Summary
- Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi reveals that he left Bandai Namco in 2006 to work with developers from other countries.
- Takahashi believes he could get more ideas for creating games by working with a range of people from around the world.
- Takahashi’s new game, To a T, takes inspiration from Japanese schools and culture while incorporating eccentric elements.
As development of his latest game nears its completion, Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi revealed the reason for leaving Bandai Namco back in 2006. The former Katamari Damacy developer also discussed the inspiration behind his new 3D adventure game, titled To a T.
Keita Takahashi worked in the art department of Namco for many years and led development of the original Katamari Damacy, which was released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. The game centers around a small prince who’s tasked by his father, the King of All Cosmos, to rebuild celestial bodies by rolling around a magical ball known as a “katamari,” which sticks to objects, buildings, land formations, and even humans. When the katamari is large enough, it will turn into a star to complete the level. Katamari Damacy was praised for its creativity and spawned the sequel, We Love Katamari, just one year later on the PS2. In 2006, Namco merged with Bandai to form Bandai Namco, and Takahashi left the company. Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari were the only two games in the series that he had direct involvement in.
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The Katamari Damacy creator revealed his reason for leaving Bandai Namco in a new interview with the Japanese publication Game*Spark, which was translated by Automation Media. According to Takahashi, he left Bandai Namco to broaden his horizons and develop games with people from other countries. Takahashi stated that he didn’t want to be limited to only working with people from Japan at Bandai Namco, and he always wondered why he was only making games with Japanese people. By developing games with a range of people from around the world, Takahashi believes that he would get many ideas to create games from those perspectives. His departure from Bandai Namco eventually led him to form his own company in 2010, Uvula Studio, and the Katamari Damacy creator began to work on an all-new game, which was later titled To a T.
Katamari Damacy Creator Keita Takahashi Left Bandai Namco to Develop Games With People From Other Countries
Moreover, Takahashi spoke about To a T and the inspiration behind the game—Japanese schools and his own experiences in school. Takahashi sometimes has to explain the unique aspects of Japanese schools to the developers he works with, and he chose to use Japanese elements in To a T since he doesn’t know what school culture is like in the US. As a result, To a T’s school setting is unique due to the mix of cultures and ideas, and Takahashi expresses his creativity further with the use of eccentric characters. For example, the game’s main character is named Teen, and they’re always stuck in a T-pose. Although To a T has its eccentric elements, like Takahashi’s Wattam puzzle game, it tackles real-world issues in schools, including bullying, to deliver a message and theme to players.
Although Takahashi has not been in charge of the Katamari series for many years, the series has gone on to receive many sequels and cultivate an even larger following. Bandai Namco remastered both Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari for modern platforms, and the company is preparing to release Katamari Damacy Rolling Live for Apple Arcade on April 3. In addition, the recent “Once Upon A Katamari” trademark filing suggests that the series will continue on consoles and PC at some point in the near future.
- Released
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June 2, 2023
- ESRB
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E For Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Comic Mischief, Alcohol Reference
- Developer(s)
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MONKEYCRAFT Co. Ltd