Zenless Zone Zero x Street Fighter 6 Creators Roundtable

Summary

El guion de video ofrece una conversación entre desarrolladores de juegos, discutiendo la experiencia de enfrentarse en 'Street Fighter' y la creación de 'Zenless Zone Zero'. Comparten emociones de nerviosismo y entusiasmo, así como la satisfacción de jugar y recibir retroalimentación inmediata. Abordan la interacción entre géneros de juegos de acción y de lucha, y cómo los principios de diseño compartidos pueden mejorar la accesibilidad y profundidad de los juegos. Destacan la importancia de la promoción y la conexión con la audiencia, y cómo el diseño de juegos y su cultura han evolucionado para brindar experiencias significativas y valiosas a los jugadores.

Takeaways

• 😀 La emoción de los desarrolladores al enfrentarse y jugar juntos fue palpable, destacando la rara oportunidad de jugar con alguien fuera de la empresa.
• 🤩 La experiencia de juego de Zenless Zone Zero impresionó por sus gráficos y variedad de movimientos, aunque se requiere práctica para dominarlo.
• 🎮 Se discutió sobre las similitudes y diferencias en los principios de diseño entre juegos de acción y juegos de lucha, subrayando la importancia de la satisfacción inmediata del jugador.
• 🔄 La implementación de sistemas como Drive Impact y parry en Street Fighter 6 está diseñada para hacer que los jugadores nuevos y veteranos encuentren la diversión rápidamente.
• 💡 La importancia de un diseño accesible pero profundo en Street Fighter 6 se enfatizó para atraer tanto a nuevos jugadores como a los veteranos.
• 🕹️ Los cambios en Street Fighter 6, como los controles modernos y el modo World Tour, buscan hacer el juego más accesible y atractivo para una audiencia más amplia.
• 📊 La promoción continua antes y después del lanzamiento de un juego es crucial para su éxito, incluyendo demos, pruebas beta y productos de merchandising.
• 📺 Las colaboraciones y eventos son esenciales para mantener el interés y la inmersión de los jugadores en el juego.
• 🌟 La satisfacción del jugador se considera vital, tanto en la jugabilidad como en los aspectos culturales que los juegos pueden transmitir.
• 👥 La importancia de la retroalimentación y el análisis constante de la experiencia del jugador para mejorar y adaptar los juegos fue subrayada, destacando el proceso iterativo en el diseño de juegos.

Q & A

¿Cómo se sintió después de enfrentarse al desarrollador de Street Fighter?

Se sintió nervioso al principio, luego emocionado y feliz, una mezcla de emociones.

¿Por qué Mr. Matsumoto se sintió feliz después del enfrentamiento?

Estuvo feliz porque rara vez tiene la oportunidad de jugar contra personas fuera de la empresa, especialmente contra un jugador experimentado y desarrollador de juegos.

¿Qué impresión le causó jugar Zenless Zone Zero a Mr. Nakayama?

Le pareció genial, con gráficos impresionantes, movimientos y técnicas variadas, y efectos fantásticos.

¿Cómo se comparan los juegos de acción y los juegos de lucha según el guion?

Ambos géneros tienen principios de diseño compartidos, como la acción reflejada en pantalla al presionar un botón y la combinación de acciones para resolver problemas o enfrentar enemigos.

¿Qué es lo que distingue a los juegos de lucha de los juegos de acción según la entrevista?

La diferencia radica en si la interacción es uno contra uno o uno contra múltiples.

¿Qué satisfacción buscan proporcionar los creadores de Zenless Zone Zero a los jugadores?

Quieren darle a los jugadores momentos de satisfacción pura, con retroalimentación inmediata y de impacto.

¿Cómo se describe el sistema de paradas en Zenless Zone Zero en comparación con el sistema Drive Impact de Street Fighter?

El sistema de paradas en Zenless Zone Zero se describe como una mecánica interesante con retroalimentación estimulante, similar al sistema Drive Impact, pero con un enfoque en la defensa.

¿Qué es el Equipo de Combate en Street Fighter 6 y qué responsabilidades tienen?

El Equipo de Combate es un grupo que se encarga de diseñar el combate, trabajando en la definición de la experiencia que se quiere brindar a los jugadores y en la iteración de mecánicas como Drive Impact y Paradas.

¿Cómo se describe el proceso de desarrollo de Street Fighter 6?

El proceso involucró la definición de la experiencia deseada, la iteración de mecánicas, pruebas y ajustes basados en la retroalimentación, y la eliminación o ajuste de sistemas para mejorar la profundidad y accesibilidad del juego.

¿Qué es el objetivo detrás del diseño de Modern Controls en Street Fighter 6?

El objetivo es encontrar un equilibrio entre lo hardcore y lo casual, haciendo que los movimientos de juego sean más intuitivos y accesibles para nuevos jugadores, sin sacrificar la profundidad del juego.

