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Unseen 64: Metroid Series Development Insights (Prime Hunters, Metroid Dread)
- Thread starter Glowsquid
- Start date
Spyder_Monkey
Banned
I genuinely don't know what to think of his leaks any more, but its still interesting to hear and makes me curious what might be going on. Strange that no one else has heard a word of it, though.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
Who is that?
Him being a smug ass with "information" and lording it people to cause speculation and damage before he says a goddamn word? Seems like a Tuesday for him.
The twitter guy is the guy behind certain Unseen 64 videos, like this one and the Devil's Third one, and the guy he's talking about is one of the directors behind the Metroid Prime series. What he's doing right now is hinting that Tanabe's relationship with Retros is bad right now.
kamineko
Does his best thinking in the flying car
Hmmm. Not sure. Here's the article he's referencing, for those who are curious. Not a lot there, but it doesn't sound like Tanabe is on the right track.
http://mynintendonews.com/2015/07/2...-federation-force-received-negative-reaction/
TheSpaceBetween
Member
Meh, it was rumored that their last "secret Wii U game" was troubled, which ended up being TF, and it turned out great. Nearly every game they've developed has been troubled. We all know what happened with Prime, Echoes was only "20% complete" at E3 2004, and the majority of ideas for DKCR were implemented after E3 2010. They always pull through.
Ya I read this already, but I don't think it really gives any insight into what's actually going on.
Admittedly, I'm not a fan of this flaunting of info without providing info.
I'm not seeing what's wrong with his statement. "I think the gameplay will stand on its own merits" is basically what he's saying.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
That's odd. For one, the majority of senior staff from Prime 1 and 2 are gone. And secondly, Tanabe has had nothing but praise for Retro over the years.
Unseen64... Isn't there a thread from them about how Devil's Third isn't coming to the Americas? Edit: I have no idea how I read right over that sentence haha.
WhiteRabbitEXE
Member
Retro seems a lot like the Nintendo counterpart to Bungie. I know many games experience trouble at some point or another, but Retro and Bungie seem to have had abnormally troublesome dev cycles that resulted in excellent games.
Let's just hope that comparison ends with Destiny...
Yep, same guy on twitter made the Devil's Third one, which is now being wildly contested on its accuracy.
His leak was that Nintendo wasn't publishing D3rd... which ended up in a shitstorm over nothing because XSEED was publishing it (but there was not such info in the leak, I don't know if this was intentional omission and stirring the pot for shits, or not. So while the leak was "correct" it was half the story and people jumped on it like a pack of hungry wolves).
Now XSEED aren't and Nintendo is... which has taken money from something else for no reason other than a shit-message from a leak that didn't paint a full picture.
Damage done.
What if Federation Force was originally a Retro made co-op game with mad loot bro
I don't think he knew XSEED was publishing. That came out from a few different sources around the same time as his video and basically corroborated what he was saying. And are you actually blaming Tamaki for making Nintendo waste their money on Devil's Third? Serious?
Hum? It was his leak that caused the reaction because he didn't have the whole story. So... yes?
TheSpaceBetween
Member
I suppose so, though they are a lot different... Bungie tends to focus on multiplayer while Retro focuses on single player. And the fact that Retro is about 1/8th the size of Bungie.
Ah ok, thanks. I have a hard time believing we have anything to be worried about though, it's pretty much the Retro cycle at this point. We'll surely see whatever they're working on at E3 next year.
Hum, I don't think its so minor to much stuff is just floating around. Something's going on with NoA and with their studios in general. This is just another piece of info so it makes me interested in what is actually going on.
I don't know if its bad but a shake-up seems imminent, though I don't know from who or to what end. With Iwata's passing, things are going to change, for better or worse.
It was Nintendo's decision to spend the money. It's not like they had to cancel a new Metroid game to fund it.
WhiteRabbitEXE
Member
On one hand ew, on the other that actually still sounds slightly better than Federation Force.
I don't mean in literally all regards.
But there are some parallels.That's fine, but it was his leak that triggered the backlash because it was a half-story. If the info that XSEED had been included then there'd have been no backlash, Nintendo's money wouldn't have been spent on quelling backlash to save face/appease fan outcry, and something else would have had more money at its disposal.
