Report: Japanese publishers switching over to Wii

Namco Bandai, Capcom, and Sega are redirecting resources from Sony and Microsoft projects to Nintendo projects, reports Variety Asia.

According to a report from Variety Asia, Japan's top three third-party publishers are ramping up development for Nintendo's Wii and DS systems, at the expense of rivals Sony and Microsoft. Namco Bandai will reportedly increase Nintendo hardware development by 109 percent to 115 titles, Sega will up its titles by 96 percent to 49, and Capcom titles will rise by 5 percent to 20.

Not only will Nintendo platforms be getting a greater assortment of games, but they will see a greater availability of them as well. Variety Asia says that more than 26.8 million units of Wii, DS, and Game Boy Advance software will ship during Nintendo's 2007 fiscal year. By comparison, 23.3 million units of software for the Sony platform will ship during the same period. Further, Sony machines will see a 30 to 40 percent decrease in shipped units from the three Japanese publishers, while Capcom alone will increase shipments for Nintendo systems by 81 percent to 4.7 million units.

As for the why, Variety Asia states that in addition to the fact the Wii and DS are trouncing the competition in the North American and Japanese markets, development costs are lower for Nintendo's hardware.

The report also states that another Japanese software giant, Square Enix, does not plan to develop any new titles for the PlayStation 3 until the console's installed base rises enough to make increased next-gen development costs worthwhile. However, Variety Asia made no mention that the company has several PS3 projects currently in development, including Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII. Square Enix's president and CEO, Yoichi Wada, recently called the Xbox 360 and PS3 "over-engineered" and "mismatched" to gamers needs in a Financial Times report.

630 Comments

  • quincy0191

    Posted Jul 12, 2007 2:18 pm PT

    I do not currently own a Wii, despite being a huge Nintendo fan (this is because of my weird thing about not playing something until I own in, and I'm waiting for the black Wii), but I can relate the experience of my friend Logan, who played Wii Sports Tennis. The guy was jumping up and down and yelling at the top of his lungs. I swear, if the Wii is half as fun to play as he made it seem, then there should be a Wiiligion. Just watching him as he played it was fun. Gotta love Nintendo at least for bringing innovation and style if not for their pure awesomeness.

    Oh, and you Sony fanboys: You actually do have to acknowledge Nintendo's innovation because of the blatant rip-off Sony pulled with their motion-sensing controller. X360 fans have no obligation, but it would be nice to hear them admit it too.

  • --ProtoMan--

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 9:09 pm PT

    YukoAsho

    I agree with you about the original model GBA. It really didn't bother to correct problems that had plagued the GB and GBC.

    I think you have valid points when you talk about Sony's role in expanding gaming. I may not like Sony on the whole, but I cannot deny that they have been highly influential over the last 12 years.

    I just don't like generalizations, and I don't like when you tell me that not accepting your word is a "fallacy." I have been solely supporting Nintendo for years, and I have never bought multiple versions of the same system. I like Nintendo's games and systems, but don't mistake this as "blind devotion." I realize that Nintendo is out to make as much money as possible, and I also realize that they have some glaring weaknesses. (You might want to read my second blog entry, which deals with these issues.)

    I seem to be part of a minority of gamers who haven't lost interest in (and mainly enjoy) non-violent and/or non-mature games. Personally, I would much rather play Banjo-Kazooie than Halo or Tekken. However, I understand that many other American males are attracted towards the latter types of games, and so I give Sony credit for utilizing this to gain great success.

  • fenriz275

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 8:46 am PT

    This doesn't surprise me. The 360 never caught on with gamers in Asia and the PS3 is just way too expensive. The Wii is selling faster than Nintendo can make them. Pretty logical decision for developers to make imo.

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 8:33 am PT

    --ProtoMan-- I don't know... Gaming was, by all accounts, a throwaway hobby that children were expected to "grow out of" before the PlayStation came along. I doubt we'd have as many people older than 15 playing videogames were it not for Sony's marketing of gaming as something that can be acceptable for adults. To say that the market's growth beyond young children isn't due mostly to Sony is a fallacy.

