Topic: Miyamoto: The Industry Has a Long Way to Go, Needs More Creativity

(I don't know why Nintendolife hasn't said anything about this, or there's a forum for this) — But FINALLLY!!!!! Someone in the industry finally says that the gaming needs creativity. Its true the gaming industry lately lacks creativity....

Link:
http://www.gamnesia.com/news/miyamoto-the-industry-has-a-long...

Nintendo brings creativity

I like how he can evaluate himself, it isn't just others he is criticizing but himself too.

Starfox should be a fresh experience. They haven't used that IP for such a long time, that they'd basically have to try to make that game boring. There just needs to be more new IPs, across the board, or use ones that they haven't milked to death. If it were up to me, I'd totally give AC and CoD a rest for like 3+ years. I think Just Dance is a waste of money, and all the movie/TV tie-in games from Activision could equal one quality game, but they are keen on pushing the yearly entries that don't change much.

Beyond Good and Evil and Mirror's Edge should be a breathe of fresh air, though. Child of Light and ZombiU are new enough to not complain about.. Monster Hunter is good, too. That's all I got to say.

It does, but the other side of the coin is that not a lot of gamers really care about creativity for whatever reason, makes no sense whatsoever.

This is a good way to sum up why AAA gaming is starting to become increasingly dull. (and i know someone's gonna bring up indies, but how many of those retro inspired platformers have gotten 1/4 the attention of Shovel Knight, whereas every other AAA game nowadays seems to be forcing things from popular games into their game/series without any regard to why it works)

Granted, I have no doubt that he also knows that old ideas can be remade into something creative as well.

This.

Part of the reason I lost interest in gaming last gen was because it dawned on me that the industry was full of fanboys that care more about defending pieces of plastic and watching cinematic trailers than they did about the actual games. The gaming media and developers complacent with making the same game every year only encourages this. There needs to be an attitude adjustment all around.

It's a great statement, and it makes me hopeful for both Splatoon and Star Fox next year. One is an entirely new IP and the other is an old IP (hopefully) used in new and creative ways.

The industry is down a dark path indeed though. Look at the three best selling new IPs over the last year: The Last of Us, Watch Dogs, and Destiny. All three are from an acclaimed studio (Naughty Dogs, Ubisoft, Bungie), centered on gun violence, and have a unique perk to set it apart (cinematic storytelling, hacking, massive online multiplayer). That's all it takes to make a best seller. Good studio, guns, something that the other gun games didn't do, and bam. Game of the year.

I don't want to sound like I'm insulting those three games, because at least one of them is actually a really good game, but my point is that if it doesn't have gun violence and it wasn't made by Big Studio 2, gamers don't care about it. And that's Miyamoto's point too. It's not that developers are creatively bankrupt. It's just that as with any other mega-budgeted industry, it's more about following trends and repeating what's popular than taking risks.

And than nintendo goes on to create New Super Wario Bros U. It will happen.

Can't really be talking about creativity after 3D World, Miyamoto

Did you even read the article? He included himself in that statement.

And yet people complain about Nintendo adding DLC to Mario Kart 8.

Like Hollywood blockbusters, the bigger the budget the more generic, or appealing to the greatest number of people, the movie has to be to have any hope of making its money back and profiting. A big budget game has less creativity and innovation so that it can appeal to a greater number of people and sell more. Obviously this isn't always true. But I think as we continue to get big budget games the further we get from interesting games.

Indie games demonstrate more creativity, if not in game play than in art style. But indie games market to a more niche population.

Depends on the platform. Mostly, it's just wading through an endless sea of 8/16-bit platformers and clones.

Very true, and just because some are more creative doesn't make them a good game. I guess I merely meant Indie game makers could, if they wanted to, take more risks because of smaller budgets. This doesn't always work out for them either.

Anyway, I am glad Miyamoto is speaking his mind. Nintendo could benefit from taking on a more principled outlook rather than the whitewashed corporation they seem to be at the moment. Signs are pointing to Nintendo getting back to making awesome games, and that is what I care about.

Coming from a man working with a company who focuses more on sequels and remakes and less on New IPs. I know he recognises himself a part of the problem, but this comment erks me "This year, the majority of what the other developers exhibited was bloody shooter software that was mainly set in violent surroundings or, in a different sense, realistic and cool worlds,” Miyamoto said at the time. “Because so many software developers are competing in that category, it seemed like most of the titles at the show were of that kind.”

Not only is that insulting and offensive, you can easily flip the coin the other way. When I see Nintendo focusing more on New IPs (actually building it themselves and not just picking it up after no one wants it) in addition to sequels and remakes, then I can take their elevated viewpoint on other games more seriously.

These bloody shooters mainly set in violent surroundings are insulting and offensive
Oh, and a lot of Nintendo's sequels feel like fresh new games instead of just mere continuations / expansions, differing from prequels. But in the end, people will always say that "every Mario game is the same" and what not (simply because it logically follows a set formula for a given genre). You just gotta open your eyes a bit more to be able to recognize that games like Dream Team are vastly different experiences than the previous Mario & Luigi game.
As for new IPs, I don't even know what truly counts as one these days. We get new IPs from Nintendo and from Miyamoto, but I guess they don't really feel or seem like new IPs in a way, and sadly people tend to disregard them simply because they don't meet a certain coolness, epicness or memorability standard. They aren't violent and bloody games, elements which seem to have etched themselves into some sort of norm lately. They're there and will continue to be there. And yes, such IPs probably won't become very popular among younger and more...I guess "aggressive" or hyperactice audiences. Miyamoto is currently working on a couple of new IPs I believe, experimenting with creative new gameplay methods. Nintendo's shooter variant is coming in form of Splatoon. It doesn't always have to be a direct answer to something, such as creating that realisitc-looking FPS or a Gran Turismo style racing game in order to compete with certain titles. Variety and quality are key

I feel like people keep thinking creativity means new IP but it doesn't. Look at the next Zelda, it looks to be a new experience while still in the Zelda universe. While the easiest way to claim that you are being creative is to make a new IP, it isn't the only way. CoD and AC can continue being made year after year but when all the games play the exact same, with only small changes, is when there isn't creativity. (I actually think the new CoD looks pretty creative) You can continue to be creative in your sequels and well established series, creating a new IP isn't the only way to be creative.

New IP doesn't automatically mean creativity. The three best selling new IPs in the last year were Cinematic Gun Violence (from the studio that brought you Adventurous Gun Violence), Sneaky Gun Violence (from the studio that brought you Shipwrecked Gun Violence), and Online Gun Violence (from the studio that brought you Space Gun Violence).

Nintendo heavily relies on familiar IP, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're churning out the same games over and over (unless we're talking NSMB).

But the new Zelda just looks like WRPG a genre that's been on console since the 6th generation of consoles. It looks like Anouma saw a trailer of the Witcher and was like huh that could be the next Zelda.