The Future of Mobile Games: A Conversation with Top Creators. Part 1 (Mistwalker × Ailim × Dentsu Smapla)

Sakaguchi: One new, experiential aspect this time was that when battle scene music played at the venue, quite a few people were actually playing TERA BATTLE. They probably weren't playing because they wanted to, but rather because seeing the game screen while listening to the live performance felt pleasurable.

This is something that could never happen with console games (games requiring hardware like arcade cabinets or home consoles), so it was an unexpected discovery. It really made me realize how much the platform has changed. Since we managed to record the live audio, we're thinking of holding an event where players can switch to the live audio within the game.

──Using live sound as BGM for a game is quite the luxury (laughs). Just a few years ago, holding fan events for mobile games was unimaginable, but last year, Ailim also held a fan event to commemorate "Brave Frontier's 1st Anniversary," right?

Hayakashi: As mobile games evolved from browser-based access to dedicated apps, we gained the ability to incorporate music, create more elaborate effects, and convey the game's appeal in various ways. It's no longer just about having good cards or great art; we can now draw players into the world itself. Since we can communicate the game's inherent fun, this environment fosters a fanbase, which then feeds back into events like fan gatherings.

Did people look down on you for making mobile games!?

──When smartphones first appeared, I don't think anyone anticipated mobile games would become this huge. How was it perceived within the game industry?

Sakaguchi: Honestly, and I know this sounds rude, but I think we were looked down upon.

But not in a bad way—it was actually similar to what happened with the Famicom. Back then, arcade games were dominant. Titles like Xevious, essentially direct ports from arcades, were what made the Famicom version a hit. The arcade division was the star team at every company. It felt like the same thing was happening again.

Generally, things that get laughed at have vulnerabilities, business opportunities, or at least novelty. Creators might scoff, but from the user's perspective, there's always a reason something like that emerges. Just as the Famicom succeeded by being embraced in homes rather than arcades, I believe history simply repeats itself. At first, it was laughed at.

Takahashi: It was the same when feature phones came out. Companies had mobile divisions, but I remember some people actively avoided being assigned there.

Sakaguchi: Feature phones were even more primitive than smartphones, so the sentiment was strong: "Why do I have to make games for that?" People were like, "I'm doing 3D on the PS3 right now. I'm pouring my life into this 30-second cutscene. Why feature phones?"

But now, our programmers were the ones who built the 3D engine for Final Fantasy back then. Those same people are making a smartphone game called Terra Battle. And it's being recognized. That clearly shows how the needs of the times have changed.

──Exactly. Smartphones have triggered various paradigm shifts, and the gaming industry might be the sector that felt their impact earliest. It's essentially the cutting edge of the smartphone business. How did you personally perceive the arrival of smartphones?

Hayakashi: I was simply thrilled. Before that, you needed a dedicated game console to play games. But now, you could make games for mobile phones—smartphones, no less. Unlike feature phones, these were devices distributed worldwide. As a creator, I naturally want as many people as possible to play the games I make. So when smartphones came out, I thought, "We can reach the whole world!" I thought it was fantastic.

Sakaguchi: It was the birth of a completely new distribution network. From that perspective, for us creators who want many people to experience our work, it's all thanks to smartphones.

Takahashi: When I saw the download count show "1" in Trinidad and Tobago, I was shocked. "There are people there!" (laughs). That gave me chills. I thought, "This is new."

User Feedback vs. Creator Instinct

──One characteristic of smartphone games is that you can directly see things like "This event is a flop" or, conversely, "This is really boosting sales." Are there any particular things you pay attention to regarding this?

Takahashi: It's true that the distance between developers and users has gotten incredibly close. Some of our game designers get overly fixated on user reactions, and I always feel that has its pros and cons. Users all have different opinions—some say it's good, some say it's bad—so I think the key is not to get too swayed by the information. Being overly influenced by user opinions or sales figures isn't good. Ultimately, I try to stick to what I believe is fun.

Sakaguchi: This is exactly what they call PDCA, right? It's a culture I've never really warmed up to (laughs).

There are parts you could figure out perfectly by looking at the data, but I deliberately choose not to look. It's been that way since the beginning. Even with FF, if we just listened to user feedback and made the game exactly as they wanted, it probably wouldn't work. If you make it within the user's imagination, you're out. Creators need to outsmart expectations. Doing exactly what's expected is a death sentence. This is also something I learned from Nintendo, though.

Mobile games are still in their infancy.

──Earlier, you referenced the Famicom and said "history repeats itself." Are there differences in how you approach planning between console games and mobile games?

Hayakashi: Fundamentally, smartphones aren't game consoles. They lack controllers. That means we have to build the controller from scratch ourselves. So it's not just about the game itself; it's closer to building the hardware. There's also the difference of having to consider things like how to convey the sensation of pressing when your thumb covers part of the screen when you tap.

Sakaguchi: That's a major difference. The mobile games I find interesting are the ones where the touch panel controls incorporate ideas that make you think, "This is new!" And since touch-panel games are still in their infancy, I believe we'll see two or three more novel ways to play emerge. That's because we saw this happen with controllers too. Even when you think nothing new will come, it does.

Hayashi: Maybe Nintendo could be the one to do it.

