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

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nakuto said:




Unfortunately no clues of their new game :(
Click to expand...

They were aiming to self-publish another title way back in 2020, so I wonder what's been going on with them. They had the Osaka location for their new self-published titles and their Tokyo office would keep working on contracted games (presumably with Nintendo).
 
There are also still quite a few EPD 2 leads that haven't been credited for anything in a while.

Toshiharu Izuno
Akira Otani
Emi Watanabe
Kazuyuki Gofuku

Izuno may have left Nintendo or possibly joined EPD 5 in an unknown capacity based on those special thanks credits. Toyokazu Nonaka has been listed as the producer on all EPD 2 games since. That still doesn't answer what's happening with EPD 1, but that's a different topic. Watanabe's interview on the site was apparently removed at some point this year, indicating that she may have left. No confirmation on that as of yet, though.

Kenta Usui was put onto Splatoon 3 after Crafted World and Good Job, so Good-Feel's next project probably isn't Yoshi-related if they're still working with Nintendo.
 
N75 said:
There are also still quite a few EPD 2 leads that haven't been credited for anything in a while.

Toshiharu Izuno
Akira Otani
Emi Watanabe
Kazuyuki Gofuku

Izuno may have left Nintendo or possibly joined EPD 5 in an unknown capacity based on those special thanks credits. Toyokazu Nonaka has been listed as the producer on all EPD 2 games since. That still doesn't answer what's happening with EPD 1, but that's a different topic. Watanabe's interview on the site was apparently removed at some point this year, indicating that she may have left. No confirmation on that as of yet, though.

Kenta Usui was put onto Splatoon 3 after Crafted World and Good Job, so Good-Feel's next project probably isn't Yoshi-related if they're still working with Nintendo.
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Not to doompost, but isn't it a bit worrying IF so many long-time staff is just leaving and also companies like Good-Feel and Grezzo are working on independent games instead of with Nintendo? What's up with that?
 
Neves said:
Not to doompost, but isn't it a bit worrying IF so many long-time staff is just leaving and also companies like Good-Feel and Grezzo are working on independent games instead of with Nintendo? What's up with that?
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Good-Feel is still doing contract work in their main studio, according to Ebisu.

Jet Dragon could be Grezzo's own project, but there's nothing stopping Nintendo publishing the game in the west or working with them on another game.
 
Neves said:
Not to doompost, but isn't it a bit worrying IF so many long-time staff is just leaving and also companies like Good-Feel and Grezzo are working on independent games instead of with Nintendo? What's up with that?
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I think it’s funny that Nintendo fans are against acquisitions but start pearl clutching when said independent companies do things separate from Nintendo
 
ILikeFeet said:
whoops, got it incorrect. Kentaro Tominaga joined PaperGames

www.videogameschronicle.com

A Zelda veteran has joined Chinese studio Papergames to make a new open-world adventure | VGC

Kentaro Tominaga has worked on every main console Zelda game since Wind Waker…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com
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Yeah that's what I was remembering, and he only joined after moving to Shanghai IIRC, so it wasn't so much of a poach just "he's in the area anyway" sort of deal. It's not like PaperGames or NetEase are waving cash at Nintendo's front door.
 
MasterGold said:
I think it’s funny that Nintendo fans are against acquisitions but start pearl clutching when said independent companies do things separate from Nintendo
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I personally don't have anything against acquisitions, especially of small/mid sized independent developers.

Also, the independent games by Good-Feel and Grezzo will most likely be on Switch either way so it's not about console warring or anything like that. It's more that I want them to be working on Nintendo franchises like a brand new 2D Zelda, or a new Yoshi or Wario Land, or some other IP they haven't worked on before.
 
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Neves said:
I personally don't have anything acquisitions, especially of small/mid sized independent developers.

Also, the independent games by Good-Feel and Grezzo will most likely be on Switch either way so it's not about console warring or anything like that. It's more that I want them to be working on Nintendo franchises like a brand new 2D Zelda, or a new Yoshi or Wario Land, or some other IP they haven't worked on before.
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I agree I think Nintendo should some what get a little more aggressive when it comes to acquisitions but I’m not expecting or wanting them to buy say a publisher. I don’t think owning Camelot is going to contribute to the consolidation of the industry for example
 
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N75 said:
There are also still quite a few EPD 2 leads that haven't been credited for anything in a while.

