4. 95% Female

Iwata:

Do you determine all on your own which direction to take with each new instalment?

Yoshizumi:

No, first I gather ideas. In the case of Tales of the Abyss, Higuchi-san6 - the director - and I thought we wanted to do something involving a good-for-nothing who saves the world and his comrades, all the while saying, “Aw man, what a pain…” Sort of like Ikebukuro West Gate Park.7 (laughs) 6Mr. Yoshito Higuchi: A member of Namco Bandai Games Inc. Chief director of such games as Tales of the Abyss and Tales of Symphonia. 7Ikebukuro West Gate Park: A series of fiction novels published in Japan by Ira Ishida featuring the main character Makoto Majima and set in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

Iwata:

Oh, I see. (laughs)

Yoshizumi:

The characters in Tales of the Abyss include the main protagonist Luke and Asch, who are just like two sides of a coin. The world revolves around the relationship between these two. Two or three of us make a foundation for what we want to convey to the players regarding the story and characters.

Iwata:

I suppose it wouldn’t hold together if more people did that. After establishing those core elements, you dole out the work.

Yoshizumi:

Right. We gather ideas after that, too. For example, if the scriptwriter suggests a certain type of character, we say, “Shall we expand on it like this?” and add on new ideas.

Iwata:

The ones who establish the original core of the game select from among the new suggestions.

Yoshizumi:

Right. If the original direction isn’t firmly established and it starts to branch out in all directions, the story becomes weirdly disjointed. I want to make it so everything is connected and rounded out so players won’t be confused.

Iwata:

What process is important in breathing the essence of the series into one of the games?

Iwata Asks
Yoshizumi:

Hmm, it’s difficult to say.

Iwata:

I think every long series has an essence. Without that, there is no unique quality bearing it along. What in your eyes determines the essence of the Tales series? Have a number of the same people been working together in the Tales development studio, so that what they make naturally turns out to have the Tales flavour?

Yoshizumi:

Yeah, but the way we make the games hasn’t changed for a long time. Even when the staff did change, certain key elements were passed on. Right now, Baba-san8, who made Tales of Graces9, is often central to development. At first, his output didn’t feel quite right, but now it feels just like Tales should. 8Mr. Hideo Baba: Producer of Tales of Graces. 9Tales of Graces: An “RPG to Know the Strength to Protect” released for the Wii console in Japan in December 2009.

Iwata:

He grew accustomed to it.

Yoshizumi:

Yeah. I’m not sure what that is… It’s difficult to put into words.

Iwata:

After 15 years, Tales fans have found their way onto the workforce, but I feel like what fans value and what developers value aren’t the same.

Yoshizumi:

That’s right.

Iwata:

When fans come on board, a phenomenon occurs in development that is similar to what happens when the voice of the market pulls the game off course. How do you handle that?

Yoshizumi:

I tell them, “No.”

Iwata Asks
Iwata:

(laughs)

Yoshizumi:

Recently, a lot of female staff members have joined the Tales studio because they like the Tales series or RPGs in general.

Iwata:

What are the male and female percentages for Tales players?

Yoshizumi:

According to questionnaires, about 70% of the players are male and 30% are female. But when it comes to stage events and merchandise sales, about 95% are women.

Iwata:

Did you say 95%?

Yoshizumi:

Yeah. (laughs)

Iwata:

About 70% of Tales players are male, but 95% of fans at stage events - where voice actors and actresses appear - and fans buying merchandise, are female? That’s like a completely different market! (laughs)

Yoshizumi:

Yeah. It’s quite surprising. When women join the staff, many of them have a love for the series that springs from a viewpoint similar to that of the fans.

Iwata:

That love must be incredibly strong and full of good intentions.

Yoshizumi:

But when they say, “This is what we should do,” I often have to clamp down on it. Especially when their viewpoint as a fan is strong.

Iwata:

That goes back to what we discussed earlier. As a series builds up, you can’t simply respond to the fans’ requests. It’s important to present something the fans were never expecting, while not losing the core essence.

Yoshizumi:

That’s right. I hate how when you listen to various opinions, it becomes harder to depart from the fans’ requests and to do something bold. Whatever the situation, I want to have the stomach to - in a good way - betray the expectations of the fans.

Iwata:

Betrayal that makes the fans happy!