Support NeoGAF

[Toadthemushroom]

I don't know if this is old news or not, but it looks like Nintendo Software Technology is currently developing mobile games and applications, as hinted at by a recent jobs posting.

It now seems like NST will be playing a part, as this new job listing, for a "Software Engineer -- Mobile Game Developer", suggests that the successful individual in the role will "play a key role in helping Nintendo build fun and engaging mobile applications and games as a member of NST’s game team." They must also possess "working knowledge of iOS and/or Android SDK’s."

This could mean anything, I think at the very least they might be working on NX frameworking. Weren't they responsible for a large part of Wii U's apps and Web Framework, or am I getting mixed up?

 

[Somnid]

They did do web-framework so this is actually a reasonable transition given the prevalence of web on mobile devices.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Better than pumping out M&DK games, and they actually have a VERY mobile-esc game under their belt; Aura Aura Climber on DSiWare.

Better than diverting resources at EAD Kyoto/Tokyo for their mobile games aside from maybe one or something,, but also, HOPEFULLY they give Hirokazu Yasuhara a better home at Nintendo than NST, seriously, a team at EAD would be perfect for him, unless he's not into directing anymore?

 

[LDAF]

Mobile gaming seems like something NST would be pretty good at, not a bad studio for the job.

 

[Yoshi]

HOPEFULLY they give Hirokazu Yasuhara a better home at Nintendo than NST, seriously, a team at EAD would be perfect for him, unless he's not into directing anymore?

I guess he's at NST because he does not want to live in Japan? If that's the case, Retro Studios would probably be the only alternative, no?

 

[Foffy]

Considering NST's games kind of seemed like mobile-ish games for years, it makes sense they'd go there.

Is it still suffrage on the parts of NCL, though? D:

 

[Jackano]

Sounds more to me like they are searching for experience with mobile game development, which is slighty (lol) different from doing mobile games development (from what we know that should be DeNA only).

The underlying news imo will be they are at work on another version of the NWF, and maybe they already (I hope) have something close to iOS/Android and like with Mario & DK, are at work on a game as proof of concept.

In any wase the first duty point is "using cross platform web technologies" which clearly tells us NWF.

 

[Hero of Legend]

I guess he's at NST because he does not want to live in Japan? If that's the case, Retro Studios would probably be the only alternative, no?

Yeah, but who knows about Retro, I mean NST always felt like they could have a turnaround at any point, Retro though seems fixated on DKC games at the moment, they seem to stick to one thing for years, and to me, DKC doesn't fit him, he's more of a fit for a 3D platformer like his work on Jak II and 3, yeah he directed the original Sonic games, but DKC is a different beast though.

Still, I wouldn't mind his take on DKC though, could be pretty awesome.

What he should do is reunite with Arzest (Naoto Ohshima) and Prope (Yuji Naka) and direct a new 3D platforming IP with Nintendo.

 

[Turrican3]

(from what we know that should be DeNA only).

They said they were going to jointly develop stuff IIRC.

EDIT guess I was wrong --> http://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2015/150317qa/05.html seems to imply actual game development will be mostly made by Nintendo themselves

 

[Empyrean Heaven]

Project H.A.M.M.E.R. reborn, baby.

You laugh, but that shit would be perfect for mobile.

 

[Yoshi]

Yeah, but who knows about Retro, I mean NST always felt like they could have a turnaround at any point, Retro though seems fixated on DKC games at the moment, they seem to stick to one thing for years, and to me, DKC doesn't fit him, he's more of a fit for a 3D platformer like his work on Jak II and 3, yeah he directed the original Sonic games, but DKC is a different beast though.

Still, I wouldn't mind his take on DKC though, could be pretty awesome.

What he should do is reunite with Arzest (Naoto Ohshima) and Prope (Yuji Naka) and direct a new 3D platforming IP with Nintendo.

I like his work at Sonic Team, but if his experience with 3D platforming consists of Jak II and 3, that certainly is no good track record.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Sounds more to me like they are searching for experience with mobile game development, which is slighty (lol) different from doing mobile games development (from what we know that should be DeNA only).

The underlying news imo will be they are at work on another version of the NWF, and maybe they already (I hope) have something close to iOS/Android and like with Mario & DK, are at work on a game as proof of concept.

In any wase the first duty point is "using cross platform web technologies" which clearly tells us NWF.

I don't think DeNA is handling mobile game development specifically, Iwata made it very clear that they partnered with DeNA for their expertise in services and metrics (which all tie into mobile games anyway), but Nintendo will be developing the games in-house.

