Words Of Wisdom said:
(Charts)
Now, if you're done talking out of your arse I'm going to move on to a useful topic. |
Aww, I wanted to post the pretty charts! Seriously though, if you want Nintendo to attract more third party support, having High Definition graphics like Microsoft and Sony may be the worst thing they can do. Yes, I remember Epic Games' little diatribe about "moving forward" and whatnot, but you have to realize that they're the exception rather than the rule. Epic Games primarily sells game engines with cutting-edge graphics, with their games meant primarily to hawk the engines.
By contrast, most third party developers are being priced out of the market by having to produce "current-gen" graphics. Ubisoft has gone on record as saying that their 360 and PS3 games cost between $19 million to $28 million to make, while those for the Wii are between $8 and $9 million. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18389
Much of the discrepancy comes from the fact that high-definition graphics take more time and expertise to produce, which in turn means more money. Lots of it. Most of the smaller and mid-sized developers simply can't afford to play by those rules. Even if they tried, they'd go out of business the first time one of their games flopped. But don't take my word for it: let the developers speak for themselves.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=1824
When asked about the decision to make Mushroom Men for the Wii (and DS) rather than the 360 or PS3, the developer replied "(B)udget comes into play. When you’re a new studio and you’re asking someone for four million, that’s a lot easier sell than asking them for twelve. It just comes down to numbers and risk assessment. So that’s the reason we chose that console...Wii development is easily one fourth, one fifth, even one sixth of some 360, PS3 projects, and those projects are easier to sell to developers, and they’re also a shorter timeframe to get the game out."
In other words, the Wii's graphical weaknesses may actually prove to be one of its long-term strengths when it comes to third parties. This is especially true for newcomers, who probably can't afford to make games for the HD consoles even if they wanted to. Not convinced that this is enough to entice developers onto the Wii yet? It's already been happening.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18144
"Hudson Soft have spoken of plans to increase the company’s profits by almost 400 percent within three years, by focusing on titles for the Wii... Hudson will release eight titles for the Wii in 2008...The move comes after operating profits rose 53 percent...(t)his was attributed primarily to stronger than expected sales on the Wii and Nintendo DS.
Hudson has gone from being dead in the water to becoming a rather profitable company, and they're attributing almost all of that to making games on Nintendo platforms. Other formerly deceased companies, most notably Interplay, have been rumored to have Wii games in development for precisely this reason. A lot of third parties seem unable to resist hopping on the Wii bandwagon. You may have noticed the name High Voltage being thrown around the internet recently. Despite the fact that they've existed for several years, it is only now that they're doing original stuff that they're becoming the darling of the 'net. And what platform did they choose to make their debut? You got it. It's obvious that the Wii's graphical short-comings can ultimately pay dividends for third parties, and this is before we take into account the upcoming WiiWare games, where the lion's share of developers are small companies, often with less than twenty employees.
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/080425/05.html
From the mouth of Iwata himself: "I would like to note the fact that a number of small-sized developers are proactively entering into this business by sensing the business potential of WiiWare.
Companies with less than 20 employees comprise 56% of the total number of companies which have so far decided to make WiiWare software. When we look at the percentage of the companies with 50 employees or less, they constitute three quarters of all. "
WiiWare has already unleashed a flood of new console developers. The old days of three guys in their basement making a commercially successful game may be returning because of the Wii. And I'm not speaking figuratively. Witness World of Goo, one of the most anticipated WiiWare titles, and one whose development team is a whopping three people. So I would say that no, Nintendo does not currently have to do anything to entice third party support, except to keep doing what they're doing.
And as a sidenote, can someone please tell me where I can find a FAQ on how to use this site? My attempts to embed images meet with the same results as everything I do in life, i.e. total failure. Thanks in advance. Oh, and sorry for the long post. I ramble. A lot.
