Joe

Nintendo design guru, Shigeru Miyamoto has explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he feels gamers do not want to play titles like the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess anymore. He believes the number of people willing to invest long hours into role-playing games is dwindling, explaining that this is the reason he feels the last Nintendo GameCube and Wii epic did not sell as well is expected in Japan.

“Well, I think a lot of people who bought the Wii are not necessarily the types of people who are interested in playing that kind of game. And a lot of the people who would want to play it [due to chronic shortages of the console] can’t find a Wii! But mostly, I think it’s that there are fewer and fewer people who are interested in playing a big role-playing game like Zelda.”

Miyamoto went on to explain how he is interested in creating games centered on respectful elders in society. As with the inspiration to many of his previous creative ideas, this idea arose from his immediate surroundings - Japan’s public transport system where the country’s youth often disobey rules and regulations:

“In Japan, there are a lot of trains that have sections reserved for the elderly or pregnant women. Young people in Japan sometimes sit in them, but if people come up and need them, you are supposed to get up. But most of the kids don’t! It really upsets me. If I could build a game that somehow made the young people respect their elders…”



Nintendo’s chief game designer, in the same light, also geared his dislike towards those members of society who are tax dodgers, but was careful not to make himself out as a geriatric old codger!

“…And there is another issue bugging me. In Japan there are a lot of people who freelance or work under the table - people who don’t pay any taxes. I look at places in the world where people understand that paying taxes to the government helps society. In Japan there’s not that understanding. So [social responsibility] is yet another issue I might address in a game. But I probably sound like an old man when I bring these things up.”

Later on in the interview, Miyamoto was asked whether any of the games he had worked on had not turned out to be as great as he initially thought. He cited more than one example. He also explained that he was adamant to make games that he thought people would enjoy, rather than having consumers pressure him into making the games that they want, referencing Halo as case in point:

“Yes, that has definitely happened. In the past we’ve worked with some outside development houses on titles like F-Zero and Starfox — and let me just say that we were disappointed with the results. Consumers got very excited about the idea of those games, but the games themselves did not deliver.”

“I could make Halo. It’s not that I couldn’t design that game. It’s just that I choose not to. One thing about my game design is that I never try to look for what people want and then try to make that game design. I always try to create new experiences that are fun to play.

Maybe Nintendo’s next big announcement will be a title where you protect aged citizens and pregnant ladies on public transport, while tracking down tax evaders in the evening? …Okay, maybe not.


WTF!!!
Zelda games are incredible, I sure do hope they will continue making them as good as he always did, since it sounds like he’s not really willing to design any more Zelda titles or just not try.
If the Zelda series ends im done with Nintendo! Its shocking that this is coming from Miyamoto.....I thought I knew him better! DO THEY KNOW HOW MANY ****ING PEOPLE BOUGHT A WII FOR ZELDA!!!!

Joe

bump!
OMG!
Does anyone care about this!
This is a big problem!

Frogger

Zelda games are incredible but, face it, people are getting a lot dumber, hence why GTA has such a wide audience (I have no idea in hell why) but it doesn't make you think, people don't want to think any more.

I like Zelda, the people who are loyal to Zelda will continue to be loyal to Zelda, Miyamoto just hasn't realised that's a frickin' a lot amount of people. Possibly, or people who want to play Zelda haven't had a chance to buy the Wii yet (because so many people are selling them on eBay for unholy prices)

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Sarai_132

Why is this in teh Lounge?

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Joe

Because it didnt really fit anything else....I mean it talks about more than just Zelda. (Sarai 132)

imae

Miymoto definitly has a point, and strangly i think the wii doing well is what effected twilight princess sales in some ways. nintendo threw something new at us with wii and i think some gamers, who have follwed nintendo but not necessarily been zelda fans, kinda see zelda as 'what nintendo used to do' and are saying to themselves iv already experienced zelda.

i dont think the zelda fanbase is growing weaker, just those players that have previously given zelda a go arn't this time round becuase of the wii's new direction.

but yeah as a zelda fan myself, it's abit scary to think that the franchaise is going to undergo a big change. everytime i play through a new zelda game it feels like reading a good book, which pulls you into the experience and makes you work abit to fully enjoy.

perhaps some kind of online zelda experience(MMO..) could be a direction shigsy is considering (wen reading the OP about getting people to respect others more, MMO crossed my mind).
great thing about MMORPG's is you can set youself limits on how far you want to get involved, or how much you want to achieve in the game, And through lore you can choose how much of the story to experience. So, this could be a way to get more people into zelda but satisfy die hard zelda fans at the same time.
or pehaps something like four-swords....

whatever he does he wont let us down

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mr_resi

GWAH! *C***s himself*

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Joe

Miyamoto might let us down! I mean it sounds like is just said "**** the harcore gamers lets just make linear games, its easier and it makes more money" in translation!