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

Reader mode
lexony said:
I feel like there is some mistranslating going on. Maybe Miyamoto said that he had a more creative role in that game and it got interpreted as directing. Also maybe the journalist wasn‘t really aware what it means. It is unclear in the industry anyway. Some name the roles similar to movie credits like Nintendo, other are very lose with the term.
Click to expand...
this is why paraphrasing paraphrased translated interviews is bad. full context quote from the source or it's not a thing worth discussing.

assuming this (2016) is the interview being referenced about him "directing", then the full quote from the piece make it quite clear what happened here:
That importance isn’t lost on Miyamoto, and it’s part of the reason why, in addition to serving as Super Mario Run’s producer, he’s also taken on a more hands-on, directorial role. He’s even working with longtime Nintendo producer Takashi Tezuka, who, alongside Miyamoto, developed the original Super Mario Bros. “It’s sort of like the two of us are working together again like back then, designing stages and things like that,” says Miyamoto. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
Click to expand...
www.theverge.com

A chat with Shigeru Miyamoto on the eve of Super Mario Run, Nintendo’s first smartphone game

The creator of Mario on how smartphones will introduce new players to Nintendo
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com


or this (2016 interview):
Miyamoto hasn't been so intimately involved in a Mario game since 2007.
Although it's been about five years since Miyamoto said he's retiring, he continues working with the development team in a role he described as quite similar to director. "When we’re taking new steps like this---certainly with Super Mario Galaxy, that was a new step, and this being our first step into mobile, this is also a new step---that I get more directly involved." Super Mario Galaxy, a 2007 title for Wii, was the last Mario title in which he was involved "in terms of me actually directly looking at all of the level designs."​
Click to expand...
www.wired.com

'Super Mario Run' is Here—and Shigeru Miyamoto Told Us 7 Surprising Things About It

Turns out Nintendo's first iPhone action game was inspired by YouTube speedrunners.
www.wired.com www.wired.com

but of course then there's also this (2023 interview) which will always be the sticking point since there the quote doesn't include any nuance but given all the other pieces ("a more directorial role", "more directly involved"), what he meant should still be clear and nobody should be clinging to this exact phrasing here:
“First and foremost, Nintendo’s core strategy is a hardware and software integrated gaming experience,” said Miyamoto, who played a pivotal role in designing the Wii, among other Nintendo consoles. “The intuitiveness of the control is a part of the gaming experience. When we explored the opportunity of making Mario games for the mobile phone — which is a more common, generic device — it was challenging to determine what that game should be. That is why I played the role of director for Super Mario Run, to be able to translate that Nintendo hardware experience into the smart devices.”
Click to expand...
variety.com

Mario Is Moving Away From Mobile Games, Reveals Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto (EXCLUSIVE)

Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that 'mobile apps will not be the primary path of future Mario games,' and clarified his stance on shooter games.
variety.com variety.com
 
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Meledandri and Miyamoto’s association dates back nearly a decade. After meeting in 2014, when each executive independently worked on building attractions at Universal Studios based on “Despicable Me” and Super Mario Bros., Miyamoto and Meledandri began visiting each other in Kyoto and Los Angeles. Their talks dwelled less on what went wrong with the 1993 “Mario” movie and more on how they could translate the vibrant spirit of the games to the screen.
Click to expand...

At this point am pretty sure that's why Iwata is in credits, he was still part of this proccess in 2014. However, Kimishima is no where to be seen in the credits so Iwata included is probably a more of touching tribute to the wingman who fell in battle and he was at the very start of the process.
 
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Raccoon said:
not as far as I know but it's the obvious conclusion for the Booster Pass imo
Click to expand...
I feel like they are fine having Tokyo in there, however if it does indeed happen having both HQ and EPD is enough, especially when you consider that the new building has not even started and won't be ready for a long time. No need to include it.
 
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Creatures staff growth:

84 (as of November 2015)
110 (as of June 2017)
144 (as of August 2019)
178 (as of November 16, 2021) (Ambrella acquired in November 2020)
207 (as of February 7, 2022)
217 (as of October 1, 2022)
232 (as of April 1, 2023)



Ambrella must have been very small when they were acquired.


