Nintendo Anticipates Longer Development Cycles For Future Games

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Abdullah Waseem

At T4G, my task is to cover the latest news around the gaming globe ASAP and with the utmost precision. I adore all the games and respect all the devs behind the amazing games that we get all year. So, whether it’s a PC or a Console game, I got it all covered. 

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Game development has become quite complicated over the past few years. Developers have to go through various hurdles, the biggest of which are optimization challenges.

According to Nintendo, things won’t get any easier from here. It believes studios will require even more time to create games moving forward.

Why it matters: With games aiming for more ambitious systems, lifelike visuals, and greater complexity, developers require more time for each new release.

During Nintendo’s latest investor call, president Shuntaro Furukawa explained how development will become even more complex.

Game development will inevitably become longer and more complex.

-Shuntaro Furukawa

He argued that complex games would mean that studios would not be able to produce big games as frequently, which would impact the AAA industry quite heavily. The president further said they want to secure more development resources and work with developers who understand the process well.

While acquisitions are one way to establish a streamlined game development process, Furukawa insisted on having people trained for this purpose. He prefers to work with those who have been part of Nintendo for a long time.

Despite Nintendo’s approach of prioritizing gameplay over visuals, the company will join the biggest teams in the industry in facing the challenges of growing technology. Still, the gaming giant intends to continue offering unique games.

To further prove the president’s point, the company was able to provide just two mainline Zelda games this generation. The Nintendo Switch also received just one major Mario 3D game, and this trend is expected to continue in the future.

Fortunately, Nintendo has reported incredible profits recently. The gaming giant is also gearing up to reveal its next console by March 2025, which is described as a direct successor to the existing Switch.

Abdullah Waseem

News Reporter

Abdullah is an avid gamer who primarily plays single-player titles. If you can’t find him anywhere, he’ll probably be at his desk playing The Witcher 3 for the millionth time. When he isn’t playing games, he’s either reading or writing about them.