    As to Nintendo's repackaging handhelds, it's hardly an assumption. We've all heard the stories of people "trading up" from previous versions of the same handheld. This was perhaps worst with the GBA, which was simply the worst handheld ever in its' original iteration. Sorry, but Castlevania: Circle of the Moon was pretty much unplayable. Throw in a backlight and a folding design and print some money. Nintendo fans' willingness to put up with that nonsense is well documented. Don't think we've ever heard about that with consoles that offer no functional difference from their bretheren (Well, 'cept maybe the Pikachu N64, but that was obviously a collector's edition).

    Again, let's not take this to say I dislike Nintendo. 138 hours on Pokemon Pearl would easily suggest otherwise. I just think that the blind devotion of fanboys sometimes obscures the company's faults.

    And yeah, I'm definately willing to buy that 360 sales are being augmented by people replacing out-of-warranty broken consoles (and for that matter, consoles that were banned from Live for modding).

  • DEMONiAM

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 8:28 am PT

    Yay, lets all switch over to a console that Nintendo can not produce enough to meet the demand of. You still can not find a new Wii in my state!!!

  • StarDust666

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 3:41 am PT

    i never had a problem with all past Nin consoles. with the ps1, the laser keep screwing up and i have to buy 2 more after that. i reckon if the ps1 didnt stuffed up frequently, it wouldnt have reached 100m. same with ps2, the dvd drive or laser are not that well built. the xb is not too bad, but error in reading disc sometime. the GC is a piece of hardware quality, it was smashed on the ground and cracked open but it still works to this day! i find that the 360 is getting too hot, im fearing it can cause a fire or worse. i got offered to have the ps3 for few weeks but declinced cos whats on offer cos the 360 are way much better. Wii isnt bad at all. it felf like ball and chain is off my hands. there are more people play games to; don't you think that the population have doubled since the 90's? and consoles are getting cheaper (beside the ps3)?? At launch; the NES costs about $400, SNES $400, N64 $400, GC $400, Wii $400. think about inflations, intrest ect... Nin cosoles are getting cheaper. i remem ps1; $700, saturn $800, Nec pcfx $1000 (and i got one (piece of crap))! here comes the exodus... whats an average $$$ to produce a game for ps3 (original one's)?? for the wii, you can always use the GC kit... go figure

  • redalertgamer

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 12:06 am PT

    ... the wii is not a fad n its here to stay now about sales thts a diff story but if there are games being made for it(im srry good games*) it will continue to rise in popularity and sales im overjoyed to c tht finally nintendo is getting sum more third-party support

  • --ProtoMan--

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:20 pm PT

    @ YukoAsho

    I agree with most of the things you say, but it seems as though we are going a bit off-topic.

    My main point in giving sales figures was to show that gaming was not in a "super-small niche" in the mid 90s. I mean to prove that lots of people were playing games years before Sony came along. I'm not denying the success of the PlayStation; I'm just saying that calling 90s gaming a niche is a bit of an exaggeration.

    I also don't think that we can start assuming that lots of people buy multiple versions of the same system. By that same token, one could assume that people replaced their Sony systems multiple times and greatly affected the sales--or that they also bought PSOne and the slim PS2. One could even say that people bought all three versions of the Genesis or both versions of the NES and SNES or every color of N64... or that Xbox 360 sales are high because people have to replace their broken ones.

    If we are going to start assuming things, you can see how this debate could get out of hand. I'm sure that there are some little kids who are easily duped by Nintendo, but don't make generalizations like that and then claim that it is one of the main reasons why Nintendo has sold so many handhelds.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 7:25 pm PT

    @ LP_beats_Led_Z

    After playing RE4 for the Wii I am thoroughly convinced the controls or some variation of it, will be the industry standard in the next couple of years. Good luck on your future reality.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 7:14 pm PT

    YukoAsho said @ snoman99991 - What? It was the original PlayStation (and to a lesser extent the Genesis) that broke gaming out of its' super-small niche in the mid-90s)
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The argument was about nintendo contributing to "breaking gaming out of it's super small niche." Not price or accessibility. When you look at gaming as a whole there is little room to argue aginst the fact that Nintendo has done more for the industry than any of these other companies combined, unfair business practices or not. In response to this comment I made, "Thanks for throwing every developer out there under the bus by implying that they some how need Nintendo's creative genius to develop games."--You yourself said and I quote, "You're telling me they don't? ----As far as people willing to buy multiple versions of Nintendo's product; it's simply a testament to it's quality, playability and value. As a videogame company that should be your ultimate goal.

