Former Nintendo developer Ken Watanabe has had the chance to chat with Bloomberg about the Kyoto-based company and one thing which came up is the company’s approach to creating new IPs. Watanabe says that internally the company has a wide range of beloved IPs to chose from, so naturally new franchises aren’t the first thought on the company’s mind. The first thought is generally what new gameplay mechanics can developers introduce which could either be used in existing games or something entirely new.
“New franchises haven’t come out simply because there’s no real need to make them. When Nintendo wants to do something new, it’s basically about the gameplay mechanics first — about creating a new way to play. As for the skin or the wrapper, they don’t really fuss over it. They just pick whatever fits that new gameplay best.”
