Important takeaways
- Hashino doesn't dwell too hard on feedback after his game is released.
- You cannot change the basics of your game after it has already been submitted.
- Hashino believes that constantly reading feedback is good for nothing except harming mental health.
Katsura Hashino has gone from strength to strength in his career at Atlus, creating the beloved trio of Persona 3, Persona 4 and Persona 5 and now Metaphor: ReFantazio. Hashino is a creative, his game focuses on telling the story he wants to tell, and given his recent success, fans resonate with this approach. However, he tries not to read too much into user feedback because you can't change anything meaningful once you send it, and thinking about what could have been is bad for your mental health.
Constantly reading feedback is bad for mental health
In a conversation with Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama (published by Famitsu and translated by Automaton), Hashino talked about how he deals with player feedback after release. Hashino “tries not to be aware” of user feedback. “Obviously I check things at certain times, like right after the launch,” Hashino said. “But it's not like I can adapt [the game] based on what i see. When I need to look something up, I do it quickly at once, because constantly looking at reactions is not good for your mental health.”
Toyama is even more extreme in his thoughts, saying that he does not have social media and never searches his name. He doesn't even like to go to promotional events or anything like that, although he does add user feedback more about his upcoming survival horror game Slitterhead.
Player feedback is a crucial part of game development, but you can't change the fundamentals of a game after it's released, so it's of limited use for non-live service titles after the game ships. There's also something to be said for creating the experience you want to create without having your vision compromised by people who may not understand what you're trying to accomplish. Veterans who have released successful games like Hashino and Toyama don't need as much feedback to know what players will connect to.
Metaphor: ReFantazio has certainly connected with its intended audience as it is highly rated by players and critics alike, currently holding an average critic score of 92 on OpenCritic. Our own Meg Pelliccio called Metaphor: ReFantazio “a new peak for Atlus” in her perfect 5/5 review.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brand new fantasy RPG from the director of Persona 5, Katsura Hashino. In it, you have to fight for the throne of a kingdom and save the world in the process.
