Nintendo Interview with Yuji Naka

Interview Data:

  • Interview Date: 12 February 2001
  • Interview Topics: Sonic & Future, Game Cube, Game Boy Advance, Multi-Platform
  • Interview Source: Nintendo external.png

NAME: Yuji Naka
COMPANY: Sega Corporation
STARTING CAREER: Computer Programmer
CURRENT JOB TITLE: President of Sonic Team
ACCOLADES: Space Harrier, Gouls 'N Ghosts, Phantasy Star Series, Sonic The Hedgehog Series, NiGHTS, Chu-Chu Rocket and Samba de Amigo.

Having revealed the connectivity plans between Game Boy Advance and GameCube last week at Milia, Nintendo proudly introduced a new star character to its consoles in the shape of Sonic – one of the greatest gaming icons of all time. In a rare interview opportunity, the Nintendo Team were granted some time with Yuji Naka, to find out what it's like to develop for Nintendo.

NINTENDO TEAM: Hello Naka-san, thank you for your time. Congratulations on the excellent new Sonic games due for release for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube, we're looking forward to playing the games.

What can older fans of Sonic expect in his new games?
-Nintendo Team
" Throughout the Sonic series Sega have aimed to thrill gameplayers with great character design, unique stages and an intense sense of speed, from which many of his adventures have become famous for.

When developing Sonic Advance we were so pleased and excited about re-inventing Sonic in his original 2D form. During this process we made the decision not to simply transport the original Sonic The Hedgehog but create a totally new game encompassing much of the original architecture. We wanted a game with heritage that would appeal to fans of the original Sonic series but with additional, new elements that would aim to capture the hearts of new Sonic gamers, like the four playable characters for example.

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle has inherited all the qualities we love about Sonic and his adventures but takes full advantage of the GameCube's processing power to create and explore new gaming experiences. Since it's release on the Dreamcast we have been able to make many enhancements for the GameCube version, including new characters, improved Chao features combining a link-up function with GameBoy Advance, new multiplayer games and stages and overall improved, more vibrant visuals."

What drew Sonic Team to develop for Nintendo's new handheld and home console?
-Nintendo Team
"Initially we believed that the GameCube and GameBoy Advance were a perfect match for Sonic's characteristics, especially in terms of Nintendo's unique market of gamers.

The GameCube and GameBoy Advance are also very powerful systems in their own individual ways and very user friendly when it comes to development, GameCube for example will comfortably manage split-screen at 60 frames per second. One of the other main attractions was the ability to link up these two systems, a very unique and exciting feature that will provide the freedom to explore new ways of playing games."

How do you feel about the connectivity between the two consoles?
-Nintendo Team
"The link-up feature is a great characteristic and extremely beneficial to game developers who choose to integrate this function into their games. We can also make gaming more sociable in this way by providing gamers with the option to exchange game data amongst themselves, it gets people away from simply sitting in front of the TV at home."

Can Nintendo fans expect more Sega games to appear on GBA or the GameCube soon?
-Nintendo Team
"Apart from those titles already announced, Sega plan to release a number of exclusive titles on GBA and GameCube in the future. We hope gamers will enjoy playing Sega games on Nintendo's two very exciting platforms."


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