¿Cómo se abordan los desafíos de diseño en juegos de lucha y acción según la conversación?

Se abordan considerando la aceptación de los usuarios existentes, la innovación en elementos artísticos y la creación de una curva de aprendizaje que guíe a los jugadores desde lo simple a lo complejo.

¿Qué importancia tienen las promociones y eventos antes y después del lanzamiento de un juego según el guion?

Las promociones y eventos son cruciales para crear una sensación de popularidad y confianza en el juego, atraer a más jugadores y fomentar una comunidad involucrada y comprometida.

¿Qué papel juegan los creadores en la promoción y el diseño de juegos según la entrevista?

Los creadores no solo diseñan juegos, sino que también trabajan en la promoción y la creación de una cultura alrededor del juego, buscando brindar una experiencia significativa y valiosa a los jugadores.

Outlines

00:00

🥊 Confrontación entre desarrolladores y la emoción de jugar

En el primer párrafo, se describe la experiencia emocional de luchar contra el desarrollador de Street Fighter, con sentimientos de nerviosismo, excitación y felicidad. Se destaca la rareza de enfrentarse a jugadores externos y la satisfacción de Mr. Matsumoto y Mr. Nakayama al competir con un desarrollador experimentado y apasionado. Se menciona la importancia de la experiencia de juego y la oportunidad de jugar juntos nuevamente, así como la consideración del horario laboral de Mr. Matsumoto. Además, se explora la idea de que los juegos de acción y de lucha comparten principios de diseño similares, con la distinción de ser interacciones uno-a-uno o uno-contra-muchos, y se enfatiza la satisfacción inmediata que se puede obtener de los juegos, como en el caso de Zenless Zone Zero, que busca brindar momentos de satisfacción pura desde el principio.

05:01

🕹️ Diseño de juegos y la búsqueda de equilibrar sencillez y profundidad

El segundo párrafo se enfoca en las similitudes y diferencias entre los sistemas de parry y Perfect Assist en los juegos, y cómo estos sistemas de juego están diseñados para probar el tiempo de reacción de los jugadores. Se discute la importancia de la precisión en el diseño de los juegos de lucha y cómo el equipo de desarrollo de Street Fighter 6 trabaja en estrecha colaboración con el equipo de combate para crear experiencias que sean accesibles para nuevos jugadores, pero también profundas para los veteranos. Se menciona la evolución de los juegos de lucha, el proceso de desarrollo de Street Fighter 6 y cómo se diseñaron sistemas como Drive Impact y Parry para aumentar la diversión y la accesibilidad del juego, así como la implementación de modos de juego que guíen a los jugadores más profundamente en la experiencia del juego.

10:03

🎮 Diseño de juegos accesibles y su impacto en los jugadores

En el tercer párrafo, se discute la importancia de hacer que los juegos sean accesibles para los jugadores principiantes, pero también que ofrezcan una experiencia rica y profunda para los jugadores experimentados. Se abordan las estrategias de diseño que buscan mantener a los jugadores interesados y comprometidos a medida que se adentran en el juego, utilizando elementos como la música, la jugabilidad y la retroalimentación visual y auditiva. Se destaca la necesidad de entender y mejorar la experiencia del jugador, analizando por qué algunos jugadores pueden sentirse desanimados o desafiados por ciertos aspectos del juego y cómo se pueden ajustar para mantener su interés y participación. Además, se reflexiona sobre la evolución de los juegos de acción y cómo, a pesar de su complejidad, es fundamental que los jugadores puedan experimentar su esencia y diversión.

15:08

🛠️ La evolución del control y la accesibilidad en juegos de lucha

El cuarto párrafo se centra en el desarrollo de los controles Modernos en Street Fighter, con el objetivo de hacer que los movimientos poderosos y característicos sean más accesibles para los jugadores, tanto nuevos como veteranos. Se explora la historia de los controles en los juegos de lucha y cómo la simplificación de los movimientos ha evolucionado con el tiempo. Se destaca la importancia de mantener un equilibrio entre la simplicidad y la profundidad en el diseño del juego, y cómo la introducción de controles modernos y modos de juego, como el World Tour, buscan atraer a un público más amplio y hacer que el juego sea más atractivo para los espectadores. Además, se discuten las estrategias de promoción y marketing que buscan aumentar la visibilidad y el atractivo del juego, incluyendo la live commentary y la promoción a través de streams en vivo.

