Katamari's Takahashi Designing Children's Playground In UK

Two years after Keita Takahashi initially revealed he was commissioned to design a playground, details are finally coming out on the Kamatari Damacy and Noby Noby Boy creator's fantasy project. UK gaming event GameCity and the Nottingham City Council announced that Takahashi will design a children's playground for Nottingham City at Woodthorpe Grange Park. "We're delighted to have Takahashi-san on board and very much looking forward to working with him on this unique collaboration," says Councillor David Trimble (Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture & Customers). GameCity and the NCC noted that the park site's "natural rolling hills" could potentially add to the playground's design and enable "interesting and playful landscapes." To develop ideas for the playground, Takahashi is spending a month in Nottingham consulting with school children, local communities, and the NCC Landscape Architect. When asked to describe his ideal playground in May 2006, the Namco Bandai designer commented to Gamasutra, "One that's soft, and with lots of big blocky shapes, and a place [kids] can't really get hurt - very colorful - where kids can roll around and be free. But it's probably okay if they occasionally get hurt too."