This was one of a series of ideas I developed at Activision while exploring music and singing-based concepts for the launch of Nintendo’s Wii U. The direction was character-driven, aiming to mix charm, humour and a strong sense of performance.
The idea was to blend child-friendly visuals with expressive, adult-style character animation and audio. From a commercial point of view, it felt like the right fit for Nintendo’s core and family audience, and a chance to do something fresher than the usual karaoke titles. Like any good family-focused product, there was something in it for both adults and children.
The strength of the concept lay in creating a character with broad universal appeal, where animation responded in fun, dynamic ways to the player’s vocals and performance. I also wanted to explore interactive music video experiences that shifted in real time based on how the player was singing or dancing.
Looking back, I think it could have stood out far more than Sing Party, which we eventually shipped. I’ve always believed it’s better to make something interesting and different than to endlessly polish something predictable.
The idea was to blend child-friendly visuals with expressive, adult-style character animation and audio. From a commercial point of view, it felt like the right fit for Nintendo’s core and family audience, and a chance to do something fresher than the usual karaoke titles. Like any good family-focused product, there was something in it for both adults and children.
The strength of the concept lay in creating a character with broad universal appeal, where animation responded in fun, dynamic ways to the player’s vocals and performance. I also wanted to explore interactive music video experiences that shifted in real time based on how the player was singing or dancing.
Looking back, I think it could have stood out far more than Sing Party, which we eventually shipped. I’ve always believed it’s better to make something interesting and different than to endlessly polish something predictable.
