{"id":70012,"date":"2026-07-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=70012"},"modified":"2026-07-23T18:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T09:14:11","slug":"rhythm-heaven-producer-tsunku-got-several-offers-to-make-similar-games-but-refused-them-because-of-his-indebtedness-to-nintendo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/rhythm-heaven-producer-tsunku-got-several-offers-to-make-similar-games-but-refused-them-because-of-his-indebtedness-to-nintendo\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhythm Heaven producer Tsunku got several offers to make similar games, but refused them because of his \u201cindebtedness to Nintendo\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Rhythm Heaven Groove<\/strong>, the long-anticipated 5th mainline installment in Nintendo\u2019s classic rhythm game series, finally launched on July 2 for the Nintendo Switch. The new title marks the return of the franchise after almost 11 years, and many fans were delighted to see Japanese musician Tsunku, who pitched the original Rhythm Heaven to Nintendo, back as the game\u2019s composer and producer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rhythm Heaven Groove \u2013 Overview Trailer \u2013 Nintendo Switch\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZdMwqKiSeEE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recently, Tsunku published a lengthy <a href=\"https:\/\/note.tsunku.net\/n\/na80922bfff5b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blog post<\/a> about his feelings on Rhythm Heaven Groove, reflecting on the past 11 years leading up to its development and release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the post, Tsunku confesses that, at times, he was under the impression that the series would never get another sequel, thinking that \u201cpopularizing rhythm was much harder than I imagined after all.\u201d However, requests for Rhythm Heaven to get another installment had been coming from fans all around the globe, both via social media and directly to his office, which convinced him that there was still strong demand for the franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The generation \u201cwho spent their formative teenage years playing the Rhythm Heaven series\u201d back in the late 2000s and early 2010s are now working adults, the musician writes. As many of them are also working for video game companies, Tsunku has occasionally been getting offers to create games similar to Rhythm Heaven elsewhere. But while he says he was grateful for the consideration, he ultimately made the decision to refuse all of the offers coming his way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI always believed I would get the opportunity to work with Nintendo on the next Rhythm Heaven, so I politely declined such offers. I\u2019d say it\u2019s my way of showing indebtedness to Nintendo for all the support I\u2019ve received throughout the years,\u201d Tsunku says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1013\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120001.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120001.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120001-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120001-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120001-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in 2014, Tsunku was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and had his vocal cords removed as part of the treatment. This was right around the time he was working on Rhythm Heaven Megamix, and the illness heavily impacted both his work and his mental health. However, seeing Nintendo\u2019s diligent approach to development was one of the reasons he was able to push through the hardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fact that Nintendo never halted development and kept working on the game ahead of its release became one of my beacons of hope. It\u2019s what helped me gain the courage to tell myself, \u2018You can do this!\u2019,\u201d he writes. \u201cWhat I later learned was that Nintendo\u2019s CEO Satoru Iwata had also been battling an illness around that same period\u2026Once again, I extend my deepest condolences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"882\" height=\"497\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 882px) 100vw, 882px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-70015\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120002.jpg 882w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120002-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723-700120002-768x433.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic turmoil of the early 2020s, Tsunku explains that he wanted people to know that \u201cRhythm Heaven Groove was completed amidst turbulent times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBoth me and Nintendo\u2019s Rhythm Heaven development team have grown 20 years older since the release of the first game \u2013 we\u2019re all uncles now. But Rhythm Heaven Groove was a work made by many different generations of people; from our own uncle generation, to the new generation of young staff members who told us, \u2018I played the game on the DS back when I was in elementary school.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rhythm Heaven Groove is available for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Related: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/rhythm-heaven-groove-is-super-popular-with-cats-in-japan-for-some-reason\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rhythm Heaven Groove is super popular with cats in Japan for some reason<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rhythm Heaven Groove producer and composer Tsunku writes about his feelings on the new game and its development. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":70013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:uzrrhkfyjrfdsynj2voztcf2","date":"2026-07-23T15:00:06+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:uzrrhkfyjrfdsynj2voztcf2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mrd43itwku23","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:uzrrhkfyjrfdsynj2voztcf2\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mrd43itwku23\",\"cid\":\"bafyreic4x4vjvmuzwlpdyqa5z4vsomqvysruotbzzufstly7gvhmxkb4c4\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreih6gdv3fgnvazyga3caax63illbpkcjayxjtz2w7qbsrm3jqmcpki\",\"rev\":\"3mrd43iu6eu23\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-70012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - 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