KYOTO, Japan – Not many things ruled over in a year under the control of the pandemic like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo’s latest installment of the long-running series credited for save the mental health of those trapped inside their homes for weeks. finally.
Despite the highs the game has reached, surpassing 26 million units sold since its release in March last year, it comes from a humble beginning, spawning from an open corporate culture that encourages out-of-the-box ideas from employees.
For those unfamiliar with the wonder, Animal Crossing is a social simulator game that takes players to their own desert islands for customization. Other players, or “villagers,” can visit the islands and interact with each other. This creates a new world for people who are often left alone and unable to visit friends and family at times when the government is locked out.
The idea for the game – and much more – was inspired by the subtle chatter among colleagues at Nintendo’s development team, a common occurrence at the company’s headquarters here in Kyoto.
Hisashi Nogami, the series’ producer, was recently seen taking part in such a whimsical ban with a senior colleague at work.
Nintendo values subtle chatter among employees, a corporate culture that helped bring about a series of hits. (Image courtesy of Nintendo)
“Insects are structurally different from other living creatures,” said the team member. “They may have ridden in on quartzite that came in from the outside.”
“But exoskeletons are a pretty simple way to design something,” Nogami replied.
“I see,” said the colleague, “then that means we are humans with an internal skeleton that came from space.”
These seemingly weird conversations are the daily relationship of Nintendo’s development department. The threads are not expected to come to a plausible conclusion, but what they generate is an explosion of scenes while participants spitball pet theories.
These aimless conversations break things down into smaller elements, which are then combined to form new ideas. What is important is that one does not have to think about where or how to start a conversation.
The Animal Crossing franchise, which began in 2001, came when Nogami, now 49, found it difficult to immerse himself in video games after working with his newlywed wife in the same room.
Nogami later spoke to an older colleague who had been deceived by childcare.
“We need a game that makes you feel like you’re playing with other people.”
“The game should let you stop at any time and leave you feeling satisfied.”
From their experiences, the two have discovered the concept of an open game where players can interact socially with each other.
This sense of innovation that has passed through generations of Nintendo employees has also led to Animal Crossing becoming a successful series.
Aya Kyogoku, the director of the series, has been playing Nintendo games for as long as the 39-year-old can remember. Kyogoku was inspired to run after Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo ‘s creator of Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda and other titles that explain a century.
Nintendo Producer Director Shigeru Miyamoto
“Those who love their jobs are always thinking about work in the back of their minds,” Kyogoku said.
Miyamoto was an example of that vision. He thought up the Wii Fit game while monitoring his weight during his diet. Pikmin, a series with plant-like creatures, can be found back in the vegetable garden that Miyamoto tended to have at home.
From her observations on Miyamoto, Kyogoku learned that valuable results can come from subtle chatter. From there, Kyogoku became a staunch believer in drawing inspiration from and building on real experiences.
For example, in Animal Crossing, one can exchange turnips for money and vice versa at Stalk Market. As the pound suggests, its framework is similar to a global stock market similar to price changes. If a player wants to add more rooms to the house, they have to borrow it.
These traits are a source of oft-said grips among enthusiasts about “losing money in the starch market,” or “getting a loan balance,” which can be confusing to the ears of the unrecognized.
Animal Crossing’s appeal is “that anyone can take an interest because it’s connected to reality,” Kyogoku said. This series made a point for avoiding creating a different word of its own to draw fans from across a broad spectrum.
“I have to keep doing new things so that no one asks if I retired,” said Miyamoto, 68, who now holds the title of production director at Nintendo.
These words are a reflection of the belief seen by the company’s development team: do the things that others have not done before.
It is the spirit of the Kyoto company that is proud to be so big in Tokyo trends.
“I don’t think much has failed so far,” Miyamoto said. “The batting average is .700 or so.”
The opening of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Osaka has been delayed due to a state of emergency order.
Nintendo alone does not allow itself to be overwhelmed by sales numbers. As soon as a new product hits the market, the company holds a post-mortem review session before any sales trends are known.
The idea is that one cannot create a product that is completely satisfactory as long as there is a date to meet. The meetings will focus on releasing the next title that will hit the satisfaction targets.
Even if a new idea becomes a flop at the end of the business, it can lead to the next product, they will think. Such an approach has caused a number of well-known game creators.
Miyamoto is currently in charge of the development of the Super Nintendo World draw which is set to open next month at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. He is also keeping an eye on the new Mario movie that was released next year.
Previously, Miyamoto deliberately hid Mario’s personality so as not to hinder game creation.
But “for the past five or six years, I’ve felt like I wanted to use it [Mario] in several media outlets, “Miyamoto said.