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Nintendo Revolution May Alienate Third Party Developers

Posted by Zonk on from the that's-some-chutzpah-right-there dept.

IGN has an article discussing an interview in which Nintendo President Satoru Iwata talked about the possibility that the Nintendo Revolution's fundamental difference from other offerings may alienate third party developers. From the article: "If the next generation platforms are going to create even more gorgeous looking games using further enhanced functionality, and if that next-gen market can still expand the games industry, then I'm afraid that third-parties may not support Nintendo" Refreshing to hear such an honest assessment from company president.

5 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. GameCube by MonkeyCookie · · Score: 3, Informative

    I remember when the Gamecube came out and there was a rush to get it. I know some of my friends had trouble finding one. It sold out during its initial release, but it wasn't like the popularity of the PS2.

    I think that the XBox came out around the same time, which got a bit more attention, although it didn't sell as well initially.

  2. RTFA, eh? by Suddenly_Dead · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yay for not reading the article. They are basically saying that some third part developers will not like the Revolution, as it will require on their behalf the implementation of the new, secret features of the console. The console is about innovation, and direct ports from other systems won't be as easy because of this (think about the DS, but possibly taken further).

    It also goes to say that some third parties may get totally pulled in by the console, perhaps even shifting their focus to it.

    The third parties will either like it, or think that the console's new features are insane crap and completely dump it. They're being quite honest.

    Iwata once more compared Revolution to Nintendo DS, and said that like its portable the machine could gain the eye of consumers who normally don't care about games. "On the other hand, what we are trying to do is such a different thing, and people have come to realize that the approach we have taken with Nintendo DS can actually expand the market beyond what existing platforms can do. Therefore I believe there should be more third parties who are willing to support Nintendo's new ideas."

    Nintendo's president suggested that third party support for Revolution could depend entirely on whether or not publishers find the console appealing. "If we receive the support of the licensees, I believe we will expand third party support," he said. "If our ideas cannot be appealing enough, then we cannot receive third party support."

    The person who submitted the story to /. just chose to show the negativity.

  3. The Dreamcast was VERY innovative... by Man+In+Black · · Score: 5, Informative
    MS and Sony, and Atari and Sega in their day, all just churn out identikit consoles and handhelds.

    Well, I can't vouch for Sony and Atari, but I won't stand idly by while someone claims that Sega doesn't innovate... This is the same company that released Typing of the Dead, Samba de Amigo, and Seaman for crying out loud. That takes some balls right there. Plus, I'd argue that the Dreamcast was easily one of the more innovative consoles in history. Lets take a look...
    • The Dreamcast was the first console to come with a modem, and pretty much opened the door to online gaming for the unwashed masses. Phantasy Star Online being one of the more popular MMORPGs at the time, and the first to appear on a console.
    • It was also the first system to feature analog triggers on the controller, which seem to be the norm these days. (Actually, this honor should probably be given to the 3D controllers that Sega released for the Saturn... but these were after-market controllers released near the end of the Saturn's life. Plus, the Dreamcast controllers are quite obviously based on their design).
    • They released a microphone that could be used to talk to other people online in Alien Front Online (Take that SOCOM and XBox Live).
    • The Dreamcast can link with the NeoGeo Pocket on a number of games, which could easily be considered inspiration for Nintendo's GC-GBA linking features.
    • The Dreamcast was also the first system (and might still be the ONLY system, I'm not sure) that actually generates a VGA picture internally, thus allowing for easy hookup to a VGA monitor without using an expensive upscan converter.
    • The idea of the VMU was an incredibly unique idea, allowing you to take a little bit of the game with you in the form of minigames, not to mention letting you trade saves away from the console.
    • They also offered a mouse, keyboard, driving wheels, light guns, twin sticks (japan only), and even maracas as controllers.


    If you don't consider all THAT to be innovative, then I really think you'll be disappointed with whatever Nintendo has up their sleeve...
    --
    -"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." -EH
  4. Re:If it's that different.. by MMaestro · · Score: 3, Informative
    Could you please give some example of a way Mario or Zelda has been "innovative" with its titles on GC, or even any titles since going to 3D?

    Since going 3D? Mario 64? Need I say more? Since the GC? Wind Waker's huge ocean world with near no load times and dozens of islands which you could attempt at anytime of your choice (although not necessarily complete.)

  5. Re:If it's that different.. by DamienNightbane · · Score: 2, Informative

    Yeah, it's a shame that Duck Hunt flopped.

    BTW, you're forgetting that Nintendo had the floormat controler idea long before DDR was even a thought.