From day one of the Japan Game Awards, 2023 - Shigeru Ohmori appeared to accept various awards for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, interviwed by Hikaru Ijuin (TV/radio personality, video game reviewer; co-winner of the JGA 2000 Best Gamer Award) and Misaki Maeda (narrator from Heartful Human Voice)
The first award won by Pokemon Scarlet & Violet was the Best Sales Award.
Ijuin - So, let's hear your feelings. How do you feel right now?
Ohmori - Hello, I'm Ohmori from GAME FREAK, and the director of these games. We set a fairly high goal this time, "We'll create an open-world that parents and kids can play together"; we looked back on previous Pokemon [games] and developed so that many [types of] people could play it. As a result, a lot of people really seem to have played it! I'd like to express gratitude on behalf of our staff members. Thank you so much.
(applause)
Ohmori accepting the Best Sales Award
Ijuin - Congratulations. Ah well, the Best Sales Award indicates you've gained a significant number of players for real.
Ohmori - Yes. The very challenging thing this time was the open-world, where with typical game development, in the end, the [core] gameplay would be the challenging part. When a game offers a high degree of freedom, it can be hard to focus on specifics very well; and it must also advise players to make their own choices. Then, you'll often feel unsure about where to go or what the next destination will be -- we were very mindful of the fact that we needed to design the game in a way so that things like that could be easily understood, even by those with little gaming experience, or those playing it for the first time.
Throughout various gameplay sessions: I asked, "What would you do when you get lost?" to which they replied, "I'd ask someone"; so, [we concluded] "Let's allow for a Pokemon Center Nurse to show the way, when asked." I believe instances of small considerations like that have resulted in a game that allows a wide variety of people to play it fully.
A Pokemon Center Nurse, from Scarlet and Violet
Ijuin - The game's excellence is that it doesn't overteach you nonetheless, or it doesn't give an impression that all the achievements belong to the developers; that's a marvelous balance.
Ohmori - Yes, we were careful to consider each player making their own decisions, choices, and journies. That being said, there are elements of upbeat gameplay and warmth in various places; a detailed showcase of the developers' various ideas. As a developer, I'll be very happy if more and more people experience enjoyment like that.
Ijuin - All right, congratulations for the Best Sales Award!
Ohmori - Thank you so much!
Ijuin - Please give him a round of applause!
Maeda - Congratulations! (applause) Please have a seat.
Ijuin - I believe, without exaggeration, that the existence of a game praised and played both locally and globally can bring about global interactions and, potentially, peace. I [also] believe that the [global] generation of "We played Pokemon back then!" should share some feelings with each other. I really do think that's a thing to be proud of.
Maeda - Definitely wonderful.
The second award won by Pokemon Scarlet & Violet was an Award for Excellence.
Ijuin - Appreciate you coming back and forth in such a large venue. Let us hear how you feel about your second trophy, too.
Ohmori accepting the Award for Excellence
Ohmori - (laughs) So, to develop an open-world this time, we've been reviewing previously commonplace elements in the series to a large degree. For example, as for trainers, there was a game mechanic where making eye contact would always initiate a battle, but, [we wondered] "Should it really be that way?"; as for encounters with Pokemon, they would simply come out when you stepped into the tall grass, but, [we also wondered] "Does just that really convey the essence of a Pokemon game?" We developed whilst revising the game design in every aspect, together with our staff. I believe we've reliably made a fresh Pokemon [game] as a result.
Let me add to this -- this is a hoodie made by our company, which has The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero on it; it's DLC for Scarlet & Violet available right now, and we hope you'll try it!
Ohmori's hoodie with The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero logo
Ijuin - Winning two trophies allows you to make a lot of announcements; that's thrifty!
Ohmori - (laughs) No way. We owe this to all the players. Thank you so much!
Ijuin - Thank you for the great game!
Ohmori - Thank you so much.
Maeda - Congratulations! Please have a seat.
Ijuin - It came to my mind that in the case of older games, many developers would have a decent amount of free time during the award-ceremony season following development - but continuing to work on new content, updates and bug fixes... I believe they're always very busy with that, but they do attend the award ceremony in-person, we have to appreciate that.
Maeda - I hope they'll consider the award-winning as a source of encouragement.
Ijuin - Right, and I definitely want them to share the announcement with all their staff members.