The last word from Clover Studios

For those tears that are shed as Clover Studios shuts the lights off one last time in Capcom, they are shed because of some of the original work the dev studio has done on current-gen platforms, from the cell-shaded mash-em up Viewtiful Joe to the soft, sepia brushstrokes of Okami. Their fans have often wondered what Clover would have made of the next-gen wave sweeping over us now – imagine, for example, Okami on a Wii.

So has 1UP, and they scheduled this interview with Clover prez Atsushi Inaba, where they had asked exactly those kinds of questions. “What do you think about next-gen, can you imagine your current-gen games on next gen, and do you have any plans for next-gen?” 1UP never knew it would  be the last time they would speak of Clover – which explained the “sad tone” they noted in Inaba’s voice.

Inaba explained that Clover’s always thought of fun games first, then tailor to platform next when asked about next-gen platforms. “I think making a game for a controller is a mistake.” Rather, their philosophy is to make the game interesting in the first place, and then use the controller to make it even more interesting. He cited the PS3 + EyeToy’s Eye of Judgement as an example.

The tone of sadness hit when 1UP asked about any future projects Clover was planning. Inaba became evasive – he needed a little time off, he said – and would not really reveal anything that hinted of a project in the works. It was only after Capcom announced the closure of Clover, and Inaba and Hideki Kamia had left Capcom, that 1UP realized why their interview had gone that way, and why there was no project to speak of.

This may not be the last we’ve heard from Inaba and company, 1UP thinks, but this may be the last we hear of the Clover team. Sometimes you can tell when a star suddenly winks out of existence from the night sky. There may be thousands more to fill that blackness, but the night is not as beautiful anymore.

For those tears that are shed as Clover Studios shuts the lights off one last time in Capcom, they are shed because of some of the original work the dev studio has done on current-gen platforms, from the cell-shaded mash-em up Viewtiful Joe to the soft, sepia brushstrokes of Okami. Their fans have often wondered what Clover would have made of the next-gen wave sweeping over us now – imagine, for example, Okami on a Wii.

So has 1UP, and they scheduled this interview with Clover prez Atsushi Inaba, where they had asked exactly those kinds of questions. “What do you think about next-gen, can you imagine your current-gen games on next gen, and do you have any plans for next-gen?” 1UP never knew it would  be the last time they would speak of Clover – which explained the “sad tone” they noted in Inaba’s voice.

Inaba explained that Clover’s always thought of fun games first, then tailor to platform next when asked about next-gen platforms. “I think making a game for a controller is a mistake.” Rather, their philosophy is to make the game interesting in the first place, and then use the controller to make it even more interesting. He cited the PS3 + EyeToy’s Eye of Judgement as an example.

The tone of sadness hit when 1UP asked about any future projects Clover was planning. Inaba became evasive – he needed a little time off, he said – and would not really reveal anything that hinted of a project in the works. It was only after Capcom announced the closure of Clover, and Inaba and Hideki Kamia had left Capcom, that 1UP realized why their interview had gone that way, and why there was no project to speak of.

This may not be the last we’ve heard from Inaba and company, 1UP thinks, but this may be the last we hear of the Clover team. Sometimes you can tell when a star suddenly winks out of existence from the night sky. There may be thousands more to fill that blackness, but the night is not as beautiful anymore.