The director of Shadow of the Colossus and ICO recently shared his own take on the movement of the gaming industry, feeling that unique game mechanics are not always necessary. Fumito Ueda made his name in the gaming industry with Sony directing some of the most breathtaking games to come out of the sixth console generation. Both Shadow of the Colossus and ICO have been hailed as some of the most unique and influential games on the PS2, with each helping to push the idea of “video games as art.” Now, the iconic director is sharing his thoughts on the gaming market today.
The modern gaming industry has often seen developers and studios gravitate around popular ideas, with each looking to take their own spin on a sub-genre. Games like Dark Souls and Minecraft have often been ripe for imitation, with other studios using the concepts and foundations built by those games. Some games like Stardew Valley have also helped to lead to the rise of previously existing genres, with the ConcernedApe solo project championing the modern farming sim. A new interview from Fumito Ueda now reveals his own take on the idea of “unique” game mechanics.
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As reported by EuroGamer, Fumito Ueda recently spoke about the lessening importance of “unique gameplay mechanics” in modern gaming. Ueda shared that he feels the “age of gameplay mechanics has already passed,” with modern games focusing more on refining gameplay elements into a studio’s own style. The director stressed a greater focus on unique visuals or telling a distinct story as being important to making memorable games, more than focusing on a game’s own unique gameplay mechanics. Ueda also likened the idea to giving “more definition” to pre-existing mechanics and ideas.
Ueda’s statements on moving away from unique gameplay mechanics came in response to the newest project from another iconic game developer. Fumito Ueda shared his thoughts on To a T, the newest game from Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi, which fully released earlier this year. The game features much of the same quirkiness in its artstyle as Takahashi’s previous works, with Ueda even praising Takahashi for “not relying on unique gameplay mechanics” in order to tell the game’s story.
While Ueda sang the praises of Keita Takahashi’s newest work, the director has been hard at work himself on his next project. Ueda’s own studio, GenDesign, gave fans a first look at its next game during the 2024 Game Awards, teasing a sci-fi action game clearly inspired by Shadow of the Colossus. The in-production film adaptation of Shadow of the Colossus also saw some news this year, with director Andy Muschietti confirming that the film had not been abandoned. Fans of Fumito Ueda and Shadow of the Colossus should have lots to be excited about in the near future.
October 18, 2005
T For Teen // Blood, Fantasy Violence
Sony Computer Entertainment
1
