Nintendo’s Wii is winning battle of the game builders
In the competition among the makers of video-game
consoles, momentum for the Wii from Nintendo is building among crucial allies:
game developers and publishers.
In the competition among the makers of video-game
consoles, momentum for the Wii from Nintendo is building
among crucial allies: game developers and
publishers.
Inspired by the early success of the Wii, the companies that create and distribute games are beginning to shift resources and personnel toward building more Wii games, in some cases at the expense of the competing systems, the PlayStation 3 from Sony and Xbox 360 from Microsoft.
Jon Goldman said developers were spending 25 percent more time on Wii. Nintendo said that titles would be coming from several major developers, like Activision and Ubisoft, that are making an enhanced commitment to the system.
It is early in the current console product cycle, given that these machines are intended to be on the market for more than five years. Industry analysts said they did not expect to declare a victor anytime soon. Unlike Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft lose money selling game consoles, but they are not ready to cede the market. Nevertheless, the trend is clear.
Development time, development costs for the Wii are half to a quarter of those for competitors. In a 5-year product cycle, you can turn games for Microsoft or Sony consoles maybe 3 times tops - while turning your offerings for the Wii 5 times.
Inspired by the early success of the Wii, the companies that create and distribute games are beginning to shift resources and personnel toward building more Wii games, in some cases at the expense of the competing systems, the PlayStation 3 from Sony and Xbox 360 from Microsoft.
Jon Goldman said developers were spending 25 percent more time on Wii. Nintendo said that titles would be coming from several major developers, like Activision and Ubisoft, that are making an enhanced commitment to the system.
It is early in the current console product cycle, given that these machines are intended to be on the market for more than five years. Industry analysts said they did not expect to declare a victor anytime soon. Unlike Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft lose money selling game consoles, but they are not ready to cede the market. Nevertheless, the trend is clear.
Development time, development costs for the Wii are half to a quarter of those for competitors. In a 5-year product cycle, you can turn games for Microsoft or Sony consoles maybe 3 times tops - while turning your offerings for the Wii 5 times.
Posted: Tue - July 17, 2007 at 06:42 AM