Hayashi: “You can definitely expect a different [DOA] in [DOA5]."

In a recent interview with GamePro Hayashi goes into a further discussion over his expectations of the style of DOA5, the current state of the fighting genre, and dealing with the forced change of the team due to Itagaki's departure. The first page was all Ninja Gaiden discussion with most of the second page about Dead or Alive.

Team Ninja Next: Yosuke Hayashi's Vision for Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive
by Billy Berghammer
September 25, 2011 23:08 PM PT

As if switching up Ninja Gaiden wasn’t enough, Team Ninja’s venerable fighting franchise Dead or Alive is also looking to breaking new ground.

“With the boom that’s happened with fighting games in recent years – of course we’re happy that the genre is back and is as strong as it’s become. Especially after Street Fighter IV, things have really boomed again. But we wanted to make sure that Dead or Alive is not looking back," Hayashi-san said.

"All of the fighting games that are out there now seem to be going to back to their roots, and it’s the same sort of game that you were playing 10 years ago, with updated graphics, online play…that aspect is good. But we want to make sure that we’re doing something new and trying to push the genre forward.”


Billed as “fighting entertainment,” the video of pre-alpha action showed environmental elements taking a bigger part in the outcome of a match. Hayashi expressed that we’ll see just as much of a change in DOA that we’re seeing in Ninja Gaiden.

“You can definitely expect a different Dead or Alive in Dead or Alive 5. It’s been six years since [DOA] 4. Nobody is going to want a game now that could have been there six years ago. So we definitely want to update it. We definitely want to see something that is very different."

"When we talk about updating franchises and updating things and a different sort of Team Ninja making these games, there was talk about redoing the Team Ninja logo and making it something else and I opposed it vehemently. Because it’s not about the logo. We’re not trying to change the image of the team. We’re going to respond through the games. And we’re going to answer the fans who are worried --who might be on the fence. Play the games. that’s where you’ll see this is still Team Ninja.”

Hayashi exudes a level of confidence and pride in Team Ninja’s product, and while this may be a different sort of confidence that Itagaki-san showed, it’s apparent that he and the team are focused on the challenges ahead.

“We’re just trying to make good games. We’re not trying to make a game for the West, or looking over there, and [saying,] ‘Oh my god, what are those Westerners going to like, and what kind of games… okay they’re going to like this, okay.’

We just want to make the best, most kick-ass games we want to make, and we are putting our hearts and souls into these games. We’re confident that if we can put that passion into these games, it’ll reach anywhere.”

 

In a way I wish he would go back to doa roots as in doa 2 and 3, but at least he is in the mindset of having the game not play like doa4, so thats a plus. Lets just hope he actually sticks to that statement.

 

In a way, DOA4 went back to the DOA1 (DOA++) roots.

 

I've seen that photo so many times now. I wonder what he's looking at?

 

With his eyebrows raised like that, you can just tell he's thinking "yeaaaa, thats nice but... i know better then you."

 

In a way I wish he would go back to doa roots as in doa 2 and 3, but at least he is in the mindset of having the game not play like doa4, so thats a plus. Lets just hope he actually sticks to that statement.

-I hope this is true. I do not need the game to play like doa2/doa3 for me to enjoy it. If doa5 is solid, than I am all up for it.

 

“We’re just trying to make good games. We’re not trying to make a game for the West, or looking over there, and [saying,] ‘Oh my god, what are those Westerners going to like, and what kind of games… okay they’re going to like this, okay.’

-This is troubling considering the west make up 95% of their total sales. Taking our views in consideration is only a plus. Without us, there is no Team Ninja.

 

He's basically just saying he's not basing their decisions on what marketing says, just what they want to do. If it sells, it sells. I honestly don't expect to look too much further into that.

 

I think it's probably our fear of the Itagaki-arrogance passing on to the modern team.

Japanese are pretty well steeped in tradition, and that "Fuck my fans, I do what I want" stuff really did burn us as much as help us.

Anyway It's not the vibe I get from Hayashi at all, but one can't help but worry a little just how much the master passed on to the apprentice here.

 

I just don't like reading those type of statements. There are plenty of different ways of saying "we are creating the type of game we choose to create" without it having negative connotations.

 

I'm not concerned by that statement at all. I think he's referencing macro trends in game design. He might as well be saying that in answer to "so why don't you make a shooter?"

 

-This is troubling considering the west make up 95% of their total sales. Taking our views in consideration is only a plus. Without us, there is no Team Ninja.

In 2009, Tecmo's Japan sales market was 89.6% and Koei's Japan sales market was 91.8%. What has changed so drastically in the past 3 years that shifted 95% of the market to the West? I find it easier to believe that a Japanese company would make most of its sales in Japan than in the West.

 

In 2009, Tecmo's Japan sales market was 89.6% and Koei's Japan sales market was 91.8%. What has changed so drastically in the past 3 years that shifted 95% of the market to the West? I find it easier to believe that a Japanese company would make most of its sales in Japan than in the West.

-Well lets see, Doa3 sold 2-3 million copies, with Japan sales only being 100,000+. Doa4 Sold over 1 million copies with Japan sales only being within the 100,000+ plus range. The bulk of the sales are being made in the "Western" markets not japan. Lest not forget that we are talking about Doa sales, and not about said companies whole catalog. This is a Doa fansite after all.

 

In 2009, Tecmo's Japan sales market was 89.6% and Koei's Japan sales market was 91.8%. What has changed so drastically in the past 3 years that shifted 95% of the market to the West? I find it easier to believe that a Japanese company would make most of its sales in Japan than in the West.

Maybe if it was an rpg, but at the moment, the western market is much more dominate in sales with fighting games. And as VP pointed out, DoA has always sold much more in America than in Japan. And although the community is extremely small right now, we had and still do have a bigger community than Japan. We also have the more dominate and much more knowledgeable players in DoA.

It's cool that Hayashi wants to do his own thing, but thats not always good. He needs to bring in both dominate and knowledgeable players from outside of Japan to get varied inputs and opinions. If not, we are going to have doa4 all over again. Especially if Hayashi pulls an Itagaki and has friggan VF players playtest the damn game and strip it to nothing right before launch...