Interview reveals the reasons behind Naka's departure from Sega and gives insight into the development of his latest game, Let's Tap. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=17465 Yuji Naka, famous for his role in creating the original Sonic as well as the upcoming rhythm game Let's Tap, interviewed with Game Developer Magazine earlier this month to discuss his reasons for branching out from Sega and share details on his new company, Prope.
For Naka, it was the hands-on game creation that always appealed to him. Yet as he created more games, he rose to a higher position which took him out of the programming room. He described this lack of direct involvement as a "lost opportunity" and said he began to feel as if he was "running out of time to actually make games."
At the age of forty, Naka "convinced Sega" to allow him to build his own company, with Sega as their publisher. Prope was created with a staff of around forty employees and is already well known for the yet-to-be-released music-based game Let's Tap.
Surprisingly enough, the inspiration for Let's Tap evolved from a simple action many people do every day without ever realizing it: tapping their fingers. While working on another game, Naka tested the vibration sensitivity of the Wii Remote by tapping it against a table. The response was phenomenal and this "process of discovery" led Naka to "take a digital game and make it analog," allowing for a "spectrum of strength to the tapping." However, when questioned about the inevitable finger fatigue players may experience form extended play periods of Let's Tap, Naka simply shrugged and stated, "It's a music game, after all!"
While Prope is currently busy on creating another "game like Sonic," Naka said that they intend to create "various kinds of games" in the future. When questioned about whether or not a series will emerge from the "Let's" games, which also includes the WiiWare project Let's Catch, Naka simply states, "If it sells well enough…I'd love to make another one."
Topic: Yuji Naka Discusses Prope, Let's Tap (Read 4200 times)