Sakaguchi: Exactly. Something truly groundbreaking appears, similar products follow, and before you know it, an entirely new game genre could emerge. In that sense, it feels like the future compared to the somewhat stagnant home console market right now. New ideas in game controls are fundamental to gaming itself. That's another reason I have high hopes for Nintendo's entry.

Takahashi: What Sakaguchi-san just mentioned feels like thinking about the future of mobile games. Some manufacturers seem intent on making such new discoveries, while others aren't. Part of the current mobile game market has this trend of excessive competition for sales, right?

──Like how a certain puzzle game got copied overseas... that kind of world.

Takahashi: Exactly. Innovation definitely won't come from that mindset. In that sense, console game makers have a history of driving innovation in game creation and have a deeply ingrained culture of thinking about the future. They can consider digital games and video games purely as "entertainment."

Sakaguchi: That's exactly what happened with the Famicom. At first, it was all vertical scrolling games. Then Gradius hit big, and suddenly it was all horizontal scrolling. After that, you need a second or third hit to ride the wave, but by the fourth one, it's already too late—they get weeded out. In that sense, mobile games are probably still in a phase where copying can be fun. It's the early days. I think it's fine to copy the second or third hit. I think they should make them even more fun. Something like R-Type (a classic side-scrolling shooter released around the same time as Gradius) would be great. It's incredibly fun.

Hayakashi: Exactly. R-Type is completely different from a copy.

Takahashi: But inevitably, that too will reach its peak somewhere, right?

Games that work on smartphones

──Earlier, we discussed smartphones as touch panel devices when viewed as gaming hardware. Specifically, compared to console games, what limitations does this impose on gameplay?

Sakaguchi: Traditionally, games have characters you control like avatars, right? That's difficult on smartphones. As I mentioned earlier, your fingers block the view. If the character gets hidden, it's just not fun.

That's why puzzle-like games are popular, and selecting commands has become the mainstream approach. This is also a major reason why, for example, Mario is hard to make for smartphones. I can't imagine Mario being played by placing your finger over him to control him. If something interesting could be done like that, Nintendo would have already made a touch-screen Mario game. That's the barrier of smartphones.

Takahashi: Exactly. Making games for touchscreen devices is nothing but a constraint for developers.

Sakaguchi: It's pretty tough, isn't it? But I'm sure new ideas will emerge. Puzzle & Dragons was really clever, wasn't it? As a game designed for finger-touching.

──So, was there a real shock when Puzzle & Dragons first appeared?

Hayakashi: Absolutely! It was truly shocking.

Takahashi: Puzzle & Dragons came out while we were planning Brave Frontier, and I agonized over it for about two weeks right after it launched. I started wondering if puzzles were the way to go (laughs).

Hayakashi: We even drew screens for solitaire and slots, didn't we? (laughs).

Sakaguchi: And then there's Angry Birds. It incorporates physics simulation (making objects move in the game the same way they would in the real world), so in that sense, it's a bit cutting edge, while also having a unique UI for touch panels. The more you analyze it, the smarter it seems.

By the way, are there any common features or keywords for smartphone games that users enjoy, including the games we just mentioned? Beyond operability, there's also the psychology of the players and their emotional fluctuations, which arise from the ease of use unique to smartphones.

Hayakashi: Personally, I think games that allow multitasking play are more easily accepted. They can be played casually while watching TV, yet naturally require intense focus in many parts.

──The fact that games you can play while doing other things are more easily accepted might be precisely because smartphones aren't dedicated game consoles. That's why there are so many things you can do with them, and conversely, it could also mean there are no common traits.

Hayakashi: Yes, they're incredibly diverse.

Smartphone games are a "battle against boredom"

Takahashi: One thing, though it might be separate from common traits, is that smartphone games are ultimately constantly fighting a battle against boredom. Puzzle & Dragons became popular, similar games emerged, and surely everyone gradually got bored. Brave Frontier also had a period about a year and a half ago when it felt fresh as an RPG, but then similar games came out, and people got bored again.

Users are constantly repeating this cycle of boredom, so in terms of commonality, I think it's fair to say they're all exposed to this "battle against boredom."

Sakaguchi: That dynamic... I really wonder about it. Is the way we game makers are currently fighting against user fatigue actually the right approach? With RPG-style games on smartphones, I often think it might actually be better not to force the fight to continue indefinitely, but instead to narrow down the operation at some point and say, "Okay, that's it. Next up is a completely new '2'."

Takahashi: That approach feels more natural.

Sakaguchi: Everyone just follows the trend from the feature phone era of social games, dragging out the operation of a single title endlessly. But maybe we should just cut it off cleanly at some point, release a sequel, or even a third installment later. A style that's somewhere between that and console games might actually keep users engaged.

Takahashi: I really agree with that.

Sakaguchi: That approach would also make IP expansion (turning the title into intellectual property and branching out) easier.

Hayakashi: Exactly. Sticking with the same thing for two or three years is tough. You rarely play a console game for a full year straight. Maybe some simulation games, but even the developers get bored (laughs).

──I suspect quite a few people are hoping for titles that adopt a playstyle where sequels are released at certain intervals. Why don't such games emerge?

That concludes the first part of our discussion.

In the second part, our three panelists will discuss how mobile games should be nurtured going forward. (Part 2 scheduled for May 18th)