Toshiharu Izuno
Akira Otani
Emi Watanabe
Kazuyuki Gofuku

Izuno may have left Nintendo or possibly joined EPD 5 in an unknown capacity based on those special thanks credits. Toyokazu Nonaka has been listed as the producer on all EPD 2 games since. That still doesn't answer what's happening with EPD 1, but that's a different topic. Watanabe's interview on the site was apparently removed at some point this year, indicating that she may have left. No confirmation on that as of yet, though.

Kenta Usui was put onto Splatoon 3 after Crafted World and Good Job, so Good-Feel's next project probably isn't Yoshi-related if they're still working with Nintendo.
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Wario Land intensifies

Though I did wonder if Nintendo picked up Good-Feel's comedy adventure game that was meant to surface in 2020 as a self-published gig, but which never appeared.
 
Something I've noticed and find concerning is how much things have... changed since Iwata passed. He was responsible for MUCH of Nintendo's tight relationships with a multitude of 3rd-parties in Japan.

It's no coincidence that things really trailed off after. Arzest stopped fully collabing after Hey Pikmin, Good Feel as mentioned has been more distant and quiet since Crafted World which was announced in 2017 (IMO it was likely greenlit around the time Woolly World came out in 2015), there's been a distinct lack of new IP collabs on all fronts that gave us stuff like Dillon by Vanpool, Flingsmash by Artoon, Zangeki no REGINLEIV by Sandlot, The Last Story by Mistwalker, etc.

We got a few small western-made games that totally ceased after Good Job by Paladin Studios in 2020 but that was it. Astral Chain by Platinum and Buddy Mission BOND by Ruby Party/KT are the only such games that were in that aforementioned mold. It's really sad.

Also there's been fewer big exclusives. Monster Hunter 3, Samurai Warriors 3, Tales of Graces (😢), Bravely Default, and whatnot were more plentiful back then.

Sure, BD lead to Team Asano's line-up, but they kind of feel... lighter than they should. We did get Daemon X Machina (though that got ported within a few months in record time...). I think SMTV was the only big get (Monster Hunter Rise too but that was more of a natural continuation if that makes sense, it's what we all thought would happen pre MH World).
 
Hero of Legend said:
Something I've noticed and find concerning is how much things have... changed since Iwata passed. He was responsible for MUCH of Nintendo's tight relationships with a multitude of 3rd-parties in Japan.

It's no coincidence that things really trailed off after. Arzest stopped fully collabing after Hey Pikmin, Good Feel as mentioned has been more distant and quiet since Crafted World which was announced in 2017 (IMO it was likely greenlit around the time Woolly World came out in 2015), there's been a distinct lack of new IP collabs on all fronts that gave us stuff like Dillon by Vanpool, Flingsmash by Artoon, Zangeki no REGINLEIV by Sandlot, The Last Story by Mistwalker, etc.

We got a few small western-made games that totally ceased after Good Job by Paladin Studios in 2020 but that was it. Astral Chain by Platinum and Buddy Mission BOND by Ruby Party/KT are the only such games that were in that aforementioned mold. It's really sad.

Also there's been fewer big exclusives. Monster Hunter 3, Samurai Warriors 3, Tales of Graces (😢), Bravely Default, and whatnot were more plentiful back then.

Sure, BD lead to Team Asano's line-up, but they kind of feel... lighter than they should. We did get Daemon X Machina (though that got ported within a few months in record time...). I think SMTV was the only big get (Monster Hunter Rise too but that was more of a natural continuation if that makes sense, it's what we all thought would happen pre MH World).
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Well there is more context for this. There were a ton of exclusives back then because of development cost. A ton of these partnerships worked on sub-HD games for either the Wii or handhelds which help turn a bigger profit. Sadly the rise of cost in hd games made it harder for smaller companies to work on games unless they were fully funded which Nintendo does but not all the time. And a bunch have been absorbed or defunct.

