There will be a fan on the Nintendo Switch!? I’m not sure if the rumors are true or false, but if it comes out, I’m curious about what changes will be made and what kind of games will be possible.
Since its release in 2017, this device has been popular among a wide range of people for about 8 years. What is the secret that makes him so popular?
Photo: Yatagai Philippe Angley (pictured left) and Ryo Nakagawa (pictured left). At the Tokyo Game Show 2024 venue.
This time, Gizmodo investigates the secret behind the Switch’s popularity.Wouldn’t it be better to say “a company that develops games that can be played on Nintendo Switch”? With this in mind, I interviewed Philippe Angley, head of North Asia, and Ryo Nakagawa, project manager, at the game development company Virtuos.
First of all, it is very difficult to port games played on other platforms to the Nintendo Switch, because the game console itself has very little power. Virtuos specializes in such difficult tasks,The secret behind Nintendo Switch’s popularity seen from the fieldI asked about it.
Games for virtuoso development
— What kind of work does Virtuos do specifically in game development?
Philippe Angley (hereafter called Angley): There are two categories, one of themThe so-called “development department” that handles game engineering and designAnd the other one“Art Department” handles 3D, animation, concepts, etc.Yes.
We do not do quality control, localization, marketing, etc., and we are not a publisher, so we have no control over game development.A company dedicated to “improvement”That’s right.
Our mission is to meet the needs of our clients.Completing more games in less timeYes. For this purpose, we provide additional development teams and artists.
Also, for example, if a client only has experience developing games for PC and they want to develop it on other platforms such as consoles, we will work with the client to “port the game. “
Therefore,Our job is to provide the necessary personnel at various stages of development.That’s right.
–How involved are you in development?
angry:Sometimes I get involved from the beginning, sometimes I just participate in the middle.
When it comes to engaging from the start,Prototype productionWe provide teams of about 50 or 100 people. Facilitates benchmarking and helps verify records.
If we go in half way through, we may strengthen the team as needed, and in the final phase just before release, we may change our policy and increase the number of supported platforms, so the work will be almost port Sometimes. In any case, we are ready to respond at any level.
— You have offices all over the world, but what kind of things do you do in your office in Japan?
angry: The company has been working with Japanese game companies for over 15 years. The first thing I was involved in was “Final Fantasy XIV‘It was.
Photo: PlayStation
(As the service continues today), you are still involved in development. I have also worked on many other games with different clients.
Game development these days is much more complex than it used to be, and in the past, the request would have been something like “do what’s on this board within a time limit ,” but now, for example, it is more difficult to create something in an enterprise. add lighting and effects, further optimization is required.The manufacturing process becomes more complexThat’s what I’m doing.
We will destroy these things,The role is to create time for the client to focus on the story and make the game play more interesting and bigger.is above
Such a cooperation system requires communication on a technical level, so we set up an office in Japan, and while the client and our agents, designers and programmers communicate directly in Japanese, We also transfer this information to China, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc. . It is a format that connects with other team members present.
Ryo Nakagawa (hereinafter referred to as Nakagawa): Recently, our company has become able to do many different things, so we are now able to propose different ideas and designs, and we are also able to participate in complex development areas.
Also,From a Japanese client’s perspective, being able to express technical and complex content in Japanese is reassuring from a developer’s perspective.It can be done. Therefore, we decided to open an office in Tokyo so that we can communicate more closely.
Nintendo Switch can be played instantly anywhere and is affordable
Photo: Yatagai
–It has been said that the successor to the Nintendo Switch will be coming soon Considering Virtuos, who has worked on many ports, what do you expect for the successor ?
angry: First, of course.Power as a game toolThat’s right. However, the appeal of Nintendo games is that they have a very unique art style, which separates them from the hyper-realistic path.
Creating realistic games requires some power, but Nintendo games deliberately take a strategy that does not aim in that direction.Instead, focus on individuality.Therefore, he will not aim to be powerful.
— Nintendo Switch is a product that was very successful even with so-called non-gamers, but from the perspective of the development company, why do you think it became so successful ?
angry:firstA portable gaming device that you can play anywhereThat’s a big deal. There is another elementNintendo has content that is loved not only in Japan but by people all over the world.Maybe that’s the big thing.
In addition, it is a modern gaming device and has high quality.Great value for the priceMaybe that’s why. I think these factors combined to make it a worldwide hit.
Nature: (Compared to a stationary device)The response time is so fast that you can start playing games as soon as you turn on the power.I think that’s attractive too.
The rest is about the price. I think a lot of people say that the latest stationary devices are very expensive and unaffordable.Switch has a fair price rangeI think it is.
Photo: Yatagai
–Are there any particular challenges in developing games for Nintendo Switch?
angry: There are some areas where the power is lower (compared to stationary devices), so we have to do a lot of optimization. What is optimization here?The work of lowering and changing art that stresses the CPU and GPUThat’s right.
There are cases where the work is very difficult and requires a lot of work, and when the development company cannot devote its resources, we come on board and take that work. In the meantime, the original development company can focus on other work.
“Transfer” is one of our main jobs, and we have a lot of knowledge and experience, thereforeYou can achieve porting that is as close to a stationary device as possible..
Photo: Maeno Kenta
If it’s not fun, it’s not a successful game.
— In addition to PCs and consoles, there are different platforms on which you can play games, such as mobile, but is there a platform that you feel has grown in particular in recent years ?
angry: InsteadThe current trend is “cross-platform”I think so. Bringing one game to players all over the world on any platform is a great move.
However, this also makes game development difficult.Delivering the same quality experience across all platforms at the same time worldwideBecause it is necessary for you to do so.
— What do you think is the most difficult part of current game development?
angry:opinionYes. You need to be creative to come up with new and innovative ideas. But it’s not just about that; it has to be fun for players too.Even if it’s a good idea, if it’s not fun, it won’t be a successful game..
In terms of technology these days, there are tools like Unreal Engine 5 that are great in terms of ease of use and performance, and can be used in games on any platform.That’s why it’s important to come up with ideas that make games fun.It will be.
Nature: That is true in the creative field. On the other hand, in the case of online games, for example, the popularity is high, and it is difficult for new titles to enter the market, and even if they enter, the service may come to end immediately. It is a form of gambling. That’s the problem, isn’t it?
Link: Victorious