NST could be developing one of the five mobile games, though they are more likely to be developing small apps and a new NWF, as you mention. But mobile games are definitely a possibility, if Nintendo sees it fit for their next project to be on mobile devices instead of dedicated hardware.

 

[Jackano]

EDIT guess I was wrong --> http://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/release/en/2015/150317qa/05.html seems to imply actual game development will be mostly made by Nintendo themselves

I don't think DeNA is handling mobile game development specifically, Iwata made it very clear that they partnered with DeNA for their expertise in services and metrics (which all tie into mobile games anyway), but Nintendo will be developing the games in-house.

NST could be developing one of the five mobile games, though they are more likely to be developing small apps and NWF, as you mention.

My bad; My memory always refers itself to the first (wrong) reports we had.
Yeah I remember now, actual game development will be in house. Sorry.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

No problem, there are so many unknowns so far, but we should hear some news soon, as the first mobile game is launching in around 2 months' time (maybe sooner, probably alongside the replacement membership service, which will definitely be co-managed with DeNA)

 

[Turrican3]

My bad; My memory always refers itself to the first (wrong) reports we had.

No need to be sorry, memory failed me as well ^__^

 

[Peltz]

Sounds like a good fit from what I've played of their games.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Better than pumping out M&DK games, and they actually have a VERY mobile-esc game under their belt; Aura Aura Climber on DSiWare.

Better than diverting resources at EAD Kyoto/Tokyo for their mobile games aside from maybe one or something,, but also, HOPEFULLY they give Hirokazu Yasuhara a better home at Nintendo than NST, seriously, a team at EAD would be perfect for him, unless he's not into directing anymore?

Between apps and games; EAD Kyoto and EAD Tokyo will both have some resources devoted to mobile. I'm actually expecting Nintendogs + Cats + Hamsters for mobile. (Kind of serious).

Yasuhara is probably happy at NST. He may have a decent paying job, job security, and several fellow Japanese-American transplants.

 

[Mathaou]

I'm just waiting to see what games they port to mobile. If they ported the most popular titles from the NES, SNES, GB, and GBA, they could make a lot of money, but is that really financially viable? Also, are the people who like those games and people who play mobile games the same demographic?

 

[Dystify]

I'm just waiting to see what games they port to mobile. If they ported the most popular titles from the NES, SNES, GB, and GBA, they could make a lot of money, but is that really financially viable? Also, are the people who like those games and people who play mobile games the same demographic?

They very clearly said they do not simply want to port games over, but utilize their IPs to make original mobile games...

 

[NewVegasDog]

This doesn't seem too surprising. The output of their games definitely feel like games that are very suitable for the mobile market.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Between apps and games; EAD Kyoto and EAD Tokyo will both have some resources devoted to mobile. I'm actually expecting Nintendogs + Cats + Hamsters for mobile. (Kind of serious).

Yasuhara is probably happy at NST. He may have a decent paying job, job security, and several fellow Japanese-American transplants.

I'd forgotten Hirokazu Yasuhara was at NST. I really liked Mario Vs DK: Minis on the Move.

 

[GabeTheGrouch76]

I like his work at Sonic Team, but if his experience with 3D platforming consists of Jak II and 3, that certainly is no good track record.

Personally I'd like to give Yasuhara the benefit of the doubt and assume how he (would) design(s) 3D platformers nowadays isn't the same of how he designed 3D platformers back in the early-mid 2000s.

That and its worth noting that the gameplay of the Jak sequels also gave a major focus on gunplay and vehicular driving in addition to platforming, compared to the purely collect-a-thon 3D platformer that was the first entry.

 

[Yoshi]

Personally I'd like to give Yasuhara the benefit of the doubt and assume how he (would) design(s) 3D platformers nowadays isn't the same of how he designed 3D platformers back in the early-mid 2000s.

That and its worth noting that the gameplay of the Jak sequels also gave a major focus on gunplay and vehicular driving in addition to platforming, compared to the purely collect-a-thon 3D platformer that was the first entry.

The Jak games were extremely unfocussed, had horrible pacing wrt difficulty, and shit mechanics outside of the platforming mechanics which still were not exactly great. Of course, I know that he can do great work on games, as evident by his involvment with Sonic, but for 3D platformers in particular, I have no reason to believe he has any expertise.

 

[ErrorMacro]

I've always thought the Mario vs Donkey Kong games were a very good fit for mobiles. With a few adaptations, they could work flawlessly. Of course, this does not mean that we are gettng a mobile MvsDK game, just that NST clearly has a notion of how to design games that fit in the mobile ecosystem.

 

[Usobuko]

I think Nintendo IPs have a fantastic chance to storm the mobile landscape in Japan.

