Interview with Mr. Hidetaka Miyazaki who gave birth to a world-class hit "Dark Soul" from inexperienced game production

From the extremely strange game nature and the world view that is too cynical, in the beginning of the release in February 2009 it was said "You can not sell so much", but has achieved sales of more than 1 million books worldwideDemon's Souls (demons Soul)". In September 2011 we inherited that flow "DARK SOULS (Dark Soul)"Has been released, and this year we have sold 1.5 million cumulative total in the world.

Mr. Hidetaka Miyazaki, Director of From Software, was responsible for these two works. Mr. Miyazaki is an amazing person who changed jobs to the game industry from the state of inexperienced game creation shortly before the age of 30, was selected as a director within a few years, and put "Demons Soul" into the world. I have listened carefully about the circumstances that people who were in a place unrelated to the game created a global hit title, and the thought that was included in the work.

DARK SOULS | Dark Soul


Table of contents
· From a foreign-affiliated IT company to the game industry, the opportunity of changing jobs
· Experience in board games and game books
· Why was it from software
· Exceptional selection and its cause
· I did not expect to sell like this
· Extension of "simultaneous co-existence"
· There is no dissatisfaction with "current RPG" "
· Message to people who wish to make games

◆ From a foreign-affiliated IT company to the game industry, the opportunity of changing jobs


GIGAZINE (hereinafter, G):
Mr. Miyazaki says that he moved from outside the game industry and joined the From Software, but what kind of work did he do before?

Mr. Hideo Miyazaki, Mr. Miyazaki, Mr. Miyazaki, Executive Officer Production Department First Section, From Software, Inc.
I worked at a foreign-owned IT company. At first I was an analyst with support, then I was an account manager.

G:
From what I was there was the opportunity to change jobs to the game industry.

Miyazaki:
Simply, I wanted to make a game from the beginning. So, while I was a new graduate, I was receiving a game company, but at that time it was something I needed a settled amount of money, so in the end I chose not to be a game company, I selected a foreign-affiliated IT company I got it. So, I worked for a little over 3 years and I managed to solve the circumstances earlier, so I wanted to realize my original feeling again.

Nonetheless, the former company was a pretty good company, I wanted to have a job and I was also blessed with my colleagues, so I was rather lost. It was just before the age of 30, and I wonder if I could throw away the current situation without any dissatisfaction to jump into a totally unexperienced world. On the other hand, it is also true that I felt the limits to myself at that time. In an essential sense, is it said that you were not interested in your work? Even in the original company, there are some people around me who are interested in their work in an essential sense. Those people thought about something that would lead to a job somewhere, not even working hours, it was natural, especially painful, leading to a solid outcome

However, this is a story by people, not necessarily that such things are good. "Dividing work and private and making it private and fulfilling" is a sufficiently attractive option. But I thought that I wanted to devote myself to a work that is inherently interesting, not at that time. So, for me, the answer when thinking about something was "to make a game"

G:
Compared with those who enjoyed working, did you feel something like a part you can not win?

Miyazaki:
It is close to envying rather than winning.

I myself never felt that my work was not fun. Learning fulfilled curiosity and there was sense of accomplishment in solution and completion. However, they are only forced to work on necessity, there is a difference from those who do not, and there is such a mooya yoya whether it becomes superficial each time.

◆ Experience with board games and game books


G:
Originally I told you that I liked the game, what kind of game did you like?

Miyazaki:
Originally it was an analog game. Because the parents were tough, as for the digital game, since it was only a PC game until middle-aged, I bought a so-called game machine since I started living alone at the university. I think that it was a Super Nintendo at that time, but I am really into it from there (laugh)

G:
When we say analog games"Dungeons & Dragons"Is it table talk RPG like?

Miyazaki:
That's the case with TRPG and it is kind of a so-called board game and card game. From the old simulation game, "Catan"Or a German board game represented by"Magic The Gathering"And. Other"Acquire"Cosmic Encounter"Diplomacy"Puerto Rico"Puppet"Dominion"It was my favorite.

G:
The work called "Dark Soul" has a so-called dark fantasy world view, but it is said that familiarity with the dark fantasy world has existed before entering the game industry.

Miyazaki:
I agree. In the interview, I will answer regularly, but the original experience of such things is "SorceryWhat is it? It is an answer that I do not appreciate for some reason, but it really is so so (helm)

G:
Is there something that is being referred to about the world view of dark fantasy?


Miyazaki:
I will not base on any specific work, nor will I make games from the world perspective. Since I will first make the concept from the mechanism of the game thinking, the view of the world chooses the one that suits it and will arrange it accordingly. In that sense, I think that it is a dark fantasy theme that is easy to handle for me, easy to match with the game.