20:13

💼 La transición de ventas a desarrollo y la pasión por los juegos de lucha

En el quinto párrafo, se narra la historia personal de un desarrollador que, después de trabajar en ventas y relaciones laborales, se trasladó al área de desarrollo para cumplir su sueño de crear juegos de lucha. Se describe su experiencia al unirse al equipo de Street Fighter después de haber dejado la empresa y ser convocado de nuevo para trabajar en un nuevo juego de lucha. Se destaca la importancia de la pasión y la motivación en el proceso de desarrollo, así como la rareza de la transición de un rol en ventas a un rol en el desarrollo de juegos. También se menciona el proceso de producción de Street Fighter 6 y cómo las ideas y la visión compartidas con otros miembros del equipo contribuyeron a la realización del juego.

25:15

🏗️ El proceso creativo y la importancia de la promoción en juegos de lucha

El sexto párrafo se enfoca en la creatividad y el proceso de diseño detallado que se necesita para hacer que un juego sea atractivo y único para los jugadores. Se discuten las consideraciones sobre la integración de elementos nuevos y frescos, como la estética de vehículos antiguos, para brindar una experiencia renovada. Además, se destaca la importancia de la promoción pre-lanzamiento y la realización de eventos post-lanzamiento para crear una comunidad de jugadores comprometida y aumentar la popularidad del juego. Se menciona la estrategia de lanzar una versión de demo y la producción de mercancía para involucrar a los fans y crear una sensación de inmersión y anticipación antes del lanzamiento del juego.

30:17

🎉 Eventos y colaboraciones para fomentar la comunidad de jugadores

En el séptimo párrafo, se discute cómo los eventos y colaboraciones después del lanzamiento de un juego son esenciales para mantener la popularidad y el interés de los jugadores. Se describe cómo estas actividades contribuyen a la sensación de que el juego es un éxito y cómo esto, a su vez, brinda confianza y satisfacción a los jugadores. Se destacan las estrategias de comunicación y promoción que se utilizan para involucrar a los jugadores y hacer que se sientan valorados y parte de una comunidad. También se menciona la importancia de trabajar en equipo y la visión compartida de crear no solo juegos, sino también una cultura alrededor de ellos, lo que enriquece la experiencia de juego y la conexión con los jugadores.

35:18

🌟 Crear juegos y cultivar la cultura de los juegos de lucha

El último párrafo reflexiona sobre la importancia de crear juegos que no solo sean divertidos y bien desarrollados, sino que también contribuyan a la creación de una cultura alrededor de ellos. Se enfatiza la determinación y la persistencia en la creación de juegos de alta calidad y se celebra la idea de que los juegos de lucha y de acción han evolucionado para ser más que simples entretenimientos, sino una forma de expresión cultural. Se alentan a los desarrolladores a seguir trabajando duro para crear juegos que brinden experiencias significativas y valiosas a los jugadores, y se reconoce la gratitud por las discusiones y la colaboración que enriquecen el proceso creativo.

Keywords

💡Street Fighter

Street Fighter es una serie de videojuegos de lucha icónica, la cual es mencionada en el guion como un punto de referencia para la experiencia de juego y el desarrollo. Se utiliza para ilustrar la evolución y el diseño de juegos de lucha y cómo estos han impactado la cultura de los videojuegos.

💡Zenless Zone Zero

Zenless Zone Zero es un juego desarrollado por los participantes en la conversación, que se menciona como un ejemplo de un juego de acción con mecánicas de juego satisfactorias y visuales impactantes. Es utilizado para comparar y contrastar con el diseño de juegos de lucha.

💡Mecanismos de juego

Los mecanismos de juego son elementos fundamentales en la creación de experiencias de juego, como se discute en el guion. Se refiere a las acciones que el jugador puede realizar y que definen la dinámica del juego, como 'paradas' y 'ataques', y se relacionan con la satisfacción y la estrategia del jugador.

💡Diseño de juegos

El diseño de juegos es un concepto clave en el guion, que abarca la creación y la planificación de aspectos como mecánicas, historia y arte de un videojuego. Se discute cómo este diseño influye en la atracción y la retención de los jugadores, y cómo se ha evolucionado en series como Street Fighter.

💡Acciones en cadena

Las acciones en cadena son una característica mencionada en el guion que refiere a la capacidad del jugador de ejecutar una serie de movimientos en un corto período de tiempo, lo que puede resultar en una jugada efectiva y satisfactoria. Se relaciona con la profundidad y la satisfacción en juegos de acción y de lucha.

💡Feedback de juego

El feedback de juego es un término utilizado para describir las respuestas del juego al jugador, como sonidos, vibraciones o cambios visuales, que confirman o recompensan las acciones del jugador. En el guion, se discute cómo este elemento es crucial para aumentar la satisfacción y la inmersión del jugador.

💡Demostración de juego

Una demostración de juego es una versión limitada de un videojuego que se ofrece al público antes de su lanzamiento oficial. En el guion, se menciona como una estrategia de promoción para permitir a los jugadores experimentar el juego y, por lo tanto, aumentar el interés y la expectación.