We don't need to go into hyperbole of canceling a project or some such. Its just damage done, that's all.
He's great for info, but I've seen a tendency to jump of "the scoop" without going the whole nine yards as a journalist and close the story.
Interceptor
Banned
Nintendo was never not publishing it.
You can't create rumor and after it got debunked still say: "Well yes, of course it's not true - but it's not true because of me! Haha!" That's not how it works.
I hope it's not! I know everyone wants Retro to make a new Metroid game (which I would love too) but I hope all this outcry for Metroid doesn't leave Donkey Kong dead again.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
What makes you think that? The Yoshi delay and Devil's Third? What does any of that have to do with Retro? As far as actual game development goes, they work far more closely with Japan than they do America right? And Reggie even said that work with respect to Iwata's vision will continue uninterrupted. That, and Retro seems to be in better shape these days than they have in a long time, having immediately moved onto their next project after finishing Tropical Freeze.
Cache digging works. Is this what you meant?
Stuff I read from here and other places. I am not a person with any connections so I try to piece together what I can from what I read. I don't know how much of it ties to Iwata's control over NoA and NCL/EADs control over every project, but I don't think its far from part of it.
It's been a long time coming but its felt like NoA has been very restricted as has Retro (and I guess NST as well given recent stuff coming to light on PHammer (also the mistreatment of Retro's DKTF)). Without Iwata at the reigns (and he did run things rather close to the chest, he was a dictator of sorts but in a different way from Yamauchi. Yamauchi was a ruthless businessman but let his divisions run themselves, Iwata took control of everything and stuff like that can be stifling and pressuring) I can definitely see NoA being given back their autonomy, especially as NCL resorts itself, and that may end up with Retro being free from Tanabe in general. I don't know, though, what's going on with them and Tanabe, and it could definitely lead to drama in general as you have Retro being a pet favorite of Miayamoto (who's now in charge of the company) vs. Tanabe's standing.
I could write pages of theorizing about what's going on but there are plenty of people here with knowledge who'd probably just laugh at my baseless guesses.
So I'll let them fill in the blanks if they feel they want to or have the info to do so.Well...they could always get that Other guy to make a Metroid game with Retro. It'd be hilarious and horrifying at the same time.
And let's be honest, people not buying DKCTF is leaving DK on ice because it wasn't Metroid or a new IP, not the lack of quality.
I'm inquisitive and have a veracious appetite for info where I get interested, but I can delete it if you'd like.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
Stuff I read from here and other places. I am not a person with any connections so I try to piece together what I can from what I read. I don't know how much of it ties to Iwata's control over NoA and NCL/EADs control over every project, but I don't think its far from part of it.
It's been a long time coming but its felt like NoA has been very restricted as has Retro (and I guess NST as well given recent stuff on PHammer). Without Iwata at the reigns (and he did run things rather close to the chest) I can definitely see NoA being given back their autonomy, especially as NCL resorts itself, and that may end up with Retro being free from Tanabe in general. I don't know, though, what's going on with them and Tanabe, and it could definitely lead to drama in general as you have Retro being a pet favorite of Miayamoto (who's now in charge of the company) vs. Tanabe's standing.
I could write pages of theorizing about what's going on but there are plenty of people here with knowledge who'd probably just laugh at my baseless guesses.
Interesting. Personally I wouldn't mind if Retro no longer worked with Tanabe, especially if they're working on Metroid. Tanabe seems to be obsessed with expanding the Metroid universe, as we can see with Hunters, Corruption, and now Federation Force. Perhaps without Tanabe doing things his way, we might have seen something of Metroid Prime 1.5 and Prime 3 as Retro originally envisioned it, with Samus taking on actual bounty missions. And Last time they worked closely with Miyamoto, they made the first Metroid Prime. I'd love to see them work with him closely again, or even directly with Sakamoto.
Finale Fireworker
Member
I despise Tamaki's "I have information but will not share it" attitude. It is his hallmark. I wish he would just publish whatever he has. He can publish an objective article without causing disrespect to the recently passed Iwata.
