The annual Game Developers Conference takes place in March and Nintendo developers will once again be attending the prestigious event. This year the Kyoto-based company will be presenting talks based on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The Game Developers Conference takes place in San Francisco between 18th March and 22nd March. Here’s what attendees can expect from the two presentations:
“Tunes of the Kingdom: Evolving Physics and Sounds for ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’ features developers discussing how they structured an expanded Hyrule around physics-based gameplay and evolved sound design. Join the game’s Technical Director Takuhiro Dohta, Lead Physics Programmer Takahiro Takayama, and Lead Sound Engineer Junya Osada as they explore challenges their teams faced when approaching the popular sequel—which received seven nominations at the 2024 Game Developers Choice Awards, including Best Audio.
In this session, they will share insights on Link’s new abilities, composing Hyrule’s expanded sound design and music, and how these go hand-in-(Ultra)hand to create a new experience for players. By the end of Mr. Dohta, Mr. Takayama, and Mr. Osada’s talk, they aim to give attendees and players everywhere new perspective on the world of Tears of the Kingdom and the innovations within.
GDC will also feature 2D and Tomorrow: How the Developers of ‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’ Find New Joy in Creating Classic Side-Scrolling Adventures. Following last year’s launch of the Super Mario Bros.TM Wonder game, developers Takashi Tezuka and Shiro Mouri discuss the unique challenge of taking classic side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. gameplay and turning it upside down…literally.
The developers explain how the game’s new elements—such as Wonder effects that flip, spin and transform the game’s Flower Kingdom world—draw inspiration from Mario’s 2D past but deliver unexpected new surprises for players to discover. Mr. Tezuka and Mr. Mouri will also share insights on the game’s creative first steps, how they expanded player choice options and the process of adding a new online experience to the game. Wowie Zowie!”