💡Mercancía de juego

La mercancía de juego se refiere a los artículos relacionados con un videojuego que se venden fuera del juego mismo, como camisetas o figuras. En el guion, se discute cómo la venta de esta mercancía puede fortalecer la conexión de los fans con el juego y aumentar su inversión emocional y temporal.

💡Promoción de juegos

La promoción de juegos es el proceso de difundir información sobre un videojuego y atraer la atención del público hacia él. En el guion, se discute la importancia de la promoción pre-lanzamiento y las estrategias utilizadas, como la creación de contenido de video, la participación de influencers y la realización de eventos.

💡Cultural derivative

Un cultural derivative se refiere a algo que se ha desarrollado a partir de una cultura o fenómeno cultural existente. En el guion, los juegos de lucha y de acción se consideran cultural derivatives, lo que sugiere que han evolucionado más allá de la simple entretenimiento y han adquirido un significado y un valor cultural más amplio.

💡Jugadores casuales y hard-core

Los jugadores casuales y hard-core son términos utilizados para describir el tipo de audiencia de un videojuego. Los casuales son jugadores ocasionales que buscan diversión, mientras que los hard-core son jugadores más comprometidos y dedicados. En el guion, se discute cómo el diseño del juego debe equilibrar las necesidades y preferencias de ambos grupos para alcanzar un amplio espectro de jugadores.

Highlights

Developers shared their emotions after fighting against each other, expressing a mix of nervousness, excitement, and happiness.

Mr. Matsumoto expressed his happiness for the rare opportunity to play against a long-time player and fellow game developer outside the company.

The desire to have more opportunities to engage in such play experiences was expressed, highlighting the fun and learning aspects.

Mr. Nakayama shared his positive experience after trying out Zenless Zone Zero, praising the game's graphics, moves, and effects.

A discussion on the similarities between action games and fighting games, focusing on shared design principles and the core principle of action reflection.

The importance of immediate satisfaction in games was emphasized, with a comparison to the Drive Impact system in Street Fighter.

The parry system in Zenless Zone Zero was likened to the Drive Impact system, noting the challenge it presents to players' reaction times.

The design principles of the Perfect Assist system in Zenless Zone Zero were compared to those in Street Fighter, highlighting the human response time limit.

The creation of a 'combat team' in Street Fighter 6 to design combat, emphasizing a collaborative approach to game design.

The goal of making Street Fighter 6 accessible and fun for new players, using systems like Drive Impact and Parry to ease the learning curve.

The concept of a game ladder in Street Fighter 6, guiding players from basic to advanced gameplay.

The challenge of attracting new players to the Street Fighter series while maintaining its depth and fun.

The introduction of Modern Controls and World Tour mode in Street Fighter 6 to make the game more accessible.

Mr. Nakayama's background and his journey from sales to development, highlighting his passion for fighting games.

The importance of pre-launch promotion and the strategy used for Street Fighter 6, including demos, beta testing, and merchandise.

The role of post-launch events and collaborations in maintaining player interest and creating a sense of community around Street Fighter 6.

The creators' view on games as cultural derivatives, emphasizing the importance of creating meaningful and valuable experiences for players.

Transcripts

You just fought the developer of Street Fighter

How do you feel?

Really nervous, then really excited

But also really happy

I mean nervous, excited, and lots of other emotions all mixed up inside

And how do you feel, Mr. Matsumoto?

Really happy

We rarely get the chance to play against people outside the company

Especially not against someone who is a long-time player

As well as a fellow game dev

I'm just, super happy, and it was super fun

This was an awesome experience

I really want to have the chance to do this again

We can keep playing together

Let's add each other

Sure can

I mean it

I hope you only ask for him after 18:30 Japan time, so he can get work done before then

That's still my work time

How do you feel, Mr. Nakayama, after trying out Zenless Zone Zero?

It feels great to play and the graphics are amazing

There're so many different kinds of moves and branching techniques. The effects are fantastic too

It was my first time, so I probably didn't look too amazing at it

But once I get used to it, I'm gonna be awesome

Looked pretty awesome

I think you played really well

Then I really must be awesome, then!

That is absolutely false, hahaha

I'd like to play it again and time my dodges better

So I can perform better

I think it's more about

Some of the design principles and how they collide

Just now, while we were chatting

We also talked about

How action games and fighting games

Although they're two completely different genres

Within them

I can find some

Shared design principles

Which can be paired

So have you two also had such a feeling?