Artoon was absorbed and technically is under Marvelous, Sandlot is defunct and Mistwalker has been doing mobile games. Vanpool is the only one around and they are mostly a supp studio at this point.

They are still doing a ton of collabs, exclusives and new ip but we probably wont see a fast cadence as before because games take a lot more time now. And I would say that some of their relationships are even stronger now, maybe not all third parties (looking at you EA).
 
VanPool have been supporting HAL with Kirby games on Switch, and it wouldn't surprise me if they're involved with Return to Dreamland Deluxe.
 
MisterSpo said:
Though I did wonder if Nintendo picked up Good-Feel's comedy adventure game that was meant to surface in 2020 as a self-published gig, but which never appeared.
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You’ve got the timeline a bit confused there. It was announced in 2020 for a 2021 release; then there was no news for all of 2022 after it clearly missed that target.

About Good-Feel though; I forget if it was mentioned here last month, but they just moved the head office. Certainly wasn’t on their History page last I checked it late last year.

IMG_3381.png


www.good-feel.co.jp

ABOUT US | Good-Feel Co., Ltd.

This is the Good-Feel of company information. Good-Feel engages in the development of consumer game software and social applications.
www.good-feel.co.jp www.good-feel.co.jp
 
MondoMega said:
You’ve got the timeline a bit confused there. It was announced in 2020 for a 2021 release; then there was no news for all of 2022 after it clearly missed that target.

About Good-Feel though; I forget if it was mentioned here last month, but they just moved the head office. Certainly wasn’t on their History page last I checked it late last year.

IMG_3381.png


www.good-feel.co.jp

ABOUT US | Good-Feel Co., Ltd.

This is the Good-Feel of company information. Good-Feel engages in the development of consumer game software and social applications.
www.good-feel.co.jp www.good-feel.co.jp
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Ah, I see. Yeah, the last ~3 years are an amorphous mass in my head. Hopefully whatever they're working on appears soon.
 
I wouldn’t rule Arzest out as a partner just yet. They worked on the giant battles for Bowser’s Inside Story DX and most of the staff was probably working on Balan until Early 2021. I can’t imagine Square is in any hurry to collaborate again...or maybe they are, Square is weird.

Mario & Luigi 6 incoming
 
What is easy to confirm from even the most recent recruitment material that went up on their Japanese site last year, is that they are definitely still targetting Switch for anything they are working on. Switch Lites and Joy-Cons everywhere around the office; a few of the staff interview videos even show them testing on said Lites.

www.good-feel.co.jp

株式会社グッド・フィール採用サイト

株式会社グッド・フィールの公式採用サイトです。株式会社グッド・フィールは、家庭用ゲームソフト、スマートフォン向けゲーム・アプリなどの企画・開発・販売・運営を行うゲーム開発企業です。
www.good-feel.co.jp

I'm don't think this is a real project plan; probably just one cooked up to include in the video; but even here you can see the Switch logo on the first slide and a Joy-Con control demonstration on the fourth. Bit weird to be fearful of them making games for other platforms, but if you are hopefully this quells that a little?

image.png
 
Hero of Legend said:
Something I've noticed and find concerning is how much things have... changed since Iwata passed. He was responsible for MUCH of Nintendo's tight relationships with a multitude of 3rd-parties in Japan.
Click to expand...

I would say Iwata was more instrumental in forging partnerships and collaborations with the key Japanese publishers. Nintendo's work with the smaller Japanese contract developers is the collected work of many producers forming those working relationships with their respective group of developers.

For example: Yamagami worked exclusively with Platinum Games, Tanabe worked exclusively wiith Vanpool, Sugiyama with Vitei, etc.
 
EAD Ninja said:
I would say Iwata was more instrumental in forging partnerships and collaborations with the key Japanese publishers. Nintendo's work with the smaller Japanese contract developers is the collected work of many producers forming those working relationships with their respective group of developers.

For example: Yamagami worked exclusively with Platinum Games, Tanabe worked exclusively wiith Vanpool, Sugiyama with Vitei, etc.
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Is Sugiyama still around? Why did Vitei slip away then?
 
