Iwata:

Going back a bit, you were also involved in development of the original Star Fox3 for the Super Famicom.1. Q-Games, Ltd.: A video game developer established by Dylan Cuthbert and others in 2001. Head office: Kyoto. The company developed Star Fox Command for the Nintendo DS™ system and has also developed the Nintendo DSiWare™ software such as Digidrive™, Trajectile™, Starship Defense™ and X-Scape™.

2. Star Fox™ Command: A strategy and 3D shooting game released for the Nintendo DS system in August 2006.

3. Star Fox: A shooting game released for the Super Famicom system in 1993. The first game in the Star Fox series.

Dylan:That’s right. Going even further back, about 20 years ago, I came to Japan from England for the first time. 

Miyamoto:That was 1990. You came to lend support as a programmer for Star Fox. 

Dylan:Yes. 

Iwata:How old were you then? 

Dylan:I was 18. I remember asking Miyamoto-san how old he was. The next thing I know, I’m about the same age that he was then. 

Miyamoto:So you’re still young. (laughs) 

Iwata:You’ve got a lot ahead of you. 

Dylan:Yes. (laughs) The first time I came to Kyoto, I was only here one week, but it was really interesting. 

Iwata:What was your goal during that one week? 

Dylan:There was a 3D game for the Game Boy system. 

Iwata:Oh, you mean  X.4 

Dylan:That’s right. I was in charge of making X. I was working for a company named Argonaut Software5 and came to show Nintendo a 3D engine I had worked hard on. I came with a colleague. When they showed us into the meeting room, about 30 people all wearing the Nintendo jackets (uniforms) filed in. I thought, “Uh-oh…” (laughs) 

Everyone:(laughs)4. X: A 3D action-shooting game released for the Game Boy™ system in May 1992. The game was only available in Japan. 

5. Argonaut Software Ltd.: A British video game developer that developed a 3D engine. Currently Argonaut Games PLC.

Iwata:Everyone was incredibly interested in the engine you had made. 

Dylan:Yes, but I was nervous. 

Iwata:There were only two of you, but 30 of us, so you must have been under a lot of pressure. You were only 18 years old and in a different country, so it’s only natural you would feel that way. (laughs) 

Dylan:But my impression of Japan, especially of Kyoto, of this town, was great. It suited me and I thought I wanted to work in Japan. 

Iwata:What did you like about Kyoto? 

Dylan:Well… 

Miyamoto:(whispering) The girls? 

Dylan:Well, yes. I was 18, so especially that. (laughs) 

Everyone:(laughs) 

Dylan:The people were great. Everyone at Nintendo was friendly. During that one week, we ate together at all kinds of places, which to me as an 18-year-old was a lot of fun. 

Iwata:The food in Kyoto was good and the people were nice. 

Dylan:Yes, exactly. 

Iwata:So you heard interesting things every day and thought, “I wish I could work someplace like this.” 

Dylan:Yes. And I had come from London, where it’s always rainy, so Kyoto seemed incredibly bright. It was great. 

Iwata:Maybe you came in the right season? 

Dylan:It was July. 

Miyamoto:In July, the rainy season would have just ended. 

Dylan:It was really hot. And it wasn’t just hot, it was hot and steamy. Everyone in Kyoto complains about that, but I found it refreshing. (with a puzzled expression) I thought to myself, “What is this feeling?” (laughs) 

Everyone:(laughs) 

Miyamoto:It’s the feeling of subtropical Asia. 

Dylan:Yes. When you’re outside, the humidity is so high it’s like you’re in a sauna. I thought, (happily) “It’s too humid!” (laughs) 

Iwata:I thought the same thing when I first came to Kyoto from Hokkaido. (laughs) 

Dylan:It’s totally different. 

Iwata:It sure is! (laughs) 

Dylan:My impression of Kyoto was really great, so I wanted to work with Nintendo. 

Iwata:Hearing about those days is fun, so I’d like to ask a little more. Miyamoto-san, what was your impression of Dylan-san when he was 18 years old? 

Miyamoto:I was surprised that he could handle programming at that age—that he could work a regular job when so young. I thought, “Oh, so that’s what kind of world this industry is.” The first thing I thought when I met Dylan-san was that this isn’t a field in which you can get puffed up simply by being older. 

Rest of the interview HERE