 

[GabeTheGrouch76]

The Jak games were extremely unfocussed, had horrible pacing wrt difficulty, and shit mechanics outside of the platforming mechanics which still were not exactly great. Of course, I know that he can do great work on games, as evident by his involvment with Sonic, but for 3D platformers in particular, I have no reason to believe he has any expertise.

The point about the Jak sequels being unfocused with their game design was kind of what I was getting at in my initial argument about the platforming not being good, because platforming wasn't the (only) focus of the game design (though interestingly enough, they still were well-received at the time of their original release-of course, nowadays they get flak for their darker and edgier shift and changing up the gameplay when compared to the first title).

And while it's probably nothing akin to him developing an original 3D platforming game, I find his work on the courses in Sonic R --a racing game, mind you-- is rather good. Not referring to the game itself as a whole or its gameplay --which has pretty slippery controls and is very short on content-- I mean the actual designs of the courses themselves. In a lot of ways, the racecourses are designed more akin to a 3D platforming hubworld rather than linear racetrack courses (not unlike Diddy Kong Racing), and the game emphasizes this by having the player explore the courses for shortcuts or collectables.

EDIT: IIRC he also worked on the first Uncharted, albeit that's more of an action-adventure game than a platformer.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

I've always thought the Mario vs Donkey Kong games were a very good fit for mobiles. With a few adaptations, they could work flawlessly. Of course, this does not mean that we are gettng a mobile MvsDK game, just that NST clearly has a notion of how to design games that fit in the mobile ecosystem.

This. A lot of their ideas are pretty universal and solid -- they just end up being wrapped around an IP so they reach a sizeable audience instead of being released into obscurity. Does make me excited for what they are working on next, even if Tipping Stars wasn't quite as good as everything else before it.

 

[Yoshi]

The point about the Jak sequels being unfocused with their game design was kind of what I was getting at in my initial argument about the platforming not being good, because platforming wasn't the (only) focus of the game design (though interestingly enough, they still were well-received at the time of their original release-of course, nowadays they get flak for their darker and edgier shift and changing up the gameplay when compared to the first title).

And while it's probably nothing akin to him developing an original 3D platforming game, I find his work on the courses in Sonic R --a racing game, mind you-- is rather good. Not referring to the game itself as a whole or its gameplay --which has pretty slippery controls and is very short on content-- I mean the actual designs of the courses themselves. In a lot of ways, the racecourses are designed more akin to a 3D platforming hubworld rather than linear racetrack courses (not unlike Diddy Kong Racing), and the game emphasizes this by having the player explore the courses for shortcuts or collectables.

EDIT: IIRC he also worked on the first Uncharted, albeit that's more of an action-adventure game than a platformer.

Sonic R has nice level design, yes, though I think this is the only good work of his in 3D. Uncharted certainly is not exactly a poster child for great level design from a gameplay perspective. Nevertheless, I love 3D platformers, so I'd be fine with them giving him a chance to work on one. His track record is not screaming "I'm going to make a great 3D platformer" though. His 2D work includes Sonic 1-3, contrasting this to his 3D work which consists of Jak II, Jak 3 and Uncharted certainly inspires more confidence in his 2d skills, especially for a gameplay-focussed game like a platformer.

 

[Mariolee]

I can't wait for a glimpse of the five mobile games coming from Nintendo as I'm guessing Pokemon Shuffle doesn't count.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Me too. As far as I'm concerned, Nintendo's mobile game and their new online loyalty system are the most exciting things coming in 2015.

Not to belittle the quality of the other stuff, but we knew about Star Fox, Mario Maker, Xenoblade etc. last year, whereas this is all a huge unknown.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Nintendo & DeNA's First Mobile Game Reveal Coming "Soon", "Expect the Unexpected"

Guess we'll soon find out who's developing it, it should be obvious if it's NST. I hope.

 

[Toadthemushroom]

Some more details on this have emerged: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20...me_could_be_switching_to_mobile_in_the_future

In other news relating to NST, a recent job ad suggested that the studio was looking into developing smartphone games. We've since found out that the ad listing was posted somewhat ahead of time at the behest of Shigeki Yamashiro, NST's president. Yamashiro is, according to our source, exploring the possibility of turning NST into a totally mobile studio, although it is understood that no mobile games have actually entered production as of today - NCL has yet to give its blessing to the proposed shift.

We've also been told that NST's staff are less than happy with the idea - which is hardly surprising, when you consider that many of them will have signed up to work on Nintendo's own hardware, not smartphones. As of now, it would appear that the proposal is still just that, and no firm decision has been made on the future of NST.

 

[@MUWANdo]

NST hasn't done anything worth getting excited about in a long time and one has to wonder why.