MondoMega said:
Nintendo shut down two pitches in a row with Tank Troopers Switch and an F-Zero game; i'd want to take a step away at that point too.
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IMO, just try other ideas. A partnership with Nintendo, especially one as long-lasting as it was, is not the wisest thing to walk away from.
 
Hero of Legend said:
IMO, just try other ideas. A partnership with Nintendo, especially one as long-lasting as it was, is not the wisest thing to walk away from.
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If their pitches keep getting shot down, it sounds more like Nintendo was walking away from them. Keep bleeding money or look elsewhere? The latter is obviously the better choice. Working for Nintendo is not the be-all end-all.

Seems like Chuhai might have something in the works at least!
 
So I just saw that Nate confirmed that DK is real and its likely to be revealed this year. If that is the case then it is a Switch game and very likely the game EPD Tokyo has been working on after Odyssey.

Holiday 2023 seems like a good possibility then.
 
sanstea said:
So I just saw that Nate confirmed that DK is real and its likely to be revealed this year. If that is the case then it is a Switch game and very likely the game EPD Tokyo has been working on after Odyssey.

Holiday 2023 seems like a good possibility then.
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I still believe that 3D Mario for Holidays makes better sense (with possible release with the successor, cross gen title). DK fots better in 2024 with the theme park expansion opening.
 
sanstea said:
So I just saw that Nate confirmed that DK is real and its likely to be revealed this year. If that is the case then it is a Switch game and very likely the game EPD Tokyo has been working on after Odyssey.

Holiday 2023 seems like a good possibility then.
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They haven’t been only working on a DK game.
 
Really hoping that 3D Mario is exclusive to Nintendo's next console. I hope that the rumored DK/Mario game we get this year is 2D.

If it is a 3D title, it would suck having to wait 5+ years for the next 3D Zelda and Mario to release exclusively on the successor.
 
LukasManak22 said:
I still believe that 3D Mario for Holidays makes better sense (with possible release with the successor, cross gen title). DK fots better in 2024 with the theme park expansion opening.
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You think its more likely that Nintendo plans their releases around a theme park, rather than the launch of their hardware? Unless you're also saying that you think 2023 is when Switch 2 launches
 
LukasManak22 said:
I still believe that 3D Mario for Holidays makes better sense (with possible release with the successor, cross gen title). DK fots better in 2024 with the theme park expansion opening.
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A new 3D Mario makes better sense for the Switch 2 launch window, though. Also, I just think Tokyo did work on DK first because it made way more sense with the Nintendo software line-up having two 3D Mario games in the last few years (even if they are mostly ports).

Dark Cloud said:
They haven’t been only working on a DK game.
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Could be but we don't really know eitherway. The only confirmation we do have is the DK game which I think is the title they worked on first after Odyseey.
 
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The DK rumor is extremely silly and I don't buy it at all.

Let's say that things go literally as well as possible and EPD releases 3D DK in late 2023. Then they immediately start development of the next 3D Mario and it only takes four years. This means the next 3D Mario launches late 2027.

This means that

1. Nintendo is willing to wait several years where the Switch 2 has no 3D Mario game. This is an even bigger issue when you consider that the next 3D Zelda game will likely not release until 2028 at the earliest.

2. Nintendo is willing to go nearly 7 years between releases of 3D Mario with Bowser's Fury launching January 2021 and the next game not releasing until late 2027. This is partially because there's no other studio that Nintendo would trust to make 3D Mario and because there's no plausible 3D Mario games left to port.

Could this be solved if the Mario Odyssey team was making both 3D DK and 3D Mario at the same time? Yes, but that isn't happening as we know that they're also making a 2D Mario game. The idea of any dev team of this size could make three games at the same time is extremely silly.

Nintendo is willing to put their second most acclaimed and one of their best selling franchises on ice for so long so they can... revive Donkey Kong?

I'm sure Nate and DKVine heard this from someone, but they should think on how this rumor just doesn't make any sense at all before staking their reputations on it.
 
ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
The DK rumor is extremely silly and I don't buy it at all.

Let's say that things go literally as well as possible and EPD releases 3D DK in late 2023. Then they immediately start development of the next 3D Mario and it only takes four years. This means the next 3D Mario launches late 2027.

This means that

1. Nintendo is willing to wait several years where the Switch 2 has no 3D Mario game. This is an even bigger issue when you consider that the next 3D Zelda game will likely not release until 2028 at the earliest.

2. Nintendo is willing to go nearly 7 years between releases of 3D Mario with Bowser's Fury launching January 2021 and the next game not releasing until late 2027. This is partially because there's no other studio that Nintendo would trust to make 3D Mario and because there's no plausible 3D Mario games left to port.

Could this be solved if the Mario Odyssey team was making both 3D DK and 3D Mario at the same time? Yes, but that isn't happening as we know that they're also making a 2D Mario game. The idea of any dev team of this size could make three games at the same time is extremely silly.

Nintendo is willing to put their second most acclaimed and one of their best selling franchises on ice for so long so they can... revive Donkey Kong?
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What? We don't know if EPD Tokyo is working on a 2D Mario game and there has been no indication of any 2D Mario other than pure speculation. On the other hand, Nate confirmed the existence of a DK game.
 
sanstea said:
What? We don't know if EPD Tokyo is working on a 2D Mario game and there has been no indication of any 2D Mario other than pure speculation. On the other hand, Nate confirmed the existence of a DK game.
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The dev studio put out "we are hiring for level designers for a 2D platformer" back in 2019 and has kept those job postings up.
 
ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
The dev studio put out "we are hiring for level designers for a 2D platformer" back in 2019 and has kept those job postings up.
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EPD10 has also hired developers for a 2D platformer, they are the ones working on 2D Mario.
EPD Tokyo hired for a 3D platformer AND a 2D platformer. They're working on the next Mario 3D and something else at the same time, that something else could be Donkey Kong.
 
AngryAlchemist said:
You think its more likely that Nintendo plans their releases around a theme park, rather than the launch of their hardware? Unless you're also saying that you think 2023 is when Switch 2 launches
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Switch 2 could very well end up being late 2023 yes.
sanstea said:
Yes, which people think is the DK game. It could also be a 2D Mario game, but we have no indication whatsoever of the existence of a 2D Mario game.
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It can't be 2D Mario game. 2D Mario games are done over at EPD10 in Kyoto. EPD10 also had a different hiring for a 2D Game which is the Mario game.
 
ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
Let's say that things go literally as well as possible and EPD releases 3D DK in late 2023. Then they immediately start development of the next 3D Mario and it only takes four years. This means the next 3D Mario launches late 2027.
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You'd have to pigeonhole many ideas at once here to make things this ridiculous.

A ) it's up in the air whether the DK game is 2D or 3D, but it's more likely 2D

B ) most people think the games are being developed simultaneously, not that they are putting all their manpower behind DK
 
Okay, so, to be clear, people do not expect a 3D DK game and just think that EPD Tokyo is making DKC6?

Because I do not see how a 3D DK game from EPD Tokyo could happen without the next 3D Mario being 2027 to 2028.
 
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We have no clue about 2D Mario. Logic would dictate EPD10 would develop the game, but we have nothing to go off anyway. EPD10 could be working on a Yoshi game for all we know and 2D Mario is on a hiatus for now.
 
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To make things more clear, there were 3 job listings.

The two first were posted at the same time (October 4th, 2019) and included:
hiring for a 2D action action game in Kyoto. (EPD10).

hiring for a 3D action game in Tokyo. (EPD8).

And the last one was on August 6th 2020 for a level designer for 2D Action Game in Tokyo. (EPD8).

Also worth noting that people like: Takayuki Ikkaku, Yusuke Amano, Shigeyuki Asuke, Ryutaro Kanno have worked on Splatoon 2 and have not worked on Splatoon 3. These 4 names worked in some capacity on previous 2D Mario games (even as Directors) so it seems like their absense in Splatoon 3 makes the new 2D Mario for 2023 a very safe bet.
 
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