Katamari Creator says Games have Lost their Direction

Brian Mohr — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:30:29 -0600

Katamari creator Keita Takahashi mentioned creativity in games in a recent interview by saying:

"Defining the word creativity is difficult in a sense...I do feel many games do lack the wow factor in a sense. Something that you feel very surprised by.

"I feel that the setting (Katamari) is normal for me. There's nothing surreal about it. I think if Katamari is considered so creative then to me it feels like the videogame industry in general has lost its direction."

Katamari Creator Talks Noby Noby Boy and the Apocalypse

Shiva Stella — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 13:18:06 -0500

GameSpot has posted a very interesting interview with Katamari Damacy creator, Keita Takahashi, today.

Included in the interview are questions concerning the end of the world, why Takahashi may leave the gaming industry (apparently he's a little bored with the Katamari series), Noby Noby Boy (his latest project in the works), and what Takahashi might like to see concerning the three next-generation console providers (translation: let's lower the bloody prices).

An excerpt is provided below plus a lovely link at the jump.

Excerpted highlights follow (I couldn't resist):

GameSpot UK: Why are you sick of Katamari Damacy?

Keita Takahashi: Wouldn't you be?

GS UK: What is the objective of the game in Noby Noby Boy?

KT: I can't tell you yet. It's confidential... Do you think you need objectives? What objectives would be good? What do you think?

GS UK: Why did you decide to make it a PlayStation 3 exclusive?

KT: I definitely understand the idea behind games going multiplatform, however going multiplatform does mean extra effort. The reason I chose PlayStation 3 on this occasion is simply due to the specification of the hardware, and looking at the timeline I had in his mind with this idea. I thought the PS3 would best suit that schedule, and that's the reason.

GS UK: How do you think the games industry could improve?

KT: I think the sales price of the consoles has been too high lately. In an ideal world, I want to see only one major console being retailed on the market, and everyone actually making games for just one console, and bring the price of that console down from what the three currently cost right now.

At the moment, I feel that having three next-gen consoles is only as a result of having three different companies that want to maximize their potential and their profits, and I think we should start working together to decrease the power of the market leaders.

GS UK: You say in 10 to 20 years, you said maybe none of us will be able to play games. Do you think the apocalypse is coming?

KT: How things are going at the moment, it certainly won't be surprising if something drastic like that happens suddenly. There might be the possibility of the apocalypse.

It's a very entertaining interview, to say the least. Find the link here and below.

| GameBump |

Katamari Creator says Games have Lost their Direction

Katamari Creator Talks Noby Noby Boy and the Apocalypse