This is probably the most valuable information Nintendo fans could presently learn. The state of Metroid is a huge point of contention and controversy and there are people desperate for information. It would be really good of him to consider the Metroid fans who have been neglected or mistreated for practically a decade.
Metroid is Nintendo's most beloved and most popular black sheep. Its fans are all it has. I wish Tamaki would come around.
I think Retro's just getting creatively stifled to some degree, or they are running into development troubles and drama is building between them and Tanabe. I genuinely don't know. But Tanabe has been at the top of everything they do as far as I am aware which would definitely put a damper on their creative leads as they are an excellent studio that don't need to be babysat but, basically, have been since Iwata took over and NoA became a shadow of their former selves. Doesn't help that we know that DK:TF was done for months but got delayed and then sent out to die in the middle of February. Something like, for a masterpiece of a game like that, will definitely dampen anyone's spirits. And that release, as it stands, seems to have been done from up on high back in Japan for Mario and to pad a release schedule.
I would imagine, though, that Nintendo doesn't want to lose (can't really lose them, but they can lose more of the creative spirit)/damage such a talented studio or run it into the ground. So there may have been tension building at the top, and the recent shitshow from MP:FF may have brought it to a boil at the top and between Tanabe and Retro in general. So we may have been looking at a Retro vs. Tanabe headbutting, and others at the top would have inevitably gotten involved and started picking sides. (I recall hearing that Retro burned out on Prime, and they may have been forced into another project they didn't want to work on and that may be what has led to the development trouble, and explains why Tamaki was recently digging for ex-staff members to dig up dirt. Though that leads to the Glassdoor issue of cherry picking information from disgruntled (usually) sources.) Doesn't help that Tanabe is not a small guy at Nintendo proper.
There's a lot of little pieces falling into place that I think were building into big drama for the entire company, and it was going to eventually lead to changes. But with Iwata passing, it will likely happen a lot faster (like a lot faster). If there was a break between Tanabe and Retro, I wouldn't be surprised, now without Iwata in control, if Tanabe were pulled from his role with Retro and Retro were given to NoA to control (so effectively giving Retro back its freedom). NoA in general has been clawing its way out of Iwata's control for the last year or so with visible changes that they've, effectively, spearheaded and put the ball in NCLs/Iwata's court like all their work to spearhead indies and the humble bundle while the rest of Nintendo didn't go along with it.
But Takeda and Miyamoto aren't going to want to run NoA, that's for damned sure, so NoA getting freed to run itself is likely not far off.
Of course I could be completely wrong.
nckillthegrimace
Member
I hate when people do the little "I know something you don't know" dance. Either spill it or keep it to yourself.
Anyway, I have no idea what to think of an alleged NoA shakeup. Since I keep seeing people mention it, I assume it's more than just position shuffling. Is Nintendo moving away from an NCL-centered approach and allowing NoA and NoE more autonomy? On the one hand, I feel like the people at those branches should be allowed to go out, sign deals, and manage devs in their respective regions. A new platform is a great time to switch that up.
On the other hand, NoA had used nearly every inch of its limited autonomy to make me and other hardcore fans feel like second-class consumers. NA has traditionally been Nintendo's best market, but you wouldn't know it based on NoA's behavior. Retailer-exclusive nonsense, inexplicable delays from other regions, skipping localizations, skipping entire hardware SKUs, etc. It's a bad scene.
Anyway, I have no idea what to think of an alleged NoA shakeup. Since I keep seeing people mention it, I assume it's more than just position shuffling. Is Nintendo moving away from an NCL-centered approach and allowing NoA and NoE more autonomy? On the one hand, I feel like the people at those branches should be allowed to go out, sign deals, and manage devs in their respective regions. A new platform is a great time to switch that up.
On the other hand, NoA had used nearly every inch of its limited autonomy to make me and other hardcore fans feel like second-class consumers. NA has traditionally been Nintendo's best market, but you wouldn't know it based on NoA's behavior. Retailer-exclusive nonsense, inexplicable delays from other regions, skipping localizations, skipping entire hardware SKUs, etc. It's a bad scene.
