Miyamoto: new characters next year?

By Oli Welsh Published 1 July, 2010

Nintendo's roster needs new blood "soon".

Shigeru Miyamoto has confessed that Nintendo's ageing line-up of mascots and franchises could use some fresh blood - and hinted that we might see new characters from the company next year.

"We need new game characters soon, maybe we can move forward on that next year," the designer and R&D chief told a stockholders' meeting in Japan this week, as reported by the Sankei Shinbun newspaper and 1UP.

Miyamoto had been asked what Nintendo's "next game" might be. His comment comes two weeks after Nintendo unveiled new Zelda, Mario, Kirby and Donkey Kong games at E3, even exhuming 8-bit hero Kid Icarus as a standard-bearer for 3DS.

GoldenEye and Golden Sun were among the other elderly (if much-loved) series whose return to Nintendo platforms was announced in LA two weeks ago, while Nintendo will be launching Pokemon Black and White for DS in Japan this year.

The last new character designs from Miyamoto's own pen - if you don't count virtual puppies or customisable Miis - were probably Captain Olimar and the Pikmin in 2001.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Redeye #1 2 years ago

    Colour me intrigued - Ninty has an excellent record of creating appealing characters, and if Shigsy is behind the R&D into new ones, then hopes are high that games featuring said characters might not be too shabby either.

    Watching with interest. :)

  • andywilkie35 #2 2 years ago

    Quality, maybe we can have some characters like all of Sonic's mates! I hope we get some really good one like Arnie the Armadillo and Morris the Mammoth. Oh and hopefully there'll be something like Robert the Rat, he wears sunglasses and has an attitude

  • BillMurray #3 2 years ago

    About time.

  • The-Bodybuilder #4 2 years ago

    I would like 1 character who is "darker, edgier and grittier", with a mysterious background, an emo personality, and one big-ass sword on his back.

    And make him a japanesse metrosexual.

  • BigJonno #5 2 years ago

    Nintendo make bloody terrible characters that, for some completely bizarre and unknown reason, somehow end up working. Their core line up includes a fat Italian plumber in dungarees, an elf in a pointy green hat, a gorilla in a tie and a pink blob.

    I honestly don't know how they do it.
    Edited by BigJonno at 01/07/10 @ 09:38

  • Whitster #6 2 years ago

    Like a Gorilla in a Tie would never not work!

  • Stuz359 #7 2 years ago

    @BigJonno

    You call them terrible characters, but they really are not. All of those characters are completely iconic and transcend the gaming genre. That makes them good characters.

  • Ninja_Tino #8 2 years ago

    Captain Olimar never quite took off, which is a shame, 'cus he's a cool guy; much better than his gimpy brother. New characters are great and all but it's the game they're in that makes or breaks 'em. Ahh, Golden Sun. Never finished either: that stupid boat journey where the squid attacks was too tricky for me and I just got lost in 2.

  • darkmorgado #9 2 years ago

    Dear Shigeru Miyamoto:

    While I applaud the fact that you will be designing some new characters, please don't make any of them a Space Marine.

    Thanks.

  • chubster2010 #10 2 years ago

    "We need new game characters soon"

    I was thinking the exact same thing when watching the Nintendo press conference.

    While it's always good to see classic characters in great looking games, Nintendo really need some new blood, to reinvigorate their roster and to carve out a future that isn't just more Mario, more Zelda, more Kirby, more etc etc etc.

    I think Sony have done a really good job with the PS3 in terms of creating/publishing new IP - Uncharted, InFamous, Heavy Rain, Demon's Souls... All titles that have/have the potential to spawn interesting sequels, and that have have steadily built robust fan bases. Nintendo need to start doing the same (again!).

  • Razz #11 2 years ago

    Of course f**king of course! About time! How about a new f zero and star fox game while you're at it.

  • rudderless #12 2 years ago

    For all that it reuses old characters, Nintendo does attempt to do something fresh and creative with them whenever it can. DK in particular, though this game looks more like a retread than most. Kirby's had a few interesting asides, mind, and Epic Yarn's visual style certainly feels a little different.

    Olimar didn't really take off, but the Pikmin did - particularly in Japan. I'd like to see them return sooner rather than later (and it seems from the Andriasang interview that Miyamoto agrees). Think we might see a new Pikmin on 3DS rather than Wii, though.

