Katamari Creator Left Namco Because He "Didn't Belong"

Greg Tito

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Sep 29, 2005
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Katamari Creator Left Namco Because He "Didn't Belong"



The creator of Katamari Damacy Keita Takahashi quit his position at Namco Bandai because he felt that he "didn't belong" in the videogame industry.

People were surprised this September when Takahashi left Namco after eleven years but he said that his exodus was inspired by his work on a public-funded playground in Nottingham, U.K. which now occupies him fulltime. The director of Katamari Damacy, We Love Katamari and PSN title Noby Noby Boy is interested in offbeat and interesting games. He didn't appreciate the direction that Namco Bandai and the rest of the industry was taking and expressed disappointment many companies were only interested in making endless sequels without innovating. Takahashi has formed a company, called uvula, with his wife Asuka Sakai and, since she is a composer, he plans to work on music with her. He did say that he may go back to making videogames at some point.

"The reason why I quit Namco was because I started to feel like I didn't belong there any more," Takahashi said. "The games I was making were not necessarily the best-selling ones. I realized Namco was, as a business, going down a bit.

"After I started this playground project I felt it was the opportunity for me to start working on other things, not only videogames," he said.

Takahashi fired some parting shots at the videogame industry. "I find it quite boring that if a company creates one thing that sells really well then obviously the company is going to work on almost similar types of things to make more profit," he said.

"I can't deny the fact that people work on sequels. After all, it's a business. But at the same time, in the past decade or so, I've only seen most companies working on the safe side making more sequels. I haven't seen anyone trying to make something really new out of the profit they made from those sequels."

He didn't rule out making another videogame if he has a great idea for one. "Also, if I can come up with a really good idea for new games, then I may approach some companies and say, 'Look, this is my idea,'" Takahashi said. "In general, I want to work on lots of different things that I couldn't work on when I was at Namco."

While I can't say that I was a huge fan of Takahashi's games, I was glad that they existed. The videogame world needs more total freaks and insane geniuses, and it has lost one in Takahashi.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-01-keita-takahashi-why-i-left-namco]

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GonzoGamer

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Apr 9, 2008
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What does Takahashi have against R*?

I'm a big fan of his but I still don't know what's going on exactly:
Is he leaving the industry because all anybody wants him to make are Katamari sequels or because he hasn't been able to make a new IP as popular as katamari?

It's too bad that this generation of games don't have as much originality as last gen: even Burnout became pretty much a normal racing game. The industry needs this guy.
 

Not G. Ivingname

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Nov 18, 2009
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Guys like Takahashi shouldn't be locked down to one game series.

Personally, I hope he becomes an indie developer, so he has all the freedom in the world to do what ever weird #$^& he can come up with.
 

AzrealMaximillion

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Jan 20, 2010
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On one sides, he's right to criticize the industry fornot innovating. On the other side innovation can cost you 30 million dollars in a heartbeat if it's not done right. He should've started an indie company years ago, when the 360 version of Katamary came out. Actually thought up something intersting. As fun as his games are, they are very simple. Same goes for Suda 51. I'd like these, "artful geniuses" to come up with something more than a zany way to do something simple. Look at Hideo Kojima. Guy's fucking nuts. But with Metal Gear Solid, Policenauts, and Snatchers under his belt, that man deserves that lifetime acheivement award he got a couple years ago. I want to see an interesting idea be a bit more complex than making an extravegant art style wrapped around a guy with a light saber in a beatem up.
 

For.I.Am.Mad

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May 8, 2010
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Man, these Japanese guys are full of it. Give me a break. 'Oh the industry is stifling my genious.' And nobody challenges him. What the hell? Everybody's so quick to rage against the machine they don't realize that he's full of crap.
 

Thrillho

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Oct 13, 2010
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This reminds me of Devin Townsend quitting music to become a puppeteer. I say if building playgrounds is what makes him happy, let the man build playgrounds.
 

pneuma08

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Sep 10, 2008
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They should give this guy a studio with a limited budget, let him develop what he wants, and buy any of his IPs that get popular.

That way, Mr. Takahashi doesn't have to be brought down by sequels and can bring in talent he likes, he gets a solid (and easily managed) budget where Namco Bandai doesn't have to worry too much if any individual IP sells, and we get strange games (and more strange games that sell).
 

xyrafhoan

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Jan 11, 2010
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For.I.Am.Mad said:
Man, these Japanese guys are full of it. Give me a break. 'Oh the industry is stifling my genious.' And nobody challenges him. What the hell? Everybody's so quick to rage against the machine they don't realize that he's full of crap.
You have to remember the guy works for Namco, which insults the US games industry any chance it gets while it remakes the same stale jRPGs, fighting games, and arcade games over and over within Japan. Many high profile Japanese game creators such as Keiji Inafune have previously announced their displeasure with the Japanese industry. Takahashi is probably speaking of his personal experiences with a Japanese-centric publisher/developer, rather than the games industry as a single entity. Otherwise, he would know that indy games have been picking up steam even if major publishers are clinging to "safe" IPs and sequels.
 

kouriichi

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Sep 5, 2010
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Honestly, Namco really hasnt produced many good games. Only a few stick out in my mind, and 2 of them are Katamari.
Maybe Soul Caliber, but its really gone down hill the past few games. ((or maybe the entire fighting genre has))

Hes a great developer whos produced some of the most unique and amazing games namco has ever released. He really can do better.

Maybe he should team up with Notch ((Marcus Persson, creator of minecraft)) and see how far that amazing duo could get.
 

lazinesslord

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Jun 13, 2010
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That's just sad. I am a huge fan of his work so it's sad to see him leave the industry. I wish him the best of luck and I hope he comes back to video games.
 

scarab7

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Jun 20, 2009
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Another example of: "An Industry Shooting It Self In The Foot!" I guess I can't miss his work since it's done. I will miss the prospect of any new games coming from him. Then again, I hope he keeps making public productions, whatever they may be.
 

DanDeFool

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Aug 19, 2009
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kouriichi said:
Honestly, Namco really hasnt produced many good games. Only a few stick out in my mind, and 2 of them are Katamari.
Maybe Soul Caliber, but its really gone down hill the past few games. ((or maybe the entire fighting genre has))

Hes a great developer whos produced some of the most unique and amazing games namco has ever released. He really can do better.

Maybe he should team up with Notch ((Marcus Persson, creator of minecraft)) and see how far that amazing duo could get.
Man, and you thought the creepers were bad news. I'd hate to see Noby Noby Boy coming at me in a dark tunnel.

But yeah, the results of their efforts would certainly be interesting. If perhaps, a bit bizarre.