By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - Nintendo - Iwata: Nintendo plans to support third-party publishers more with 3DS

Iwata: Nintendo plans to support third-party publishers more with 3DS

With 3Ds hitting Japan next year on February 26 release for the 3DS in Japan, it’s time to have a look at what’s being released for the handheld.

There’s a bevy of new games coming to 3DS, along with revamps like Ocarina of Time, Super Monkey Ball and Star Fox 64, and that means there’s going to be something for everyone at retail.

Looking over the list, there’s quite a few third-party titles on the way, which is apparently Nintendo’s way of offering an olive branch to publishers other than itself. Company president Satoru Iwata even stated as much the firm’s press conference this morning.

“We need to decrease the concern that only software from Nintendo can sell well on Nintendo platforms and third parties’ software cannot sell in the same volume,” he said. “For the Japanese launch of Nintendo 3DS, so that we will not make a trend similar to the one found for Wii in Japan now, we feel a need to have closer ties with our third-party developers from the beginning.

“For Nintendo 3DS, we need to tackle this issue.”

Iwata also said that despite the criticism Nintendo has faced in the past regarding its relationship with third-party publishers, total software sales for publishers other than Nintendo are far greater on DS than any other platform. 200 million greater to be exact, he claimed.

Iwata also contended that despite the criticism, Nintendo’s success on its own platforms is good for publishers other than itself.

“Nintendo is trying to expand the installed base of our hardware with our own software so that each platform can have a solid base for third-party software companies to make lucrative businesses,” he said. “We were tackling this mission as our responsibility as the platform holder.”

He also acknowledged Nintendo’s position in the Japanese Wii market might be “too extreme” and the firm plans to work on this a bit more as well.

Below is a list of the new titles announced for 3DS so far. If we know the estimated release date, it’s in parenthesis. If nothing is noted, the release date is TBD.

Nintendo

  • Kid Icarus: Uprising (2011)
  • Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (spring)
  • Mario Kart 3DS
  • Professor Layton: The Mask of Miracle (spring)
  • Star Fox 64
  • Animal Crossing
  • Nintendogs + Cats (spring)
  • Pilotwings Resort (spring)
  • Steel Diver (spring)
  • Paper Mario

Capcom

  • Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition (spring)
  • Resident Evil: Revelations
  • Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D
  • Megaman Legends 3

Konami

  • Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater (2011)
  • Project Love Plus
  • Konami Baseball (spring)
  • Pro Evolution Soccer/Winning Eleven
  • Contra
  • Frogger

Square Enix

  • Chocobo Racing 3D
  • Kingdom Hearts 3D
  • Dragon Quest
  • Final Fantasy

Acquire

  • Class of Heroes 3Dx3D

Namco Bandai

  • Tales of the Abyss
  • Ridge Racer (spring)
  • Dragon Ball Z
  • Pac-Man & Galaga
  • Super Robot Taisen
  • Mobile Suit Gundam

Tecmo Koei

  • Dead or Alive: Dimensions
  • Samurai Warriors Chronicle (spring)
  • Dynasty Warriors
  • Ninja Gaiden

SEGA

  • Super Monkey Ball (spring)
  • Sonic The Hedgehog
  • Rika-Chan 3DS

Ubisoft

  • Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
  • Ghost Recon: Lead The Ghosts
  • Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs Strike 3D
  • Driver 3D
  • Assassin’s Creed Lost Legacy
  • Hollywood 61

EA

  • The Sims 3
  • My Garden
  • FIFA
  • Madden NFL

Activision

  • DJ Hero 3D

Atlus

  • Etrian Odyssey
  • Shin Megami Tensei
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor

Hudson Soft

  • Deca Sports Extreme
  • Bomberman
  • Kororinpa/Marble Mania

Harmonix

  • Untitled Music Project

Majesco

  • A Boy And His Blob
  • BloodRayne: The Shroud
  • Face Racers: Photo Finish
  • Lion’s Pride
  • Martha Stewart
  • Wonder World Amusement Park

Marvelous Entertainment

  • Animal Resort
  • Harvest Moon 3D

Rocket Company

  • Crash City GP
  • VS-Robo

Warner Bros

  • Batman 3DS
  • LEGO 3DS

THQ

  • De Blob: The Underground
  • Saint’s Row: Drive-By
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Marvel Super Hero Squad: Infinity Gauntlet
  • The Penguins of Madagascar
  • Puss N Boots

Tomy

  • Naruto Shippuden
  • Lovely Lisa 3D

Sunsoft

  • Shanghai 3D

Take-Two Interactive

  • Carnival Games

Gameloft

  • Asphalt GT
  • AQ Interactive
  • Cubic Ninja
  • Star Fish SD
  • Super Black Bass 3D

Via Industry Gamers, Gamasutra, Gamespot.