Mmm, I feel the same

About how fighting games are actually a type of action game

The core principle of action games is

When you press a button, there's an action reflected on the screen

And you string together actions to solve problems or confront enemies

(The difference between action games and fighting games is) whether the interaction is one-on-one

Or one-against-many

What makes it fun I think is actually the same

For Zenless Zone Zero

At the very beginning

I just wanted to give players moments of pure satisfaction

Because back in the day whenever we played Street Fighter

Whether it was 3rd Strike or Street Fighters 4 or 5

It was very rare to have a button

That would give players immediate, heavy impact and feedback

By the time they want to figure out

How to play the Neutral Game well

Which might be quite a while into the game

And players might not have discovered the most interesting bits yet

But they are already leaving these rather hardcore games

When it comes to Zenless Zone Zero

I actually had the same considerations

As I mentioned earlier

A game where if you only have dodges and reactions

Monster attacks

Monster offensives

And our own character's offense and defense

Something along those lines

Then it's a little dull

So if

We can put this really interesting mechanic that has impact

The feedback from this moment is stimulating enough

For players, and they can easily access this move

Then players get to feel that moment of joy faster

What's so satisfying about

This sort of experience

If you want to compare

I wonder if our

Parries could be considered akin to

The Drive Impact system in Street Fighter

I was running the numbers on it

And the reaction time

Is about 30 frames or so

For most people

That's a timeframe within which

You could be able to react if

You are focused

Then take for example

They do something else

That distracts the player

So then the player might not have the ability to react at this point

That's just like when you're playing our game

You can't spare any attention for chatting

Or doing other things

I feel our game will test some players' reaction time

Or perhaps the design of some time windows

And then our game, you just played

The parry system

Or rather the Perfect Assist system which lets you switch people in

The yellow flash

Well, our design principles are actually quite similar

We've suddenly found ourselves going quite deep

The frames Drive Impact uses

It's pretty much just like you said, 27 frames in fact (Edit: actually 26)

Which just perfectly lies on the limit of human response time

That's the conclusion our dev team came up with after multiple tests

If you miss this window of opportunity, even a master wouldn't be able to successfully counter

The number of frames is based on this consideration

Just like how we've also made a Parry

Even though Drive Impact is a kind of power move

We've also designed a number of different ways to avoid it or deal with it

This kind of prediction game between attack and defense

Really occurs on a frame-by-frame level

Just now in Zenless Zone Zero when the flashing warning appeared

It's simple and easy to understand

You get this feeling of, "Oh, something big is coming"

Which you can counter by pulling the trigger

This kind of design is really interesting

Our Street Fighter dev team, especially for Street Fighter 6

Has a "combat team" that takes full responsibility for designing the combat

We often work with this team to do our designs

Instead of me unilaterally deciding every specific attack parameter

Right from the beginning, we define what kind of experience we want to give players

For example, with the Drive Impact and Parry systems

We designed Drive Impact, so players who were new to fighting games

Could unleash this game-changing attack at the push of a button

Parrying is the defensive compliment to this

At first, it was the idea of a single-button attack and defense

We continually iterated based on that

Fighting games have three main base strategies: attacking, defending, and throwing

We wanted to expand out into more options on top of this so that players have more fun

It's our job to design this kind of system

Afterwards, we talked in more detail with the combat team

We did another two years of testing

Discussing what could be improved upon and of course a few systems ended up getting deleted

While some systems got adjusted

That's how we developed Street Fighter 6

Once you understand the rules of the game, it's easy to get started

But once you get hooked into it, the game gets really deep

But until now, the Street Fighter series has been this game that players have to figure out themselves

Or find a friend to bring them in

I thought we should find a way to make it easy to get into and fun to get into

Just like the Drive Impact system we were talking about

As long as you learn one of these mechanics like Drive Parrying

Players can follow the learning curve to the next step, which is how we designed it

Then there's the Drive Rush, which is something that helps you prepare for advancing

New players can use Drive Impact to fight and make the game more fun

These game modes and systems, they're actually set up like a ladder

Gradually guiding players deeper into the game

All in all, when it comes to "making a game that's as fun as possible for players"

We really do share a lot of similarities

That's what I think

I think a lot of the points talked about just now are great

We really are quite similar

The Street Fighter series

Will be recognized by more people

You want more people

To try it and understand its charm

The charm of fighting games

Actually, you put a lot of effort into that aspect

Including the World Tour mentioned before

Modern Controls mode and so on

I think it's just for this product

To get more users

To feel as though this is a game that they can play

That they want to play or perhaps that this game has an interesting design

Well, to be more precise, it's actually a more basic design

Back in the early days, hardcore games like that

No matter if its fighting or action

Though the designs were complex and fascinating

A lot of users couldn't really properly experience it

They would drop the game before

They got to know its fun

It's something I think is quite a shame

And me, personally

How make an action game where players can progress from simple to hard

I like to draw three lines to outline this process

They're actually a learning process for new users

Then you'll clearly see the most charming part, the most fun part

Needs a steady build-up

For users to interact with and understand it

When they understand the most core, most fun

Deepest and most interesting parts

The requirements for that is

That we have to work even harder

To give them confidence

Like we just said, for example, on a surface-level

With Street Fighter we were saying

Drive Impact is actually a button

An offensive technique

And a defensive technique

Or rather it's a way of turning defense into offense

And if we look at Zenless Zone Zero

Our parry

Is also a way of turning defense into offense

So our early users

What are they most drawn to?