    I agree with chubster that Sony's done pretty well with new IP, though Uncharted and inFamous are hardly original in gameplay terms. Demon's Souls and Heavy Rain are more interesting, and I'd like to see more titles along the lines of Flower and Noby Noby Boy on PSN. I think that's what disappointed me most about Sony's conference this year - aside from Move, most of the games it showed were sequels and it completely ignored PSN throughout.

  • BigJonno #13 2 years ago

    @Stuz359

    They've become iconic characters because of the games that they feature in. Imagine that Mario doesn't exist and you're an executive at a videogame company. One of the designers comes in and says "We want to make a game starring a short, fat, Italian plumber with a big 'tache and dungarees!" You'd think he was bloody crazy. There is no way on Earth that it should work, but it does and don't think that there are many companies that could pull it off.

  • sega #14 2 years ago

    The problem is with Nintendo's characters is they have evolved and were originally born out of limitation. It's well known that Mario wears dungarees so you can see his arms and has a mustache because you couldn't draw a mouth easily with primitive 8-bit graphics.

    Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Samus etc were designed by accident. That doesn't mean they're not great characters, they're probably the best and most recognisable game characters of all time, but they've evolved over many years to become the characters we love today. That doesn't mean they can't do it again - the secret is to design the game first and then work a character into that game environment - that's something Nintendo will know about. The worst characters are those companies design as a rival to Mario and Sonic - an animal with "attitude" or something. If they just design the game first and think about how the character should be logically, they'll have much more success.

  • The-Bodybuilder #15 2 years ago

    "All of those characters are completely iconic and transcend the gaming genre."

    A pink blob and a gorilla in a tie "transcend the gaming genre?" LOL, yeah right.
    And then there's Link, who at the time of creation most certainly fit a classic gaming stereotype (a character that got lost on his way to Tolken's middle-earth).

    Not saying I dislike any nintendo charatcer (bar kirby, who's clearly evil), but such a statement as "transcend gaming genre" is hyperbolic.

  • The-Bodybuilder #16 2 years ago

    " The worst characters are those companies design as a rival to Mario and Sonic - an animal with "attitude" or something."

    Heh, that is exactly the origins of Sonic. :D
    Not to say I disagree with you mind, though it did work for Blinx the cat.....

    What?

  • nuanimal #17 2 years ago

    I don't know why, but I have that episode of The Simpsons in my head. The one where the makers of Itchy & Scratchy introduce Poochie, to be a hip, young, proactive character.

    But I'll trust in Nintendo.


  • chubster2010 #18 2 years ago

    @nuanimal

    That's a classic simpson episode - I love how they get rid of him at the end, with the really bad dubbing.

    'My work here is done...I must go back to my home planet'

    Amazing.

  • rarehobo #19 2 years ago

    When are they going to get to the fireworks factory!!

  • MatMan562 #20 2 years ago

    Nintendo are the only company I don't mind making games in the same franchises over and over, although I am looking forward to see what Miyamoto comes up with next.

  • Stuz359 #21 2 years ago

    @BigJonno

    But don't ALL great characters become famour on the back of whater they have done? Imagine Mickey Mouse doesn't exist. If a film maker went into Disney studios and said, 'I want to make a film featuring a mouse wearing dungarees that talks in a high pitched voice,' you'd think he was bloody crazy! Works both ways. Characters are only as good as the films/books.games they have appeared in. I cannot think of any iconic characters that first didn't feature in a successful venture, whatever it happens to be.

    The fact is, these characters are recognisable the world over, they are iconic and I maintain that is what makes them great characters.

  • Kami #22 2 years ago

    "I would like 1 character who is "darker, edgier and grittier", with a mysterious background, an emo personality, and one big-ass sword on his back.

    And make him a japanesse metrosexual."

    I can't help it. I found that so funny...

    But Miyamoto involved in R+D of new character, which in turn must surely mean a brand new IP?

    I know people moan about Nintendo recycling their older games, but seriously... answer me this. A new Metroid game or a new game from Activision?

    If you chose the latter, the men in white coats will be with you shortly...

  • gorf #23 2 years ago

    i can just see the new stylings: mario goes all 'street' and is now called mazza. Princess Peach makeover will result in elfin ears with some cataloop halves inserted into her chest.

  • sonicyoda #24 2 years ago

    A green, stripèd rabbit... with two butts.
    Edited by sonicyoda at 01/07/10 @ 15:05