Valhalla Game Studios

Cross Talk with Programmers (2 of 2)

March 12, 2010

Gambler
	･･･ This may seem a bit sudden, but Itagaki-san doesn't seem to be wearing sunglasses today?

Everyone	(giant laughter)

	It feels a bit unbelievable.

Itagaki	Is that so? I had a few moments of "eh, it's alright" last year, and didn't bother wearing them. Besides, we're in the office. If I wore sunglasses inside, I wouldn't be able to work.



	That may be so, but I've heard that you wore sunglasses even inside the office in the past.

Itagaki	Really?

Everyone	（Laughs）


	I also often see you in sunglass in magazine interviews and articless...

Itagaki	Well yeah, but that is that. Besides, I'm not the main point of this interview, and I thought it would be best to wear what I usually do in the office.

	So that's why. I thought you wouldn't be able to live without sunglasses...

Itagaki	No way! (laughs)

Everyone	(giant laughter)


	[ Yasushi Maeda ] Lead Programmer
	Representative Works： - NINJA GAIDEN 2 (Xbox360 / 2008) Lead Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme 2 (Xbox360 / 2006) Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 4 (Xbox360 / 2005) Lead Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE Ultimate (Xbox / 2004) Lead Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme (Xbox / 2003) Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 3 (Xbox / 2002) Lead Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 2:Hardcore (PS2 / 2000) Lead Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 2 (PS2 / 2000) Lead Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE (Saturn / 1998) Lead Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE (Arcade / 1996) Lead Programmer - ANGEL EYES (Arcade / 1996) Lead Programmer - Tecmo Super Bowl (MD / 1993) Programmer - Final Star Force (Arcade/ 1992) Lead Programmer （All works are developed and published by TECMO）

	Sorry about that. (laughs) So really, why do you wear sunglasses?

Itagaki	I think it's because before I became a game developer, I wanted to be a pro gambler Of Mahjong. If you let someone read your eyes, you may lose many chances to win. So I came to wearing sunglasses outside. Basically.

	Basically？

Itagaki	Yup. Where you're looking is incredibly important information.

	Did you originally aim to become a pro Mahjong player?

Itagaki	That's right. Then, I checked how much I would be able to earn per year if I became No.1 Mahjong player in Japan, but it was less than I expected. Well, it was probably more like what they earned on the surface. (laughs) Moreover, I also met with disapproval from every side.

	Has anything from being a pro gambler found its way into your game development?

Itagaki	Why don't you ask them? (laughs)

	What do you all think?

Sasaki	He makes his decision quickly on making a game interesting with no hesitation as if I'm seeing a confident gambler in front of me. Moreover, seeing Itagaki-san succeed at it every single time is quite unbelievable. That's the amazing part of him.


	[ Takuro Sasaki ] Lead Programmer
	Representative Works： - NINJA GAIDEN 2 (Xbox360 / 2008) Lead Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme 2 (Xbox360 / 2006) Graphic Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 4 (Xbox360 / 2005) Graphic Programmer - NINJA GAIDEN Black (Xbox / 2005) Graphic Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE Ultimate (Xbox / 2004) Graphic Programmer - NINJA GAIDEN (Xbox / 2004) Graphic Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 3 (Xbox / 2002) Graphic Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 2:Hardcore (PS2 / 2000) Graphic Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 2 (PS2 / 2000) Graphic Programmer （All works are developed and published by TECMO）

	Specifically how?

Sasaki	Like the final game level tweaking, he gives accurate instructions that make a game interesting.

	And that's similar to a gamble?

Itagaki	When people talk about gambling, they hold an image of people leaving all their luck to dice. But when I talk about gambling, I'm referring to the process of predicting the results of the thrown dice in a certain phase.

	I see.

Itagaki	This is because it lies within the essence of math. If I can't analyze the merits and demerits of a certain decision as "Expectation", it doesn't matter whether it's Mahjong or developing games, no wallet will be able to hold the losses. (laughs)

Attraction of a new environment
	Well then, please tell me about Valhalla Game Studios as your new environment.

Maeda	Since we teamed up in the last company, we tried to do away with strange sectionalism and personal areas, and instead create an environment that thickens the X and Y axes. But, as the project got bigger and bigger, you started to not know anything about the guy at the other end of the building.



