Nintendo knows that developing games will take longer and longer and is preparing for the future

One of the big problems in the world of video games, which is often discussed, is linked to the fact that the development times of video games are getting longer and longer, as there is a tendency to create works with higher graphic quality and with more and more content ready right from the launch. In a recent meeting with investors, the president of Nintendo he had his say on the matter.

In short, the company does not believe that it can prevent the development time from getting longer and so its plan is prepare for such an eventuality.

Words from Nintendo executives

Shuntaro Furukawa He recalled that game development today is “longer, more complex and more advanced”, and to cope with this Nintendo must continually expand its “development resources” and make the “necessary investments”.

Shinya TakahashiNintendo’s Senior Managing Executive Officer and Corporate Director, reiterated that it is “inevitable” that video game development cycles will increase as hardware advances, but at the same time believes that Nintendo is “succeeding” in its efforts to shorten overall development cycles by “constantly improving the development environment.”

Speaking of long development periods, one might think of works like Super Mario Bros. Wonder which was the first 2D Mario in 11 years. Takahashi states the obvious: it didn’t take 11 years to develop the game, but the time that passed was used to pursue various initiatives and studies.

Speaking of truly long development times, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond are the games that took Nintendo the longest, but it’s important to note that in the case of Metroid we need to count from 2019, the year in which development on the game restarted.

Of course, to get results you have to sell, development times don’t matter much. From this point of view, Nintendo doesn’t have to worry too much for now, especially in its homeland, since the Top 10 of the best-selling games in Japan shows the dominance of Nintendo Switch.