From Software, the creators of Armored Core, King's Field, Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, say the global success of its most recent games have profoundly impacted the way it thinks about creating its games. While the developer says it will still create deep, complex and challenging games for its core, engaged audience, its looking beyond traditional consoles and handhelds, and beyond Japan.
At GDC this week, I spoke with Masanori Takeuchi, head of R&D at From Software, and Eiichi Nakajima, executive producer and director of business development, about the developer's plans for the future. We talked about the future of the Souls series and its game development plans, which included talk of making games for devices like the iPhone and iPad.
"We've always been about making games for the core gamer," Nakajima explained. "And they weren't necessarily games that did well financially, which is too bad. The success of both Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, which have each sold over a million [copies] per title worldwide, has made us shift our thinking internally to not just core gamers, but to globalize our products, that they can be successful on a worldwide scale. That's now one of the key pillars we consider when we develop games in the future."
I asked Takeuchi and Nakajima about the future of its Souls line, which they say will continue.
"Of course, it's not over yet," Takeuchi said. "You have to go back to our roots, which is King's Field. We've made many games in that series. We've always been enamored by dark fantasy action RPGs. That's just been our core DNA and I think we'll continue to utilize that."
I asked From if there was any movement on the requested Windows PC port of Dark Souls, but the developer didn't have much of an update for me.
"That's going to be a decision left up to the publisher, Bandai Namco, but yes, we have seen the comments and we do know of the desire for a PC version," Takeuchi said.
Where From Software may be exerting some of its efforts in the coming years is building games for iOS and Android devices.
Nakajima said the developer is "Considering future tablet and smart phone development, other new projects, and connecting our users with a lot of other publishers."
The studio currently employs about 220 developers spread across six teams. It is now represented byDigital Development Management, the talent agency that also represents the likes of Ninja Theory, Platinum Games, Obsidian Entertainment and more.
"We know what butters our bread, obviously it's consumer games," Takeuchi explained. "That's where we see some of our key strengths. That being said, as developers, we like to do new things and new challenges will help us mature and grow as a developer. Smart phones and tablets are an interesting challenge for us."
"If we do go down that path, it's not going to be what you see on the market today, [which are] more watered down, less 'core' experiences," he continued. "We like to make games for core gamers, so if we take that approach, it's going to be a core experience on a tablet, something that gamers are going to love."
"If you look at the install base of the two different types — 3DS and PS Vita versus smart phone and tablets — they're incredibly different," Nakajima later added. "For us, trying to find a way to appeal our content, the sort of games that we're good at, to a new audience is going to be a challenge."
From Software recently released Armored Core V and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn through Namco Bandai in Japan. Its Xbox 360 Kinect game Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor will be published by Capcom in June. As for the future, I asked the men from From Software what they're hoping to see in the next generation of video game consoles. Given their innovation in the online space in titles like Demon's Souls and Chromehounds, the answer is not surprising.
"We're looking for more rich, in-depth network capabilities than just head-to-head play and cooperative stuff," Takeuchi said. "We want networking to be on a much deeper level."
http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/2012/03/08/fromsoftware-looks-to-smart-phones-tablets-says-dark-souls-success-changed-its-approach-to-making-games/
@TheVoxelman on twitter
