Bearing ARMS with Nintendo's Kosuke Yabuki

We recently had the opportunity to sit down for a chat with Nintendo's Kosuke Yabuki, producer on the recently released Arms for Switch, and this is what the man from Nintendo had to say about the innovative new fighting game.

Can you tell us about how the game came to be?

Nintendo always makes game prototypes, we are always conceiving new ideas. Among these prototypes, there was one that I particularly liked. And so I thought that we would use this concept to develop it into a complete game. The reason why we chose this one and not another, it is obviously its unique aspect, the fact that one does not fight from the side, therefore in 2D, but behind the character. The problem with this kind of view is that we don't get to feel the notion of distance as well, and that is why we introduced the concept of the extendable arm with the fist that deploys and then comes back. So it was from that point on that we decided to go through with this game.

What were your inspirations for the game?

We do not have a single game that inspired us. For example, you couldn't say that the extendable arms come from Dhalsim or One Piece. But there's bound to be some inspiration. I was also raised with Dragon Ball, One Piece, Street Fighter, and I inevitably drew something from these works.

Was the original idea to make it a franchise or to adapt the concept to an already established franchise?

No, our intent was to develop a new IP when we conceived this game. But we have, indeed, a lot of well-known Nintendo series, so if someone from our teams wants to re-use this concept with another Nintendo-stamped series, they will be able to do it one day. In this case, as it is difficult to integrate into existing games, we have chosen to develop a whole bunch of additional characters to make it a series on its own.

Might we one day get a crossover with characters from other Nintendo IPs?

No, for now, we don't have that in mind. The most important thing for us is to make Arms known, that people appreciate it and that it spreads around the world as a strong franchise.

But when you see that Mario and the Rabbids are going to be in a game together, doesn't it make you want to integrate other universes?

Maybe, but that's not the point. The collaboration between Mario and the Rabbids was possible because they are already two strong franchises. In this case, Arms is not yet as well known as other franchises like Mario or Zelda. So Arms would certainly be 'eaten' by the presence of better-known characters.

Are you considering DLC, or even a sequel, after the successful launch of the game?

We already have ideas for the upcoming updates, like new characters for example, but we have not planned to make a follow-up for now. What we want is to avoid that the game falls into oblivion after one or two weeks. We want to continue to feed it so that people stay on it, and that has to come through the DLC.

Can you confirm in the next DLC that the background of the characters will be expanded?

Yes and no. We thought about enriching the universe and the characters, but we will not necessarily do it through the game, rather through social networks, or even manga or animé. Everything is on the table.

Why is it that the characters wear masks? Is it to make them look like superheroes or rather a reference to Mexican wrestlers?

It gives it a superhero style indeed, I can't deny it, and it was also the goal. It's not meant to resemble wrestlers either [laughs]. It's also because the technology and the secrets that allow the characters to extend their arms is hidden inside these masks.

Did you get help from boxing specialists to make this game?

We didn't call on specialists as such, but we actually studied videos of certain sports and asked for opinions from practitioners. The goal was not to make this game a boxing sport but to make it a new fighting sport. Boxing was not the only sport that influenced us, we also took tennis, football, basketball even. And this game is a bit of a mix of all of that. For me when there is this distance on the field, and then when there are four players and we try to find out who we are going to send the fists to, it reminds me of tennis, even if the fist always goes more or less towards the opponent, whereas in tennis it is the opposite.

Who is your favourite character?

It's very difficult to answer a question like that because for me they are a little bit like my children. But if I really had to pick one, I'd take Min Min. And Springman would be second.

Which character would you recommend to a beginner?

Springman and Min Min I think because they have no particular features that would repel a beginner. These are pretty easy to play with, in addition to being complete. Helix, for example, it's just the opposite, it's really complicated to handle for a neophyte.

Do you have a personal reference point in the fighting genre, and a favourite fighter?

When I was a kid, it was Street Fighter II, which came out in Japan, and I really loved this game. Choosing a character would be even more complicated. In this Street Fighter there were 8 characters, and for me all of them are awesome, and I really can't pick one...

Are you really unbeatable at the game, as we saw at E3?

If you got that impression, it's because the game wasn't out yet and it was only normal I had more practice than the others. But only two weeks after the release of the game there were already people who were much stronger than me [laughs].

Any advice for the players who want to improve their skills?

What you have to avoid at the beginning is to throw blows everywhere. This is when you learn how to use one arm at a time that you begin to improve and get better at it. The use of both fists at the same time is not good at all, because then you have no guard and anyone can hit you easily. The second step, when you are no longer a beginner, is learning to master dodging, ie waiting for the attack to go, dodge and then counterattack. And when you know how to do that, you'll be able to block the opposing player and finish it easily. You can only reach that level step by step though.

Do you think that motion controls can make a difference and stand out in the esports scene?

Yes, indeed. Motion controls in esports is actually unique to Arms, and that's what makes all the difference and its flavour. For players who would have too much trouble using motion controls, they can still use a classic controller. But I would really like to see more tournaments where people use their bodies rather than their controller.

Are there any guarantees from Nintendo to support esports in relation to Arms?

Nintendo has always done things differently from others. And so we do not want to do esports like the others do, with big tournaments. We do not intend to do them with big cash prizes that would go only to professional players. On the other hand, online or offline tournaments that many people from all walks of life can participate in, that's more like what we want to do.

We take it that you don't agree with the current esports system in place then?

It's not that you like it or don't like it, but it's not what we want to organise. For example, the ESL has already integrated Splatoon tournaments, so why not make them on Arms too. But in any case, Nintendo will not organise tournaments for pro-players only.

Do you enjoy esports on a personal level?

Personally, the tournaments I saw, such as the EVO or those offered by the ESL really interested me. I find it really great to see all these players coming together and I love seeing this kind of event. But I do not think it's the role of Nintendo to organise a tournament with only professionals to give them a big prize at the end.

And what about the VR ?

It's absolutely not our intention at the moment to make Arms a VR game. But it's true that by thinking about it, it could be fun to try and see what it would be like. But the problem is that the players would risk breaking things at home trying to hit their opponents [laugh].