Nippon Ichi Talks About Wii and Potential Downloadable Titles

Nippon Ichi Software, Inc., a Japanese developer and publisher of game software titles such as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics, and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, talked about considering new titles for the Wii, the potential of RPGs on Wii, sticking to 2D games and more. Jack Niida, Nippon Ichi Marketing Coordinator, was game enough to share his thoughts about the said topics.

Aside from committing on making games for the Wii, they are also looking forward to developing and publishing games for the DS, 360, and other handheld consoles. When asked if as of the moment, they are now developing games for the Wii, Mr. Niida said that “we are not developing a title for the Nintendo Wii, since we have another title that has been under works for a while. We simply do not have the man power yet to carry out multiple projects at the same time. Therefore, if we were to release a Wii title, it will be in the future.”

Since Nippon is known for sticking to the traditionally, anime-inspired, 2D games, they were asked if they are willing to step on to the new territory of 3D gaming. The reply? “From my impressions from what I (he) hear (from the Nippon developers), they don’t seem to mind it (3D) too much; they still feel that 2D is well and alive. It’s just that they might change the expressions a little different according to the next-generations consoles, but the 2D will definitely be there.” In other words, they are sticking to what they have gone used to- 2D games.

On the RPG portion of the discussion, Mr. Niida was asked if he thinks the Wii’s controller is not suitable for RPG games, to answer that, he said “I personally think it will benefit the genre…There’s a lot more opportunities in what you can do, and especially the motion sensor, I think it’s a unique feature that we might be able to incorporate into a strategy RPG–the way you move your characters or the way you control them. Certainly I think its expanding what we can do, and not limiting it…And Wii’s unique controller layout will help us bring new light to the RPG genre. In regards to new functions of the controller for RPGs, let’s just say it is still a secret.”

Mr. Niida also talked about the possibility of offering downloadable content, “this is perhaps one of the most exciting marketing strategies for small companies like us. We will definitely be exploring this option with enthusiasm. Please look forward to what we will have to offer in the near future. I promise we will not disappoint you.”

As of now, their development efforts are focused on another Nintendo creation, the DS. But basing from Niida’s statements, it won’t be long till they shift their attention to the Wii. Although they are sticking to 2D gaming, we won’t be surprised if they will come up with 3D games in the future, because there’s nothing wrong with sticking to the classics, but one should also keep up with the times.

Nippon Ichi Software, Inc., a Japanese developer and publisher of game software titles such as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics, and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, talked about considering new titles for the Wii, the potential of RPGs on Wii, sticking to 2D games and more. Jack Niida, Nippon Ichi Marketing Coordinator, was game enough to share his thoughts about the said topics.

Aside from committing on making games for the Wii, they are also looking forward to developing and publishing games for the DS, 360, and other handheld consoles. When asked if as of the moment, they are now developing games for the Wii, Mr. Niida said that “we are not developing a title for the Nintendo Wii, since we have another title that has been under works for a while. We simply do not have the man power yet to carry out multiple projects at the same time. Therefore, if we were to release a Wii title, it will be in the future.”

Since Nippon is known for sticking to the traditionally, anime-inspired, 2D games, they were asked if they are willing to step on to the new territory of 3D gaming. The reply? “From my impressions from what I (he) hear (from the Nippon developers), they don’t seem to mind it (3D) too much; they still feel that 2D is well and alive. It’s just that they might change the expressions a little different according to the next-generations consoles, but the 2D will definitely be there.” In other words, they are sticking to what they have gone used to- 2D games.

On the RPG portion of the discussion, Mr. Niida was asked if he thinks the Wii’s controller is not suitable for RPG games, to answer that, he said “I personally think it will benefit the genre…There’s a lot more opportunities in what you can do, and especially the motion sensor, I think it’s a unique feature that we might be able to incorporate into a strategy RPG–the way you move your characters or the way you control them. Certainly I think its expanding what we can do, and not limiting it…And Wii’s unique controller layout will help us bring new light to the RPG genre. In regards to new functions of the controller for RPGs, let’s just say it is still a secret.”

Mr. Niida also talked about the possibility of offering downloadable content, “this is perhaps one of the most exciting marketing strategies for small companies like us. We will definitely be exploring this option with enthusiasm. Please look forward to what we will have to offer in the near future. I promise we will not disappoint you.”

As of now, their development efforts are focused on another Nintendo creation, the DS. But basing from Niida’s statements, it won’t be long till they shift their attention to the Wii. Although they are sticking to 2D gaming, we won’t be surprised if they will come up with 3D games in the future, because there’s nothing wrong with sticking to the classics, but one should also keep up with the times.