Kotaku: nude maker

Infinite Space Charting Course For Spring Of Next Year

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:40:08 MDT

PlatinumGames third title—after MadWorld and Bayonetta—is Infinite Space, the sci-fi role-playing game co-developed by Nude Maker. Long story short, the Nintendo DS RPG now has a North American release window.

According to a new trailer for the game, which can be seen here, Infinite Space will grace these shores in Spring of 2010. Yes, that seems like a long way off, especially if you are chomping at the bit to customize your space ship and have spacey adventures interspersed with animated cut scenes.

Fret not, impatient gamers, because it looks like the game will be worth it, if reviews and sales of the Japanese version of Infinite Space are any indication. Besides, you don't want it to come out this fall or holiday season, only to get crushed by the weight of a crowded Q4, do you?

How Erotic Games Influenced Platinum Games

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:20:00 MDT

As we told you earlier in the year, a little-known fact about upcoming Platinum Games strategy title Infinite Space (formerly Infinite Line) is that it's being co-developed by Nude Maker, and Nude Maker's Hifumi Kouno is on director duties. Nude Maker, as you may already have deduced, sometimes dabble in less combative titles. As in, they've done erotic games. And that experience, believe it or not, is helping them build Infinite Space.

Speaking with Kouno at TGS, we learned that, while the game's a space strategy game, it also contains a lot of dialogue. A lot. Loads and loads of 2D character chit-chat, and multiple, branching storylines to go along with it.

Which is exactly what makes up the bulk of an ero game. Talking, and talking, and having the plot advance because of what you just said. Indeed, the game's are so similar in this regard that Kouno said without the help of the company's custom dialogue system - built to handle the progression of the ero games - Infinite Space's complex story development and branching plot-lines just wouldn't have been possible.

Add to that the fact Kuono also said that the game's going to be as heavy on character growth and the "exploration of themes", and that like the tech, the team's experience in building characters for the ero games has been priceless in fleshing out the game's characters.

Sometimes, just sometimes, the world can be an amazing place.

From Erotic Games to Mainstream Games

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:00:00 MDT

Upcoming Platinum Games' DS game Infinite Line is being co-developed by Tokyo developer Nude Maker and directed by Nude Maker's Hifumi Kouno. Nude Maker? That's an interesting name! And meaningful. The company spent a few years, cutting its teeth on erotic PC games. Says Kouno:

I won't take this lightly. I do not feel that there's a big difference in my thinking between standard adult titles and consumer titles. We don't have the idea that we're really shifting gears as such... Generally, people looked down on adult titles just because they're adult titles. But this is just one genre that I want to experiment in as a game designer — just one avenue for my creativity. There may be other avenues for my creativity. I don't want to limit what I can explore as a designer, based on expectations... As part of writing scenarios, it's very important to understand human behavior. You have to address the basics of human feeling and motivation. The sexual urge and sexual motives are absolutely a core part of human behavior and a really primal urge. I think we can't forget that. I don't want us to forget that part of ourselves... I think people get love and sex mixed up a lot of the time, of course. Just straightforward sex in games, I don't think that represents love.

Sex and love are part of the human experience. It's a shame to see them pushed to the side and marginalized in gaming, while violence seems more "acceptable."

Q&A Getting Nude [Gamasutra via Insert Credit]