  • LP_beats_Led_Z

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 6:35 pm PT

    This won't matter in the long run. The Wii is a fad and as soon as it dies all the third parties will stop supporting it.

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 6:28 pm PT

    Geto - That has more to do with the fact that the portable market is a great place for games under $20 new. Systems are at the most $150, and games rarely go over $35. Not only that, but (and I know the Wii fanboys are gonna give me crap for this) a lot of Game Boy (and DS) sales are likely attributable to the same people buying the hardware multiple times. Nintendo's consumer base is more than willing to buy multiple versions of the same hardware with minimal improvement, and that helps Nintendo immensely.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 3:38 pm PT

    ProtoMan

    If Nintendo made another standard machine with better graphics and a high price, they would be getting killed by MS and Sony.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    There it is. You are wise beyond your years friend. People just don't understand how that could have happened. It happened for 2 generations. Nintendo did their homework regrouped and is now creaming the competition. They were not desperate. They had to reinvent the wheel to survive as an organization. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    @YukoAsho--

    I also know a lot of people who didn't own consoles back in the day that only had gameboys. When you're talking about getting people to play games neither Sega nor Sony can hold a torch to Nintendo.

  • GabuEx Site moderator

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 3:02 pm PT

    @ dark_phoenix21:

    "Its funny how you get used to things when you have them for a while. Like awesome graphics."

    Speak for yourself. I still play NES games to this day because they are still awesome.

  • fugori

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 1:24 pm PT

    And the notion that Nintendo lacks third party support continues to face extinction...

  • ReeceBrown

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 11:00 am PT

    Big N strikes again!

  • Shmiity

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:41 am PT

    Freaking Finally, the Wii game selection sucks, finally it gets some support.

  • dark_phoenix21

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:40 am PT

    Xbox 360 and PS3 overengineered? Im sorry, but I'd rather play games that look really good and play well than look pretty rubbish and play reasonably well. Even playing some old xbox/ps2 games dont appeal to me as much as they did because some of the graphics make my eyes hurt. Its funny how you get used to things when you have them for a while. Like awesome graphics.

  • --ProtoMan--

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:38 am PT

    I agree about the importance of value over graphics to the majority of consumers. PS1 and PS2 have already proven that graphics don't make the system. PS2 was like a game console and DVD player in one--a pretty good deal.

    Nintendo had to make the Wii. N64 and GC both stuck to the industry standard, and both lost. If Nintendo made another standard machine with better graphics and a high price, they would be getting killed by MS and Sony.

  • budsaq

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:33 am PT

    i play my ps3 way more than my Wii
    maybe now, some cool new software will be released and i'll finally have another reason to plug that little white box back in

    its about time

  • bigcrusha

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:22 am PT

    This is exactly why the Wii will win. These days people are convinced that graphics must be over edge for a console to be successful but that's not the case. The Wii offers a cheap alternative in which you can have fun. It's the consumers financial situation that matters. The truth is that the next gen console must also include "price tag concept" to be considered next gen. Wii is getting the third-party support it deserves because it understands the most important element. Value....

  • darkzerogamer

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 9:38 am PT

    So I guess with the sucess of the Wii gaming graphics will take a back seat this generation... just like VHS was more popular but had a inferior picture quality than BETA....

  • methehacker

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 7:49 am PT

    the only problem Bandai, Capcom and the rest have is that they have to spend more money on making nextgen games, while making less profit cuz ps3 is not owned by as many ppl who own nintendo consoles... things like "over-engineered" and " mismatched" are just a bunch of excuses for the public

  • StarDust666

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 4:31 am PT

    by christmas; what is a ps3?? what is blu ray?? 'over-engineered' just like everything these days... sony has fallen in its own trap. the next one gotta be better, stronger, bigger ... just look at pokemon for example, it dosnt have a kick butt cg intro, it dosnt cost million $$$ to make .the game don't even use pixel shader for the rendering and it sold millions. if i were a developer, i'd do the same. games are going to cost more to produce. it has to sell x amount to cut even or you're screwed. these company out there to make $ not to pleased the hardcores. hey, the ps is not even a sony's idea... its payback time! people says what if when Nintendo run out of ideas and people got bored with the wii mote? aint sony is the one riding on the same idea for too long? whats the different between the ps1 through to the ps3 (beside more polygons and pixel counts)? don't you people getting bored playing the same over and over again? Grand Turisimo 1 and 2, Gt 3 and 4, tomb raider 1 to 3... same game play, same graphics, same same....