	Yeah.

Maeda	So, now that we have concentrated our numbers in a new environment, it feels like we're progressing really well.

	How about Kosuge-san?

Kosuge	Well, it's a freshly baked company. Having a long history can be both good and bad for your work. There are times when customs and rules come into play, and with this, I think it's a good time to create our culture from scratch.

	What do you think, Sasaki-san?

Sasaki	The previous development was about 1 game per year, but since we have a new company, the programs are all cutting edge, so right now is our 'ripe' time.

Maeda	Wrong, we're going to be 'ripe' the entire way. (laughs)

Everyone	(laughs)

Programmer Image Wanted
	You're currently looking for programmers, right? Perhaps you can share with us the image of the programmer you're looking for?

Maeda	Well, let's say we have something that needs to be done. We want someone who can design a module that meets our requirement. However, when we are making a game, we will always run into places where we say "change this", or "can't it be done this way?" after picking out the solution.



	Always?

Maeda	Always. Normal programmers can only think of 1 object and class to make, then say "I don't know about anything else". But such attitude won't be able to cope with "can it be done this way?" cases. So, someone who can say "what if this happens?" and then be able to dirty his module in order to meet new, but more interesting requirements would be nice.

Kosuge	It's not limited to programmers. Having fun with your work is an important thing. I think such a feeling will affect what is to be made. Moreover, solution is not fixed as one and there are always many solutions. So, someone who doesn't get disappointed even if his solution wasn't adopted would be good.

	Those feelings are really important.

Kosuge	Indeed. I think it's usually referred to as passion.


	[Kazuhiro Kosuge] Programmer
	Representative Works： - NINJA GAIDEN 2 (Xbox360 / 2008) Programmer - NINJA GAIDEN Σ (PS3 / 2007) Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme 2 (Xbox360 / 2006) Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 4 (Xbox360 / 2005) Programmer - NINJA GAIDEN (Xbox / 2004) Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 3 (Xbox / 2002) Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 2:Hardcore (PS2 / 2000) Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE 2 (PS2 / 2000) Programmer - DEAD OR ALIVE (PS / 1998) Programmer （All works are developed and published by TECMO）

	What about Sasaki-san?

Sasaki	My motto is "swift and accurate". Although I've created a lot of games as a programmer so far, a cycle of one game per year is actually extremely hard. It means the code has to be finished quick, and the feeling of speed was very important. Someone who can provide code that works correctly and is filled with speed about him would be my pick.



	Is that spoken as someone who's managing programmers?

Sasaki	I think so.

Game and Business
	Finally, something from Itagaki-san please.

Itagaki	All three said different things, but each of them are extremely important. What Maeda mentioned was about the capacity of a module. We are very flexible about target point where we guide our missile at the beginning stage, and the final guidance measured in centimeters is to be done before it hits target. We need a program that is flexible enough to cope with all of this.



	Flexibility is important then.

Itagaki	Many programmers and technicians who are not familiar with the game industry and entertainment often mistake this. Let's take the development flow for example. Traditionally speaking, at the very first stage, designers fix the specifications, then engineers design algorithms and draw flowcharts, coders write codes, typing is set, test team tests codes, engineers clean up bugs, the code has been approved at the final stage and then application products are released. Roughly speaking, this is the software development process.

	Yes.

Itagaki	There are software industries that absolutely do not allow going back to the previous stage of above mentioned Development flow. When I decided to get involved in software development as a pro, I studied the way of making applications that is totally opposite to games. I did this to know from the reverse 'in a way'. But games are quite different. When it's not interesting, we go back to any stage of development without hesitation.

	You go back even in the middle of construction?

Itagaki	We go back. If doing it that way is more interesting... and well, if we can meet the deadline.

	And even looking at the risk of going back...

Itagaki	We go back precisely because we think there's no risk.

	I see.

Itagaki	In contrast to this, office software, spreadsheets and word processors generally do not go back. You don't get thoughts like "maybe this is better". If you took the idea to your superior, he would make a bitter smile.

	Is that so?

