Yuji Naka interview by Nintendo (February 12, 2002)

This is an interview conducted by Nintendo with Yuji Naka. This takes place after Sonic goes multiconsole and therefore must be in 2002, not 2001 like the website this interview came from claims.

The Interview

Nintendo Team: Hello Naka-san, thank you for your time. Congratulations on the excellent new Sonic games due for release for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube, we're looking forward to playing the games.

What can older fans of Sonic expect in his new games?

Yuji Naka: Throughout the Sonic series Sega have aimed to thrill gameplayers with great character design, unique stages and an intense sense of speed, from which many of his adventures have become famous for.

When developing Sonic Advance we were so pleased and excited about re-inventing Sonic in his original 2D form. During this process we made the decision not to simply transport the original Sonic The Hedgehog but create a totally new game encompassing much of the original architecture. We wanted a game with heritage that would appeal to fans of the original Sonic series but with additional, new elements that would aim to capture the hearts of new Sonic gamers, like the four playable characters for example.

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle has inherited all the qualities we love about Sonic and his adventures but takes full advantage of the GameCube's processing power to create and explore new gaming experiences. Since it's release on the Dreamcast we have been able to make many enhancements for the GameCube version, including new characters, improved Chao features combining a link-up function with GameBoy Advance, new multiplayer games and stages and overall improved, more vibrant visuals.

Nintendo Team: What drew Sonic Team to develop for Nintendo's new handheld and home console?

Yuji Naka: Initially we believed that the GameCube and GameBoy Advance were a perfect match for Sonic's characteristics, especially in terms of Nintendo's unique market of gamers.

The GameCube and GameBoy Advance are also very powerful systems in their own individual ways and very user friendly when it comes to development, GameCube for example will comfortably manage split-screen at 60 frames per second. One of the other main attractions was the ability to link up these two systems, a very unique and exciting feature that will provide the freedom to explore new ways of playing games.

Nintendo Team: How do you feel about the connectivity between the two consoles?

Yuji Naka: The link-up feature is a great characteristic and extremely beneficial to game developers who choose to integrate this function into their games. We can also make gaming more sociable in this way by providing gamers with the option to exchange game data amongst themselves, it gets people away from simply sitting in front of the TV at home.

Nintendo Team: Can Nintendo fans expect more Sega games to appear on GBA or the GameCube soon?

Yuji Naka: Apart from those titles already announced, Sega plan to release a number of exclusive titles on GBA and GameCube in the future. We hope gamers will enjoy playing Sega games on Nintendo's two very exciting platforms.

External links

• Original Interview at Angel Island Interviews.