Hobo Nichi have recently spoken to Satoru Iwata about the development of the DS' music title Band Brothers.

Game Science have kindly provided a translation to an interview with Satoru Iwata. The interview was focused on the DS title Band Brothers, and the highlights of the interview can be found below.

The development of a GBA musical game was canned because Iwata wanted to make sure multiplayer could be implemented without all four people owning the cart. He knew that perhaps four friends may not all buy the game, so they started work on a DS title that allowed for a multiplayer option with just one cart. This also meant that during the development the team knew that the single-player mode wouldn't be such a high priority for the gamers.

Iwata also insisted the game must be ready for the launch of the DS, otherwise it would be scrapped. While it is not stated why he was so eager for this it could be to showcase the DS' abilities at launch.

To make sure that the game had a long life span a compositional tool must be included. Apparently one of the main aims of this game is to promote performance, and the DS's unique features shouldn't be overdone.

Iwata also commented that Band Brothers is just one of the first of many DS titles that will utilise its unique features. He stated that four titles, including Nintendogs, will extend the definition of gaming. While he did not go into detail on what these other games are he did state there will be games that can be used as an electronic dictionary, games that increase the brain's activity and also games that include touching light and sound. Certainly a challenge, but Iwata believes that these games will defy age, gender and gaming experience. Sounds like the Nintendo DS has an interesting future ahead of itself.

The rest of the interview can be found over at Hobo Nichi, but it is in Japanese.