1. How has the Wii’s emphasis on immersive gameplay influencedthe development of Deca Sports?
Quite frankly, I think it’s because of the Wii’s unique controls that we have a sudden interest in sports compilation games. For the most part, sport games in recent years have become very stats heavy, pushing towards a greater emphasis on realism. A casual sports fan like me sort of felt like the industry was moving in a direction where I felt left out. I use to play sports games all the time until I simply couldn’t keep up with the complexity of it all. I tend to like pick up and play games, and it’s become clear there are many people who feel this way as well. Nintendo made a bold move by packaging Wii Sports in with the Wii, because that sports compilation pack really piqued the interest of so many gamers and showcased how sports games can be easily accessible yet downright fun.
2. The sports in this game are extremely unique, how did you decide on the 10 sports for Deca Sports?
We really wanted to have a good mix of sports. Some sports on their own simply haven’t been showcased very often in North America because there isn’t a large enough audience for it, but they are so much fun once you understand how the sport works. In addition, we wanted sports that would appeal to female gamers, team players, and people who love racing games. 10 sports sounds like a great deal, and quite a lot of content, but we had so many more we wanted to showcase that we had to save them for a possible sequel!
3. The design of the characters seem to resemble the look of Mii’s, will there be any use of Mii’s in the game or character editing options?
When the game began development we still couldn’t fully integrate the Mii’s into this version of Deca Sports. However, it did free us up to add more in-depth team dynamics into the game. So now you can pick your team, each one with unique strengths and weaknesses,and create your line up of sport stars. Picking a fast and nimble team may be a great strategy on some sports, but on others, having a more powerful team is better.
4. Will all, or any, of the sports be multiplayer? If so, how do you get over the split-screen/screen sharing issue with something like figure skating?
All of the sports are multiplayer. Some are designed where you take turns, other ones are competitive, and some are even cooperative. For instance, in curling, you can team up with friends so that once you release the stone, your friends can sweep the ice to make the stone go where you want. Our hope is that our game becomes one of those must-haves in a gamer’s library, simply because when you have friends and family over, you want to break it out and set up a friendly little competition!
5. Which sport, in particular, has the most addictive gameplay?
Would it be cheating to say every sport is addictive? I personally love Badminton, because I use to compete in it when I was just a lad. I’m impressed with how much fun it is in Deca Sports, especially how there are advanced techniques in the game, similar to what I would do when I would compete. I think the surprising thing is how much curling, figure skating, and archery have become favorites! I assumed it would have been sports like basketball or soccer that people would naturally love, but these other sports are so well done, and haven’t been played much before, I think people are enjoying the novelty factor more than we anticipated!
6. All of the previews seem to be saying the use of Wii remote controls is nearly flawless, what were the inspirations for these controls?
I’m glad people noticed how smooth the controls are, because we took quite a lot of time to really nail that down. And it was no easy task, since as you can imagine, we had to create 10 unique control schemes. For us, before we even add any real gameplay, we really take the time to make the controls as intuitive as possible, and clearly it has paid off. The trick as well was to layer in advanced gameplay techniques that a more skilled gamer could master. It’s not about pulling off obscure combo moves, but rather gradually realizing that pulling off a power slam, or doing a cross court drop shot, or power sliding are a natural extension of some of the basic moves you mastered.
7. Many previews of Deca Sports have called it the “next Wii Sports”. What do you think of that comparison?
Clearly we are inspired by the game, and some people have wondered how can we compete against a free game. In many ways, Wii Sports is considered to have opened up interest in casual sports. But it was just the appetizer. People enjoyed sampling it, but once they were done, they wanted more! So we made sure that we put together a compilation pack that had quite a number of more sports, more gameplay depth, more modes of play, so that gamers felt like they were really getting a game that had good value. When you compete against a free game, you really have to deliver on the goods. We haven’t announced our price yet, but I think gamers will be very pleased.
Thank you very much for your time!
We want to thank Mike Samachisa, head of the console division at Hudson Entertainment, for taking the time to answer our questions! We’ll be sure to update you on all the latest news surrounding Deca Sports, which launches this Summer.
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