The creator of Mario and Nintendo’s prize game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has slammed difficult games saying that in the future successful titles will be those which are primarily fun.

Speaking to weekly Japanese videogame magazine Famitsu, Miyamoto pointed out that there are stronger links between hardcore gamers and casual gamers than one might expect.

"While there are indeed games designed for core and casual markets, core users are also enjoying casual gaming," Miyamoto told the magazine in an interview this week. "It is very hard to tune the difficulty just for the core market."

"Even for us, we would still have difficulty finding the right balance. But I think the future is games that are not difficult and yet very fun to play." Naturally, Miyamoto used the claim to springboard into talking about his forthcoming Wii title Super Mario Galaxy.

"There is this concept I always focus on, which is you have to feel the fun of a game by only trying it - and that concerns Super Mario Galaxy, of course. It is very important that the full fun of the game is being felt in the first stage: 1-1."

Nintendo’s new line of ‘Touch Generations’ DS titles (including Brain Training and Nintendogs) is a clear example of how the company is trying to court both dedicated and casual gamers with its games. Whether Miyamoto succeeds in this aim with the company’s most important game of the year, Super Mario Galaxy, remains to be seen.