Kosuke Yabuki on the future of Mario Kart, luck versus skill and Birdo. Wait, who's Birdo?
You say it's about always doing something new. On a surface level, Nintendo's been doing more new IPs - I think Splatoon was the first new character-led IP developed within Nintendo since Pikmin - and Arms came along soon after. Was that part of a movement within the company, something you were all consciously doing?
Kosuke Yabuki: Firstly, in that intervening period between Pikmin and Splatoon, there were some new IPs! Like Tomodachi Life and Rhythm Paradise, for example - I don't think that gap was so large! But around the time that Splatoon was in its early development stages, it's true to say that among the younger generation of developers at Nintendo, that desire and that idea of creating something completely new, it was definitely there.
On top of that, it's also a fact that Mr. Miyamoto, Mr. Eguchi [creator of the Animal Crossing series and deputy general manager of Nintendo EPD], Mr. Takahashi [general manager of Nintendo EPD] and other senior figures very much supported us in that. You know, there's always lots of different prototypes being experimented with and considered. For those to turn into real games, it's a huge team effort that requires a lot of manpower and a lot of talent, and without the overall support of the company, you can't achieve it. I'm grateful for the fact they didn't just say to me 'now you've got to make the next Mario Kart'. They allowed me to make Arms, and personally I'm very grateful for that opportunity.
Do you think you'd ever get rid of the blue shell? I know it's part of the Mario Kart experience, but, well - it certainly makes me swear a lot when I'm playing.
Kosuke Yabuki: We're always experimenting with what new elements to introduce or what elements can be removed. We have tried - or we are trying - to see what the game's like without the blue shell. When we've experimented without the blue shell, actually it feels like something's missing. Like there's something not quite enough in the game. So for now we've kept it in. You know, sometimes life isn't fair. Sometimes in life you have something where you feel that's not right, and that's frustrating.
Just briefly on to Mario Kart 8 itself. In my humble opinion you've kind of perfected Mario Kart. I'm curious to know where you could ever go next with it.
Kosuke Yabuki: So firstly, yeah - there really is a lot of content in Mario Kart 8, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. And if you're enjoying that and are satisfied, I'm happy to hear that. Definitely there's no thought at all that the Mario Kart series might end! We have lots of things already that we've come up with that haven't been used in games before. We're already of course thinking about preparations for future Mario Kart games. That's not saying that there's going to be a new Mario Kart game on the Switch! But in general the research and development process for new Mario Kart content, that's something we're always doing. Sometimes that's driven by new hardware and new technology ideas as well. The two are linked.
To go back to what I was saying earlier, with Mr. Miyamoto, Mr. Konno, they're always saying that when we're creating new games think about what new elements you can introduce, think about how you can make things fresh and exciting. And even if the new elements might at first not be liked by existing fans, or existing fans might not get it - the important thing is to keep trying new things. I'm flattered that you say with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe we've perfected Mario Kart - but there's definitely room for the series to continue with a new Mario Kart, and a new Mario Kart will appear in the future. Of course, when a new Mario Kart comes out, it doesn't mean the others disappear. I'd love fans to love all of them. 8 will still exist, 7 will still exist - if fans love every entry in the series in their own right, that's the ideal situation for us.
I'm happy with that. So, more generally speaking, how has Nintendo changed - how different is the company now to the one that you joined?
Kosuke Yabuki: It's difficult to answer how it's changed, because Nintendo is a company that's always trying to change, and is always in the process of changing. I don't have the impression of there being the kind of change that you could pin down to a certain point - it's more of a constant process. One definite example is what I mentioned earlier with the updates to Arms - we're in an era where those constant updates, that post-launch support, is very important, and that's something that's been brought about by changes in technology. It feels like we're in a different era now in that respect. And now Nintendo's moved into smart devices and mobile applications, that's also quite a big change. I think there are changes that come about because we're living in a different era and we need to adjust to that. One thing that doesn't change - and I've mentioned this quite a few times - is that impetus from Miyamoto and others to make something new, make something unique. How is the game you're making different? That's the thing that hasn't changed in my time, and it will probably never change for Nintendo.
