 Why are Kirby spinoffs always so good? With the release of Kirby's Dream Buffet, 2022 is shaping up to be a bumper year for Hal Laboratory's iconic pink mascot. Widely described as full guys but with cake, this new multiplayer title sees Kirby crashing through colourful levels in ball mode, similar to his Rainbow Paintbrush adventure on the Wii U. The developers at Hal Laboratory have a long history of filling Kirby spinoff titles with wild and unexpected ideas, so why do these developers always put so much work into making games outside of the core series so varied and interesting? According to Hal's chief creator, Shinya Kumazaki, the spinoff games aren't mere side projects to keep developers busy and squeeze a little more money from a popular brand. These games are a crucial part of the Kirby creative process. He said, The core titles have an important role as the core of the series, but leave a separate role for the more unrestrained spinoff Kirby titles that are full of surprises you'd never expect to see in a Kirby game. And then these slightly more unusual spinoff Kirby games drive anticipation for the core Kirby games, which helps us get enthusiastic about developing a title that meets those expectations. The series keeps getting bigger as we fill those roles and make it more diverse. In addition to keeping Kirby on everyone's minds, these spinoffs are also an opportunity for training and experimentation. Kumazaki said, With each passing year, the development of Kirby games gets larger in scale and more complicated. Completing smaller games like these is a good experience that gives the younger staff members at Hal Laboratory an opportunity to take up a more active role. Kirby's Blow Out Blast was originally a mini game that came about because we wanted to try out 3D action. A younger director worked hard to develop both that title and Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. This constant training up of younger staff brings in fresh ideas and helps prevent creative burnout. It means that developers at Hal are always excited for the next project because it won't be like anything they've tried before. In an interview with Famitsu, lead programmer Katsuyoshi Sumitomo said, I really want the next thing we create to be called the pinnacle of Kirby games. I'm positive the Kirby series can become even more fun. Design director Ricky Furman agreed, saying, For me personally, I'd really like to make a non-action Kirby spinoff game. We're going to have a wide variety of Kirby coming out in the future. According to Kumazaki, through assigning Kirby developers to work on various side projects, it makes the entire team stronger. They each learn skills that help produce even better games through collaboration. He said, The team is a culmination of the best aspects of the Kirby franchise. Kumazaki believes that good ideas don't come from the top. Instead, collaboration between people with different ideas with all levels of experience within development teams is what makes Kirby shine. He said, I may have made the initial proposal and was responsible for the overall direction of these titles, but the ideas and feedback, the technology and the style, all come together from a variety of people to complete a single Kirby title. So, if you've ever wondered how Kirby developers managed to create so many weird and wonderful games starring everyone's favourite pink puffball, the answer is simple, because they love doing it. The moral of the story then is that creativity can thrive when we all have fun together.