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Factor 5 Moves Away From GameCube Development
Thanks to IGN Cube for its article discussing Star Wars: Rebel Strike developer Factor 5's official confirmation that they won't develop any more GameCube titles - apparently, "The studio is currently creating software for other platforms", and, although formerly having very close ties to Nintendo, "at the Game Developers Conference 2004 [Factor 5 president Julian] Eggebrecht was spotlighted as one of the studio heads very keen on Sony PSP development."
Factor 5 is stopping development on *all* current-generation consoles, not just the Gamecube.
... Rogue Squadron 3 didn't do so well for Factor 5. Losing money perhaps?
"Derp de derp."
For the second time in as many days, a GameCube-exclusive studio has revealed it is developing games for other consoles. Yesterday, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes creator Silicon Knights announced the end of its second-party deal with Nintendo, but stressed it was still on good terms with the publisher.
Today, similar noises could be heard emanating from the offices of San Rafael, CA-based Factor 5. Word leaked today that the creator of the Rogue Squadron series--the GameCube's premiere Star Wars franchise--had ceased development for the console. Even though Factor 5 was technically not second-party developer--"We've never been a Nintendo shop," president Julian Eggebrecht told GameSpot--the studio was perceived as such. Its last non-Nintendo game was 1999's Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D for the PC.
However, Eggebrecht was quick to dispel any "doom" that might surround Factor 5's announcement. Echoing Silicon Knights founder Denis Dyack, he emphasized his enthusiasm for Nintendo's future console efforts. "We are extremely excited about both DS and GCNext, so any talk of us abandoning Nintendo platforms altogether is just not true," he told GameSpot.
According to Eggebrecht, the only reason Factor 5 has stopped making GameCube games was that they've abandoned current-generation hardware altogether. "It is simply because we have moved into next-generation development," he said.
As for which future console Factor 5 was creating games for, Eggebrecht was unspecific, saying only "there might be a surprise [announcement] coming from us."
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Man, I hate the media spinning stuff like this into gloom-and-doom Nintendo stories.
Uh... you are WRONG. From the Gamespot story about this - "According to Eggebrecht, the only reason Factor 5 has stopped making GameCube games was that they've abandoned current-generation hardware altogether. "It is simply because we have moved into next-generation development," he said."
"Armed forces abroad are of little value unless there is prudent counsel at home" - Cicero
As usual, IGN is slightly off the mark. According to GameSpot's article, Factor 5 isn't just moving on to "other platforms", which most people would reasonably identify as the PlayStation 2 or the Xbox. Instead, they're moving onto the next round of console and/or portable systems.
According to Eggebrecht, the only reason Factor 5 has stopped making GameCube games was that they've abandoned current-generation hardware altogether. "It is simply because we have moved into next-generation development," he said.
Well... Nintendo aren't dead yet, and I don't think they'll actually "go bust" any time in the immediate future. However, I think Nintendo pulling out of the non-handheld hardware market if their next gen console doesn't do substantially better than the GC did isn't totally implausible.
It's a little unfair to suggest that only invested money matters. Sure, Sony and Microsoft have been able to throw a lot of money behind their consoles and this has helped, but I don't think it's the only, or even the main reason. Sony and (to a lesser degree) Microsoft have been more successful at making use of the benefits of modern technology, taking the console market in new directions and branding themselves to fit a rapidly aging gaming audience. Nintendo, quite frankly, give me the impression that they'd much rather we'd never moved on from the SNES generation of consoles. They're still making essentially the same games, pitched at essentially the same audience (an audience which is perhaps beginning to move on to other things). They've failed to keep many of their second and third party developers interested, so the only big exclusive titles we can look forward to on the GC are basically remakes of 10 year old games.
Of course, competition is a good thing and it'd be sad if the number of major console hardware players was reduced from 3 to 2. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see a 3rd contender appear. I suspect that when Sony are eventually dethroned, it might come from an unexpected direction (who, at the height of the SNES generation, would have believed that Sony would be the company to smash Nintendo's dominance?). Microsoft will probably establish their console family as moderately strong competitors to the Playstation series (the X-Box's first couple of years haven't been great, but MS are learning... and FAST), but I don't see them unseating the PS brand.
Microsoft is known for paying people to try to sway public opionion: info here
It this why, in the last 6-months, Slashdot has had a rash of "Nintendo is Dying" stories?
I'll really know we've been astroturfed if I see a "poor beleagured Nintendo" story.
Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.
Factor 5 Announces Decision to Focus on Next Gen Hardware
"We're excited about future Nintendo consoles," says CEO.
I have a lot of opinions about Cyborgs and Architects
Please don't degrade the Dreamcast by comparing the GameCube to it. The DC had a much more innovative lineup overall, as it's manufacturer wasn't just crapping out rehashes of the same three games ad naseum. They were crushed by justified consumer doubt in SEGA's competence after the 32x, SEGA CD and Saturn fiascos, coupled with the advance info for the PS2 making the DC look underpowered.
Check out my foes list to see who is so retarded that they can't use the signature line!!!
Believe it or not, there's a whole "middle market" out there between the so-cute-it-makes-you-want-to-hurl stuff that Nintendo churls out and Grand Theft Auto. In fact, the vast majority of games don't fall into either of those categories. Just because a game isn't "for kids" doesn't mean it's an ultra-violent slaughter fest.
What I want to know is where are the Gamecube's answers to Gran Turismo, the "proper" Final Fantasy games, KOTOR, MechAssault etc? Excluding remakes (Resident Evil, MGS), the only two "middle market" games exclusive to the Gamecube I can think of that are worth playing are Metroid Prime (which I think is over-rated anyway and crippled by the GC controller) and Eternal Darkness (which is undeniably brilliant).
I know that Nintendo's licenses are cutesy by nature. This stems from the fact that when Nintendo were in their heyday, gaming was seen as something that only kids did. But what's to stop them creating new licenses? I'm not aware of any grand edict that nobody was allowed to make new licenses after about 1995 or so. To be honest, while Nintendo remains so married to its core licenses and keeps churning out endless sequels which might as well be remakes (eg. Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart Double Dash), they're not going to do themselves any favours. Gaming audiences are older now... the original generation of gamers have aged and "new" gamers are as likely to be over 20 than under.
Their "news" is perhaps the most slanted single-report I have ever read or heard in my life. In fact, they used the same type of slanted title with the Silicon Knights story, which they headlined "Silicon Knights breaks up with Nintendo," which would give the impression that they were jumping ship, and it did. Except Silicon Knights isn't leaving Nintendo, and Factor 5 isn't halting relationships with Nintendo or jumping ship, either.
Silicon Knights went 3rd party, and Factor 5 has halted production for all three current generation consoles (They did say they were working on games for the other systems a couple of months back). It doesn't take a genius to see it: Factor 5 is shifting it's focus to next-generation hardware development, not abandoning Nintendo.
It's no wonder Nintendo has a bad image, with the media slanting press releases and news articles the way they've been doing it, I'm amazed they even call themselves GC news sites.
I wish the media would get off of Nintendo's backs. Maybe then, the gaming community would, too.