The My Nintendo News article is sourcing the full interview from CGM
CGM The Future of Metroid Prime - July 20 2015
http://www.cgmagonline.com/articles/the-future-of-metroid-prime/
Kensuke Tanabe: So first off, I’d like to let you know that Blast Ball is part of a game within Federation Force. So when I was working on the Prime series, I always thought of looking at the game from a different perspective. So as you’ve seen Prime Hunters, that’s my attempt to bring different bounty hunters into the series. So the Metroid series itself belongs to Mr. Sakamoto, but within the Metroid Prime series, I haven’t seen anything that was focusing on the Galactic Federation against the Space Pirates so it’s sort of that balance. So that’s one of the things I thought and felt like the fans were curious about. They wanted to see a little more about that and that’s sort of the idea behind the creation of this game, and I have always been thinking about it. I’m finally able to accomplish it after 10 years or so. As such, that’s sort of how I decided to have the co-op mode with up to four players.
Kensuke Tanabe is the General Manager of Nintendo SPD3 that includes projects from western studios like NST, Retro Studios, and Next Level Games. Anything produced by western studios for Nintendo falls under Tanabe.
http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_Software_Planning_and_Development
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Software_Planning_&_Development#Production_Group_No._3
Tanabe was chosen for overseas development because he found himself more productive than when he was Kyoto.
http://www.wired.com/2011/04/kensuke-tanabe-retro/
It's hard to disentangle what's from NoA and what's from NCL, which of course ends up feeding into the drama I was talking about because if Iwata was telling NoA to dance the dance regardless of the backlash thrown at NoA, you'd definitely get fed up with it after a while. (The retailer exclusive thing is par for the course for retail here, isn't it?)
Conversely, look at all the work NoA has put in for the indie scene and the various new (good) initiatives they've put into motion with Humble Bundle and the sort.
Finale Fireworker
Member
This is what I think happened. I have no insider information and this is completely conjecture.
Nintendo was interested in making another Metroid game, but wanted to give another studio an opportunity to work with the property. They brought the franchise back east and made Other M, a commercial failure and one of Nintendo's most widely disliked entries into any of their series period. Moving forward, great consideration was put into where to take the Metroid series.
We know for a fact Nintendo was investigating both 2D and 3D Metroid games, which they stated publicly, claiming to see value in both forms. We also know Next Level wanted to make a 2D Metroid after Punch Out!!, but was caught by surprise when they were told they were making Dark Moon. This much is for sure.
Retro makes Tropical Freeze which there is no evidence they didn't want to make. They said that, after Returns, they still had a lot of inspiration and knew they could take the revival further, and I think it's hard to argue that it doesn't show in the final product. After Tropical Freeze and Dark Moon, both Next Level and Retro were ready for new assignments.
We also know from all of Tanabe's interviews that he really wanted to make Federation Force. He has explained that he wanted to make a game in the expanded Metroid universe for a long time. So this was always where he saw the next game.
Here begins my conjecture.
Both Retro and Next Level were interested in Metroid, and Nintendo was interested in making a Metroid game. Next Level wanted to make a 2.5D Metroid, Retro wanted to make a 3D Metroid. Retro, who had more sway and a history with the property, was told to make Federation Force.
Retro did not want to make this game. They fought with Tanabe, who was offended and angered, and he assigned the project to Next Level. Next Level, having wanted to make a Metroid but also knowing they have to do what they're told, accepts Federation Force with some apprehension.
Now Retro is offended Tanabe took "Metroid Prime" away from them and is told they can't make the game they want to make. Both teams are compromised creatively. They are constrained and treated like assembly mills instead of artists and creators and morale is low.
Next Level is making a Metroid game, but not the one they wanted. They are also demeaned by being the second choice for the property and know they are making the game as a result of politics. There are mixed feelings now between Retro and Next Level who are not happy with the cards they have been dealt.
Retro has been assigned a new project they may or may not be passionate about. Tanabe is power tripping and handling all the Federation Force PR by himself. He maintains that people just don't understand his project.