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 4:22 am PT

    getoconnection - No one's going to deny the impact Super Mario Bros. (the NES' pack-in game) had on saving the North American gaming industry, however their dominance over the Sega Master system in this region was as much due to anti-competitive business practices as anything else (the Master System and MSX both enjoyed success outside of the US).

    Proto - It's worth remembering that the Genesis found most of its success in the west. Much like the Xbox and 360, the console was almost completely rejected in the land of the rising sun, mainly due to a dearth of RPGs and an abundance of action and sports games. A system that is completely rejected in Japan is going to have dwarfed numbers compared to systems that are accepted worldwide, which would make the later failure of the Gamecube worldwide all the more striking.

  • smoothn00dle

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 2:36 am PT

    I never doubt Big N.. It is the media make a big deal out of it. Look N64 and Gamecube are not a failure. They both made a lot of profit for Big N but compare to some look poor. That is all.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 9:20 pm PT

    YukoAsho
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Ya know Yuko, Nintendo brought home gaming back from the brink of annihilation. Sony rode the backs of Square to the top. Ya gotta give respect were respect is due.

  • --ProtoMan--

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 9:18 pm PT

    I think he is referring to what's happening now, with Nintendo's marketing towards casual gamers.

    I do believe that PS1 is the best-selling console ever (100 million units), but the Genesis only sold 29 million.

    However, considering that NES sold 60 million units (in a similar timeframe to PS1) and SNES sold 49 million, I wouldn't call gaming in the 90s a "super-small niche." And what exactly did Genesis do?

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 8:14 pm PT

    snoman99991 - What? It was the original PlayStation (and to a lesser extent the Genesis) that broke gaming out of its' super-small niche in the mid-90s)

  • 123625

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 3:31 pm PT

    Nice news fo the Big N if sales like this continue for the wii the ps3 might be the what we might call this generations new gamecube

  • snoman99991

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 3:07 pm PT

    You see. The real strength of Nintendo is how they make new people play games.

    If you round up 500 people back in the mid 80's, I doubt very many would have played a video game ever.

    If you round up 500 people now, I can promise you almost all of them have played a video game at some point in their life.

    Why do you think that is? Sure, Atari was nice, but Nintendo upgraded the playing style by adding the D-Pad and buttons into a nice interface. Then they upgraded it again with Joysticks to beat out Sega. And then they created Gamecube's controller which couldn't emulate the double joystick advantages of the other systems.

    The only place Nintendo failed was where they failed to create something that made gaming better as an experience. Nintendo failed to oust the competition when both the controller and the console didn't do enough to improve gaming against other systems. But now we're back where Nintendo used to be before the cube. Once again, Nintendo is changing how we play. More and more people get drawn to something different when they're used to the norm.

    If I wanted two joysticks, two or more shoulder buttons, a start button, a select button, and four normal buttons to do everyday gaming processes, I would simply pick up any microsoft or sony game and be happy. But it's not very simple for people who don't normally play games. And yes, maybe gamers are a big group. But non-gamers are a bigger group. And it's very much economically viable to appeal to that.

    Consoles sell today because the market grew. Games got more expensive to make, so industry leaders had to expand the market and the demand to compensate.

    Where are we today? The exact same thing. How is Nintendo compensating? By expanding the market (which will eventually be more hardcore gamers through experience). How is Microsoft compensating? By offering an uncomparable online experience. How is Sony compensating? By driving up standard hardware prices and forcing a format that is largely unproven.

    See through the BS. Sony is making far too many wrong moves to compete at this level.

