Nintendo believes that it is possible to create great games without incurring massive development costs. Focusing on the creative side of the process helps save money.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of franchises such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Donkey Kong, shared this during a Q&A session with investors.
"We continue to refine our products until we're sure we've created something that will delight players. It's important to find ideas worth developing. We've adhered to this approach since the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Everyone has different interests, which is why we can't make bold statements about which ideas are worth realizing and which aren't. But one thing we are sure of is that it must be something that hasn't existed before. The more you polish such an idea, the more valuable it becomes," said Miyamoto.
The game designer added that not all games need large budgets. Thanks to modern technologies, engaging games can be developed by small teams and in a short timeframe.
Nonetheless, Miyamoto acknowledged that Nintendo's R&D expenses are increasing every year. According to him, as the scale of development grows, an increase in expenses is inevitable. Apparently, he believes that with a different approach, costs could rise even faster.