XBox Japan Interview
Found this article here . I thought it was an interesting read. I especially like the idea of Master Chief being the XBox franchise character.
----------------------------------------------------
Eyes on Xbox Victory
Reported By Dennis Day
Last week's price cuts at E3 marked another step in the escalating battle for supremacy of the worldwide console market. With virtually all profitability drained from hardware, platform providers have renewed their focus on software development. To explain the Japanese side of Microsoft's strategy, director Toshiyuki Miyata recently went on record with Famitsu in
Japan.
Famitsu: Three first-party games were available for the Xbox launch in Japan, how were they received by the public?
Miyata-san: Each of the games have their own merits. Considering how quickly the Japanese launch was scheduled, I was happy we had those three high quality titles to start. I know how hard the development teams on those titles worked, albeit Project Gotham or Nezmix, they stayed weekends and long nights finishing them. I have nothing but the utmost respect for their hard work. We could spend all day talking about what titles could have been better at launch if we had more time. And, to be honest, games like Nezmix probably would have ended up much different if we had more time. However, we have a responsibility to deliver first-party software with our console, and I firmly believe we fulfilled that role with our three launch titles.
As for Nezmix, it was imperative to have one domestically developed game available for the Xbox at launch. So I made a judgment call to hurry development along in order to meet the launch deadline. We planned to show off the hardware capabilities of the Xbox by rendering the fur of each mouse.
We planned on using a special fur shading process for that but we experienced some unexpected delays in development, which lead to uncertainty amongst the development team. In the finished version we decided to render the mice with big fluffy coats of fur and they look like stuffed animals. However, that allowed us to finish the game in time for launch.
Famitsu: How many games is Microsoft Japan working on for Xbox?
Miyata-san: Ten titles.
Famitsu: Of those then, how many will be released this year?
Miyata-san: Game development often falls behind schedule, so I can't say with total certainty. [smiles..] I think we'll get most of the games out this year. One of our primary goals is to release our domestically developed games at an equal ratio with those developed overseas. As you know, American titles comprise the majority of Xbox games currently available. I regard software scheduled as having some flexibility. I'd like to release our titles punctually, but we most have some leeway to improve quality for the consumer.
Famitsu: Of those then games, are any nearing completion and currently being tested?
Miyata-san: Yes, of course.
Famitsu: What games would those be?
Miyata-san: That's something I can't discuss. [smiles..] Game development is subject to many last minute changes, so I can't give you specifics on individual projects yet. Our staff has made considerable progress on several games, but others still require adjustments. So development team members are being moved around to lend support in finishing projects. We have high regard for the internal testing process, and we're always looking to develop our games using the latest techniques. Our primary goal is to show off the superiority of the Xbox hardware, albeit in first or third party games. We want to create games that consumers can associated exclusively with Xbox.
Famitsu: Like Mario for Nintendo?
Miyata-san: Franchise characters you mean? Well, we're working on several character-driven titles both in North America and Japan. However, there's a tendency to imitate other companies by trying to develop trademark characters. I'm more concerned with developing new games which appeal to players. If a game is high quality, players will embrace it regardless of its main characters. Perhaps the main soldier from Halo will end up as our trademark character. [smiles..] A character that symbolizes your system must embody quality. Our course of action is to develop the best games we can and hope franchise characters emerge from that.
Famitsu: RPGs are extremely popular, is Microsoft working on any first party RPGs?
Miyata-san: Jockey's Road (horse racing) is an RPG, although different from traditional RPGs. As for fantasy style RPGs, we haven't begun developing any such titles. However, there's no shortage of ideas. [smiles..] But its pointless to develop games that lack fresh concepts. Otherwise it simply
becomes a case of - "This is the exact same games as ....," Since RPGs are such a popular genre, I'd prefer that we proceed cautiously with development in that area.
Famitsu: Do you think its hard to sell RPGs to a worldwide audience?
Miyata-san: No, not at all. Microsoft is working on Xbox RPGs in America, and plans to release them here in Japan as well. And they're actively encouraging our feedback in development process. With our domestically developed titles, our goal is to deliver games which appeal to the Japanese audience. Whether those games find favor overseas is secondary. Potential international appeal
isn't a decisive factor in selecting first party games to develop. A prime example of that philosophy is a game I just mentioned, Jockey's Road. The horse racing genre is much different in Japan than America, and I doubt an overseas audience would find it interesting. So we're not planning to release it worldwide. We'd rather develop games which appeal to the Japanese player,
giving them the attention and respect they deserve. On the other side of the issue, we must consider what American developed games to release here in Japan. Perhaps I shouldn't say this, but we're not
under any pressure to deliver foreign games. Regardless of the popularity of a game in America, if we don't think Japanese players will embrace it, the game won't be released here. Microsoft is keenly aware of Japanese consumers, and the American side understands our perspective on the software issue. They're carefully monitoring our feedback, and in that sense, we feel we have
a great relationship.
Famitsu: Xbox is involved in a fierce console war now. Are there any internal policies guiding development because of that?
Miyata-san: People have been coming up with many ideas, but now its a matter of boiling down everything to a key concept. At this point, I think our greatest strength is that we're not intimidated [smiles..] We took a lot of criticism for the disc scratching problem here in Japan, and that taught us a lesson about this market. At each step we learn more about the nature of our consumers, which allows us to proceed accordingly in the future. As Mr. Oura has said, whether it takes 10 or 20 years we're confident we'll succeed. That's the attitude we all share. It's impossible for any new venture to succeed immediately. Other companies in this market have built their audience for years, and we're not going to steal them away easily. As we confidently persevere we will begin to overtake our competitors. Management is resolved to succeed, and I'm certain we will.
Famitsu: Any definitive battle plans?
Miyata-san: Software is the key. Specifically, unique Xbox-exclusive games are the answer. We most continue releasing as many high quality games as possible.
-- Translation Asst. Jeff Williams
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks