Takanobu Terada looks back on the 30th anniversary of Super Robot. It's thanks to the fans that I was able to continue [Sparobo 30th Anniversary Series: 3]

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Bandai Namco Entertainment's popular title "Super Robot Wars (Sparobo)" series continues to develop new developments. This is the person who decorates the special interview to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the series! "Takanobu Terada, who has supported the series for many years!"

Mr. Terada, who surprised fans by announcing that he became free on the “Raw Spa Robo Channel” delivered the other day and starting Twitter (@TakanobuTerada). We will deliver memories of various works in the first and second parts, from the story of Daishogun Terada to the inside story that can only be told now, to the episode that overcame the crisis of the series survival.

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Memories of Banpresto doing everything and Daishogun Terada

──First, let's talk about how Mr. Terada joined Banpresto. Please tell us about your background and memorable episodes, including how you became involved in the Super Robot Wars (Sparobo) series.

Mr. Terada: In the first place, I wanted to work on plastic models at Bandai's Hobby Division (currently BANDAI SPIRITS Hobby Division). That was my favorite, so I got a job with Bandai, but at the first interview, they asked me, "Can you draw blueprints?" not to mention…….

I was also interested in the game industry, so I accepted the offer. It was an era when the specs for commercial use were still overwhelmingly higher than those for home use, and the PlayStation had not yet been released.

As many people come to game makers as possible, they are so popular that even if they take entrance exams and interviews for game makers in Tokyo, there are too many people, so they are sent to Osaka and take them there. At that time, even if a liberal arts student expressed a desire to be involved in development, the momentum was so strong that he would be told that it would be sales. I also received unofficial job offers for sales positions, but I was rejected for all of the planning positions.

However, I really wanted to develop games, so I changed my mind, thinking that maybe a small company would look at my project. At that time, Banpresto saw my proposal.

Banpresto was a subsidiary of Bandai, but the Bandai Group had a rule not to let different industries compete, so our main business was the development of machines for amusement centers and plush toys for prizes. However, as a result of negotiating with Bandai, Banpresto is now able to release game software for home use.

However, if we released a game that dealt with "Gundam", "Ultraman", and "Kamen Rider" by themselves, we would be at odds with Bandai. Because of those rules, we were creating non-realistic SD titles called "Compatible Heroes"... we called them "mixed characters", but what we now call collaborative works. About two or three years after we started making home video game software, Banpresto was looking for people to work on game planning.

At the time, I told my parents that I was going to join a game company to do what I wanted to do, but my parents didn't know about Banpresto. He persuaded me to join the company by saying, "It's a subsidiary of Bandai, so it's fine." A lot of people gathered at the parent company, Bandai, but I think there weren't many who accepted Banpresto's consumer division. When I first joined the company, there were only about 10 employees at the time, and I remember that they were rotating about 20 to 30 titles a year.

──From there, how did you get involved with Super Robo?

Mr. Terada: I myself thought, "It will be about 2 or 3 years after the training. Okay, I'll do my best!" Just when I thought I wouldn't have the leeway to keep up with the number of titles and the number of people, the general manager suddenly called me and said, "Come here for a second," and he handed me a book about "Gundam" and "Kamen Rider". rice field.

I was asked, "Tell me the name of the character listed here." But at the time, I wanted to make a special effects game, so I was making a proposal. I had no intention of doing Super Robo, because it looked like a lot of work to watch while I was making it. Conversely, since Banpresto has Super Robo, I was thinking of making another tokusatsu game.

──By the way, what kind of special effects game were you thinking of? ?

Mr. Terada: It's not my work, but it feels like "Super Tokusatsu Taisen 2001" that came out later. Even if you're playing games that target the younger age group, they'll hit a plateau. So, I wanted to make a special effects game like "Sparobo" aimed mainly at the elderly.

In the end, we weren't able to make a special effects game, but even after the department manager said, "We're going to develop a new Super Robo series, so please do it." was doing. You also helped a little with the "The Great Battle" series.

At the time, compared to today, the scale of the market and the scale of development were small, but there were no people in Banpresto's consumer division anyway. We had specialized sales staff, but we also created order materials and shipped them to toy wholesalers nationwide. It was difficult because there was no download sales like now.

Because it was such an era, at the end of the month, I would send dozens of sample ROMs to wholesalers. As expected, it was impossible for one person to do it alone, so once a month, all members of the planning department did it manually. Before I joined the company, I only hired one person in charge of public relations, and apart from sales activities, I created all materials and promotional videos myself, and even wrote the manuscript for the instruction manual. I was doing everything, really.

──That's amazing! "It was really widely used, wasn't it?"

Mr. Terada: I was also negotiating with the rights holder. Everyone was working on about four titles at the same time, so there were times when my new title would come out every month.

──Mr. Terada, you appeared in the TV program "Game Kingdom" around that time under the name "Terada Taishogun", didn't you?

Terada: Yes, I remember. Soichiro Morizumi, who was a junior and was in charge of "Super Robot Wars IMPACT", also appeared. Appearing on TV was something newcomers did as a job in their first year. Is it because it was a recording that crushed a day off?

I just came out to Tokyo, and it was my first time to appear on TV. A producer from a program production company asked me, "Tera-chan, are you going to Zagin or Guilloppon?" I was on the show for about a year, but thanks to that, users thought I was a PR person, not a development person.

However, at that time, many of Bandai's people who appeared in game-related TV programs and magazines were in charge of development. At the time, I was indebted to Dragon Ball Suzuki-san, who was in charge of the Dragon Ball games, and he was very popular.

──I vaguely remember. Since I was in a magazine in cosplay, I was watching it as if I were a celebrity.

Mr. Terada: Most of the people in charge of Bandai cosplay, and they said, "You should do it too, Terada-kun." I couldn't do it.

──It's quite an interesting episode that you're being warned for not cosplaying.

Mr. Terada: I thought it was amazing that everyone was seriously cosplaying and even going up to the stage of the event. I became friends with the public relations staff of other manufacturers at the time, and I learned a lot about Game Kingdom. In fact, the studio we used for “Super Robot Wars Hagane no Super Thanksgiving 2021” that we went to in the summer was the same studio that recorded “Game Kingdom” at the time. So it was really nostalgic. Nearly 30 years later, I never thought I would be standing in the same place.

The "Sparobo" series, which was actually scheduled to end with the "4th"

──In such a busy situation, Mr. Terada finally became involved with "Sparobo". But did you ever think that the series would last this long?

Mr. Terada: No. At the time, the series was scheduled to end with the 4th Super Robot Wars. I was also moving with that intention, "Next time I'll make a special effects game that I like." But in the end, I ended up just doing Super Robo.

That's because the company decided to continue the series because the results of the 4th series were so good. And now we're here.

By the way, although it hasn't been released to the world, I wrote a proposal for an action RPG for "Galaxy Express 999" after I joined the company. I was thinking of an RPG where Tetsuro fights on a top-down screen, and I thought about it quite seriously, but the plan didn't go through.

"Sparobo" ended with the "4th", and from the next one, I was going to go on an original route with the "Masou Kishin" series. In other words, the concept of "Super Robo OG" was around this time. At the time, the main development staff was working on "Masou Kishin", so it was decided that me and the younger staff would play a central role in developing "New Super Robot Wars". It's a work that has many things to reflect on, but I challenged the details, such as renewing the story and adding more characters and mecha cut-ins.

──Now that you mention it, the route branching was also innovative. The space and the ground were completely divided and did not reunite until the end.

Mr. Terada: I was against it, but it was unpopular with users.

──"New" didn't join in the scenario, but joined in a hidden scenario after clearing both ground and space routes.

Mr. Terada: I remember that I asked for it. "New" sold well and was the first title to sell over 500,000 units, but we received some complaints from users, and we are planning "New Super Robot Wars 2" to improve those points. However, at the time, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" was a big hit, so the company asked me to make another "Sparobo" for the Sega Saturn. We didn't have enough time until the scheduled release date, so we canceled the development of "Masou Kishin 2" and "New 2" at the time. It was decided to make it the one that was made, and to add a participating work.

At the beginning of development, it was called "The 4th Super Robot Wars Plus", "Legendary Giant Ideon" and "Aim for the Top!" ] to participate in the game and complete the story, but it was decided that the story had to be reworked considerably, and there were many parts that were different from the 4th game, so the title was changed to `` I made it to Super Robot Wars F. At this point, the future development of the series had not been decided, so I added "F (Final)" in the sense of "completion". From the beginning of development, we had a pretty tight schedule, and as a result, we ended up releasing it in two parts, ``F'' and ``F Final'', and the users scolded us for that. Behind the scenes, the company asked me to do a new series. That is "Super Robot Wars α".

"Super Robot Wars α" was in danger of being canceled for a period of time

──I didn't know that. Did you already start working on "α" from the middle of development of "F Final Chapter"?

Mr. Terada: No. It was after the development of "F Final Chapter" was finished. At that time, I was told to start thinking about the next thing when I was half done, but the development teams for "F" and "α" were different. "α" was a title that was created from scratch by setting up a production line within the company, but it took a lot of time. I made it for the purpose of doing something I didn't do in "F", and it was also a work that "opened the lid of the bottom of hell".

──I enjoyed it as a fan myself, but I was surprised at how much progress the animation had made even at the time.

Mr. Terada: It's not like the development team for "F" or "Masou Kishin" couldn't have done that animation. I just didn't do it because it would be a huge amount of work. There were times when we released two titles a year instead of one. However, the development team for "α", which was a latecomer, decided to try it in order to make progress from the previous series.

Sure enough, the development was delayed, and the company was cornered to the point of being told to stop development. However, the morale of the staff at the time was high, and it looked like it would somehow take shape, so I didn't want it to end like this. However, due to budget issues, the company cannot allow development to continue without any prospects. So, the president of Banpresto at the time said, "If the reaction from users at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) is good, we will continue development. If the reaction is not good, we will consider stopping development." I remember being summoned by the president alone and informed about it.

So, the future of "Sparobo" was entrusted to the reactions of TGS users, and the Bandai Group booth was right near the venue entrance. In other words, there is a high possibility that visitors will stop and take a look. Furthermore, Bandai also had a lot of topical works, so I thought, "I'm lucky, this one will work." As a result, the Bandai Group's booth was a success, and the reaction to "α" was excellent. The president came to see how things were going not only on business days, but also on public days, and it was decided to continue development of "α". I remember being told, "I have no choice but to do this." "Sparobo" was saved by all the fans. The sight of the crowd at "α" at that time is burned into my mind, and it is one of the driving forces behind my own work.

──I also watched the PV showing the battle scene of "α" with keen interest, and I remember being very moved at the time.

Mr. Terada: Actually, when the first report was published in the game information magazine, the robot battle scenes weren't moving properly. It was a dummy image.

──The scene where the Giant Robo is punching with all its might, and the Grungust Nishiki was in the first report, right?

Mr. Terada: That's right. I made it by cutting and pasting the finished picture, so when I look at it now, it's quite different from the product version. Thanks to the reactions of the users at TGS, we decided to continue development of "α", but it was really difficult from there, and the main staff worked around the clock.

I hadn't been home for months either, and I was sleeping in a nearby apartment rented by my company. I feel depressed when I'm in the office all the time, so I go out of my way to go to a nearby public bath with everyone. A staff member who had no choice but to take a break came out and said, "I'll definitely be back, so please let me finish the battle animation that I'm in charge of." It's not the same development style as it was then, but everyone worked hard even though it was a tough day with a tight deadline. That's how "α" somehow started to turn around. "Sparobo" is always a battle with quantity. At that time, I was still young, around 30, and the development team was all young. Game hardware wasn't as powerful as it is now, and it was a time when people were able to do something with momentum.

──This is an amazing episode. "α" was not only the PS version, but also "Super Robot Taisen α Dreamcast (DC version α)" made with 3D modeling after that. Could it be that you were working on that at the same time?

Mr. Terada: No. I was completely focused on the PS version of α, so a completely different development team is making the DC version of α. It was hard because the delay of the PS version overlapped with the delay of the DC version. The DC version was a battle animation using a 3D model, so when explaining the robot's motions to the staff, I actually showed them the Gundam Beam Rifle firing and Stoner Sunshine firing motions. (laughs)

In the midst of this, the development of "Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden" was decided, so for a while it was difficult to work on three projects simultaneously: "PS version α", "DC version α", and "α Gaiden".

“α Gaiden”, the shortest in the history of “Sparobo” and completed with good development efficiency

──“α Gaiden” was a title that did not have an original protagonist. Was there any reason for that?

Mr. Terada: Sales of "α" were good, but development costs piled up due to repeated delays, and there was no profit. That's how the development of "α Gaiden" began, but the development period was about 10 months, so I didn't have the usual scenario creation time. So, I had no choice but to make the story a continuation of "α" and omit the scenarios for the eight main characters after considering the overall volume. Also, since it's a Gaiden, we wanted to change the atmosphere of the story to something like "α", so we put out a number of games that were set in the future world.

The development period for that volume was the shortest in the history of Super Robo. After that, senior people would often ask me, "Why can't you make it with such high efficiency?" I think. In the final stage of the development of "α", we decided what to do next for the system and battle animation.

I was able to make it because it was the amount of work for the original PS. If I was asked to make it in the same production period as that time with the current hardware, it would be absolutely impossible. "α" and "α Gaiden" were completed because the staff was the same, and it was truly a miracle.

──The animation is so moving that you wouldn't believe it was a short period of time, and the story was well put together, making it hard to imagine how short the development period was.

Mr. Terada: I thought about the plot for the story in about one night. I wrote it anyway from there, but I didn't make it in time, so I cut some routes at the end.

──Were you able to produce “2nd Super Robot Wars α” and “3rd Super Robot Wars α To the End of the Galaxy” as originally planned?

Terada-san: Hmmm. It didn't go as planned. The 2nd Alpha had completely new battle animations and was the first to use a platoon system, so it was tough. The "3rd Alpha" is the last of the "α" series, even though it inherited it, so the volume has become tremendous.

The original "α" series was planned to have three titles. "α Gaiden" wasn't planned, so it was hard to put it all together. The concept of the "α" series is to do this in the "second α" at the beginning. We had already decided that we would do this for the 3rd α, but of course, at the time of the α, we didn't know about the big hit of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, so It was decided to have him participate in the 3rd α. The story of "Phase 3 Alpha" is set in the galaxy, so I was worried about what to do with "Gundam SEED", which takes place on Earth... and came up with a gadget called Cross Gate that connects spaces.

Up until the 2nd alpha, we decided on our own games, but from around the 3rd alpha, we started accepting requests from others regarding the participating games. If we decide everything by ourselves, it tends to be biased, so I think it was better in the end.

──A robot anime from the 1980s participated in the "Super Robot Wars COMPACT" series, which was developed on the handheld WonderSwan at the time, and the stationary "α ] series was different. Did Mr. Terada and others decide about the participating works over there?

Mr. Terada: The lineup of the "Compact" series reflects the thoughts of the person in charge, unlike the stationary "Sparobo" for home use. This is also to differentiate it from home-use "Sparobo".

──That's right. I was surprised about the work that participated in "Super Robot Wars COMPACT 3 (Compact 3)".

Mr. Terada: "Compact 3" was to be made in a short period of time, so I was told that I could decide which works to participate in instead. So, it is also the work that ``the meeting to decide which works to participate in was the most exciting in the history of ``Sparobo''. The short development period is one of the best in the history of Super Robo. It was shorter than "α Gaiden".

──I see. As for Super Robo, which has a slightly different situation, there was Super Robot Wars 64, a work that was around the same time as Alpha. Now tell me the back story you can tell.

Mr. Terada: "64" is a harsh and hard story, partly because of the scenario writer's intention. Up until then, Super Robot had been a relatively hot-blooded work, but I wanted to try something more difficult, so I made it.

After that, the background looks like a pseudo 3D. In "2nd Super Robot Wars OG" and so on, the background camera angles are designed to change in various ways, and this work was the origin of the idea itself. At the time of "64", the robot itself was 2D and could only be scaled, but I wanted to do something about the background that occupies most of the battle screen, so I realized it in the later "2nd OG". .

──One of the most impressive changes in the battle production is the 3D Super Robo in "Super Robot Wars GC", where the angle changes when the aircraft comes out.

Mr. Terada: In parallel with the 2D "Sparobo", we made several 3D "Sparobo", but in the end, the impression that "Sparobo's battle animation is 2D" was too strong. There wasn't much need for 3D Super Robo. That said, there was also a smartphone app "Super Robot Wars X-Ω", so it doesn't mean I won't play 3D "Sparobo".

──Speaking of 3D Super Robo, I personally love Super Robot Wars Scramble Commander! "Why didn't that last?"

Mr. Terada: "Sukukoma" was a real-time strategy (RTS) in the same genre as "Zeonic Front Mobile Suit Gundam 0079" released by Bandai. At that time, the policy was to do various things in the series called "Sparobo". So I thought it would be interesting to have the player as the commander and watch the robots fight in auto mode, so I created Sukukoma.

The robot doesn't move completely automatically, but I tried to make it similar to the auto-play running used in "Super Robot DD" and "Super Robot 30". However, I received the opinion from the user that "just looking at it is boring".

──No... The RTS "Sukukoma" was very interesting... But now it seems to be accepted because it has penetrated as a genre. In particular, I think that "Scramble Commander The 2nd (Sukukoma 2nd)" was a very interesting "Sparobo" in terms of scenario.

Mr. Terada: When I think about it now, I have the impression that it was a little early. However, in the end, the reason why the RTS line didn't continue after "Sukukoma 2nd" is that the needs of the users at the time were the conventional "Super Robo".

"Gundam" games don't have the stereotype of "This is the game for 'Gundam'." For example, there is the "SD Gundam G Generation" series, and there is also the "Gillen's Ambition" series, and the "Gundam" games are diverse. I think that's the result of Bandai Namco Entertainment's multifaceted continuation.

For "Sparobo", we had a small development team, so we weren't able to do it in a multifaceted way. there is. That's why it's difficult to have a multifaceted development like a Gundam game.

For that reason, instead of a spin-off that changed the system, I thought it would be good to make a spin-off that used the system of "Super Robo", so I made "Super Robot Taisen Original Generation".

That's it for the first part of the interview with Mr. Terada. We have heard a lot of valuable stories, but the second part, which will be released at a later date, will begin with the continuation of the story of "OG", and we will continue to hear stories about various works that have colored the history of "Sparobo", so please look forward to it. To!

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