  • Kosai_Avonej

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 10:01 am PT

    Bad choice, that thing is gonna get killed when XBOX 360 and PS3 really start flying.

  • --ProtoMan--

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 7:25 am PT

    @ mrfrieze

    Actually, the only reason I down the PS3 is because people like you get on here and start downing the Wii simply because it is doing well. Like you, I don't want to see a system fail.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 1:09 am PT

    mrfrieze......*shakes head*

    I'm done with you. Why can't you accept the fact that no one wants to buy a 600 dollar system? It's not about being able to afford the darn thing. You really don't know how ugly this thing is for Sony do you? Now they are saying because of the RAM the games tend to run a little sloppy compared to the 360. (1up.com-read the Madden previews) If they lower the price they will slide into loosing more money on an already expensive endeavor. With GTA having exclusive content for the 360 it's just a matter of time before the predicament degenerates even further for Sony. For every one Sony fan waiting to buy a PS3 when the price drops there are 10 people who want to play the next GTA/Madden on the cheapest system ie the 360 when the price drops for it. That is the reality. I don't see how you can think $600 was the way to go for Sony.

  • ChinoJamesKeene

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 12:53 am PT

    Its good new for me at least. Lets hope they produce real games that push the system and standards up.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 12:52 am PT

    YukoAsho

    When you as a developer don't anticipate a system is going to do well you tend to throw something together last minuet when it turns out the other way around. I remember when the PS1 came out there were only a few gems amongst a mountain of crap titles because 3d gaming was new. I hardly see the Wii as being any different. As far as ports go every system has a multitude of ported games. It's up to the developers to make the port on the Wii a unique experience. I HATED RE4 controls when I bought it for the Wii. It was frustrating just trying to look around let alone aim. But, as with regular controllers, I got past the learning curve. I can walk, look around and aim all at once while scratching my face with the hand I use to hold the nun chuck. The fact of the matter is you don't know whats going to be at E3. These systems haven't been out a year and because Nintendo has jump out on an early lead Sony fans feel a need to bash everything Nintendo to give themselves reassurance about the PS3's fledgling posture this generation. I will eventually get around to playing every game I want to play no matter who develops it. I just can't give some folks a pass for flaming someone who wants to play something different no matter how crappy they may think the game is. BTW. Nintendo has been quietly creating new franchises. The gaming world hasn't been listening hard enough. It's no wonder they left the Gamecube components in tacked. Look how hard it is for the X360 and PS3 to do backward compatibility. There were some awesome games on the Cube. Now everyone will get to experience those games and when those obscure franchises hit the Wii people will buy them. I said it once and I'll say it again. Nintendo hasn't been in the gaming business for 20 plus years "just getting by." They know gaming and if Sony isn't careful they will find themselves exiting videogames. They don't have the "same four franchises to rely on" the way Nintendo does.

  • mrfrieze

    Posted Jul 1, 2007 12:22 am PT

    dekasuperlink Well im sorry but that's my last name, and your the first person every to say it's lame. But I guess your trying to poke fun and that's all you can come up with so I forgive you. By the way your names not so hot either. Protoman, na I prefer to keep my playstation and I would not expect the system to get pulled off the selfs, they are into deep and do what ever they have to do to keep it going, maybe you wont pay the 600 dollar price tag because you cant and you rather down it because you cant afford to buy it and your only choice is the wii, so now your on the Nintendo bandwagon because thats your only option. I don't want the wii to die, I bought the thing why would I wish harm to something that I've all ready supported but all im saying it's not going to be most peoples main system and more software will be bought on the 360 and ps3. The wii will have a good running streak but it's not going to last. If developers want to up the soft ware support for the wii then fine but i don't think they should hold back on the other two. Wait for the big name games to come out and we will see the sales numbers rise. My prediction in the next 3 to 5 years the ps3 will be ahead of the pack with the 360 not too far behind.

  • --ProtoMan--

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 10:30 pm PT

    YukoAsho

    I give Nintendo some credit for creating the Brain Age and Brain Academy series--although I have no interest in playing them, I think a lot of other people do. Plus, Nintendo has recently put out Advance/Battallion Wars, Golden Sun, and Fire Emblem games (in North America). However, you are right that they tend to push their "big four" franchises and give others little fanfare--which isn't fair, because a lot of those games are just as good as anything out there.

