"Team NINJA Learns to Fear its Fans"

Gamasutra recently put up an article interviewing Yohei Shimbori about understanding a series' fans when developing a game. This is probably a big reason as to why "swimsuits" and "pin-up models" made a return to the series after early interviews stated they wanted a more mature look for the franchise.

One of the things that I learned was the power of having a series behind you, and what it means to be part of a series. There are existing fans out there, and you have to think about the people who have supported the series for so long, and you want to make sure that the game that you make appeals to them first, and satisfies those fans first.

...

"As a director, I really try to take fan feedback into account. I really try to keep an open mind," Shimbori says. That, married with some serious reflection on how the studio develops games, made a "really good set" of criteria for moving forward.

In fact, he says, "I've been looking at feedback for the last three years, and honestly, it hasn't changed a lot." Players want cool, unique characters, entertaining stages, and a balanced core gameplay system.

...

When he sits down with his team to design a new game, he says, "I still think of what players will want from this experience. When players play this game, what are they going to take away from it? What will they get excited about, what are they really going to have a lot of fun with? That's the core of entertainment, and that's the entertainment experience that we are trying to give to players, and we think that players are still looking for that entertainment experience."

"We were getting feedback from the overseas offices to tone down the sexuality -- to tone down the sexiness of the game, and of the characters," he remembers. But once feedback from fans playing the demo that was included with Ninja Gaiden 3 came in, those plans changed.

"We actually got a lot of feedback from people who were playing it, saying, 'We want bigger breasts. Make the characters more like that.' That was kind of surprising."

"There's definitely still room for having sexualized aspects," Shimbori concludes. "If you have a solid fighting game system there, there's nothing wrong with having beautiful characters as a layer on top of that -- that's another layer of entertainment that there's a need for. If there wasn't a need for it, people wouldn't have responded to the alpha demo like they did, and send us feedback."

Source: Gamasutra

 

Okay....that doesn't make sense. If you're trying to be mature would you ignore someone asking for tits?

 

I think they took a step in the right direction. The visual style of DOA and its mechanics never appealed to me before this game. Most people probably considered DOA a joke because it honestly looked like more effort was put into giving girls unrealistically sized breasts and skimpy outfits than making a legit fighting system. I know DOA is known for its fanservice but that's not what sold DOA 5 to me. It was the details and effort the team put into the visuals and balancing the gameplay. I have never seen a game where fighters sweat and get dirt on their clothes it makes it intense and realistic, and the way one has to mix up attacks and make good reads makes for a more stimulating mental experience than most fighters because knowing only one combo won't cut it in this game; you will get held all day. They took a step up from previous entries in almost every way, including the fanservice. Kasumi and the girls actually have curves and asses now. They even look more fit than they do in previous games. I don't see this toned down sexuality some of the fanbase is saying has occurred. Team Ninja did a great job with this game ( they just need to fix some bugs ) and I am looking forward to the next entry in this series.

 

So when are we going to see Genfu in budgie-smugglers?

 

But safari outfits? And clowns? Really?
I mean... why?

 

Just ignore the pervs and keep making decent games. Your game will sell without the stupid fanservice. Fanservice didn't sell this game for me either, it was the graphics, the gameplay, and Hitomi.

 

Yeah. Tn is spineless. Are they really going to cave to horny fucktrads?

 

Seriously. F u Team Ninja. At least make an option to turn some of that BS off. You got girls sprawled out panting like they got fucked and all this BS and u want to be called a fighter. Are they retarded? If this game does take off and breaks into the Large FGC, Esports is going to get a massive backlash ( obviously theres tons of horrendous stuff in normal media but u know how it goes) and theyre gonna jump down their throats. They didnt think anything through. freakin retards. how are you not even going consider what happens if your campaign "Im a Fighter" ads are successful. So freakin stupid.

 

Seriously. F u Team Ninja. At least make an option to turn some of that BS off. You got girls sprawled out panting like they got fucked and all this BS and u want to be called a fighter. Are they retarded? If this game does take off and breaks into the Large FGC, Esports is going to get a massive backlash ( obviously theres tons of horrendous stuff in normal media but u know how it goes) and theyre gonna jump down their throats. They didnt think anything through. freakin retards. how are you not even going consider what happens if your campaign "Im a Fighter" ads are successful. So freakin stupid.

Well it's been seven years....but it took two years to make the game. You know with those seven years...instead of making DOAD they could have been putting all their efforts into DOA 5. Now let's not jump the gun. TN made a solid fighting game, but calling themselves mature while we got rare swimsuits that almost cover nothing makes them look hypocritical. They also admitting to rushing the game. And let's not forget their ways of nerfing characters either. At the end of the day...TN needs to learn to keep it in their pants. This makes me think no one at TN gets no ass. That's a sad message you're sending to your consumers and fans.

 

I wish TN could understand what we want is a good fighting game, not to continue being the laughingstock of the FGC.

 

I wish TN could understand what we want is a good fighting game, not to continue being the laughingstock of the FGC.

I know we're still the laughing stock of the FGC.

 

I know we're still the laughing stock of the FGC.

Hope they don't do the same thing in DOA6

 

Hope they don't do the same thing in DOA6

Let's focus on getting this game to EVO.

 

Let's focus on getting this game to EVO.

A comment like that should be on the front page of FSD. Get committed people!

 

A comment like that should be on the front page of FSD. Get committed people!

Lol thanks man. I wish online wasn't so bad. I won't be able to play any high level doa until i come back to Chicago in late Oct.

 

I agree with Murakame. Having sexiness isn't wrong or bad. I too feel that the girls are way more appealing in this iteration. They are no longer anime look-alikes. All of this on top of a good fighting system makes this game a great buy for me. Especially since I've played since DOA1.

side note: I'm not a "boob guy" so accentuating their derriere is nice for me personally. And the glasses too. Though I wish we had an actual selection of them. Also guys wear glasses too.