Well, though it is a favorite theme, it is as long as it does not conflict with the game nature, but it makes it strangely, but it puts it to my hobby (lol)

◆ Why was it from software


G:
Why did you choose a company called From Software in entering the game industry?

Miyazaki:
Well. I think that there is another ideal answer in such a case, but answer honestly very much.

In the first place, there were quite a few game companies that would adopt people named industry inexperienced planners just before age 30, at that time. That one of them was From Software, the title being released was the most suitable for my taste and some were playing, so it is actually that I first accepted it as a bad guy. Even though I think objectively, I thought there would be difficult parts.

G:
From that time, was there something like the image "I want to make such a game"?

Miyazaki:
Yes, there were several. Some of them are linked to "demons soul" and "dark soul".

G:
What was your first job involved in From Software?

Miyazaki:
"Armored Core Last Raven"is. I do not know the right or left yet, and I am a member of the newcomer at the time, and I have memories that I first started from enemy AI. Speaking of why enemy AI is probably, I think that he took into consideration that the former job was IT.

G:
Is it the same treatment as those who came in as new employees in that year?

Miyazaki:
I agree. I joined the company in September, but I think that treatments including salaries were the same. Rather, I was behind half a year late, so it was hard to do various things.

G:
Since it is a mid-career recruitment, you have a job title from the beginning, or is there no such thing?

Miyazaki:
Yes. Originally it was such a condition, after receiving a freshman training, immediatelyOJTIt was a feeling.

But, in the last raven, I was allowed to experience various parts for the first time from the enemy AI. Mission design, game progression, text ...... It was definitely a description of Raven, and menus and parameters, etc. are each little by little, but you can do it all the way, what is game production, understand the foundation You got it.

Exceptional picking and its cause


G:
Armored Core Last Raven released in 2005, Demons Soul is released on February 5, 2009, so it's roughly four years apart.

Miyazaki:
Since the participation of the last raven is from the middle stage of development, I think that it is about 5 years.

G:
Although it is said that it was treated the same as a new employee at the beginning, from 4 to 5 years from there it is not so quickly that the director is exceptional. Is there anything else that has come to be trusted so far?

Miyazaki:
Well, honestly I do not understand. I'm sorry.

However, I think that it was not myself what it was, and the part caused by external factors was great. For example, is it a good opportunity? I was the director, "Armored Core 4"From the midst of prototype production, if there were no situations requiring a new director there, the current situation would have been impossible.

Also, even if it was the last raven ahead, I was allowed to experience various parts because it was a so-called sequel to this title and I had a relatively stable game system and engine I think that it will be said that they were both fortunate, to put it in other words.

G:
In "Armored Core 4", the platform itself changed from PS 2 to PS 3.

Miyazaki:
Yes. It was almost time to become a launch title, so it was hard to start with PS3. I am somewhat unfamiliar, or there is a simple power shortage, there is a sorry memory that I had trouble very much while troubling various people.

I did not expect to sell like this ◆


G:
Although "demons soul" was released at the beginning, it is totally a new title, and he talks in an interview that he did not expect to sell up to here.

Miyazaki:
Well, I think that no one thought. Because we did not think at all either. Although it is a strange story, if there is an official saying "I thought that I could get there from that time", I think that he is a liar with a high probability (lol)

G:
In fact, however, in North America it exceeds 500,000, and the total number of sales has exceeded 1 million in the whole world. Were they considered conscious of overseas deployment during development?

Miyazaki:
I was not conscious ... ... there is no such thing. It is not a story of gaming nature, it is specification such as blood option like supposed to be overseas, use of fixed form sentence in message, etc.

G:
That means that it was made easy to localize.

Miyazaki:
That's right. However, it is about to make it possible to do well when overseas release is decided. In the first place, it seems that it seems that it seems to be severe, or you do not know whether it can be released overseas.

G:
Then, it can be said that it was unexpected that the explosive sale in North America was unexpected?

Miyazaki:
Yes. This is only speculation, but I think that it was true even for Atlas who sold in North America.

G:
What kind of place did you think was accepted?

Miyazaki:
To be honest, I am not completely confident in analyzing.

If you dare to say, in "demons soul", I think that there is something that constructs game-like or interesting parts before the east-west of Ocean, with the common values ​​of so-called "game lovers" . "WizardryIt is a very simple and primitive game property that many of the classic games such as "had. So, as a result, the cultural dependence of the game is low, I wonder if it was accepted in Japan as well as overseas in the same way. I think that this is also common to "Dark Soul".


G:
Does that mean that it is a game created for "core gamers"?

Miyazaki:
I do not think about "core" too much. "Core" is caught as if it is a game for so-called "games are good" that requires a great technique, but what we are aiming for is not so, "game lovers" Anyone can enjoy it if there is one.