    On the other hand, I see a good franchise as kind of a "Seal of Quality"--like, I think I can assume that SSBB and SMG will both be pretty good games because of what has come before. I also believe that Halo 3 will be pretty good because of what I've seen from Halo 1 & 2. I think people, including myself, buy franchise games because they know what they're getting for their money.

    Look at the summer blockbusters: Spider-Man 3, Pirates 3, The Simpsons Movie, Fantastic Four 2, Shrek 3, Harry Potter 5. People know exactly what they're going to see in these films.

    Please, don't think that I'm against creativity. Series like Mario and Zelda originally got popular because of their creativity, but have often gone on to repeat themselves. It's time for some develper to step up and make a "Super Mario Bros." for this generation.

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 8:59 pm PT

    "Yuko, being a fellow 360 owner I usually respect your post but this one surprises me. Being a 360 owner I can probably safely say you are waiting for Halo. I know I am. But what if the game blows hard? You sound just like the Sony fan that says "Halo looks like crap, it's not going to be good" How can you sit there and say how bad Boogie is going to be when it's not even out yet??"

    It's another in a crowded genre on the Wii, though I will give it credit for at least incorporating microphone support... That'll be interesting if nothing else.

    "This game is coming from EA originator of The Sims."

    I didn't know the game was being developed by EA Maxxis. I thought those guys were busy with Duke Nukem Fore- erm, Spore.

    "How many people said that game would be crap? I know you think the Wii is a gimmick but c'mon."

    I certainly see potential in the Wii. I'm just dissapointed that none of said potential is being used yet. My favorite games on the system are Pokemon Battle Revolution, a clone of Pokemon Stadium, and Resident Evil 4, a GameCube port.

    "Thanks for throwing every developer out there under the bus by implying that they some how need Nintendo's creative genius to develop games."

    You're telling me they don't? Look at the games 3rd parties are putting out on the Wii. With the exception of Rayman Raving Rabbids and Resident Evil 4, how many of them are of any quality, as opposed to being thrown together messes like Medal of Honor Vanguard and Tiger Woods PGA 07. 3rd parties have shown themselves to be incredibly disingenuous on the Wii, just like on the DS, content to throw out cheap-to-produce crap that doesn't need to sell to more than a few suckers to make a profit. With upcoming ports of Tomb Raider Anniversary and Driver Parralel Lines (!), the trend doesn't seem to be stopping. Of course, 3rd parties tend to be very "me-too" like on other systems, but I'll touch on that near the end of this post.

    "Continuing franchises is what makes a company unique. You have something that no one else in the world has. You saying Nintendo needs to stop relying on their franchise is like me saying I need to stop relying on food to live. How else would they be able to operate without the big three? Is MS going to make games for them? Sony? You? Really if they bring out Wii Sports 2 tomorrow it would be like 88 (SMB3) all over again. What's wrong with that?"

    You're misinterpreting what I've said. I'm not saying never to release another game in these series again. Quite the contrary, I love the new Pokemon games on the DS and Wii. However, Nintendo needs to show some new IP as well. The last new IP that Nintendo has given a major push was Pokemon, which was over a decade ago. If Nintendo can make Wii Sports a long-standing franchise, that's a start, but they can't continue to make the same four franchises exclusively and expect to pull in new audiences. It's very much the same problem Microsoft has. Thanks to the Xbox systems' reputation as being basically the "Halo box," what do we see the most on the 360? FPS games. It's sickening how many FPS games are shoved onto the system, including drek like Hour of Victory, because the 360 is basically defined by one game. While Nintendo at least is defined by four games as opposed to one, it's easy to see where this lack of diversity can hinder the market expansion Nintendo claims to seek.