Around the Network

I love the idea of Nintendo helping 3rd parties embrace their systems more. As long as it doesn't involve Nintendo feeding the third parties and more importantly:

 

As long as Nintendo doesn't slow down the process at which they create kickass games. If Nintendo slows down their own success as developers in order to help third parties gain ground, I will be so sad.

 

But I'm sure that isn't the case. So yay!



Wonder if they're going to follow the same path with Wii's successor



alfredofroylan said:

Wonder if they're going to follow the same path with Wii's successor


Whatever it is they're doing, I'd say it's safe to assume they'll do the same for Wii's successor.

 

Unless of course they don't like the results of this new plan.



The support from Japanese companies is immense but from Western ones, not so impressive.  Only one minor title each from Activision and Take Two.  EA seems to be playing it safe too except for maybe My Garden but no 'core' franchises like Dead Space or Mass Effect (either of which would be awesome in 3D).   Ubisoft is doing more, but half look like ports, and considering the ports Wii got (FarCry anyone?) I'm not holding out for too much from them.

Wonder if Japanese developers got their hands on it long before western ones did.



 

Around the Network

One thing Nintendo could do this gen onwards is BUNDLING! Bundles are a great tool to establish some new IPs, or to promote quality games; a Little King's Story or Muramasa bundle could lead to a sequel.



Gamerace said:

The support from Japanese companies is immense but from Western ones, not so impressive.  Only one minor title each from Activision and Take Two.  EA seems to be playing it safe too except for maybe My Garden but no 'core' franchises like Dead Space or Mass Effect (either of which would be awesome in 3D).   Ubisoft is doing more, but half look like ports, and considering the ports Wii got (FarCry anyone?) I'm not holding out for too much from them.

Wonder if Japanese developers got their hands on it long before western ones did.

I think it's more that the Japanese developers have no choice, as the 3DS will be the new main platform in Japan. If you look at software sales in Japan, they are much stronger on handhelds than on consoles (DS >> Wii, PSP >> PS3).

On the other hand, the west always has the HD consoles to fall back on, which sell tons of software.


I don't think the 3DS is showing us anything new, as the DS wasn't exactly ignored by 3rd parties before. It'll be bigger in Japan, probably take most of PSP's old support, but that still isn't much from western third parties.



Western 3rd parties are dumb...

 

Even still, I expect Activision, EA, T2 and all the others are scrambling to get more rounded lineups ready asap.  Right now I expect Ubisoft, THQ and WBI to capitalize best on 3DS early on.



jarrod said:

Western 3rd parties are dumb...

 

Even still, I expect Activision, EA, T2 and all the others are scrambling to get more rounded lineups ready asap.  Right now I expect Ubisoft, THQ and WBI to capitalize best on 3DS early on.

To think that Nintendo is SO BIG, they basically amount to all other (3rd party) developers combined in sales on their platforms.

That's just insane. I mean I know it's been like this forever, but I never had it hit me like this before. Nintendo is a freakin giant.



*looks at 3DS Games"

"Nintendo

  • Kid Icarus: Uprising (2011)
  • Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (spring)
  • Mario Kart 3DS
  • Professor Layton: The Mask of Miracle (spring)
  • Star Fox 64
  • Animal Crossing
  • Nintendogs Cats (spring)
  • Pilotwings Resort (spring)
  • Steel Diver (spring)
  • Paper Mario"

"Nintendo plans to slaughter third-party publishers more with 3DS"

Fixed



Atto Suggests...:

Book - Malazan Book of the Fallen series 

Game - Metro Last Light

TV - Deadwood

Music - Forest Swords