So, I thought I'd make this the first in a series of threads. The idea is that each "What If:" thread proposes a circumstance, not as speculation that it's actually happening, but as something that could be happening. People then comment on what details they'd like it to have. So if it was a "What If: Nintendo is in talks with a major publisher for exclusivity for multiple franchises", people would discuss which publisher they'd like it to be, and which franchises they'd like to see included. It doesn't mean that such talks are happening, but there's nothing ruling out the possibility that they're happening. Polls may be included if it is felt that a poll is appropriate for the specific proposition.
Please avoid discussions around "it's not happening". These threads aren't intended as "here's what I think is happening", but as speculation around what we'd like to see in a specific case proposed in the thread.
I'm happy for anybody else to use the same topic tag for similar threads of their own.
For this thread, the proposition is that Nintendo has an FPS title (along the lines of a Goldeneye, a CoD, a Halo, etc) currently in development. The title would be set to be a new exclusive IP for Nintendo consoles, but whether it's developed in-house, made by one of their second-parties as a fully Nintendo-owned IP, or developed in partnership with a third party publisher with co-ownership, or any other similar arrangement, is up to you. It's also up to you whether you want to approach this as a "This is what I'd have Nintendo do if I were in Iwata's place" or "This is what I want to see as a gamer" or "This is what I think is the most plausible case".
There are two cases I'd like to see. The first is the motivating thought for this thread, while the second is something I've wanted to see for a few years now.
1. Nintendo partnering with Activision to have Treyarch develop a new franchise specifically for Nintendo consoles. While taking some of its cues from Treyarch's own CoD titles, it would be developed with an eye to having its own identity with its own main protagonist and a setting a little different from what is currently available in the FPS space. Nintendo would have Retro play a role in overseeing the project, providing them with art direction support as well as assistance in development where required (this would be semi-independent from Retro's newest project - I'd like to see Metroid Prime 4, but that's a discussion for another day).
Viewed as an attempt to make a Nintendo equivalent to Halo, the goal would be to have the new IP be a series that would get a new game every few years, perhaps timed to be released one or two years after each Treyarch CoD title (since Activision is now doing a three-year-cycle for development of CoD games). And it would be co-owned by Activision (more specifically, Treyarch), thereby strengthening Nintendo's relationship with the publisher.
This could, plausibly, explain the absence of CoD (because Treyarch, who have been the ones to port every CoD so far to Nintendo consoles, would be busy with the new project and their own CoD, and wouldn't be able to also port Advanced Warfare), and also explain why maps for Black Ops 2 and Ghosts have started to show up (because if they're growing their Wii U team, that would be a good way to get the new members used to development on Wii U).
2. Nintendo enlisting the work of High Voltage Software, again for development of a new franchise specifically for Nintendo consoles. In this case, Nintendo would own the rights but HVS would have a firm agreement that they would be the necessarily-preferred developer for the franchise (in other words, the only way another developer could work on it is if HVS turn it down or become defunct). Nintendo would have a much more extensive hand in development, in this case, with full oversight of the entire project. Art direction, gameplay development... it would all be fully subjected to Nintendo's processes, and thus would be ensured to have top-notch gameplay, graphics, etc (as opposed to The Conduit, which had potential, but which failed due to HVS's weakness in art direction and in gameplay development).
In this case, part of the deal would be that the engine (which is where HVS's true talents lie) would be made available to Nintendo, and would be opened up to licensing to other Nintendo-console developers. And Nintendo could then approach other developers to use the same engine to develop other FPS franchises, too.
There's less motivation for me putting this option forward - it's just what I'd like to see, given the technical capabilities HVS managed to extract from the Wii, and what could happen if they did the same thing for the Wii U, rather than any recent events.
So what do people think? Do you feel Nintendo should have an FPS in development? If so, who should be developing it? And do you think they do have one in development? Personally, I think they do, somewhere, with some development team. I just don't know which one.
