Recently a news article popped up on GAF that featured an analyst proclaiming that the Wii was "not a fad." Given the obviousness of it and the fact this analyst had thought this was actually news, everyone on GAF had a good laugh about it. In a conversation with another game developer during lunch the other day, the article was brought up and we also both laughed and agreed obviously that the Wii was certainly not a fad, but I added in, hushing my voice and looking around in the way you do if you're about to say something behind someone's back, "but it feels like it is doesn't it?" We both agreed, relieved at now being able to openly slam the Wii in discussion without fear.
I can only claim to have experienced a small section of the games industry, but I can claim that I've worked on the DS, the Wii and now the PS3 and 360, and so I've experienced quite a few different environments. One interesting thing I've noticed is that I've don't feel I've ever gotten the impression from a game developer that they really were in stride with Nintendo on the Wii and that they loved and agreed with the revolution that Nintendo has embarked on; at least, not in the same way that you hear from forum fanboys. This may not be news to some but I think it's interesting to discuss. A prominent poster (I forget the name sorry and search is down?) recently made a thread full of charts explaining the disinterest in the Wii from western developers and stating as his thesis that western developers would not jump on the Wii ship en masse. My experience in the industry certainly confirms this.
It may upset fans but I've the feeling around that I've experienced is truly that of the Wii being "Gamecube Turbo" (certainly by the next gen rendering programmers will openly joke about this). Even when I worked on a Wii game, I felt that the sense of excitement with what we were working on was not because of the Wii itself or because of innovative waggle controls or any such buzzword, but rather because we were making a game skewed towards a younger audience that we would actually be satisfied with playing ourselves.
I'm hoping some GAF developers can talk about their experiences a bit. From what I've seen and heard I feel like folks have been pretty cool on Wii related innovations such as the balance board, but significantly more interested in HD innovations such as Little Big Planet, Spore, Rock Band (now coming to Wii fairly crippled) and traditional game evolutions such as Dead Space, Mirror's Edge and Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Innovative and traditional Wii games alike, whether they're Boom Blocks or Mario Kart Wii, are frequently met with indifference or even outright derision.
Please speak up if your experience has been different, if at your company you had brainstorming sessions about the balance board or has had a ton of interest with Wii Ware and waggle innovation.
I could get deeper into the subject of western game developer doubt of the Wii but I think this post is getting to the border of what GAFers will read in an OP, so I'll end it here, though if the discussion is lively I could go on.
edit: Search is now back, and so I can find some of the threads I mentioned:
- PantherLotus was the poster who excellently expressed via Sales Age methodology western indifference to the Wii.
- "The Wii is not a Fad" thread.
I can only claim to have experienced a small section of the games industry, but I can claim that I've worked on the DS, the Wii and now the PS3 and 360, and so I've experienced quite a few different environments. One interesting thing I've noticed is that I've don't feel I've ever gotten the impression from a game developer that they really were in stride with Nintendo on the Wii and that they loved and agreed with the revolution that Nintendo has embarked on; at least, not in the same way that you hear from forum fanboys. This may not be news to some but I think it's interesting to discuss. A prominent poster (I forget the name sorry and search is down?) recently made a thread full of charts explaining the disinterest in the Wii from western developers and stating as his thesis that western developers would not jump on the Wii ship en masse. My experience in the industry certainly confirms this.
It may upset fans but I've the feeling around that I've experienced is truly that of the Wii being "Gamecube Turbo" (certainly by the next gen rendering programmers will openly joke about this). Even when I worked on a Wii game, I felt that the sense of excitement with what we were working on was not because of the Wii itself or because of innovative waggle controls or any such buzzword, but rather because we were making a game skewed towards a younger audience that we would actually be satisfied with playing ourselves.
I'm hoping some GAF developers can talk about their experiences a bit. From what I've seen and heard I feel like folks have been pretty cool on Wii related innovations such as the balance board, but significantly more interested in HD innovations such as Little Big Planet, Spore, Rock Band (now coming to Wii fairly crippled) and traditional game evolutions such as Dead Space, Mirror's Edge and Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Innovative and traditional Wii games alike, whether they're Boom Blocks or Mario Kart Wii, are frequently met with indifference or even outright derision.
Please speak up if your experience has been different, if at your company you had brainstorming sessions about the balance board or has had a ton of interest with Wii Ware and waggle innovation.
I could get deeper into the subject of western game developer doubt of the Wii but I think this post is getting to the border of what GAFers will read in an OP, so I'll end it here, though if the discussion is lively I could go on.
edit: Search is now back, and so I can find some of the threads I mentioned:
- PantherLotus was the poster who excellently expressed via Sales Age methodology western indifference to the Wii.
- "The Wii is not a Fad" thread.