Interesting article... The way the man is quoted makes it seem like he's talking directly about Nintendo.

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/167200/How_Ubisoft_strikes_fast_early_on_new_hardware.php

Highlighted section:

""We've always had a really close relationship with Nintendo, so I'd venture to say that we did have an advantage in getting dev kits earlier than other people," Key said. "I'm not saying we got them earlier than everyone, but I do think we got them early.

"They came to us and asked us to make Red Steel. The thing is..."

(Although the article is primarily discussing the Wii U, the paragraph where he mentions Red Steel was in regards to the Wii).

Probably told Nintendo that they had a great idea of a game for the Wii and Ubisoft then got green light and the dev kit early?

I am betting Spurges idea is most likely. Nintendo wanted to get some great third party support day one. They probably made a deal with UbiSoft that UbiSoft would get earlier kits if they developed an exclusive new game for the Wii. Nintendo probably instructed them to make the most beautiful and impressive game utilizing the Wiimote and likely suggested sword play. Nintendo was likely involved in the first game and UbiSoft had complete freedom

The second game which is why they screwed it up! I hope Nintendo involved in the new WiiU AAA game at UbiSoft Quebec!