Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · 10d

Oh, and I almost forgot, but we also added an extra message from producer Takahiro Kaneko to the Legend of Legaia interview from last month! shmuplations.com/legaia/

Legend of Legaia – 1998 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com

This in-depth Legend of Legaia interview originally appeared in The Playstation magazine and covers the story, battle, character design, and music.

shmuplations.com

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · 10d

Finally, we have a nice Final Fantasy III DS interview from the FFIII Official Complete Guidebook. The team discusses the revamped character designs, job system, and difficulty level, while also touching on aspects of the original Famicom development. shmuplations.com/ff3ds/

Final Fantasy III DS – 2006 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com

This lengthy Final Fantasy III roundtable interview originally appeared in the FFIII Official Complete Guidebook in 2006.

shmuplations.com

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · 10d

Next up, a long-running patron request, we have a Ghost in the Shell roundtable interview from 1997 with the Exact and SCE teams. This one focuses on the gameplay and origins of the project, which was actually initiated by Masamune Shirow himself! shmuplations.com/ghostinthesh...

Ghost in the Shell – 1997 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com

This Ghost in the Shell interview (actually a compilation of two interviews) originally appeared in The Playstation magazine in 1997.

shmuplations.com

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · 10d

We have some great new translations this month! First up, an interview with MuuMuu director Yukihito Morikawa from 2000, in which he talks about his background as a CG artist and the making of his pioneering AI game for the PS1, Ganbare Morikawa-kun (Pet in TV). shmuplations.com/yukihitomori...

Yukihito Morikawa – 2000 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com

This lengthy interview with Yukihito Morikawa discusses his early background, his past work as a CG artist, and his pioneering work on Ganbare Morikawa-kun.

shmuplations.com

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Derek Yu @mossmouth.bsky.social · 16d

Interesting to note that GnG's director, Tokuro Fujiwara, has said that he came up with Red Arremer before Arthur when conceptualizing the series:

shmuplations.com/makaimura/

So it would make sense to return to Firebrand, in a "full circle" kind of way!

Tokuro Fujiwara: "Normally you start developing a game by conceiving the player character first; in this game, because the setting was a 'demon world,' I first thought of a single enemy who would represent that theme: the Red Arremer, who was based on an orthodox, Western-style demon motif. Therefore, in a sense, you could say that Red Arremer is the real protagonist of Makaimura!"

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · Sep 8

thanks! it was my favorite passage as well. iirc tsukamoto has made other statements over the years about his conflicted relationship with Tokyo

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Edward La Barbera @ejlab.bsky.social · Sep 8

Hideo Kojima and Shinya Tsukamoto discussing their feelings on Tokyo are vibes, man.

shmuplations.com/kojimatsukam...
Brilliant translation by @shmuplations.bsky.social

Tsukamoto describing the difficulties of city life.

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Gold Skull Games @goldskullgames.bsky.social · Sep 4

59 Game Developers in 1985 were asked 20 Questions in a questionnaire for Beep! magazine. The responses are cracking me up, you should check it out:

shmuplations.com/20questions1...

59 Developers, 20 Questions – 1985 Interview Special - shmuplations.com

This fun little questionnaire was featured in the October 1985 edition of BEEP! magazine, an early video game publication in Japan. The fifty-nine (!) developers interviewed here all went on to have l...

shmuplations.com

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · Sep 4

the thing about having a 1.5yo daughter is you can't call in sick to play Silksong all day 😒

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · Sep 2

And for more of our recent translations (from May to July), check out this excellent summary thread by our editor/translator GSK!

GSK | ALL CITY SLOP SHOP (ETA SOON) @allcityslopshop.com · Sep 1

running back @shmuplations.bsky.social updates from the last couple months

first up, a Nintendo Dream interview with Treasure president Masato Maegawa that reflects on the company's 12th anniversary, their Nintendo collaborations, the essence of "Treasure-ness" & more shmuplations.com/treasure12th/

Maegawa: I think that's more a natural consequence of being free to make what we want, rather than a specific insistence of one kind or another. We're not thinking "this is what a REAL video game connoisseur appreciates!" when we make our games. As President, once I've reviewed the plans and given the greenlight for a project, I rarely poke around and micromanage the staff while they're working. That's my policy. If management starts butting into the creative process I think you lose that special quality. "We've got to sell more! Make it like this so it sells more!" Everyone working in game development has heard that before. But I don't want to have management and admin sitting in on our meetings and saying we have to include such-and-such… I don't like where that leads. So I pretty much leave everything up to the staff on the floor. To put it negatively I suppose I'm neglecting them. (laughs)

After they've finished something and I have a chance to testplay it, if it's really bad I will say something, but if they're creating the game faithfully according to their original concept, I never say do this or do that. I think that process is what results in the "Treasure" quality. No one interferes with our developers' creative process; there's a straightforward honesty to the games we release and I suspect that resonates with players and they call it "Treasure-ness".

