| okr said: I´d like to add one more possible reason: You have to compete with the most succesful 1st party developer on their own console. So it might not be ”hostility” on purpose, but the fear, that people might ignore your game on a Nintendo system (which would explain the constant ”only N games sell on N systems” complaints/excuses used by some developers). |
I think you've definitely hit on an important reason here, okr. Nintendo's spent over twenty years cultivating its following by releasing a lot of incredibly high-quality games, and they look to be doing that yet again with the Wii and the DS. It's no wonder that a lot of third parties would shy away from competing with Nintendo head to head. One example is when IGN reported a few months back that Bully was released in early March specifically to avoid any big-name Nintendo games (and then Brawl got delayed...). So a lot of third parties are definitely a bit "gun shy" at the thought of going head to head with the "Big N."
And at the original poster, it's obvious that you've put a lot of thought into your post, and I agree with much of your reasoning. I especially think your remark about third parties investing a lot of money and training into the High Definition systems means they have to release more games for the 360 and PS3 just to recoup their losses. But I suspect that you are exaggerating a bit when it comes to just how much the major third parties dislike the Wii.
Your idea that their pride is hurt because they did not see the Wii's success coming wouldn't be unprecedented (look at EA during the NES days), but I think that you're overstating how strong of an influence this is. Games are incredibly expensive to produce nowadays, and if the consumers are stampeding in one direction I think most developers know they have no choice but to follow. You cited Rockstar as an example of a company that thinks little of the system, and it's true that they don't exactly have a long and fond relationship with Nintendo. On the other hand, they've already made three games for the Wii: Bully, Table Tennis, and Manhunt 2. They're coming around. They may not want to, but they know they have to. And I think the same is true for many others.
I also believe that the second reason you listed, that the Wii is lowering the entry point for new developers, is actually a positive in the eyes of most third parties, including the big ones. We've been seeing a lot of mergers and acquisitions in the past few years as games get more expensive to make, and companies are forced to share their resources just to survive. Even some of the big-name companies are flirting with disaster because of development costs. Look at Take-Two, a large developer who's in serious danger of being acquired by its main rival in a hostile takeover because it simply lacks the money it needs to truly compete. Heck, its flagship game may be the toast of the town right now, but I suspect that if Microsoft hadn't funneled $50 million at them, the $100 million cost of creating GTA IV would have led to only modest profits, no matter how sky-high their sales. I'm looking forward to what you have to say about my thoughts.
