Ubisoft reveal Nintendo’s secret to developing casual games

Ubisoft Montreal CEO, Yannis Mallat, has revealed some of Nintendo’s secrets to developing successful games for the casual audience. In an interview with www.gamedaily.com, Yannis said when Ubisoft showed My Word Coach to Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime, he told the team they had “”got”” the type of game Nintendo wanted for their console. He said they also received praise from Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, who told the team Nintendo would treat them as if they were one of their own internal development teams. More inside “”There is a simple rule…especially with those games…they have to have a consumer benefit,”” Yannis said. He said that benefit needs to be “”strong, obvious and accessible””.

“”Because they (casual games) are designed for people who were not used to playing games, they have to be accessible. They have to have a consumer benefit because those guys (casual gamers), if they don’t play games…they usually do something that matters in a way…they’re used to making the most of their time. “”Even when they are doing crosswords, they are doing something valuable for them…so those are two of the main rules that a casual game should fulfill.”” Yannis said receiving such praise and advice from Nintendo was an honor.

“”I guess that [Nintendo] decided to do that because they felt that maybe we captured the spirit of what a ‘casual’ game could be or should be in a way,”” he said. To find out if Ubisoft have managed to capitalise on the advice they received from Nintendo, make sure you check out our My Word Coach review.

Source: GoNintendo