Wed, Sep 08, 2010 | 09:59 BST
Katamari creator leaves Namco Bandai
Katamari and Noby Noby Boy creator Keita Takahashi has left publisher Namco Bandai, according to play.tm.
A NBG spokesperson confirmed the news to the site. Takahashi has been quoted recently as saying he is getting bored of the industry, and that it is “dull”.
“At E3 I saw people putting on speeches but I thought the future seemed a bit dark. The 3D games didn’t spark my interest,” he told OPM UK.
“I think motion control’s a bit old now, I don’t think those games are the future. It all seemed a bit dull.”
And in a recent interview, Takahashi called his now former employer “so-so”.
“I make video games for the so-so company Namco Bandai Games Inc,” he told The Setup.
In his time at Namco, he’s made three Katamari titles, as well as Noby Noby Boy for PS3 and iPhone.
He’s now currently overseeing the re-design of a park in Nottingham.
Thanks, Kotaku.
12 
Posted in: Namco Bandai
Tags: katamari, Keita Takahashi, Noby Noby Boy
12 comments
#1
Tomo
08/09/10, 10:12 am
“He’s now currently overseeing the re-design of a park in Nottingham.”
lols
#2
Blerk
08/09/10, 10:14 am
I hope he cleared his desk by rolling all his shit up into a big ball and shoving it down the corridor.
#3
Psychotext
08/09/10, 10:16 am
lol
#4
AHA-Lambda
08/09/10, 10:22 am
well he kept hinting at it repeatedly, shame =(
#5
Happy Hardon Harry
08/09/10, 11:14 am
Takahashi has been quoted recently as saying he is getting bored of the industry
Blame Sony & MS. Period. As Nintendo seem to be the only ones remotely interested in creating something “new” with their hardware.
#6
Crysis
08/09/10, 11:25 am
@5, motion controls aren’t new, what have Nintendo done which is “new”?
#7
Zana
08/09/10, 11:32 am
@5 Nice joke.
#8
Happy Hardon Harry
08/09/10, 11:32 am
@6
Of course motion controls isn’t new, jesus. But Nintendo were the ones to make such a concept successful in videogames. Others tried before them and failed, big time.
Sony & MS follow…
@7
You wouldn’t know one if it came up and bit you on the arse!
#9
Callum
08/09/10, 11:49 am
He’s a nice bloke, if a little bit wierd. I’ve seen pictures of a plant pot he designed…it was a goat…you planted in this back, and the stray water poured out of the goats penis…I’d buy one as a talking point tbh.
#10
night_tripper
08/09/10, 7:16 pm
lol i have friends and people i work with that got the wii and it started collecting dust after a couple months i could have bought a wii but wasn’t even remotely interested ill stick with my ps3
#11
KrazyKraut
09/09/10, 11:19 am
Rage for not releasing some Tales games
#12
Kerplunk
09/09/10, 11:27 am
@8 Millions of motion control games sales via PS2 and EyeToy show that, actually, the concept was a notable commercial success before Nintendo positioned themselves as the first people to make it work commercially.
The difference is that Nintendo USP on their console was motion controls. So they absolutely had to push the notion that they were the first to do it and they were the first to make it succeed. Anything less would pretty much damage the credibility of the direction they chose.
And, for the most part, the big effort in PR and talk of ‘blue sky marketing’ and ‘being brave’ has convinced a lot of people that Nintendo did it first. Just like people believed that Nintendo made analog controls first too.
People tend to believe what suits them and then concoct cute little technicalities to support their beliefs.