Itagaki	Let's say a word processor version 7 is being worked on somewhere, and during development, "doing it this way will definitely sell better!" inevitably becomes "that's a great idea, but you don't understand this line of work. Save it for version 8!" in the business software industries those days. This is a true story that happened here in Japan early 90's. On the other hand, games are about taking in all of those ideas and interesting stuff at the point of time, which is what makes it the game designer side.

	So, you mean your game designers also work flexibly?

Itagaki	That's right. After this, we'll be talking to the game designer staff as well, so hear it from them too.

	Okay.

Itagaki	Also, Kosuge said something that seemed incredibly obvious, but the Japanese game industry has been bended in such a way that the obvious thing becomes impossible.

	Customs and rules?

Itagaki	That's why strongmen who simply wanted to make a good game got together here. This overlaps with what Sasaki said, but the people here have all churned out million sellers every year in average.

	Meaning that it became something like a duty to do so?

Itagaki	Not a duty. That was just our mission.

	Surely that's very hard on them?

Itagaki	If there's someone who can do so, I would pay him handsomely.



Everyone	(laughs)

Itagaki	This is about the economy, but when I appear in media, I haven't touched upon the economy nor business matters by policy so far. In fact, I was really fed up with too much of business articles featured in game magazines. That was why I talked only about games and my philosophy as a "Game Designer." Gamers want to know how the game will be interesting, or what the developers were thinking when they made it.

	I see.

Itagaki	Today I'll be speaking as an "Employer", so I'll have to touch upon it. The simple reason as to why there's game made per year is because companies' settlement of accounts for the fiscal year is made once a year.

	So it's about calculating the worth of public companies...

Itagaki	Exactly. Listed companies need to meet expectations. However, when we make games, we must first be able to enjoy it. If we didn't think the game was any fun, if our lives weren't any fun, we wouldn't be able to provide anyone with fun.

	That's true.

Itagaki	We have to be able to let the customers have fun. In addition, if the game had remaining stock from not selling, it would bring trouble to retail stores, distributors, publishers and game media. The ultimate answer is to be able to satisfy all three of the "developer, gamer, party who circulate games all over the world". I call such a concept as "happy-3".



	I see.

Itagaki	This isn't something that can be accomplished easily. I think I've managed to make everyone happy maybe 2, 3 times. It's challenging, but also something 'I can do'. Everyone's related to games in some way, and bringing out a good game makes everyone happy. Since we're all facing the same direction, the responsibility of making it as enjoyable as possible falls within our hands. However, shareholders include many of those who hold no interest in the games.

	You mean such shareholders may have an influence over those happy-3?

Itagaki	A 4th person comes along, and with them a guarantee by the law that they be able to control us. I'm not criticizing the stock exchange market itself. But, especially in Japan, there's a case such money game may destroy the ideal situation and cast a shadow over the all-important Happy-3. And that's why we went independent.

	Valhalla Game Studios was created for that purpose?

Itagaki	Yes. We have no use for creating a 1-million seller every year. In fact, there might have been a chance of creating a 4-million seller if we spent 2 years instead. (laughs)

	That's a wonderful thing. So by spending 2 years instead, you can satisfy the conditions of appeasing all 3 perfectly with something interesting.

Itagaki	Absolutely.

	Please say something to the programmers you're currently hiring. I hear that you can't realize good projects without good programmers?

Itagaki	Hmm, I wonder about that. We can't build houses without people in the wood industry. We can't build it either without people who make nails. Programmers are essentially carpenters. This isn't about carpenters being almighty, but rather, the artists could be the wood workers. We also need a support team who makes various tools, right? Like hammers. You can't build houses without hammers.



	That's true.

Itagaki	Those gathered here are all like carpenters, and I'm the lead carpenter. So the people we're looking for are those who hold pride in being there.

	I see.

Itagaki	Currently, how many Japanese development teams are there that can fight with the world?

	Not very many.

Itagaki	We've been fighting the world on good terms so far.

	On good terms?

Itagaki	In the nice sense, training each other up as rivals. So we want people who can say "I want to use my skill to entertain the world" or "I want to influence the world through entertainment".



	Understood, thank you very much for today.

Everyone	Thank you very much.