Why do software publishers release software around the world at different times?

I live in New Zealand and it is really beginning to annoy me how titles for my Wii get released at completely different dates to other countries.

For instance we had Mario Strikers Charged in June, same as Mercury Meltdown Revolution. And yet titles like The Bigs is only due for release on the 26th of October, the same date as Metroid Prime 3. Another example is Alien Syndrome which America got last month won't be here until the 13th of September. Its not like it takes a long time to ship a few copies over here, planes fly back and forward everyday, and sea freight does not take all that long either.

Our nearest neighbour is Australia, and in fact Nintendo Australia supplies to New Zealand, and yet Australia will be getting Madden 08 2 weeks before us (its only a 3 hour flight across the Tasman Sea damn it!).

So, a couple of question: 1) why why why do they do it?

and 2) If I buy a game from America through Amazon will it work on my PAL Wii? ( I am guessing they will use regional coding so that may answer my question but if someone can give me a definitive answer that would be cool).

I get that sometimes there may be a need to do some translation of titles e.g. from Japanese to English or even colloquial US English but there is no need for this between Australia and NZ.

Anyway, thats my rant.....but it is still annoying. Oh yeah BTW the software for the Wii is starting to flow. August sees 6 new releases,  September has 16 and October 10 (at least).

JRI. 

This depends on developers/publishers or it depends on importers?

New Zealand has official Nintendo offices there?

I ask because of this. Here in Mexico, we don't have official Nintendo or any developers offices (only Microsoft), so everything depends on the importers that bring stuff... but because we are right next to USA, we get everything in less than a week.

I personally wouldn't be bothered by a few weeks, it is when it takes 3+ months to get a title that has already been released on the states over to PAL regions (Super Paper Mario, I'm looking at you).

While I understand there are other reasons why games get delayed (copyrights, licensing, rating boards, etc...) this should only be an excuse for smaller publishers who don't have the funds or capacity to support a world wide release. All the large players don't have this excuse.

For Nintendo there was a big push to go region free this time, but they didn't get it done. Hopefully the work they did this generation will serve us well next generation and we can get fully region free hardware/software.

Thank god for the region free DS.

Oh and, hey another Kiwi. Where in NZ are you from?

@fazz - no NZ does not have official Nintendo offices everything is sourced out of Australia across the ditch, at least you have a direct border with the US, we're a bloody island nation.

@Rath - I was born in Dunedin but family moved to Auckland when I was still knee-high to a grasshopper. How 'bout you?

JRI.

Ahh a Jafa =P.

Im from New Plymouth, not exactly the worlds most exciting city.

heh, awesome, more kiwi's :P
Imported games dont work on the Wii, I used to buy all my game cube games from www.dvdboxoffice.com or lik-sang (dam you sony!) or a few other sites.. because of the brilliance of the freeloader..
But until another freeloader is made guess we are .... out of luck, unless we chip it (but then it will get banned from an update sooner or later.., which sucks cause I chip so I can get region free games)

It sucks indeed. I was very interested in Elebits and Trauma Center when the Wii launched, but then PAL release for both was delayed by over 6 months. I was also very keen to get Super Paper Mario, which will be released in a month or so. -_-

But that's NOTHING compared to how annoyed I am at having to wait until 2008 for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I'm definitely buying the Wii Freeloader if it comes out early enough, and considering modding my Wii if it doesn't.