Perhaps they might enjoy

Sixth Street

Or maybe another city area

Or going out exploring

Our art, or our music

Or perhaps our core gameplay

The strong visual and audio feedback from combat

For example, Street Fighter has its Shoryuken

And for Zenless Zone Zero

It's a series of chain attacks

With strong feedback like slow motion

That triggers a very strong attack

And this feedback from the attack will make players feel

Something like "Yeah! I did something awesome!"

That's actually the most surface-level that we designed for players to feel as though

I can actually bust out this really beautiful

This really gorgeous move

Giving players that kind of feeling

And then, the next time they fight

That's when players may slowly come to realize

"Ah, so this game system is for playing that"

"I should match these characters together and form a team like this"

And they'll be able to feel

There's synergy within the teams

And if they play like that

It'll be more fun

Then later

Perhaps we'll start dropping in harder stages or more difficult enemies

At some point adding enemies in for them

Then we let them feel that

The time they take to play and adapt

Is actually something carefully designed

So our team is always doing research

Over and over again

Why is it when players reach this point

They feel like they can't keep playing

Why did they feel when they get

To this part

That they aren't any good at this game

We focus on all of these points

Analyzing them

Before thinking about some of the designs

How do we design what parts so that they can learn

What points make them invest more in the experience

And get them playing more

In the past I actually saw some players

Comment on Zenless Zone Zero that

This game's so easy that anyone with hands can play it

Actually when it comes to this, I feel

It's actually a process

If we take early-game

And if I give players the feeling right at the beginning

We are actually making this really really hardcore action game

But we didn't take into account base experience of the players

And just gave them something super difficult

Then that might see people thinking, quite early on

"This game isn't for me, and I'm not going to play it"

Really I think this is huge pity

So I deliberately took some of the gameplay from the early-game, mid-game and late-game

And pulled it all apart

Then when you get to the late-game, we definitely hope

That hardcore action gamers

When it comes to Boss fights later on

We hope you'll feel "Hey, I'm pretty worried about this"

"This game"

"Is a challenge and can be quite difficult"

It's this that forms our core gameplay

But the time needed for each user to learn things

Is different

So when we designed this curve

It's especially important

But we still are going to come up with a way

To let our players both new and old

Experience the fun of this game in the end

That's what I think

Street Fighter is a really fun game to play

And it's been popular ever since Street Fighter 2

Beloved by both adults and kids alike

And the fun still continues on to this day

But as time goes by, it gets harder

To get more people to try it

Because there's so much entertainment out there these days. It's hard to choose

Under this situation, we have to consider

How we can reach out to users

So we added Modern Controls and World Tour

But there's something important we've always emphasized

This game is not only designed for beginners

But also for players to experience the fun and depth the devs have put in

A system that guides them to that goal

Or an express ticket, so to speak

And we succeeded in this goal

For example, when you want to use a Shoryuken

Or if you want to use your Super Art, Hadoken, such thoughts that are unavoidable when playing

There's a natural response from your fingers as soon as you think about it

These are the areas we've been focusing on and designing

Even though we might face some conflicts

Between newcomers and the old playerbase regarding Modern Controls

But in the early stages of development

We placed heavy importance on balancing

This also makes us feel confident in promoting our products

Because of a system like this, we can use channels such as livestreaming

To go and attract players who've played before but fell off due to complicated controls

Older players in their 30s and 40s

We can make them feel like Street Fighter 6 is worth trying out

This makes promotions a lot easier

I think it's clear

The balance of simplicity and depth. What's your take on it, Mr. Nakayama?

The reason why we originally came up with Modern Controls

Is because Street Fighter 1

Before Street Fighter became a fighting game

Was more like a hand-to-hand combat simulator

There were hidden moves

Like Shoryuken. Though hard to perform

Could one hit KO. This brought a lot of fun to the game

Then, in Street Fighter 2, we thought it would be more fun for these moves to be easier to unleash

By extending the window for inputs

Or holding buttons

Or repeatedly tapping a button to trigger a move

We lowered the difficultly barrier for ultimates

And though they were those same moves, they couldn't one-hit KO anymore

Instead, they became powerful Super Arts, and it gave people great joy to unleash one

But as times change

They became considered difficult moves

That's when a question emerged about what a one-button Super Art would look like

I have always been a fighting game gamer

So this instinctively sounded problematic to me

But I also believed that we needed to think outside the box and try new things

When I first started playing I thought, "a move like Shoryuken is too hard for me to pull off"

