Famitsu: HAL President Shares Thoughts On The Company’s Future

Japanese magazine Famitsu has published an exclusive interview with HAL Laboratory’s President Kawase Shigefumi in celebration of the company’s 40th Anniversary.

During the interview, Shigefumi discussed his thoughts about the company reaching its 40th Anniversary, as well as where he believes they may be headed in the future.

You can read the full translated interview via Nintendolife here, or check out some brief highlights below:

On The 40th Anniversary

Famitsu: Congratulations on HAL Laboratory’s 40th anniversary. Could you walk us through the journey HAL has taken over these years?

Kawase: Within forty years, a child is born and then a grandchild is born next. During this time, we are sincerely pleased to report that HAL has continued with the strong support of each of our fans, despite being caught up in the hardships of the gaming industry.

Famitsu: HAL Laboratory has released a number of games over the course of the past 40 years, but this celebration illustration features an all-star lineup of games created by HAL Laboratory.

Kawase: I heard that the staff who drew the illustrations this time was a good mix of both veterans and young people, and they drew with excitement, saying “I had this title!” While it’s also our company’s culture, there are many staff who simply want to take the initiative in doing interesting and creative things. After this project was planned, many people gathered with the mentality of “let’s do it,” and we proceeded with that motivation.

On The Future Of HAL

Famitsu: Please share your thoughts on the future of HAL Laboratory.

Kawase: I believe being able to create is something that is simultaneously rewarding and difficult. It is an indescribable feeling when we deliver interesting and unique experiences to our customers and make them happy. I would like to continue to lead a company where creators who want to make such experiences can gather and make even more interesting experiences for a long time to come.

At HAL Laboratory, we believe the game industry is at a major turning point. It is impossible to know in which direction the industry will change in the future. Perhaps the future will be one where AI both announce and develop games on behalf of humans. However, creators will always create content. For a long time, HAL Labs has had the idea of having machines do what they are capable of and allowing humans to do things that only we have the ability to do. Therefore, even if such a future comes, I think that HAL Labs will be a company that will make good use of AI and exhibit creative power that surpasses the development potential of AI alone.

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Famitsu: Last, but certainly not least, could you share HAL Laboratory’s future ambitions with us?

Kawase: The other day, when I went to an acquaintance’s exhibition, I had the opportunity to talk with their daughter. She said that HAL Laboratory “makes my favorite experiences.” The games we make are, on a basic level, products, certainly, but I’m always moved when I hear people call them “experiences” and even their “favorite experiences.”

Well, I strongly believe HAL Laboratory is a company that says, “I just want to be myself.” HAL Laboratory is a company for creators, but we can only continue with the support of our fans. We will continue to create games, ideas and experiences that will remain in your heart, sticking with our philosophy to make “creations that lead to happy customers and happy employees, too.” We look forward to your continued support. Thank you.

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