A developer interview for New Pokemon Snap was originally published in the Famitsu included Tsunekazu Ishihara, the president of Pokemon and Haruki Suzaki, the project’s director. The roots of the game are one of the first subjects explored. Ishihara said that there was debate of bringing Pokemon Snap back for older Nintendo platforms at one time.
The notion of shooting images, on the other hand, isn’t as innovative as it once was, “therefore it was a challenging concept to develop a game around.”
Challenging New Pokemon Snap development discussed
Ishihara explained:
“With the release of every new generation of consoles, be it the GameCube or Wii, we discussed making a sequel. Taking photos has become something we do every day and its novelty isn’t what it once was, so it was a difficult concept to design an game around. There was a lot of debate about how the gimmick would work, which made it difficult to start development.
This game was the result of a lot of trial and error over the years. We eventually came up with an idea that worked on the Nintendo Switch and implemented it.
Suzaki’s staff at Bandai Namco is in charge of development, and the two were questioned about it:
We worked with Mr. Suzaki’s Pokken Tournament team and had high hopes that team could create the new Pokemon Snap. Pokken itself was a great achievement, but I was floored by the amount of detail they put in the game’s background and scenery.
I seriously wondered if the volume of Pokemon and background detail they included was even necessary, as it was completely unrelated to the core gameplay. Sometimes when I’m playing, I’ll get attacked while my eyes are on the background and I wonder if that was intentional. (laughs)
Finally, Famitsu asked if Ishihara put in any requests while New Pokemon Snap was in development. Ishihara himself said that he “rarely gave the team any specifics.”
Suzaki also commented here, and noted the team had to consider whether or not to change the core concept of the original Pokemon Snap. Ultimately, they stuck with the tried and true gameplay introduced by the first title on the N64.
Suzaki:
It’s been more than 20 years since the Nintendo 64 release of Pokemon Snap and the problem we faced was whether or not we should change the game’s core concept. It was a great opportunity for us; reflecting on the game proved to have a big influence on development. The more I heard about what happened during development of the last game, the more it reaffirmed our decision to stick with the original game’s concept. From there, it was finding things within the core concept we could expand on to better suit today’s market.
About New Pokemon Snap
Prepare for New Pokémon Snap, a brand-new Nintendo Switch adventure based on the iconic Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap.
As you photograph fan-favorite Pokémon and find never-before-seen Pokémon emotions and behaviors, you’ll travel across deserts, jungles, and more.