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · Sep 2

And finally, we have another update to our pinball interview series, this time with Data East Pinball employee Masaya Horiguchi. It's a nice glimpse into Japan's pinball scene and the challenges faced by Sega and Data East as video games overtook the market. shmuplations.com/pinball/

Japanese Pinball – Developer Interview Collection - shmuplations.com

Two short digital pinball developer interviews with SNES/Saturn developer KAZe and Satoshi Matsuoka, creator of the original Famicom Pinball.

shmuplations.com

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · Sep 2

Next up is a very special interview between Hideo Kojima and director Shinya Tsukamoto. I don't want to spoil the content but as a huge Tetsuo fan this was one of my favorites. If only that "Flying Tetsuo" collab Kojima jokes about had really come to pass... shmuplations.com/kojimatsukam...

Hideo Kojima x Shinya Tsukamoto (1999) - shmuplations.com

This special interview between then-rising star Hideo Kojima and horror auteur Shinya Tsukamoto originally appeared in Game Hihyou magazine.

shmuplations.com

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · Sep 2

As an aside, this one was voted for by the Legaia community, which mobilized people to join the patreon for that purpose. A good, albeit slower alternative to expensive private commissions!

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · Sep 2

First off we have a neat Legend of Legaia interview from 1998, covering the story/world design, the "fighting game" battle system, and the music. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only developer interview available for Legaia. shmuplations.com/legaia/

Legend of Legaia – 1998 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com

This in-depth Legend of Legaia interview originally appeared in The Playstation magazine and covers the story, battle, character design, and music.

shmuplations.com

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · Sep 2

greetings all! been a bit remiss in the monthly updates lately (toddler life), but we've got a fresh crop of great translations to share today!

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ERINDOTCOM.COM @erin.armbarstudios.com · Sep 1

Holy shit this Shmupulations interview between Hideo Kojima and SHINYA TSUKAMOTO??? I'm blown away at them talking frankly about Bullet Ballet and MGS and The Matrix and gun violence and Alien 6, this is incredible stuff
shmuplations.com/kojimatsukam...

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Games From The Black Hole @gamesblackhole.bsky.social · Aug 30

If you’ve been enjoying my Shining Force III blog posts then Shmupulations has a real treat for you… A lengthy 1998 interview now translated into English!

shmuplations.com/shiningforce...

Shining Force III – 1998 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com

In this Shining Force III interview, the team discusses the motivation for making a trilogy, world design, and the connections between Shining the Holy Ark.

shmuplations.com

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Teddy @teddydev.bsky.social · Aug 10

shmuplations.com/archive/
every once in a while I stumble back onto shmuplations - it has such an awesome archive of interviews, if you're into retro gaming at all I really recommend going thru and seeing if there's any interviews about games you like

archive - shmuplations.com

1986 Game Music Round Table Interview December 10, 2021 Capcom; Nichibutsu; SNK; Yoshiki Okamoto; Ayako Mori; Kenji Yoshida; Hiroshi Tsuji; Kasatoshi Yoshino; ASO; Gunsmoke; Super Mario Bros; 1986 199...

shmuplations.com

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gamedevindepth.bsky.social @gamedevindepth.bsky.social · Jul 19

An interview about Ikaruga, one of my favourite games ever. It covers the early prototyping stages, design influences, and more.
shmuplations.com/ikaruga/

Make sure to support @shmuplations.bsky.social, they do incredible work.

