Kensuke Tanaka Interview: Comptiq Magazine April 2017
Introduction
The following interview comes from within the Comptiq Magazine's April issue which was released on March 10th, 2017.
Within the article, the Chief in Editor has an interview with Kancolle's main producer, Kensuke Tanaka regarding the outcome of the Winter 2017 Event, details regarding Zara Due, information regarding the upcoming Kai Ni remodels which will consist of several Aviation Cruisers, a Light Cruiser, and a Battleship around in time for KanColle's 4th Anniversary. They also go into details regarding plans for a theoretical seaplane fighter that while was made was not fully converted to be used for Aviation Cruisers which will be implemented within the future.
Along with these game related information, Tanaka discusses details regarding some collaborations planned for the year and shares an illustration of Kiyoshimo in wake up mode for an upcoming figurine planned for her.
T-ko (hereafter T): Greetings! It's Comptiq! Anyway, I managed to clear the Winter Event!
Tanakako (hereafter Ta): Oooh, great work. The Winter 2017 Event "Reconnaissance Force Emergency Deployment! Operation 'Hikari'" is soon coming to an end, but this time (Editor Note: interview was conducted in late February) - just like last time - the clear rate looks like it'll be higher than that of previous events.
T: Many players picked Easy Mode, didn't they?
Ta: For the first map of the main operation Hard Mode has been the most common choice, for the second map it's been Medium Mode. For the final map Easy Mode has overwhelmingly been the most popular choice, but what I considered peculiar was that this time there were many admirals who cleared even the last map on Hard Mode right after the event started. The numbers should have pretty much evened out by now, but by the last day Easy Mode will probably be the most selected difficulty level for the last map, even if just by a slim margin.
T: Hmm. So this time it's going neatly from Hard to Medium to Easy. And after the Winter Event that foreign heavy cruiser is finally getting her second remodeling!
Ta: Yes. This spring we're going to implement "Zara due", who boasts excellent daytime shelling capabilities.
T: Ooh, "due"! Sounds strong!
Ta: You could say that in a way she's becoming a ship girl with Super Type A cruiser-like armament [1] that has impressive shelling firepower as well as armor.
T: Uh-huh, "Super Type A cruiser"-like......gimme a sec, gotta take notes. Speaking of which, are there any other plans for cruisers as far as second remodellings are concerned?
Ta: We're diligently working on the second remodellings of aviation and light cruisers. Furthermore, we're finally...
T: Finally?
Ta: We're also working on the second remodelling of a capital battleship class. As you might know already, KanColle will celebrate its 4th anniversary this spring, which means it's sailing into its 5th year......
T: Oooh, you mean 'that' battleship? Oh yeah, it's already the 5th year...... KanColle has come pretty far, hasn't it?
Ta: It certainly has. This year we've once again been preparing several new ship girls, new equipment, new game mechanics, and also new collaboration plans. We've prepared collaborations with unique directions, as you might expect from KanColle. I would also like to make progress on the figurine front by finding a spot in the domain that hasn't been covered yet, so to speak.
T: For example?
Ta: For example, as you can see with Kiyoshimo here I've had several seasonal and other designs added for ship girls like the Yūgumo-class, not to mention merchandise like Prize or Nendoroid figurines. This year I would also like to add more ship girls in casual clothing, be it in the game or in collaborations.
T: ...hm? And what's this?
Ta: Oh, this is a character reference of Kiyoshimo we're going to use for figurine promos...... this a structural drawing of her hair from behind. I had Fujikawa prepare it and, uh, come to think of it, I suppose it's her "Waking Up" mode......
T: "Waking Up" mode...... Huh, very interesting...... Yoink! And now it's mine!
Ta: Oh, come on!
T: Oh, don't be like that! It's a litte extra for our readers! Oh, and what's this?
Ta: This is the new equipment......
T: New equipment! Is it a seaplane!?
Ta: Well... I suppose we're entering the realm of fiction here, at least a little bit, but we're going to implement it as an aircraft whose frame was improved so that it can be used even on ships like seaplane tenders. It basically belongs to a series of seaplane fighters that provide aerial support for the fleet. I'm sorry that we're turning the chicken-or-the-egg question on its head here, but for its implementation we might have to improve Shiden Kai with feedback from its upgraded version......
T: Hmm, so it's the next step after the introduction of submarine radar equipments. I see there's a lot of stuff going on, whether it's new in-game features or various collaborations.
Ta: There certainly is. This year I would like to try my hand at collaborations that no other browser game has ever done before, and also stuff that elicits a "Wait, you can actually do that?!?" reaction. Also, this spring the arcade game will see its second event, where a certain ship girl will finally make an appearance!
T: Make sure to tell me when the time comes, I'll be on the lookout in the meantime!
Ta: The fashion items by Avail that'll become available this spring are really cute after all, so I'd like to do something similar with Mitsukoshi, and also introduce other superb Japanese craftsmanship. Not to mention delicious booze and canned food!
T: Sounds promising! KanColle's fourth anniversary and fifth year is drawing near, might as well look forward to it together!
Ta: Gladly!
(Late Feburary 2017, at Kancolle Management Base)
Special Thanks to User:Admiral Mikado for translations and the User:211303 for the scan.
References
- ↑ This implies that Zara's design may be inspired from the Design B-65 Cruiser plans the IJN had planned to give Heavy Cruisers back prior to WWII