Tsutomu Kouno: ‘There are barriers to creating original concepts’

In an exclusive interview with Develop, LocoRoco designer and director Tsutomu Kouno has spoken of the difficulty in developing original games – but still maintains his stance that designers should try and create more original titles.

“I understand that there are a lot of barriers for game designers to create original concepts – you really have to fight to do it in this industry,” he said.

“I understand that. But still, let’s face that challenge! Don’t rely on old concepts or old designs.”

Also in the interview, Kouno touched upon the allegations that LocoRoco contained racist depictions of black people.

“I was so surprised, so confused. I hadn’t considered anything like that at all, I just wondered why people thought that,” he commented.

The full interview, which sees Kouno talking about LocoRoco’s gestation, the PSP’s unoriginal library and designing for global audiences, is available here.