With Iwata gone to no longer defend or condemn the parties involved, sudden new politics will take over and situations will continue to change. Depending on how it goes, there could be an exodus of talent from both Next Level and Retro to form or work for studios outside the authority of Tanabe and Nintendo. This causes Nintendo to lose its already tenuous footing with Western devs and the world literally ends. We all disappear and there is nothing after death. Just cold silence and infinite, intangible blackness. Forever.
Nintendo was interested in making another Metroid game, but wanted to give another studio an opportunity to work with the property. They brought the franchise back east and made Other M, a commercial failure and one of Nintendo's most widely disliked entries into any of their series period. Moving forward, great consideration was put into where to take the Metroid series.
We know for a fact Nintendo was investigating both 2D and 3D Metroid games, which they stated publicly, claiming to see value in both forms. We also know Next Level wanted to make a 2D Metroid after Punch Out!!, but was caught by surprise when they were told they were making Dark Moon. This much is for sure.
Retro makes Tropical Freeze which there is no evidence they didn't want to make. They said that, after Returns, they still had a lot of inspiration and knew they could take the revival further, and I think it's hard to argue that it doesn't show in the final product. After Tropical Freeze and Dark Moon, both Next Level and Retro were ready for new assignments.
We also know from all of Tanabe's interviews that he really wanted to make Federation Force. He has explained that he wanted to make a game in the expanded Metroid universe for a long time. So this was always where he saw the next game.
Here begins my conjecture.
Both Retro and Next Level were interested in Metroid, and Nintendo was interested in making a Metroid game. Next Level wanted to make a 2.5D Metroid, Retro wanted to make a 3D Metroid. Retro, who had more sway and a history with the property, was told to make Federation Force.
Retro did not want to make this game. They fought with Tanabe, who was offended and angered, and he assigned the project to Next Level. Next Level, having wanted to make a Metroid but also knowing they have to do what they're told, accepts Federation Force with some apprehension.
Now Retro is offended Tanabe took "Metroid Prime" away from them and is told they can't make the game they want to make. Both teams are compromised creatively. They are constrained and treated like assembly mills instead of artists and creators and morale is low.
Next Level is making a Metroid game, but not the one they wanted. They are also demeaned by being the second choice for the property and know they are making the game as a result of politics. There are mixed feelings now between Retro and Next Level who are not happy with the cards they have been dealt.
Retro has been assigned a new project they may or may not be passionate about. Tanabe is power tripping and handling all the Federation Force PR by himself. He maintains that people just don't understand his project.
With Iwata gone to no longer defend or condemn the parties involved, sudden new politics will take over and situations will continue to change. Depending on how it goes, there could be an exodus of talent from both Next Level and Retro to form or work for studios outside the authority of Tanabe and Nintendo. This causes Nintendo to lose its already tenuous footing with Western devs and the world literally ends. We all disappear and there is nothing after death. Just cold silence and infinite, intangible blackness. Forever.
WhiteRabbitEXE
Member
Sounds about right. Up to, and including, the final statement.
This sounds about right, though I think the fallout is more recent and not necessarily about the projects they were handed. I think the fan reaction brought things to a boil, though, with a possible "I told you so..." hanging in the winds.
If Tanabe really is power tripping, though, I can't help but hope (and imagine) that without Iwata there to protect him (as I do think he's part of why Tanabe is where he is and with the power he has), he's going to get pulled back from the west by Miyamoto and others. NoA has been rocking the boat and it needs to be freed as well, so this ends up being two birds with one stone for NCL while Nintendo restructures internally: give NoA its autonomy, let them run Retro/NLG/NST and relevant IPs therein. I'd alos really like to know where Miyamoto stands with Retro. I'd like to think he'd take their side as a developer over Tanabe's as a manager, and he's now in control of NCL. (I do think he's always spoken highly of them, so I would imagine he likes the talent there.)
It'd be a really bad blow for Nintendo to lose Retro's talent and NLG's as well, and I am sure they are well aware of the repercussions to something like that (especially now with their struggles to produce enough, and Retro's involvement in a lot of EAD's work and otherwise).