While I don't think we have an exact breakdown of the three departments (Card/Game/CG Studio), I did find this percentage breakdown of the latter two:

F3opCEt.jpeg


Going on Wayback Machine, they used to split these breakdowns into the three departments (didn't include the Card one because it isn't really relevant). I guess it makes sense since the CG Studio always worked on internal projects like Pokepark and Detective Pikachu. With programmers being the leading occupation, it looks like Creatures is getting serious about game development.

Also, if anyone still needs reassurance that Detective Pikachu 2 is still a thing, an interview went up at the end of March with a background artist working on the game.
 
N75 said:
Creatures staff growth:

84 (as of November 2015)
110 (as of June 2017)
144 (as of August 2019)
178 (as of November 16, 2021) (Ambrella acquired in November 2020)
207 (as of February 7, 2022)
217 (as of October 1, 2022)
232 (as of April 1, 2023)



Ambrella must have been very small when they were acquired.


While I don't think we have an exact breakdown of the three departments (Card/Game/CG Studio), I did find this percentage breakdown of the latter two:

F3opCEt.jpeg


Going on Wayback Machine, they used to split these breakdowns into the three departments (didn't include the Card one because it isn't really relevant). I guess it makes sense since the CG Studio always worked on internal projects like Pokepark and Detective Pikachu. With programmers being the leading occupation, it looks like Creatures is getting serious about game development.

Also, if anyone still needs reassurance that Detective Pikachu 2 is still a thing, an interview went up at the end of March with a background artist working on the game.
Click to expand...
I’m actually really interested in how this game will look like graphically. If they keep using a fixed camera but maybe with more open movement similarly like in Luigis Mansion 3, this has all the right conditions for going to be the best looking game in the Pokémon franchise. Let‘s hope they hired great 3D artists for this game and have an engine ready for HD Development.
 
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lexony said:
I’m actually really interested in how this game will look like graphically. If they keep using a fixed camera but maybe with more open movement similarly like in Luigis Mansion 3, this has all the right conditions for going to be the best looking game in the Pokémon franchise. Let‘s hope they hired great 3D artists for this game and have an engine ready for HD Development.
Click to expand...
They've talked about testing unreal engine in the past, including a picture of Pikachu in ue4 in one of their hiring ads
 
ILikeFeet said:
They've talked about testing unreal engine in the past, including a picture of Pikachu in ue4 in one of their hiring ads
Click to expand...
Doesn’t Unreal Engine run kinda bad on Switch? Not that that’s necessarily a total dealbreaker, especially if DP2 got kicked to Redacted instead, but it’s still a bit concerning TBH.
 
AoiHana said:
Doesn’t Unreal Engine run kinda bad on Switch? Not that that’s necessarily a total dealbreaker, especially if DP2 got kicked to Redacted instead, but it’s still a bit concerning TBH.
Click to expand...
no? it runs as well as you want it to. the ceiling is just lower thank to the hardware setup of the switch
 
ILikeFeet said:
no? it runs as well as you want it to. the ceiling is just lower thank to the hardware setup of the switch
Click to expand...
Oh, thank god. I think maybe I’ve just been burned by some dodgy ports but I was worried Unreal Engine was poorly optimized for Switch. Makes sense, though. Glad to see it runs better than Unity, at least.
 
boodream said:
I am very happy about the strong participation of Kensuke Tanabe. All his work and talent are so underrated.
Click to expand...
The problem now with him and Yoshio Sakamoto is only being credited when something not great happens. People just can not get over Sticker Star and Other M ......
 
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AoiHana said:
Oh, thank god. I think maybe I’ve just been burned by some dodgy ports but I was worried Unreal Engine was poorly optimized for Switch. Makes sense, though. Glad to see it runs better than Unity, at least.
Click to expand...
it always comes down to what the devs can or want to put into making it look good and run well. UE4 usually means multiplatform port which usually means they made a pretty af PS/PC version first and are then trying to cram that into a Switch and either time or money runs out sooner or later. Yoshi's Crafted World is a UE4 game, for example.
 