There must be lots of people who are set back because of this

I hope that these people can also one day feel the joy of launching a Shoryuken

That's the challenge with Modern Controls

It has to find a balance between hardcore and casual

There's also another challenge

There's a lot of terms and rules that need to be memorized in a fighting game

Which can be a little complicated for some players and spectators

That's why I hope that people who are playing the game or watching tournaments

Can feel these wonderful moments happening more intuitively through visuals

For example, when people watch their favorite VTubers compete

I hope they get that moment of just being like "Wow!" in excitement alongside their opponents and rivals

When a player successfully counters Drive Impact

The camera switches perspectives and even adds slow-motion effects

On top of this, we also added in a live commentary mode

"That was an awesome move"

It's actually made to complement the Drive system in bringing players something that is easier to understand and follow

I can now easily activate those moves that I could't perform before

The experience in itself is great

It's also a great way to let people better understand what exciting details are occurring

After being hooked, they'll want to learn more in-depth about the game

And they'll discover lots more in-depth moves here

You need to play to discover this

So I hope to make it easier for players to understand visually

Which feels more like following your instincts

That's my original drive for making it

I didn't work at Capcom originally. I was doing sales for another company

Later on, I transferred to Capcom's HR Department

Where I worked in HR for developers

Connecting the dev team with the sales pipeline

I thought that if I continued my career as HR for developers

It would be hard to advance my career without knowing more about how development worked

That's why I expressed my desire to work in development

And that's when

I was contacted by the person in charge of Street Fighter

At first, I wasn't told to do anything in particular

But to just take in the team atmosphere

I think it was before the release of Street Fighter 5, Mr. Nakayama was there, too

Back then, I just went to test-play a few demos

In fact, I only really transferred over just after Street Fighter 5 was released

Around August 2016 or so being when I joined the Street Fighter team

At the time, I was appointed as assistant producer

And given a task expecting me to take charge of running

My own project within three to five years

However, about a year later, the producer resigned and I took over the whole thing

I was both the producer of seasons three to five of Street Fighter 5

And the producer of Street Fighter 6

Transferring from a sales management role over to a dev role is quite rare in our company

A lot of people have worked very hard for it

I designed some new systems with them

And eventually managed to realize them

I've always loved Street Fighter

So I've been filled with passion and motivation the whole time on this project

The transition from Street Fighter 5 to 6

Mr. Nakayama and I thought about things very similarly. We wanted to draw in new users

Meanwhile, we also hoped that many existing players

Would want to try out Street Fighter 6

And so we added a few new controls, plus a World Tour mode and other content

Considering that players today enjoy being able to communicate online

We also emphasized the importance of social aspects

And created a Battle Hub feature

These were all aspects which Mr. Nakayama and I shared similar ideas on

Also, this is just coming from me as an individual

I really hope to see more Street Fighter 6 thumbnails

On Twitch and Youtube, being recommended

Videos can better and more directly show players how fun a game is

After discussing with Mr. Nakayama

The animations, systems, and modes were realized in the game

Actually, it's more of my personal experience in making it all the way to producing Street Fighter 6

Around 2000 or 2001

I joined Capcom because I wanted to make a fighting game

I was into arcade games, so I joined Capcom because that's the kind of game I wanted to make

But the year I joined

I was told that we weren't making fighting games for the arcade anymore

The reason being, compared to arcade machines

Home gaming consoles are more powerful

Back then, the last fighting game produced for the arcade was Capcom vs SNK 2

I'd always wanted to develop a fighting game, but I couldn't quite get it to happen

So I decided to leave Capcom

To go and work somewhere else

Several years later, at the Tokyo Game Show, my former supervisor told me

Capcom was hiring for this new fighting game. He asked if I would like to come back and check it out

And despite coming back

What's really unfortunate is that when I got there, the fighting game was put on hold

Back when I was making some music games or mobile games

Capcom asked me to come up with a way to save Street Fighter 5

Which had been going for about three years before I joined and was in dire straits

And I was given just one and a half years

When I joined, I discovered that there was this huge gap

Between what the creators wanted to do, and player expectations

I guessed the players weren't buying into what had been made

So I really finessed things

Taking something that's already pretty much done and tweaking it to make it even more Street Fighter-y

And my own ideas weren't completely integrated

Of course, they weren't completed not integrated either

I am also a loyal fan of the Street Fighter franchise

And I hoped more people could experience the joy of playing Street Fighter

That's why I was always thinking up ways to achieve this goal through game design

When we first started planning Street Fighter 6

I discovered that my ideas happened to be pretty much in line with Producer Matsumoto

I think the production of Street Fighter 6 is a kind of "revenge"

Then we completed Street Fighter 6

We all think

Good art requires an eye for detail

And another thing that we have to achieve

Is to make players feel

This is different from anything they've seen before

And as to how to achieve that

We've actually tried out many different methods

Maybe we really put a bear in the game

Make a robot and put it in

We think that's cool and interesting

But at the same time, if we do something new

During the creative process

We have to consider whether or not existing users

Can accept something, before making it

That's something which my teammates and I

Are always discussing and researching

For example

Zenless Zone Zero has an urban theme

But for an urban theme

If I just use a currently existing car

Or airplane or skyscraper

Is that going to be fresh enough for our players?