Although both "demons soul" and "dark soul" are games with a high degree of difficulty, you can challenge it with actions and techniques, but otherwise you can challenge it with observation, learning and ingenuity, even if you are not good at action , I am aiming for such a game.

However, especially in "Dark Soul", there were problems with various problems including defects immediately after release, which caused inconvenience to the user. Since it is different from the purpose of this interview, I will not touch it in detail, but I think that I really apologized.

◆ Extension of "simultaneous co-existence"


G:
"Demons Soul" felt it was a title with quite special game characteristics in various parts, but what was the concept at the time of development?

Miyazaki:
There were two major concepts.

One is "Let's raise the fun of the classic RPG with the latest technologyIt is like that. This is already a very ordinary story, PS3 in the latest format, not to be strange, to make a classic RPG firmly. The theme here was the concept of "accomplishment".

The other, though it is not enough stimulation, somethingFresh stimulationIt is necessary that it is necessaryNetwork realizationIt is something to do. The feature here is that this stimulus is intended to enrich the classic RPG, more specifically single play, to the last, so that network elements should avoid becoming various loads and obstructions It was.

G:
At CEDEC held in September 2011A lecture by a person from the development team of "Ninja Royale"Although there was, that person liked "demons soul" and was talking that social part can also be felt. Even if you actually played, the connection of loose feeling of "demons soul" that you write letters on the ground and the past play of other players is replayed is a kind of online game played like a so-called MMORPG I felt that I felt like I did not want to feel it.

Miyazaki:
I agree. I think there are social aspects.

I often talk about wanting to reduce the communication load, but simply speaking, I would like to bring it closer to e-mail rather than telephone. Rather than talking on the phone, it is easier to send an email and the psychological burden will be lower. So everyone uses email.

In another, more abstract way of saying, the network concept of "demons soul" is "expansion of simultaneity of communication". Basics of communication, this is oral communication, but basically it is basically the same place at the same time, but when considering expansion of this, the network in the game at that time, the co-existence greatly extended I thought that there are still a lot of untouched parts about simultaneity. The result is so-called "asynchronous communication", that is, "expansion of simultaneity".

... I was promoting the development with the logic that, as a result, this was very good compatibility with severe game properties. I thought that would be the case, but I can remember that while gradually developing it, I remember being quietly relieved.

G:
In the sense that I tried to play, as many people say, I feel that I'm poking an exquisite place as a game balance.

Miyazaki:
I will be saved if you say so (lol)

◆ There is no dissatisfaction with "current RPG" "


G:
Do you have any feeling that you are dissatisfied or inconclusive about the current direction of RPG in Japan?

Miyazaki:
There is nothing in particular. As one gamer, there are many things to play normally.

This is also a dark color as one gamer, but in the first place, how much do we need to match such directions? I also think so. Of course, you can also see the merits of sharing direction. Techniques and knowledge will accumulate, and it will be easier for friends to work hard. And I think that there is also a height that reaches the first time. It is the most pleasing situation that there is such a thing on the one hand, another interesting game which faced another direction, others are irritating each other.

...... Is that what you are likely to get angry?

◆ Message to people who want to make games

G:
Finally, please give a message to those who think "I want to make games" from now on.

Miyazaki:
I agree. To say it, there is nothing to recommend to Hiroki everyone (lol)

For example, when talking to a student by recruiting new graduates, I will tell you that if you want "to succeed" or "want to earn money" or if that is your top priority, you should choose others. Of course we can not succeed in "making games" or earn money, but more important things are not in "game making" itself, it is difficult to do various things.

Because it is painful for me to make games. If you are a planner, you have to keep on asking yourself "Is it OK with this" or "Is it really fun?" And that the result of continuing thinking worries then is "boring" There are many. So, if I do not have a strong desire to create games, I do not think it will be worth the price.

On the contrary, if you have such a strong feeling, I'd like you to make a game by all means. It's fun to lose. Even though thinking of working together, I would like to cooperate with those who really like games and want to make interesting games and our company, from software, also seems to be an attractive place for those people I think that I have to make an effort.

G:
Mr. Miyazaki himself, is your work now fun now?

Miyazaki:
Yes. It is very fun. I do not mean that there is no hard work, but I do not regret at all.

In that sense, the most scary thing right now is how much more opportunities are there as game makers?

G:
I see. Thank you for today.

Miyazaki who responded to the voice saying "Please give me a crisp look."


At the previous trial and event of From Software that took place on September 18, 2011, "Today is"Armored Core VYou do it. AlwaysMr. NabeshimaBecause it will not let me do it ", he got confused in the queue of gathered users.


Commemorative photo with fans who cosplayed and visited the "Dark Soul" trial.


What works will inherit this flow that came with "demons soul" "dark soul" and what kind of contents will be the work .... For both Million hit works, expectations are big, and the pressure that it receives seems to be great.