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AoiHana said:
Oh, thank god. I think maybe I’ve just been burned by some dodgy ports but I was worried Unreal Engine was poorly optimized for Switch. Makes sense, though. Glad to see it runs better than Unity, at least.
Click to expand...
Unity runs quite well too. It really all comes down to how demanding your game is, how well it‘s optimized for the platform and what technical limitations the platform has. Snipper Clips, Untitled Goose Game, Cuphead, Stanley Parable and Ori and the Will of the Wisp are all made in Unity (or at least based on it) and they have little to no Issues.

I really comes always all down to how much effort is made by the developer, regardless if it is developed directly for the Switch or if it‘s a port. Unity or Unreal are only tools.
 
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N75 said:
Creatures staff growth:

84 (as of November 2015)
110 (as of June 2017)
144 (as of August 2019)
178 (as of November 16, 2021) (Ambrella acquired in November 2020)
207 (as of February 7, 2022)
217 (as of October 1, 2022)
232 (as of April 1, 2023)



Ambrella must have been very small when they were acquired.


While I don't think we have an exact breakdown of the three departments (Card/Game/CG Studio), I did find this percentage breakdown of the latter two:

F3opCEt.jpeg


Going on Wayback Machine, they used to split these breakdowns into the three departments (didn't include the Card one because it isn't really relevant). I guess it makes sense since the CG Studio always worked on internal projects like Pokepark and Detective Pikachu. With programmers being the leading occupation, it looks like Creatures is getting serious about game development.

Also, if anyone still needs reassurance that Detective Pikachu 2 is still a thing, an interview went up at the end of March with a background artist working on the game.
Click to expand...
It seems the rounding works out for both breakdowns exactly if we assume digital game/CG Artist has 101 developers and PCG has 68 developers. An exact breakdown can be made this way.

"Digital Game Development" (including CG Artists)
24 programmers
22 character/BG modeling
19 game designers
14 animators
9 digital production progress
5 technical artists
4 sound creators
2 effects artists
1 video creator
1 UI/UX designer
(101 developers)

"Pokémon Card Game"
2 game directors
2 art directors
2 illus. directors
12 game designers
11 graphic designers
2 CG designers
11 planners
9 illus. production supervisors
12 information coordinators
5 quality managers
(68 developers)

Works out to be 169 developers as of October 2022 with 48 unaccounted/presumably non-development corporate staff. If this is accurate, PCG department is a bit bigger than I expected. Compare to Intelligent Systems, another company with a staff breakdown by position, while Creatures has more staff, they have fewer game developers. IS has over twice as many programmers.
74 graphic designers
65 programmers
22 planners (game designers)
12 sound creators
4 hardware engineers
10 corporate
 
Quoted by: N75
1
Chiffon said:
It seems the rounding works out for both breakdowns exactly if we assume digital game/CG Artist has 101 developers and PCG has 68 developers. An exact breakdown can be made this way.

"Digital Game Development" (including CG Artists)
24 programmers
22 character/BG modeling
19 game designers
14 animators
9 digital production progress
5 technical artists
4 sound creators
2 effects artists
1 video creator
1 UI/UX designer
(101 developers)

"Pokémon Card Game"
2 game directors
2 art directors
2 illus. directors
12 game designers
11 graphic designers
2 CG designers
11 planners
9 illus. production supervisors
12 information coordinators
5 quality managers
(68 developers)

Works out to be 169 developers as of October 2022 with 48 unaccounted/presumably non-development corporate staff. If this is accurate, PCG department is a bit bigger than I expected. Compare to Intelligent Systems, another company with a staff breakdown by position, while Creatures has more staff, they have fewer game developers. IS has over twice as many programmers.
74 graphic designers
65 programmers
22 planners (game designers)
12 sound creators
4 hardware engineers
10 corporate
Click to expand...
One thing that sticks out is that there’s another graph on that page that shows only 9% of staff working in management, while the other 91% are directly involved with development.
 