This week I was thinking, "actually, possibly not"

So then how about we try retro cars

Super old ones from back when I was very young

I'm talking 7 or 8 years old when I was in grade school

Some of the art and aesthetics that I saw

Take that and bring it into the modern era

Is that not a fresh experience for users?

I think that most people wouldn't have seen it again recently

They wouldn't go back and look at those things

I even feel

If we bring some of the aesthetics from the past forward to the present

It still has a lot of artistic

And aesthetic value here and now

So we deliberately use

A few retro elements

Including old cars from back in the day

Or old videotapes

Or old arcade machines

Indeed. Pre-launch promotions are very important for games

And we believe that the six months before and after a game releases

Require constant promotion to be effective

Before Street Fighter 6 was launched, we conducted widescale promotion

First of all, we want everyone to know Street Fighter 6 is completely new

Whether it's the characters, design, music

Or, most importantly, the combat system, everything has been updated

We use videos to explain these changes in detail so players can understand

For example, we will get influencers

Or explain in detail on our website. This is something that we keep doing

Perhaps it's rare for a fighting game, but we even released a demo version

To let people experience Street Fighter 6 sooner

We also conducted beta testing

And something else we consider very important is the production of merchandise prior to release

People who buy game merch before it's even released

Will wear that merch

And it'll make them feel more connected

And they will have spent more time with Street Fighter 6

When the game is released, compared to those only just learning about the game, these people

Having spent a longer time with the game

They will have a stronger sense of immersion and will play it for longer

So we place great importance on early promotion and exposure

Through these efforts, we draw in more people to play

With more players trying the demo and beta

They would share their experience and how much fun they had

Via word of mouth. Also, now we live in the age of video

People will make their own videos and upload them

Naturally, this will spread the word further

That's what suits the modern era. We want to create this positive feedback loop

After release, we hosted a variety of events to create the feeling of a very popular game

This popularity gives players confidence in the game that they're playing

Seeing this game that they're playing with events everywhere

With lots of people playing. It brings joy and recognition

In order to give back to all of these players who have come especially to play our game

We held lots of events

We did lots of collaborations and we produced lots of merch

To bring new things to players

It makes players happier

Getting them more invested in Street Fighter 6

We discovered all of that a long time ago

And I think it's closely related to Street Fighter 6's

Achievements today

These are all aspects that we play very close attention to

If we don't communicate like this, then there are things we'd never find out

After today's conversation, I feel like our ideas really resonate

And like I just said, focusing on player needs

And bringing them what they want to experience are both very important

Chief director Mr. Nakayama always says

"We are not creating works of art, but products" and I completely agree

I used to work in sales before, so I know all too well

Promotion of a creator's masterpiece is also crucial

The director feels the same way, so we work well together

From this conversation I can feel

That Mr. Li is working hard and going in the same direction with Zenless Zone Zero

Also, we were just able to enjoy the same games together, and battle each other

It's really awesome, and I really enjoyed myself today

So we will keep working hard with operations, roll out constant updates

And cheer you guys on

I foresee a busy time for Zenless Zone Zero ahead

But we'll be rooting for you, let's keep comparing notes

It would be a real pleasure to see you at another one of these events

We often say that just simply making a game is meaningless

It has to be played

That's how it gets its value

Not just as a product

But you have to also consider how players will feel

And the future development of the game

That's something we can agree on

It makes me very happy

There are lots of different ways to get players to like a game

Such as the graphic design, music, cutscenes

And the overall performance of these elements, they all need attention

Just like you mentioned before

We need to consider the details on how to bring players something new

I had the chance to play Zenless Zone Zero today, and it was captivating

It's a game that I want to keep playing

In this regard, we can't lose to any competitors

We need to make sure the games we make also make our players happy

Today's conversation has helped me feel that again, and I'm really grateful

Well, I'd just like to reiterate my joy

Playing Street Fighter with you two

Has made me so happy

And then to let you two experience Zenless Zone Zero

A product of ours

I feel extremely honored and also

I have to say that I think from today's conversation

I have learned quite a lot

But what I think is more important is

What I feel from our chat

I feel we are creating games

But at the same time

We're determined and persistent in creating hardcore products

But even more than that, we are creating culture

I think fighting and action games

Have come so far over the years

And it's not just simply

A game

In my mind

It's a kind of

Cultural derivative

If we keep making these, and make them well

If we refuse to give up on it

Then we can bring more users

What I think is a very meaningful and valuable experience

So I hope you two keep working hard

Keep making even better fighting games