| Bodhesatva said: This is a bad idea, I believe. I don't think third parties would get a strong hold on the Wii with this, and would likely lose the PS3/360 crowd in the process. They'd go for both, but end of with neither. I'm not sure there IS a good solution to the Wii, particularly for Western third parties. I think many are stuck, not able to reasonably transfer the games they make over to the Wii (many of which rely heavily on technology and graphics to appeal to consumer. Rely on them, mind you). |
I'm sad to say that you're probably right about Western third-parties. On the other hand, considering the industry trend, I can also see enough Western studios shutting down/cutting back to the point that only a sustainable number of games are produced, letting the survivors continue with their model. They'll be far fewer, of course, and you can kiss variety good-bye, but the niche will survive.
What I'm less certain about is the effect on Wii development. Will new, Wii/handheld focused studios begin to form in appreciable numbers here in the West? They'll have the experienced game makers to choose from (unfortunately), but will they have the necessary vision to succeed with last-gen (or worse) visuals? Essentially, can they toss away their crutch and learn to walk again?
I doubt it.