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Grezzo has expanded the floor space.
www.grezzo.co.jp

オフィス増床のお知らせ

平素は格段のお引き立てを賜り、厚く御礼申し上げます。 事業拡大に伴い、オフィスのフロアを同ビル6階に増床致しました。 今回のオフィス増床に伴う会社の住所等に変更はございません。 ご来訪の際に...
www.grezzo.co.jp www.grezzo.co.jp
 
lolvongola said:
it seems that wayforward is working on an aaa game for nintendo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joedidonato/es?trk=people-also-viewed_member-name
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That's an interesting spot, but the working timeline is November 2019 to December 2022, so it's a finished product, and that timeline matches up with Advance Wars. Part of me wonders if describing whatever it is as an AAA game is simply CV-boosting on this guy's part (and I don't blame him for that! I do it and it sometimes helps me get work). "AAA project with Nintendo" sounds very impressive, for sure. Perhaps the timeline given on LinkedIn is simply there to reflect the delay to the product rather than the development cycle.

The odds of Nintendo and WayForward collaborating on two projects at the same time, though? I'm not sure. WayForward release multiple games most years, so I wouldn't rule anything out. Reboot Camp's credits will be worth looking at to see if Joe DiDonato had a role in it. Obviously, in a conventional use of 'AAA', Reboot Camp doesn't quite fit the bill, so it'll be interesting to see if anything else comes from the two companies working together.
 
MisterSpo said:
That's an interesting spot, but the working timeline is November 2019 to December 2022, so it's a finished product, and that timeline matches up with Advance Wars. Part of me wonders if describing whatever it is as an AAA game is simply CV-boosting on this guy's part (and I don't blame him for that! I do it and it sometimes helps me get work). "AAA project with Nintendo" sounds very impressive, for sure. Perhaps the timeline given on LinkedIn is simply there to reflect the delay to the product rather than the development cycle.

The odds of Nintendo and WayForward collaborating on two projects at the same time, though? I'm not sure. WayForward release multiple games most years, so I wouldn't rule anything out. Reboot Camp's credits will be worth looking at to see if Joe DiDonato had a role in it. Obviously, in a conventional use of 'AAA', Reboot Camp doesn't quite fit the bill, so it'll be interesting to see if anything else comes from the two companies working together.
Click to expand...
I don't think it matches up given how AW was initially planned for 2021 and was finished by April 2022.
 
MisterSpo said:
That's an interesting spot, but the working timeline is November 2019 to December 2022, so it's a finished product, and that timeline matches up with Advance Wars. Part of me wonders if describing whatever it is as an AAA game is simply CV-boosting on this guy's part (and I don't blame him for that! I do it and it sometimes helps me get work). "AAA project with Nintendo" sounds very impressive, for sure. Perhaps the timeline given on LinkedIn is simply there to reflect the delay to the product rather than the development cycle.

The odds of Nintendo and WayForward collaborating on two projects at the same time, though? I'm not sure. WayForward release multiple games most years, so I wouldn't rule anything out. Reboot Camp's credits will be worth looking at to see if Joe DiDonato had a role in it. Obviously, in a conventional use of 'AAA', Reboot Camp doesn't quite fit the bill, so it'll be interesting to see if anything else comes from the two companies working together.
Click to expand...
It's Advance Wars. You have to go through the chain of recommendations, but the folks listed as working on the "same team" as him were all on Advance Wars, including the art director, who was only there on Advance Wars.
 
Lelouch0612 said:
I don't think it matches up given how AW was initially planned for 2021 and was finished by April 2022.
Click to expand...
Like I said, the project timeline given here might not be the same as development timeline. His role as a liaison with Nintendo wouldn't necessarily have ended at the same time as development, and the manager at Nintendo who provides a reference on the LinkedIn profile credits Joe DiDanato for his abilities to bridge the gap between publisher and developer. Safe to assume the lines of communication aren't shut down once a game goes gold; especially not if a delay happens.
oldpuck said:
It's Advance Wars. You have to go through the chain of recommendations, but the folks listed as working on the "same team" as him were all on Advance Wars, including the art director, who was only there on Advance Wars.
Click to expand...
I see, I thought that would likely be the case.
 
