Mobile Suit Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino recently discussed the early days of the franchise with the Oricon website. Tomino described how he originally created Gundam merely "to survive," and how he collaborated with other Sunrise staffers to make the anime a hit. He also discussed the reason he passed the Gundam copyrights on to the Sunrise studio.

Tomino said, "If I alone had kept the Gundam copyrights, I don't think the market would have spread out like it is now." Although he has some mixed feelings, Tomino thought about the longevity of Gundam, and he believes that the decision was in the best interests of the franchise.

In addition, the interview touched on Tomino's work as a best-selling novelist. Tomino said that one reason he became a novelist was he had "wanted to become famous."

Tomino revealed in April that a new project is in development for his Gundam: Reconguista in G television anime series. He later clarified that one film is in development, and the staff has "tentative permission for a second film."

[Via Yaraon!]