The creator of Space Invaders, the arcade game classic about shooting down invading UFOs, thinks game development “needs to be creatively led first” in an era where teams are pressured more than ever to “listen to the sales team.”
Speaking to Time Extension, Space Invaders’ Tomohiro Nishikado recalled a time in the games industry where most of his work “was moved into mass production once it was completed,” and there was much less overhead than there is now.
“I feel very lucky about that,” he added. “My style of working was to think of a game on my own and make it on my own. There were no managers making changes or any top-down interference. So I think it’s very important for creative people and developers to try and make something on their own, and then see if it’s fun or not.”
That way of working changed quickly as games boomed and studios enlarged, though. “The game development process in Taito eventually changed, and we, the game creators, were increasingly expected to listen to the sales team, which came up with new title concepts they thought it would sell,” he continued. “Then we started game development based on that. Personally, I don’t think that is the correct approach. Creators should try to make a game on their own first, and then it should expand into a larger project. This is what I’ve felt throughout my whole career.”
For now, check out the best arcade games that never got ported to consoles.