  • dekasuperlink

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 5:42 pm PT

    mrfrieze, man your name's lame, everyone has preferences whether they want to or not. That is why bias is a universal word that amounts to labels in the end. Getoconnection give it up. As mrfrieze, yeah, said, he is just someone who favors being a Sony or MS fanboy. Honestly, The games graphics, areas, and presentation may improve, but the game play will always be the same garbage, resistance is a testament to that fact. It costs more to develop games, down sizing has to be done just for conpanys to afford to develop a game, most have problems with just developing with the kit, they lose millions of dollars when the game dosen't sell well. I heart progress mrfrieze. By the way, Amen JWALLACE.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 4:20 pm PT

    mrfrieze

    Getoconnection, I really dont care your tying to label me a serious and apparently Im less serious about this crap than you are, all this does for me is provide me with a few min of entrainment where you seem to get in on every ones post, so now who's being more serious. You should be more like jwallace YukoAsho mcgillhonger. These people make senses. dont have their head up Nintendo's butt. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    A few minuets...ha! Would it make you feel better if I said the Wiimote is a gimmick, the Wii is going to die because of it's last gen graphics, Mario/Zelda/Metroid suck because they are relics of a bygone era, and developers shouldn't make games for Nintendo because they will ultimately suck? Do you want me to be a Sony sheep? I play all games. I don't care when I play them, where I play them or how I play the them. Do you honestly think Nintendo fans won't play MGS? I won't pay $600 to play. Maybe next gen I'll get a chance to play if Sony doesn't stop producing the PS3 all together. It doesn't look to good for them. Maybe you could sell me yours used.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 3:58 pm PT

    newgames128

    Thanks, greedy game developers for putting profit before product.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Would it make you happy if there were just 3 major developers out there besides Sony Nintendo and MS. Well thats the type of scenario we would have in the next couple of years if it weren't for the Wii/DS.

  • mrfrieze

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 3:42 pm PT

    Getoconnection, I really dont care your tying to label me a serious and apparently Im less serious about this crap than you are, all this does for me is provide me with a few min of entrainment where you seem to get in on every ones post, so now who's being more serious. You should be more like jwallace YukoAsho mcgillhonger. These people make senses. dont have their head up Nintendo's butt.

  • newgames128

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 3:41 pm PT

    It's disappointing that developers are abandoning the only two systems worth having these days. Who the hell cares about the gimmicky Wii besides non-gamers and those looking for nostalgia playing console classics? The system has no room for improvement after devs run out of ideas for the wiimote, as a Sega rep has already said. Either more people start buying 360's and PS3's or gaming advancement looks to be dead. Thanks, greedy game developers for putting profit before product.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 3:03 pm PT

    jwallace

    - Japanese developers are simply going to where the potential for revenue gains are: the Nintendo Wii and DS.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Nintendo was the author of it's own fortunes. Wii owners do not say the Wii is a "better system." Nintendo created a wider gaming market that has the potential to get bigger than the current one consisting of nothing but "hardcore" gamers. The Wii's fortunes could change but look at how many users now associate family fun with the Nintendo brand.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 2:52 pm PT

    YukoAsho

    @Wii fans
    Could you please stop prancing and preening because people are buying the system. Face it, the only things it has going for it are price and Wii Sports. Other than that, the games either appeal to traditional Nintendo demographics (Pokemon Battle Revolution) are ports from the previous generation (Zelda), or are crappy minigames (Boogie). Of those, only games that appeal to Nintendo's die-hard sell in large numbers. 3rd party game sales aside from Rayman and Red Steel are nonexistent, in part because everyone's waiting for Nintendo to come up with a new idea that's never been done before so they can copy it. Until Nintendo stops relying on Zelda, Pokemon, Mario and Metroid exclusively, and until people stop buying the system for Wii Sports and never buying another game again, you're just showing off Nintendo's ability to generate tons of dead-end sales.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Yuko, being a fellow 360 owner I usually respect your post but this one surprises me. Being a 360 owner I can probably safely say you are waiting for Halo. I know I am. But what if the game blows hard? You sound just like the Sony fan that says "Halo looks like crap, it's not going to be good" How can you sit there and say how bad Boogie is going to be when it's not even out yet?? This game is coming from EA originator of The Sims. How many people said that game would be crap? I know you think the Wii is a gimmick but c'mon. Thanks for throwing every developer out there under the bus by implying that they some how need Nintendo's creative genius to develop games. Continuing franchises is what makes a company unique. You have something that no one else in the world has. You saying Nintendo needs to stop relying on their franchise is like me saying I need to stop relying on food to live. How else would they be able to operate without the big three? Is MS going to make games for them? Sony? You? Really if they bring out Wii Sports 2 tomorrow it would be like 88 (SMB3) all over again. What's wrong with that?

