FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse director details how the original deal with Nintendo came to be

FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse originally launched as a Wii exclusive all the way back in 2008. Furthermore, the game was actually published by Nintendo as well.

Many were shocked to see Nintendo and Koei Tecmo collaborating on a FATAL FRAME, much less stepping in to publish the title. Nowadays, FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is available on Switch and a multitude of other platforms, but the game’s Wii origins still remain an interesting topic of discussion.

In a recent interview with Famitsu, Makoto Shibata, director of FATAL FRAME: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, shed some light on how the Wii deal came to be. You can see his full comments on the matter below (h/t Nintendo Everything).

What led to this game being developed jointly with Nintendo?

Shibata: At the time, there was a trial expo for the Wii for developers, and I went to play just as a gamer. There, Nintendo said to me, “You would be able to make a horror game for the Wii, wouldn’t you, Shibata-san?” It might have just been a light-hearted joke, but I thought that the console would work well with horror after actually playing on it. While wondering if I would get scolded for bringing in a scary game, I made a proposal, and to my surprise it was accepted. That was the beginning of my cooperation with Nintendo.

How close was your relationship with Nintendo while developing together?

Shibata: During the development of the original version, they were already doing detailed checks, and discussed their thoughts and opinions on the story or game, so it was quite a close relationship. For the remaster, people who oversaw development of the original were assigned, and they sharply pointed out how things differed from the original.