And, as has been floating on the winds, without Iwata, things are going to get really shaken up but I haven't heard word of mass exodus or friction to that degree where a studio would splinter that badly. Something like that, I think, would have been on more tongues than just Tamaki's. What's more spoken of is a shake up of management, possible pick-ups/acquisitions, and possible mergings. All of it sounds like a lot of changes going down to NoA.
If there is anything, I would guess what has changed is that Retro is under EAD control, which wouldn't be surprising given their work with EAD studios and comments from Miyamoto. I don't think there is anything else to it than that, although I'm sure there will be plenty of shaking up over the next year.
I haven't seen anything from Tanabe to indicate he isn't a good manager/producer.
I haven't seen anything from Tanabe to indicate he isn't a good manager/producer.
Nintendo doesn't own Next Level Games but they're exclusively making games under contract for Nintendo for now.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...endo_making_a_studio_great_for_developers.php
Metroid Prime: Federation Forces is being developed by another developer, Next Level Games, instead of Retro for the exact same reason Metroid Prime Hunters was made by NST: Retro Studios (and other studios) are busy with other projects. A new Metroid Prime game on a console would take 2-3 years with a large development team.
In 2005, Retro Studios was busy with Metroid Prime 3, so Metroid Prime Hunters was developed by NST. Next Level Games is developing Metroid Prime: Federation Forces because Retro is busy with another project and NLG had an opening in their schedule.
- E3: 2005 Metroid Prime Hunters Creator Interview - IGN - May 2005
http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/05/19/e3-2005-metroid-prime-hunters-creator-interview
- E3 2015: Nintendo's Next Metroid Game Nearly Launched Alongside New 3DS - IGN Jun 2015
http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06...etroid-game-nearly-launched-alongside-new-3ds
- Nintendo Treehouse Live @ E3 2015 Day 3 Metroid Prime: Federation Force
https://youtu.be/vBu5haRZ9A8
Tanabe is also in charge of the Metroid Prime series, while Sakamoto is in charge of Metroid itself.
Shigeru Miyamoto should have a good relationship with Tanabe since Miyamoto has been working as Tanabe's boss since Tanabe directed Super Mario Bros. 2 (Doki Doki Panic).
http://www.wired.com/2011/04/super-mario-bros-2/
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...endo_making_a_studio_great_for_developers.php
Metroid Prime: Federation Forces is being developed by another developer, Next Level Games, instead of Retro for the exact same reason Metroid Prime Hunters was made by NST: Retro Studios (and other studios) are busy with other projects. A new Metroid Prime game on a console would take 2-3 years with a large development team.
In 2005, Retro Studios was busy with Metroid Prime 3, so Metroid Prime Hunters was developed by NST. Next Level Games is developing Metroid Prime: Federation Forces because Retro is busy with another project and NLG had an opening in their schedule.
- E3: 2005 Metroid Prime Hunters Creator Interview - IGN - May 2005
http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/05/19/e3-2005-metroid-prime-hunters-creator-interview
IGN: So, why NST and not Retro Studios, a development team already having experience with the Metroid brand?
Kensuke Tanabe: When the idea for Metroid Prime Hunters came up, Retro was already on a project [Metroid Prime 3] and didn't have time to work on the DS game. And NST had far more knowledge and techniques on the Nintendo DS hardware.
Kensuke Tanabe: When the idea for Metroid Prime Hunters came up, Retro was already on a project [Metroid Prime 3] and didn't have time to work on the DS game. And NST had far more knowledge and techniques on the Nintendo DS hardware.
- E3 2015: Nintendo's Next Metroid Game Nearly Launched Alongside New 3DS - IGN Jun 2015
http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06...etroid-game-nearly-launched-alongside-new-3ds
We spoke with Tanabe about the backstory for his new project and the decision to work with Next Level Games. "Well, first I would say that the focus on the battle between the Federation Forces and the Space Pirates was an idea I had since I was involved in Metroid Prime 3," he said. "It's similar to with Metroid Prime Hunters, how we relied on NST [Nintendo Software Technology] to do that. Hunters deals with the relationships between the bounty hunters besides Samus in the world of Metroid.
"In making this game we initially intended it to launch alongside the New Nintendo 3DS, but we were a bit late in doing that," Tanabe explained. "The team who's schedule was free at the time was Next Level Games, and so we turned to them."
