Iwata Asks featuring Super Smash Bros. Brawl: on casual gaming trends

Continuing from yesterday’s interview on “Iwata Asks“, Satoru Iwata talks with game concept designer Masahiro Sakurai on how the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl fits in with Nintendo’s strategy to appeal to the casual gamer market whkeeping in the spirit of conventional gaming. They also discuss how the title was initially planned to aim just the casual gamers instead of the more hardcore ones.

More on this interview after the jump!

Satoru Iwata continues his segment of “Iwata Asks” today by talking once again to game concept designer Masahiro Sakurai, the man behind Kirby and the Super Smash Bros. series. In today’s interview, they discussed how the focus of the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl is tied in with Iwata’s vision to expand the gaming population, as well as Sakurai’s insight when making games.

Before Super Smash Bros. Brawl came into being, Sakurai admitted that they considered turning it towards a more casual-gaming direction. Ideas such a simpler art style or even Mii avatar fighters were considered, however they decided to stick to the more traditional fighting style the previous titles had.

Sakurai then moved on by saying how Brawl became a game which tries to perfect the experience of conventional games. While keeping into the spirit of the Wii’s casual atmosphere, it still keeps the competitive and addicting edge that fighting games are known for. He explained this by saying:

Though not everyone who picks up a controller for the very first time because of games like Wii Sports or Wii Fit will play Smash Bros. Brawl, there will most certainly be those that do. And among them, IÂ’m sure there will be those who will find Smash Bros. interesting too. Games like Wii Sports or Wii Fit will draw people in through their appeal to the senses, and this, in turn, will develop their interest in games like Smash Bros. Brawl.

This ties in closely to Iwata’s own statement on how he planned to expand the gaming population through casual gaming. He finished by saying that Brawl indeed fits into this category perfectly and tipped his hat to Sakurai’s hard work in making the game.

You can read the entire interview by clicking on the Via link below.