Copy, Confidence, and Self-Restraint
Come to think of it, there aren’t many works you’ve created on your own.
- Itoi
- There aren’t, are there?
There are plenty of things you’ve been a part of or initiated, but there aren’t really any works out there that you’ve done all on your own.
- Itoi
- That’s because making things is hard.
(Laughs)
- Itoi
- When time is not on your side, there’s not a whole lot you can make. Making a living as a creator is also completely different from any other field. From a bigger perspective, I’m not working as a creator in a way that involves creating something in exchange for my own time.
With MOTHER 3, though, you’re clearly the creator.
- Itoi
- Yeah, which is rare. I’m both a creator and a company president.
(Laughs)
- Itoi
- And I’m surprisingly not greedy.
(laughs)
Or rather, you’re working on something totally different than usual. When you were promoting it, you would answer questions with “I dunno.”
- Itoi
- No, seriously though, I dunno.
(Laughs)
- Itoi
- I guess I paid attention to… the Amazon sales ranking?
Ahaha!
- Itoi
- I would think, “Is this good…?” And I’d wonder to myself about it, since I figured the sales ranking only applied to Amazon, anyway.
It would be easier if you had nothing to do with the project, and someone came up to you to ask if you could sell this game they have called MOTHER 3.
- Itoi
- That would be much easier. It’s hard for me to figure out what to do on this end.
Something that surprised me when I started working at your company is that you don’t actually handle the MOTHER commercials and everything yourself.
- Itoi
- Oh, certainly not.
So you just judge what the agency comes up with?
- Itoi
- That’s right. I write the copy, at least. I also made the request to work with Takuya Kimura during MOTHER 2.
But the storyboard was made by the ad agency. The same went for the MOTHER 3 commercial, which you didn’t come up with.
- Itoi
- Right.
けっこう、意外でしたよ？
- Itoi
- そう？
Why didn’t you make the commercial yourself?
- Itoi
- Because it’s hard.
It’s hard?!
- Itoi
- It’s hard.
Is it hard?
- Itoi
- It feels like I’d be showing off.
Hmm, I guess so.
- Itoi
- That’s hard.
But everyone does that.
- Itoi
- So what? (Laughs)
Anyway, the slogan for MOTHER 3 was “Strange, funny, and heartrending.”
- Itoi
- Yeah.
That’s pretty straightforward.
- Itoi
- You think so?
I mean, MOTHER 2 had the slogan “Adults, children, and even your older sister.” That was less about the game’s content, and more like foreshadowing the modern game industry.
- Itoi
- Yeah. Now that you mention it, that could have been copy for the Nintendo DS. (Laughs)
Exactly! (Laughs) From that angle, that slogan basically applied to the very concept of gaming, rather than just the game MOTHER 2.
- Itoi
- Yeah.
The slogan for 3 speaks directly to the game itself.
- Itoi
- I suppose that was because I basically had to reintroduce myself.
Ah.
- Itoi
- We’d done this before already, so I didn’t want to loudly announce, “Hey, we’re back!” Given the circumstances, I wanted everything a bit more reserved.
I see.
- Itoi
- So even if people knew I was Shigesato Itoi, I would say, “Hello, I’m Shigesato Itoi.” There’s a strong sense of formality and respect this time around.
And a little self-restraint. (Laughs)
- Itoi
- And that. (Laughs) I suppose restraining myself became a habit once I’d already cancelled the game once. I wanted to behave myself until the game actually came out. (Laughs)
Oh, pull yourself together.
- Itoi
- Hey, I have confidence! I do. I don’t mind announcing that.
But when it comes to announcing “I’m great!”...
- Itoi
- I’d rather not...
(Laughs)
- Itoi
- All we can do is trust. I believe that people who play the game first will be honest about what they liked and what they didn't, and there will be a good balance as more people play.
