...
Very interesting post! I'm surprised that Zelda uses it's own because of how advanced (and thus expensive) that engine seems. It would make a lot of sense for EPD to move to a single engine.
 
manfromthedam said:
Honestly, the concept of doing DLC doesn't make a lot of sense for EPD. Wasn't DLC invented because you want to keep the production side of the team going while preproduction figures out the framework for the next game? The way EPD is structured teams are fluid, which would keep people working anyways, thus DLC only takes away development resources from EPD as a whole.
Click to expand...
Nintendo said back in 2017/8 that they wanted to expand the longevity of their games by updates/DLC/expansions, that is why they do it
 
0
manfromthedam said:
Very interesting post! I'm surprised that Zelda uses it's own because of how advanced (and thus expensive) that engine seems. It would make a lot of sense for EPD to move to a single engine.
Click to expand...
if Lunchpack is adaptable with plug-ins and modifiers, then it would make sense than for every team to rewrite the engine to suit their needs
 
Is it fair to call Splatoon 3 the first big EPD production to come out in the 2 and 1/2 years since Animal Crossing New Horizons?

A lot of the work I can think of in the meantime has been smaller casual games or things like the MK8D DLC.
 
Gartooth said:
Is it fair to call Splatoon 3 the first big EPD production to come out in the 2 and 1/2 years since Animal Crossing New Horizons?

A lot of the work I can think of in the meantime has been smaller casual games or things like the MK8D DLC.
Click to expand...
Switch Sports is a bigger deal for Nintendo probably, but yes. To be fair EPD doesnt develop that many series nowadays sadly in the HD era and COVID affected them heavily it seems
 
Blue Monty said:
Switch Sports is a bigger deal for Nintendo probably, but yes. To be fair EPD doesnt develop that many series nowadays sadly in the HD era and COVID affected them heavily it seems
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm not sure how to consider Switch Sports. The developer interview mentions they had to reboot development on it and I'm sure the motion control gameplay involved a lot of proto types and fine tuning. However it's a game that's pretty light on content and is sold at a budget price compared to their big titles. I can see it either way really.
 
0
Gartooth said:
Is it fair to call Splatoon 3 the first big EPD production to come out in the 2 and 1/2 years since Animal Crossing New Horizons?

A lot of the work I can think of in the meantime has been smaller casual games or things like the MK8D DLC.
Click to expand...
I think it's fair; it's actually the first full priced internally developed game in that time. Game Builder Garage and Switch Sports were budget priced releases, and everything else was DLC.

Hopefully Zelda makes it out relatively early in the spring 2023 window and perhaps the 1-2 Switch sequel also makes it this calendar year, if Nintendo aren't too put off by the game's internal reception. I think 3 or 4 games in a fiscal year is about right for what EPD are doing right now, especially with ongoing content for some releases.
 
MisterSpo said:
I think it's fair; it's actually the first full priced internally developed game in that time. Game Builder Garage and Switch Sports were budget priced releases, and everything else was DLC.

Hopefully Zelda makes it out relatively early in the spring 2023 window and perhaps the 1-2 Switch sequel also makes it this calendar year, if Nintendo aren't too put off by the game's internal reception. I think 3 or 4 games in a fiscal year is about right for what EPD are doing right now, especially with ongoing content for some releases.
Click to expand...
Imagine EPD output once the full expansion is completed, I can only dream of getting 2/3 big EPD games per year+ smaller ones
 
0
Comic Obsessed said:
Any clue about what NST could be doing now by the way?

Out of nowhere I looked at a Project H.A.M.M.E.R. video and I find amusing that the studio hasn't fully recovered from it yet.
Click to expand...
They re growing. Went from making some small internet applications and small mario spin offs to ports to ports of larger games and then bowser's fury.

They re hiring at a decent rate too, and veterans are returning to thr studio. But dont expect them to go solo again soon.
 
0
LoneRanger said:
Main developer of next DK title, with intensive overseeing of EPD Tokyo.

Thats why it was leaked.
Click to expand...

EPD Tokyo isn’t an overseer but rather a lead. There is a possibility that NST could be supporting or sub developing that rumored EPD Tokyo DK game.

Or another angle could be they branch out to doing remasters or arcadey IP sequels under Tanabe.
 
LoneRanger said:
It was speculation lol. Lets says that leaks are real and a new DK game is in active development. I find it hard that something gets leaked from NoJ, so why not speculate that got leaked from NST?
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I dont think there has been any NST related leaks in recent time even things like Bowser’s Fury would be something worthy to leak.
 
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Blue Monty said:
What makes you think so? I would think after the Mario vs DK series death they wouldnt go back to that type of games but I would welcome it
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Because there is a hole there in Nintendo’s line up. Monster Games kind of took over NST’s role for the Wii and 3DS era, and it’s been vacant since.

Waverace. Excite. 1080. Pilotwings. Stunt Race. That entire catalogue.
 
EAD Ninja said:
Because there is a hole there in Nintendo’s line up. Monster Games kind of took over NST’s role for the Wii and 3DS era, and it’s been vacant since.

Waverace. Excite. 1080. Pilotwings. Stunt Race. That entire catalogue.
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Nintendo seems to have left that space for indies to fill though, I would love for Nintendo to let their teams make smaller games but that seems like it isnt the case for most Nintendo studios. Maybe NST due to being a support/port studio can afford to make smaller games I hope due to the opportunity cost being lower
 
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MasterGold said:
I believe that was Shinya Takahashi general manger of EPD it was less of tease and more of something he was interested in maybe doing but nothing solid
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It was his first released game as a Director, of course he wants it back. Is like Miyamoto wanting a new Pikmin kinda
 
manfromthedam said:
It would make a lot of sense for EPD to move to a single engine.
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Well, that seems to be the goal with LunchPack 2 (the current iteration on Switch). The original LunchPack was used sparringly on Wii U (Nintendo Land, a showcase title for both the hardware and engine; and then Splatoon and Mario Maker in 2015) but on Switch we’ve seen most internal EPD groups adopt it for full projects at this stage.

