Devil’s Third has had a troubled history, and the result of it does not necessarily seem to be pretty, as all early impressions indicate that the game, in fact, sucks. However, that won’t stop its creator, the outspoken Tomonobu Itagaki, from believing that the game will be something truly special.
Speaking to Famitsu (translated via Facebook), Itagaki reiterated his support for his vision, which is what has apparently caused him to stick to the game’s development all these years, in spite of all the hurdles and roadblocks that he faced.
“There wouldn’t be any opportunity for us to work in this industry anymore,” he said. “That’s just how it is. We developed Ninja Gaiden in 4 years, and that was with us developing multiple lines at the same time, so it’s not a particularly long time. Our desire was to complete the game by any means while establishing our company structure, developing the game itself, and keeping the company going all at the same time. We were finally able to make it through thanks to Nintendo who really made it all possible along with everyone in the industry, and also thanks to the expectations from all the fans and gamers that were waiting. With all that support, I couldn’t be someone who would drop it all and walk away.”
“That’s one part. And on top of all that, we had already made the decision to make the game. We brought in staff to execute that decision. Those staff, their families… I’m repeating myself, but all of our fans… I couldn’t just betray them. ‘So you did it just as some personal responsibility?’ No, it’s not like that either. You know, sometimes if I’m speaking with someone, they’ll tell me that I’ve changed. Establishing my own company, I’m pretty much free to do what I want, and I’m also solely responsible for what I do. It can be a pain sometimes, but at the same time it gets you in the mood to just get it done.”
Itagaki also discussed all the issues the game faced during development- including the insolvency of its former publisher, THQ, and its ultimate rescue at the hands of Nintendo.
“So as I said before, for all the support we’ve received in every form imaginable, and for letting me introduce Devil’s Third like this here today, I’m incredible grateful,” he continued. “Like I said in the beginning, it’s a culmination of everything so far—not just mine, but of everyone that works here. Please try it for yourself. I think it’s going to be a breakthrough for the industry. I believe it’s going to take shooters to the next level.
“We started the title with THQ, and Nintendo came in with development already underway; so it wasn’t really possible to make any sweeping, fundamental changes,” he said. “With that said though, Valhalla did have a lot of pretty heated back-and-forths with Nintendo like, ‘We think we should go with this,’ or, ‘Don’t you think it’d be better like this?’.”
Devil’s Third launches in August exclusively on the Wii U, although the multiplayer mode of the game will also get a separate launch on the PC as a free to play game some time in September.