Postmortem: Capcom's Okamiden

In 2006, Okami launched on the PlayStation 2 to widespread critical acclaim. It won more than 30 critical awards and praise for game design amongst all global gaming media.

Then in 2008, Okami launched on the Nintendo Wii system, also with strong critical acclaim -- but both the Wii version and the PS2 original garnered relatively little commercial success.
Without overwhelming sales for support, and in the wake of the closing of original series creator Clover Studios, the prospect of another title in the Okami universe seemed doubtful.
Vocal fans were hungry for more sunshine and wolf-god adventure. Luckily, there was a talented and dedicated team at Capcom that was eager to see a new game from the Okami franchise, too.
In 2009, a small passionate team at Capcom developed a unique vision of how to continue the brand exclusively on the Nintendo DS system. The first announcement of Okamiden came in April 2010; no longer was the gaming community wondering if there was going to be a follow up game in the Okami franchise.
Okamiden launched September 2010 in Japan and March 2011 in the pan-Western territories on the Nintendo DS. Making the vivid, colorful world of Okami portable and appealing to the globe wasn't all sunshine and cherry blossoms during development. Here are some of the notable successes and challenges that occurred during the development and localization process, as recollected by Okamiden director Kuniomi Matsushita and producer Motohideo Eshiro.