N64 Developer Shares Frustrating Two-Year Journey Creating Games for the 64DD, Facing Constant Rejections from Nintendo: “It Was Really Degrading”

The 64DD stands out as a notorious misstep in Nintendo’s history, earning a spot in the hall of failures among fans. This N64 add-on, which launched after numerous delays at the end of the console’s lifecycle, offered only a handful of titles before being discontinued within a year. Despite its short lifespan, Nintendo’s commitment to the 64DD’s success led to intense pressure on the developers tasked with creating games for it.

Launched exclusively in Japan on December 11, 1999, the 64DD was designed to be a disk drive for the Nintendo 64, introducing rewritable storage disks, a real-time clock, and internet connectivity. However, due to extensive delays, many anticipated titles—like Pokemon Stadium and the Zelda spin-off that evolved into Majora’s Mask—were ultimately shifted to traditional cartridge formats.

One of the teams working on 64DD titles was Digital Eden, a new studio formed by former employees of arcade developer Seibu Kaihatsu, known for the iconic Raiden shooter series.

Richard Honeywood, a programmer and translator, shared that Nintendo engaged Digital Eden through a “special second-party agreement,” which provided funding in exchange for exclusivity on Nintendo hardware. The studio also received technical support from HAL Laboratory, including assistance from Satoru Iwata, who was then leading HAL.

“We got the funding, the hardware, and technical help, with Iwata-san visiting weekly to check on our progress,” Honeywood recalls. “They even arranged for us to meet with Miyamoto-san regularly for feedback. It felt like an incredible opportunity, and we jumped at it.”

While Iwata treated Digital Eden as part of his team, the feedback from Nintendo was often harsh. “Eventually, the responses to our game ideas were blunt, like, ‘That’s not good. Start over,'” Honeywood explains. “This was surprising, especially coming from Miyamoto-san, who we revered. Sometimes they’d say, ‘We like that idea, but we might use it for something else; scrap the rest.’ That was our monthly feedback.”

Honeywood mentions that Nintendo was interested in a shooter similar to Raiden, but Digital Eden wanted to pursue a different direction. They envisioned a low-violence action game featuring kids battling with water pistols and balloons, a concept that would later resonate with the spirit of Splatoon.

“Nintendo initially allowed us to explore that idea,” Honeywood continues, “but as we struggled to show progress, the pressure increased. They started saying things like, ‘You need to have something playable soon, or we’ll have to reconsider funding.'”

This challenging process lasted “about two years,” according to Honeywood. “The first few months were spent learning, but after that, we were expected to present a new prototype each month, only to have it critiqued in the most constructive way possible. It was quite demoralizing.”