Miyamoto Interviews> April 2002, Nintendo Power

When starting a new project, what is the first step in your creative process?

Monique , Netherlands

Miyamoto: The way I make games, usually, is to first play around with the controller and come to think of some fascinating way to use it. Or, I often look at what new tricks or moves are possible and see if I could make a use of it. Above all, I believe it is very important to try to see things differently from the other points of view all the time.

How many people do you have working on a project such as Mario Sunshine?

Cara , UK

It depends on which phase of the development you are referring to. We usually start from a very small group, and we then increase the number as the project progresses. As for Mario Sunshine, around 30 people are currently working on the project as we are at the very final stage of the development.

Do you think the future of gaming really is “online”, as many people say?

Sandro , Italy

Online gaming is only one method of fun gameplay, but I think it only provides one of many factors to making great games. I personally believe Nintendo can make really unique and fascinating games without depending upon any certain technology, which may or may not emerge.

Will there be a Zelda game for Game Boy Advance? If so, will it be an original title or a conversion of an older title?

Karl , Germany

I cannot make any announcement yet. There are many possibilities for Legend of Zelda on the Game Boy Advance, and this may be something we discuss at E3 show this year.

When will we see the fantastically nasty Walugi again?

John , Belgium

Miyamoto: There aren’t any plans at this moment.

Is the Nintendo GameCube Zelda game still in the anime style or has there been yet another change to the look?

Fabienne , France

Miyamoto: I know there are still heated debates on the brief game footage of Nintendo GameCube version of Legend of Zelda shown. I think that games should be judged by its gameplay and not by its appearance. We will exhibit a playable version of the game at E3 show this year, and we will discuss the Legend of Zelda in detail then.

What inspired you to create Pikmin?

Jong , Netherlands

Miyamoto: When we were working on a game system, there were a number of small creatures that were moving on the screen, which reminded me of the movements of ants. Afterwards, I had a number of initial meetings in order to come up with characters for a new game. I wanted the Pikmin characters to appeal to wide generation of people, from young children to the older generations.

If you had the chance to be teleported into one of your games for a day, which game would you choose?

Peter , Spain

Miyamoto: I would like to go to the large open field in the Ocarina of Time.

In your opinion, what would be a really innovative use of the Nintendo GameCube/Game Boy Advance link up?

Frank , Germany

Miyamoto: I believe the best is yet to come. We are working on a number of fascinating ideas at present, and I am excited about them all.

Describe a typical day in your life.

Bouncer , France

On working weekdays, I go to my office just a little later than others do. Then I attend a series of meetings on different game titles and work with current projects via e-mail communication. But when I am deeply involved in certain games as a game designer, I try to put aside my daily work to concentrate on the specific game. On weekends, I spend most of my time with my family.

What do you see as being the main differences between Japanese and European gamers?

Carina , Spain

Miyamoto: As long as my games are concerned, I do not see much of a difference.

When did you play your first video game?

Julie , UK

Miyamoto: I remember when I was in college I played an arcade game, which was shooting game between gunmen.

Do you feel that the Nintendo GameCube controller is perfect or looking back, is there anything you would change?

Paul , Germany

I don’t feel the Nintendo GameCube controller needs any specific changes right now. If there was anything… I would say I adopted the Z-button that be handy for players when they are using C-stick simultaneously. However, I think this Z-button may be difficult to control for some gameplay occasions.

What feature of the Game Boy Advance do you like the most?

Serge , Netherlands

Miyamoto: There are many, but if I have to choose one, it must be the ability for 4 people to play together at once.

Will we ever see a Game Boy Advance version of Pikmin?

Yoshi , UK

Miyamoto: I think we can do some Pikmin game on Game Boy Advance in the future. Right now, a game like Pikmin is available only with the Nintendo GameCube technology because it’s very hard to reproduce something really like Pikmin on any other platforms.

What do you think about video games based on movie licenses?

Mel , Germany

Miyamoto: Seemingly, movies and games are similar, but they are poles apart. I do not think anyone can come up with good project simply by converting a scenario of a good movie to a game, and vice versa. While business tie-ups are possible, it must be difficult to collaborate on the creative point of view. In general, game development takes a longer time than movie making. For example, it would be difficult to synchronize timings of the release.

What do you see as the key to GameCube's success in Europe?

Stean , Netherlands

Miyamoto: We are prepared for the European launch. Europe is going to have 20 software titles on day one, the largest line-up we have seen. Moreover, European people are going to have Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Legend and Zelda and many other great games within one year of the launch.

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