Gotta agree with this fellow right here. The Wii U could potentially be excellent for new developers. But saying they will be the best is definitely stretching. At least, at this point in time.

I guess SONY is the best place for Indie gaming since they recently invested $20M into the scene.

http://vagary.tv/archives/9607

It also runs through 2014.

No biggie though since we all know it only matters now because Nintendo is on board. Everything before that means nothing.

Throwing money around is what Sony does. That is how they originally became so popular. They buy good games and devs and are willing to take huge losses to push their hardware do to near endless pockets that come from their other business avenues. Well it was that way until recently. I don't see Sony being able to keep that up much longer.

Also, what Sony is doing is corrupting the indie world. The detachment from big business is what makes Indie, Indie. Investing money to them to get them on their side isn't the way Indie development works. They become subsidiaries and 2nd party devs in all but name. These are the very actions I'm talking about that are destroying gaming. They are trying to buy what can't be bought. Calling an game funded by Sony indie is like calling content that you get "after" purchasing a subscription free...oh wait!!


Sony and Microsoft aren't real gaming companies. It is just a side business for both of them.

Nintendo and SEGA were the last two "real" gaming companies. Nintendo and SEGA prioritized uniqueness and fun. Sony and Microsoft prioritize market shares and cashing in on what's popular. Money first.

Nintendo is not trying to bait  devs with sign on bonuses. They are trying to appeal to their since of creativity and adventure. Nintendo is a idealistic company. They have shown that they will take a loss before going against their ideals. Money second.

We need less big business in gaming and more creativity and originality. The day it becomes 100% about money is the day gaming dies. The industry needs life inested into and that is going to be a big expendature with no reimbursment.

I'm not sure how this post relates to the thread. The thread is trying to prove that new developers will perform best on Nintendo hardware. But this post is trying to prove that Microsoft and Sony aren't real gaming companies. I don't see how this supports the main point of your thread. This seems to me like more of a personal rant than a supporting post for your argument. Whether a company is focused on business or gaming is irrelavent in terms of which company is the best for new developers. 

I think you missed the post where the OP listed all the incredible break out new companies that took off on the Wii and DS .... oh wait .... I think we all did.

Same can be said of the app market.  Only a few developers have made any decent money on the smartphone markets while a majority of them haven't really made anything.  You act like smartphone gaming is god's gift to gamers and developers.   Also, you need to stop even trying to diss the 3DS eshop.  It has plenty of games already and there are a decent amount of 3DSWare games out that are far superior than anything that has come out for smartphones.

To indie devs it is.

Look at the most popular iPhone games ... do big companies like EA and Capcom and Activision dominate? No way. It's mostly all little guy companies that are defining that platform. A game like Game Dev Story from a tiny developer can outsell "big gun" iPhone projects like the Dead Space game many times over.

When you have something like Angry Birds which can almost overnight become as well known as almost any other game franchise on the planet and now has merchandise/toys sitting in stores ... when you consider that came from a developer most people never even heard of ... that's unbelievable.

That would be like some nobody picking up a camera and making a movie on a shoe string budget that is watched by as many people as The Avengers or something.

I don't think cell phone gaming is perfect by any means, but to deny that its been a game changer for garage/small developers is simply lying flat out.

I'm not asking for anyone to list 50 new devs born on the Wii/DS ... name two or three big time success stories of indie devs on Wii/DS/3DS. Shouldn't be that hard.

Mutant Mudds - Renegade Kid (developer made it for 3DSWare first and now putting it on Steam, will give 3DS owners the 20 extra levels that are going to the PC version and said they are going to use the PC revenue to fuel more 3DS / WiiU games)

http://gimmegimmegames.com/2012/09/renegade-kid-using-steam-version-of-mutant-mudds-to-fund-new-3dswii-u-games-will-not-leave-nintendo-behind-to-make-pc-games/

Cave Story and VVVVVV - Nicalis

Congratulations, you actually accomplished something in 1 post that the OP couldn't in like 20.

Nintendo still has a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong way to go in the indie scene, I think with Wii U they are realizing they need Western indie devs becauue they are not going to get into a pissing match with Microsoft on Western exclusives from the "big boys".

These small Western devs, $5 million and can fund probably five different projects from guys like the Trine developer. They'd be smart to scoop up as much indie Western support and Japanese support they can get right now, because it can be had for cheap. 

Yea, they are coming a little late to the game but I believe there is still enough time.  They have showed a pretty good improvement with the 3DS eshop and I can only assume it will be better for the Wii U shop.  For the most part I do agree with most of what you are saying (in the previous posts).  It just seemed like you are maybe a little too critical of Nintendo's online strategy considering they are making decent improvements.  Sure these improvements are a few years behind but I believe they are starting to realize what they need to offer for online services to stay competitive. 

Nintendo has published some pretty good 3DSWare games (Pushmo, Sakura Samurai, Ketzal's Corridors, Dillon's Rolling Western).  Ketzal's Corridors (Keys Factory) and Dillon's Rolling Western (Vanpool) were developed by small studios (I am pretty sure that they aren't owned by Nintendo) and published by Nintendo.   Also, I can't deny that more indie companies have had success on other markets than Nintendo's market.  Hopefully, Nintendo will scoop up more indie studios or at least help them make money.