Quoted By:
>GC:So how long have you two been working on the Pokémon franchise? Where either one of you in the Game Freak building at the end of Pokémon Red/Blue?
>JM:[laughs] I’ve been at Game Freak even before Game Freak existed as a company. I was involved in the production of an indie game called Quinty, which in America was called Mendel Palace, where I was the music producer. So when Mendel Palace was released Game Freak was established.
>In terms of appearing in the game I’ve appeared as Junichi in many different guises, for example as a guitarist. And in the Game Freak building I was the director who said, ‘Ciao!’ [laughs]
>GC:How closely involved is series creator Satoshi Tajiri in the more recent games? Did he work directly on Black/White 2?
>JM:He’s the president of Game Freak, but he doesn’t have much day-to-day input into the game anymore. He does play the game for testing though, and that still applies for Black and White 2 as well.
>GC:The irony of Pokémon, which is so often dismissed as a kid’s game, is that its systems are more complex than many games aimed at adults. Is that simply because it was originally designed over 15 years ago now, when the gaming demographic was narrower, or an acknowledgement that kids have a lot more time to experiment with games?
>JM:It is complex but the main premise of the game is very simple. You chuck a ball and if you catch it the pokémon is on your team. It becomes more and more complex as you play along with it, but I think it is very accessible – which is why it can still be complex once you get into it and once you delve into it deeper.