#gamedev #retro #shmup

Ikaruga – 2001/2002 Developer Interviews - shmuplations.com

These two Ikaruga interviews (slightly edited to read as one) follow the evolution of Ikaruga’s design and gameplay. Iuchi also talks about its connection to Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga’s reception ...

shmuplations.com

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GSK | ALL CITY SLOP SHOP (ETA SOON) @allcityslopshop.com · Jul 16

(those "issues" being shipping virtually nothing in the last 2+yrs)

Mecha Ritz is one of my fav doujin STG of the last decade—icymi, dev HEY was interviewed by IGN Japan about the most recent revision, and you can read a translation here shmuplations.com/mecharitz/

Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo – 2022 Interview - shmuplations.com

Originally published by IGN Japan, this interview sees developer HEY conversing with a STG veteran and a STG novice about the making of Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo 2.0.

shmuplations.com

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GSK | ALL CITY SLOP SHOP (ETA SOON) @allcityslopshop.com · Jul 1

catching up on @shmuplations.bsky.social updates from the last month or two…

this interview with Sega's Akinori Nishiyama saw them answering user-submitted questions about Sonic Rush, covering their utilization of Nintendo DS hardware, the conception of Blaze & more shmuplations.com/sonicrush/

Personally, for me there is no question that the main protagonist of Sonic Rush is not Sonic, but Blaze. She finds herself thrust into an unknown world, and in order to protect her sense of self that she has cultivated up to now, she secludes herself in a shell. But through her experiences with Sonic she realizes "It's OK to be myself" and she gradually opens her heart more. The game depicts that growth in her character.

Also, it came out differently in the end, but I had intended for Blaze's world to be the world of the Special Stages from the previous 2D Sonic games. In that world, Blaze is the counterpart to Sonic, and Eggman Nega is the counterpart to Eggman… well, anyway, if we get to do a sequel I perhaps I'll expand on that. (laughs)

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melos han-tani @hantani.bsky.social · Jun 1

Reading Mario sunshine interviews. This one is funny - Yeah it feels like going on a vacation...to HELL!!! Sunshine's interesting bc you feel the creators confronting a lot of what Mario means to them and player, the result being messy but quite interesting at times
shmuplations.com/mariosunshine/

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Classic Namco Daily @classicnamcodaily.bsky.social · May 31

Born January 27th, 1956 in Shizuoka, Japan, Ohnogi Nobuyuki composed the music for many early Namco titles, starting with Rally-X's high score music, before moving onto bigger titles like Galaga and Mappy, the latter of which he actually designed the bonus stages of!

A photo of Ohnogi Nobuyuki working on music taken from the 1986 issue of BEEP magazine.

Screenshot of the first bonus stage of Mappy (1983, Namco)

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shmuplations.com @shmuplations.bsky.social · May 3

Omg, what a relief. I was praying something like this might happen. The forced switch to monthly billing was really going to screw us (especially now that I'm juggling translation work and full-time childcare)

Mathew Buck @filmbrainbmb.bsky.social · May 2

Huge news on Patreon! Because of the Apple v. Epic ruling, they are not only dropping the 30% Apple Store charge on the iOS app, they are also halting the move to subscription billing for all creators - which would have affected creators like me, who use a "per video" structure than monthly.

From Patreon's Discord: "Yesterday, a U.S. court ruled in the Epic v. Apple case that Apple is no longer allowed to collect fees on purchases made outside of the App Store.

This is a huge victory for creators and fans. The Patreon iOS app is the number one platform for fan engagement on Patreon, and we believe this ruling allows creators to get paid without Apple taking 30% of all in-app payments.

We know many creators may have questions about how this ruling will impact your Patreon communities and how you use the Patreon iOS app. We’ve been working urgently to understand what this ruling means and how to take action to ensure that you and your fans benefit as much as possible. Here’s the latest:"

"The November 2025 subscription billing transition deadline is now on hold
This is still a developing situation, but we are moving forward under the assumption that the November 2025 deadline for all Patreon creators to switch to subscription billing is no longer necessary.

While additional information may come that alters Apple’s requirements for Patreon’s iOS app, we are optimistic that this ruling will give us additional flexibility in how we support creators on legacy billing models. However, for now, creators still need to be on subscription billing to be able to accept payments through the Patreon iOS app.

For those who still want to proceed with switching to subscription billing, our team is happy to assist with the transition, since it still unlocks access to the latest growth tools on Patreon, like gifting, Autopilot and tier repricing. For creators on per-creation billing who are actively working with our support team to transition to subscription billing, our team will be in contact with you by the end of the day tomorrow, May 2nd, with next steps to confirm how you’d like to proceed."

"Where we go from here

When we first announced rolling out Apple’s in-app purchasing requirements last year, we shared that we used three principles to guide our decision in how we planned to move forward: transparency, control, and stability. In keeping with these principles, we’ll continue actively working to learn more, and we will communicate frequently and transparently as we go.

This ruling is a huge moment for creators and fans, and we will continue fighting for a future where creators are in control, communities thrive, and professional creativity is possible for all. "

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