OpRjyrR.png


I just think the potential implication of EPD 8 adopting LunchPack too is curious and relevant to the discussion of what they are up to. Again, could be a potential explaination for the continued absence of a new 3D Mario game; they aren't using the same framework they've had to rely on since 2011 (or even earlier, since 'al' is built on the Galaxy engine). It won't be surprising when Pikmin 4 and the real next Mario Kart (Tour on mobile uses Unity) adopt LunchPack, so it all depends on 3D Mario and Zelda.
 
MondoMega said:
Well, that seems to be the goal with LunchPack 2 (the current iteration on Switch). The original LunchPack was used sparringly on Wii U (Nintendo Land, a showcase title for both the hardware and engine; and then Splatoon and Mario Maker in 2015) but on Switch we’ve seen most internal EPD groups adopt it for full projects at this stage.

OpRjyrR.png


I just think the potential implication of EPD 8 adopting LunchPack too is curious and relevant to the discussion of what they are up to. Again, could be a potential explaination for the continued absence of a new 3D Mario game; they aren't using the same framework they've had to rely on since 2011 (or even earlier, since 'al' is built on the Galaxy engine). It won't be surprising when Pikmin 4 and the real next Mario Kart (Tour on mobile uses Unity) adopt LunchPack, so it all depends on 3D Mario and Zelda.
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Tokyo using their own tools makes more sense because it's physically separated from Kyoto. But Zelda using their own seems redundant...? They seem to have a very hip engine and I'd think the rest of EPD would benefit from that.

disclaimer: manfromthedam doesn't know much about tech
 
manfromthedam said:
Tokyo using their own tools makes more sense because it's physically separated from Kyoto. But Zelda using their own seems redundant...? They seem to have a very hip engine and I'd think the rest of EPD would benefit from that.

disclaimer: manfromthedam doesn't know much about tech
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BotW stems from their first HD set of tools. it's still a wii u game at heart and something they started developing at the start of the Wii U gen. it might not be the best thing going forward. consolidating tools, on paper, is not an unreasonable ask, but we don't know how flexible BotW's tools are. can you make a Mario game on it? what about Mario Kart? what about a multiplayer shooter/fighter? remember that Bioware struggled to make an rpg three times on Frostbite (the last two times seemed to be more Bioware's fault though).

if Nintendo has laid the groundwork for Lunchpack 2 to be a one size fits almost all, then it might be better to develop that more.
 
MondoMega said:
Well, that seems to be the goal with LunchPack 2 (the current iteration on Switch). The original LunchPack was used sparringly on Wii U (Nintendo Land, a showcase title for both the hardware and engine; and then Splatoon and Mario Maker in 2015) but on Switch we’ve seen most internal EPD groups adopt it for full projects at this stage.

OpRjyrR.png


I just think the potential implication of EPD 8 adopting LunchPack too is curious and relevant to the discussion of what they are up to. Again, could be a potential explaination for the continued absence of a new 3D Mario game; they aren't using the same framework they've had to rely on since 2011 (or even earlier, since 'al' is built on the Galaxy engine). It won't be surprising when Pikmin 4 and the real next Mario Kart (Tour on mobile uses Unity) adopt LunchPack, so it all depends on 3D Mario and Zelda.
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I wonder if LunchPack will stay EPD only or other 1st party studios will also adopt it, NDCube uses Bezel for example and NLG/Monolith Soft their own engines
 
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Blue Monty said:
I wonder if LunchPack will stay EPD only or other 1st party studios will also adopt it, NDCube uses Bezel for example and NLG/Monolith Soft their own engines
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I don‘t think that would be a good idea. NLG, Monolith Soft have their own development tools that probably get further developed with each new game. It seems to work out for them. NLG games run perfectly well on switch and the Xenoblade games maybe have some problems but they are getting technically better with each game (they probably have more experience than Nintendo in open world anyway, that‘s why they help out with Zelda).

Launchpad is most likely much less like a traditional engine and I would say that the engine developers work super close with the game directors / designers / developers. They will likely help out for each new game and not like they develop an engine and then all game developers have to deal with it. This works much better if all people are working close to each other or even in the same building.

Bezel on the other hand seems to be much more like a Unity lite, which is perfect for NDCube that don‘t need like 10 new engine features every time when they develop a new game.

TLDR: Nintendo EPD and some of their subsidiaries have invested years developing in their own tools and have experience in them, if they suddenly have to adapt one engine, this would result in problems first.

Though Gamefreak should seek help from Nintendo or just use Unreal, they very clearly still have problems with adapting their tools for big HD projects.
 
I think nst will return eventually, their shit has only gone bigger. Indie/no one cares shit>ports>ports of larger games>support>main dev in bowser's fury>middle sized solo game? Or perhaps main dev in a larger sized game such as a new DK?>future
 
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ILikeFeet said:
consolidating tools, on paper, is not an unreasonable ask, but we don't know how flexible BotW's tools are. can you make a Mario game on it? what about Mario Kart? what about a multiplayer shooter/fighter? remember that Bioware struggled to make an rpg three times on Frostbite (the last two times seemed to be more Bioware's fault though).
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That's a good point. Consolidating engine development into one framework might sound more efficient than it is.
 
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Zedlars said:
The 5 year anniversary of Mario: Odyssey is approaching, time flies! Very much looking forward to a new 3D Mario, they must be cooking up something big.
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3D Mario will always have a special place in my heart. I can't wait for the next one. Nobody does 3D platformers like EPD Tokyo.
 
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