Ben-DutkaTomonobu Itagaki has never been one to hold his tongue. So he will speak his mind on just about any issue.
And during a recent Game Informer interview , the Ninja Gaiden creator spoke about THQ's current strife, his upcoming project, and the next-generation console buzz.
Itagaki's new studio, Valhalla Games, is currently hard at work on Devil's Third , which isn't slated for release until 2013. He said it's different working for an American publisher (THQ) and the "circumstances are very different." At the same time, as he was once a publisher himself, he sort of understands the process. As for the difference between Eastern and Western development:
"The one thing that's completely different between the Eastern publisher and Western publisher is the budget. I’ve made more than 30 games, and if you put a little bit more [money] into the one I’m making now, Devil’s Third, I could make all of the 30 games I made before. The budget you use for the promotion is completely different too. Those are the biggest differences."
That's a very interesting – and concerning – statement and sheds more light on why so many high-profile Japanese releases this generation have seemed lacking in comparison to some of the more technologically superior Western titles. As for the idea of putting out Devil's Third on a new platform, Itagaki had this to say:
"If I didn’t have any knowledge of the economy, or if I were young, I'd want to release my game on the new platform. The decision I’m making now is that, if I released my next game on a next-gen console or if someone releases a next gen console, then all the publishers developers and players will be so confused and everything will be messed up because of the economical situation.
The U.S. economy is bad. The EU economy is bad. The Japanese economy is bad. This is not good timing for the release of a next-generation console. This is just not for the game industry. I can say the same for customers."
Well, as it stands now, Sony and Microsoft probably won't have a new console on store shelves this year and as far as most gamers are concerned, that's just fine.