MisterSpo said:
Like I said, the project timeline given here might not be the same as development timeline. His role as a liaison with Nintendo wouldn't necessarily have ended at the same time as development, and the manager at Nintendo who provides a reference on the LinkedIn profile credits Joe DiDanato for his abilities to bridge the gap between publisher and developer. Safe to assume the lines of communication aren't shut down once a game goes gold; especially not if a delay happens.

I see, I thought that would likely be the case.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the clarification !
 
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it's probably advance wars, but I wouldn't put it past Nintendo and Wayforward to have another game in the works. could be a new Advance Wars or even Golden Sun. Wayforward are quite flexible
 
MisterSpo said:
That's an interesting spot, but the working timeline is November 2019 to December 2022, so it's a finished product, and that timeline matches up with Advance Wars. Part of me wonders if describing whatever it is as an AAA game is simply CV-boosting on this guy's part (and I don't blame him for that! I do it and it sometimes helps me get work). "AAA project with Nintendo" sounds very impressive, for sure. Perhaps the timeline given on LinkedIn is simply there to reflect the delay to the product rather than the development cycle.

The odds of Nintendo and WayForward collaborating on two projects at the same time, though? I'm not sure. WayForward release multiple games most years, so I wouldn't rule anything out. Reboot Camp's credits will be worth looking at to see if Joe DiDonato had a role in it. Obviously, in a conventional use of 'AAA', Reboot Camp doesn't quite fit the bill, so it'll be interesting to see if anything else comes from the two companies working together.
Click to expand...
maybe they banked an original AW game from them while the remakes were sitting there completely done. or it was polishing up the game with any planned post-launch patches while on sensitivity break and overseeing all that jazz.

I bet you any Nintendo game that ends up with a boxed release is considered an "AAA production" in their books. Especially since AAA is a meaningless term and can be stretched and squeezed to fit any definition.
 
MisterSpo said:
That's an interesting spot, but the working timeline is November 2019 to December 2022, so it's a finished product, and that timeline matches up with Advance Wars. Part of me wonders if describing whatever it is as an AAA game is simply CV-boosting on this guy's part (and I don't blame him for that! I do it and it sometimes helps me get work). "AAA project with Nintendo" sounds very impressive, for sure. Perhaps the timeline given on LinkedIn is simply there to reflect the delay to the product rather than the development cycle.

The odds of Nintendo and WayForward collaborating on two projects at the same time, though? I'm not sure. WayForward release multiple games most years, so I wouldn't rule anything out. Reboot Camp's credits will be worth looking at to see if Joe DiDonato had a role in it. Obviously, in a conventional use of 'AAA', Reboot Camp doesn't quite fit the bill, so it'll be interesting to see if anything else
Click to expand...

TheMoon said:
maybe they banked an original AW game from them while the remakes were sitting there completely done. or it was polishing up the game with any planned post-launch patches while on sensitivity break and overseeing all that jazz.

I bet you any Nintendo game that ends up with a boxed release is considered an "AAA production" in their books. Especially since AAA is a meaningless term and can be stretched and squeezed to fit any definition.
Click to expand...
 
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In another account I found that the game comes from a historical shooter with run and gun shmup and rail gun gameplay so it could be star fox
 

• Developed gameplay, Meta design, narrative, and characters for a historic shooter property.
• Administered operations associated with character/enemy designs, branching story/difficulties, Meta design, and post-launch live-ops with leaderboards and challenge system for an unannounced AAA Shooter of an existing franchise with four distinct gameplay styles, including Run & Gun, Top Down Shooter, Shmup, and Rail Gun.
 
lolvongola said:

• Developed gameplay, Meta design, narrative, and characters for a historic shooter property.
• Administered operations associated with character/enemy designs, branching story/difficulties, Meta design, and post-launch live-ops with leaderboards and challenge system for an unannounced AAA Shooter of an existing franchise with four distinct gameplay styles, including Run & Gun, Top Down Shooter, Shmup, and Rail Gun.
Click to expand...
Oh boy
 
