Tetsuya Mizuguchi Interview 2005

We sit down for a comprehensive new interview with one of gaming's most acclaimed developers. Discover more about Mizuguchi's career, Lumines 2, working with Sega again in future, and much more.

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Kikizo: Do you agree that games should be simpler now, or more complex?

Mizuguchi: I think it depends on the game. The industry is huge, from mobile phone games, to next gen games, to online-only games. We can't keep them on the same page. They're all games, but different kind of games. It's a big dilemma, but the Nintendo message [of keeping games simple] is pretty good. Casual gamers also play games, but we should make many styles of games, and not just one.

Kikizo: Do you see yourself more as a games designer or as an artist?

Mizuguchi: [Laughs] I'm not an artist! I'm a producer! It's basically a kind of a jiko anji [hint about myself or my ego]!

Kikizo: What are your thoughts about mega-companies like Electronic Arts?

Mizuguchi: Well, big companies once used to be small!

Kikizo: It's can be tough for a small game development company to survive these days. Are you ever worried about that - and do you hope to grow into a big company?

Mizuguchi: No. There are things only smaller companies can achieve, and I'm aiming to maximize that strength we have. I don't know what future will bring for us. But I'd like to see us remaining firm with our own ideas and style.

Kikizo: But is commercial success more or less important then realizing your artistic ambitions?

Mizuguchi: Either one is okay with me, as long as I can create the games that I want to make. I think it depends on the platform too. For each platform, we think what kind of game they would like to play, and we think, "we'll make this kind of game like this". We have ideas and concepts, and a certain idea should fit on this platform.

Kikizo: Are you interested in creating a much more epic and complex game?

Yeah, someday.

Kikizo: What are your thoughts on Electroplankton and its creator, Toshio Iwai? It seems to feature a lot of artistic elements that are similar to those you have used.

Mizuguchi: Yeah, he's a really good artist. I have a lot of respect for him, but I haven't played his game yet!

Kikizo: What are your latest hobbies?

Mizuguchi: My latest interest is taking photographs with my Nikon single-lens reflex digital camera. I also enjoy traveling. A 24-hour trip to a tropical island or a 48-hour trip to a desert. I love doing these seemingly impossible trips in very limited time.

General gaming

Kikizo: What kind of websites do you visit right now?

Mizuguchi: I don't have any special websites that I visit. I always check the Internet to research or to read the news, but I don't have a special place that I visit

Kikizo: Do you search online for what people say about you or your games?

Mizuguchi: No, no! I'm a little scared to see what people are saying. If you see some really good comments, you're happy, but only one bad comment - one bad comment out of 99 good comments - you'd feel like crap after that, so it's pretty scary to look for it.

Kikizo: What current games are you enjoying?

Mizuguchi: Right now I'm really busy, so I'm actually not playing any games right now. My staff is playing the newest Winning Eleven by Konami right now though.

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