When Nintendo debuted Splatoon in 2015, the colorful squid kid shooter was hailed as a breath of fresh air from a company defined by decades-old franchises.

If you're curious about how Splatoon came to be, know that at GDC 2018 Splatoon and Splatoon 2 producer Hisashi Nogami shared his experiences working with a design team whose goal was to create a game that was novel yet easy to grasp and riveting to play.

It was an interesting session that offered some answers to questions like: What were the brainstorming sessions like and what kinds of review processes determined the game's final ideas? How do you make a sequel better while releasing it on a brand-new platform with unique features? And how do you land on a quirky concept like "squid creatures fighting turf battles with water pistols" in the first place?

It was a great talk from Nogami (who also worked as director and lead artist on Animal Crossing) so if you didn't catch it at GDC this year don't miss your opportunity to now watch it for free on the official GDC YouTube channel.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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