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 2:32 pm PT

    "mrfrieze

    getoconnection, does it make you feel more like a man to sit there and bash my writing?"

    Not really, I already told you how immature it is to sit here all day everyday and argue with you. I'm not bashing your writing. I'm bashing your baseless conjectures. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    "When really I dont care what you have to say, I thougth it was about games and the wii and how great the wii is compared to everything else out right now becuase it's selling better than the other two."
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    If you didn't care you wouldn't be posting today. It was never about "how great the Wii is." It was all about your inability to see someone else's point of view. The way you are bashing the Wii is like me saying "the PS3 has poor graphics." We all know this isn't true, but there are some PS3 games out there that actually have poor graphics...see how I turned that around. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Not they way I choose to handel some guy on a power trip. Just keep thinking your something becuase you spend most of your free time on the net, you should get out more your looking a little pale."
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I never said I was "something." In fact, I flamed myself a couple of times in earlier post. That is the difference between you and I. I don't take myself serious. Neither do I take playing videogames serious because seriously playing videogames is like playing with toys. You can't stand the fact that Nintendo has reached the inner child in the adult mind. As big as MS and Sony are they didn't care about games enough to put together focus groups to figure out what makes the "inner gamer" in people tick. Nintendo has figured it out. They deserve every bit of glory they are reaping right now. Live with it.

  • jwallace

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 2:28 pm PT

    @ YukoAsho: very well said, and you didn't use the round-about approach to correcting Wii dissidents like I did. Continuing to bash consoles based on preference only gets us nowhere and basically adds to Gamespot's reputation of having mad, raving console fanboy lunatics all over the site.

    It's thanks to all of the fanboys that I finally have an editorial. Back on topic: To be blunt, we're talking about consoles, as in non-essential platforms that alleviate the stress of our daily lives. I just can't understand why this article led to dissention in the first place - Japanese developers are simply going to where the potential for revenue gains are: the Nintendo Wii and DS. For those who complained about the Wii's lack of quality titles, the issued could be solved in mere months and perhaps spur PS3 and 360 owners to place a Wii beside their primary system (if they haven't already). The Japanese can no longer handle the near-extinct overseas market presence of the Xbox 360 nor can they justify the great expense of the PS3 given the low marketshare, high costs of development and almost no monteary return. It's called macroeconomics.

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Jun 30, 2007 1:31 pm PT

    I'm personally tired of all sides of this stupid, pointless argument.

    @PS3 fanboys
    The most powerful system is almost never the winner of a system war. The only notable exception is the Super NES, and that had more to do with SEGA's complete and total incompetance than the strength of the SNES or its' linup. While power doesn't exactly preclude victory, the idea that relying on power alone will accomplish the task is a fallacy. Games are what's needed, and the PS3 hasn't got any.

    @360 fans
    Your system is dead in Japan. Whlie Capcom will continue to put out quality titles, they're only doing so as part of a huge globalization strategy. Japanese companies aren't going to do a lot of big-budget games unless Microsoft is funding the project, simply because the market in Japan isn't there, and won't be there this generation. And spare me the whole "multimedia" angle, since only 14% of users even use the thing for movies. Gamers want consoles, not set-top boxes.

    @Wii fans
    Could you please stop prancing and preening because people are buying the system. Face it, the only things it has going for it are price and Wii Sports. Other than that, the games either appeal to traditional Nintendo demographics (Pokemon Battle Revolution) are ports from the previous generation (Zelda), or are crappy minigames (Boogie). Of those, only games that appeal to Nintendo's die-hard sell in large numbers. 3rd party game sales aside from Rayman and Red Steel are nonexistent, in part because everyone's waiting for Nintendo to come up with a new idea that's never been done before so they can copy it. Until Nintendo stops relying on Zelda, Pokemon, Mario and Metroid exclusively, and until people stop buying the system for Wii Sports and never buying another game again, you're just showing off Nintendo's ability to generate tons of dead-end sales.

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