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TheMoon said:
could also be not related to Nintendo at all
Click to expand...
https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-buechele-825630/
he also mentioned the aaa game

Joe brings many strengths to the table. For our AAA project the most important was understanding what was required to complete the project and being the partner/clients voice in the room to ensure those needs were met, and speak on behalf of the client when they could not be present. It takes a unique individual to bridge the gap between Publisher/Developer and understand the needs of both in order to successfully bring a project to completion.
 
lolvongola said:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-buechele-825630/
he also mentioned the aaa game

Joe brings many strengths to the table. For our AAA project the most important was understanding what was required to complete the project and being the partner/clients voice in the room to ensure those needs were met, and speak on behalf of the client when they could not be present. It takes a unique individual to bridge the gap between Publisher/Developer and understand the needs of both in order to successfully bring a project to completion.
Click to expand...

But I'm talking about this one:

lolvongola said:

• Developed gameplay, Meta design, narrative, and characters for a historic shooter property.
• Administered operations associated with character/enemy designs, branching story/difficulties, Meta design, and post-launch live-ops with leaderboards and challenge system for an unannounced AAA Shooter of an existing franchise with four distinct gameplay styles, including Run & Gun, Top Down Shooter, Shmup, and Rail Gun.
Click to expand...
nothing here points to a Nintendo project

edit: to clarify, just because they both list an "AAA" game on their resume, doesn't mean they're the same proejct
 
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Is the "Wars" license co-owned by IS as it is for Fire Emblem? Because if so, we can imagine that they had a say in the choice of Wayorward.
 
boodream said:
Is the "Wars" license co-owned by IS as it is for Fire Emblem? Because if so, we can imagine that they had a say in the choice of Wayorward.
Click to expand...
it is, but Nintendo is the one paying for it. WayForward has a long history with Nintendo so it's not a twist of the arm
 
Dutchie said:
Hi everyone.

Do you expect to see a new Mario & Luigi game in the near future?

I certainely hope so, what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
With Alpha Dream defunct and Switch drowning in RPGs (including multiple first party RPG franchises), I'm not sure reviving Mario & Luigi would be a particular priority for EPD or Intelligent Systems (who already have Fire Emblem, Paper Mario and WarioWare to work on).

However, if a developer made a promising pitch to Nintendo to take the series on, I think it could come back that way. But obviously the pitch would have to be pretty damn compelling for Nintendo to bankroll it and for a studio to get access to the Mario IP.
 
MisterSpo said:
With Alpha Dream defunct and Switch drowning in RPGs (including multiple first party RPG franchises), I'm not sure reviving Mario & Luigi would be a particular priority for EPD or Intelligent Systems (who already have Fire Emblem, Paper Mario and WarioWare to work on).

However, if a developer made a promising pitch to Nintendo to take the series on, I think it could come back that way. But obviously the pitch would have to be pretty damn compelling for Nintendo to bankroll it and for a studio to get access to the Mario IP.
Click to expand...
I believe both Yoshihiko Maekawa and Chihiro Fujioka are at Arzest. I'm not sure Nintendo sees a need to continue the series, but if they did, it's not like they have to look far.
 
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Not sure what would cause a bigger commotion, Arzest working on a Mario & Luigi game or Arzest actually releasing a good game by themselves.
 
MisterSpo said:
With Alpha Dream defunct and Switch drowning in RPGs (including multiple first party RPG franchises), I'm not sure reviving Mario & Luigi would be a particular priority for EPD or Intelligent Systems (who already have Fire Emblem, Paper Mario and WarioWare to work on).

However, if a developer made a promising pitch to Nintendo to take the series on, I think it could come back that way. But obviously the pitch would have to be pretty damn compelling for Nintendo to bankroll it and for a studio to get access to the Mario IP.
Click to expand...
Golden Sun has a better chance of coming back that Mario and Luigi at this point
 
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