"In making this game we initially intended it to launch alongside the New Nintendo 3DS, but we were a bit late in doing that," Tanabe explained. "The team who's schedule was free at the time was Next Level Games, and so we turned to them."
- Nintendo Treehouse Live @ E3 2015 Day 3 Metroid Prime: Federation Force
https://youtu.be/vBu5haRZ9A8
Kensuke Tanabe: So the idea itself has been in my mind for a long time since 10 years ago since the Prime series, and after this long time I’ve been able to work on this project thanks to the support from Next Level Games, and I’m very happy I can present this to you guys.
With Next Level Games, I’ve worked with them before with titles like Mario Strikers, Punch-Out!!, and Luigi’s Mansion 2. This is the next title I’ve worked on with them at this time, and [had] a good opportunity to work with them.
With Next Level Games, I’ve worked with them before with titles like Mario Strikers, Punch-Out!!, and Luigi’s Mansion 2. This is the next title I’ve worked on with them at this time, and [had] a good opportunity to work with them.
Tanabe is also in charge of the Metroid Prime series, while Sakamoto is in charge of Metroid itself.
Shigeru Miyamoto should have a good relationship with Tanabe since Miyamoto has been working as Tanabe's boss since Tanabe directed Super Mario Bros. 2 (Doki Doki Panic).
http://www.wired.com/2011/04/super-mario-bros-2/
This doesn't really add up for me. There are too many pieces to the puzzle missing in your theory. If Tanabe is working with NLG on Fed Force, then who's working with Retro? If a lot of Retro devs were angry with Tanabe, how come we didn't hear about a mass exodus like we did before? What's Retro working on if they're not doing Federation Force? Why would Retro be mad they're not working on Metroid Prime when so many people there have never worked on the series? You're assuming you know how it is to work for Tanabe, Nintendo, Retro and Next Level Games, which is way too much for anyone to assume for a company that secretive about their projects and hierarchy.
Well it seems something went wrong, or Tamaki is blowing smoke where there's no fire.
Please give me these examples of this "little" peices. Because the last couple of posts literally made my blood boil. This is why I can't stand those "rumors." Because he knows how powerful they are and how much damage they can do. And you are falling hook, line, and sinker for them.
I think any shake-ups are on hold, unfortunately. Or maybe they're going to be accelerated. Who knows what it'll lead to, if and when they happen.
Just as with the Devils Third and Project Hammer story, he seems to be on something here, proving his insider connections again as people will see. Haven't seen anyone talk about personnel changes.
The best bet to dig out would be to ask Tanabe about his current working relationship with Retro, as the guy had been the NLC supervisor/producer for pretty much all Western Nintendo games and had worked with Retro since the beginning.
Seeing as Interceptor is in this thread, he will surely assure us that the working relationship between Retro and Tanabe was without tensions and is still ongoing very well as there has been no press release saying the opposite. Everyone else may wonder why senior staff left midway in the DKC development (only career opportunities?) and if/why Tanabe would suddenly be responsible for all Western partnerships except for Retro's.
The best bet to dig out would be to ask Tanabe about his current working relationship with Retro, as the guy had been the NLC supervisor/producer for pretty much all Western Nintendo games and had worked with Retro since the beginning.
Seeing as Interceptor is in this thread, he will surely assure us that the working relationship between Retro and Tanabe was without tensions and is still ongoing very well as there has been no press release saying the opposite. Everyone else may wonder why senior staff left midway in the DKC development (only career opportunities?) and if/why Tanabe would suddenly be responsible for all Western partnerships except for Retro's.
You know calling out a Neogaf poster is kind of rude and tactless, right? And what senior staff leaving during DKC devlopment? Returns or Tropical Freeze? Is this movement average for Retro (remember that Retro also had a lot of people move out during Metroid Prime 1 and 2). And where is the proof that Tanabe isn't supervisor/producer behind Retro since we know absolutely nothing about Retro right now?
Even if Takumi is right here, you can't deny his smugness in his tweets have left a really bad taste in everyone's mouth, not to mention his ax to grind against Nintendo.