Fumito Ueda, the game designer behind PlayStation juggernauts such as Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, has revealed during a chat with DenfaminicoGamer that he believes the age of introducing new game mechanics has come to an end, with developers instead looking to refine and expand on what already exists.
Speaking alongside Keita Takahashi, the creator of the Katamari series, Ueda-san recalled his reaction to To a T, which is the latest project from Takahashi-san.
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I don’t remember exactly why I replied with a ‘like’ at the time, but I was probably thinking, ‘the era of game mechanics is over. I wonder if we are no longer in the era where we need to provide new devices or new game mechanics every single game.
“He’s been saying this since Journey,” Takahashi replied. Ueda then followed with, “Even if the mechanics are not new, you can focus on the feel and art. Whether you like it or not, it’s better to sharpen the existing mechanics.”
Ueda is currently working at GenDesign on a new project, and back in January 2023 during a New Year’s message said that “we are working had to make this a great year for you, so please look forward to it.” In the end, Project Robot, Ueda’s new title, was announced in 2024, although few details are available on the game at present other than it’ll launch for PlayStation, PC, and Xbox formats.
Shuhei Yoshida, the former indie boss at Sony Interactive Entertainment, said during an interview earlier this year after leaving Sony that The Last Guardian would likely have been cancelled if it had a different publisher. The game was notoriously for its lengthy production cycle, having first been announced at E3 2009 and not seeing the light of day until 2016.
[Source – DenfaminicoGamer via VGC]