Key Publishers Scaling Back GameCube Titles, Zelda Sequel Hints

Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz for its article discussing the list of specific games and publishers going without GameCube support, mentioning: "Joining the swelling ranks of publishers without any Cube titles in their portfolios (which already includes the likes of Acclaim and Eidos) is Lucasarts, which currently has no titles for the platform on its internal schedules." It goes on to note: "While support from Japanese publishers remains strong... Western third-party support for the Cube is facing a serious decline this year." Elsewhere, 1UP reports that a Game Developer's Conference lecture by Nintendo's Eiji Aonuma had oblique news on a GameCube Zelda sequel, since he "showed in his presentation a slide reading 'Wind Waker 2: 2XXX,' so we can expect to play the game within the next 996 years." Aonuma also "strongly hinted at the prospect of a new Legend of Zelda or Zelda-related game for the DS."

Comments

Nintendo hard to work with?

[scumbucket]

I have thought about this for a while. Wasn't the gamecube one of the best selling systems over the past holiday season? Is so you would think publishers would be drooling over game releases for the 'cube.

Or does Nintendo hold some kind of draconian hold over development houses that want to make gamecube games? Restrictive licenses, exorbitant fees, overly complicated SDK's, etc. There are many ways Nintendo could be making it difficult, but you wonder for what purpose?

Re:Nintendo hard to work with?

[BW_Nuprin]

Working on Gameboy Advance games for an American company, we had several games rejected for poor gameplay. I totally agreed with Nintendo, so while my bosses cursed their name and spit blood whilst they did so, myself and my fellow employees secretly lauded them as our saviors - keeping our bosses from forcing us to release whack crap with OUR names on it.

Nintendo saved my resume!

Article is bullshit.

[fondue]

Codemasters have never supported the GC, so how can they pull out?

LucasArts have not dropped the GC, this is pure speculation.

Neither have Ubisoft.

EA are only going to release one football game on the GC this year (FIFA 2005) instead of two. Holy shit, man the lifeboats.

GI.biz and Eurogamer are already well known as sites with a vendetta against the Gamecube.