Nintendo to sell new downloadable games
Wednesday 27th June 2007, 07:07:00 PM, written by Stefan Salzl
In a press release earlier today Nintendo announced the creation of a new Wii Shop Channel, Wii Ware, aimed at the distribution of downloadable video game content in exchange for Wii Points, Nintendo’s virtual currency.
In early 2008, video game developers and publishers will be able to sell their games through the service, similar to such established services as Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade or Sony’s PlayStation Network. In contrast to Nintendo’s Virtual Console, all software released through this distribution scheme will be new content.
According to an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime, led by LevelUp, Nintendo will restrict itself to bug-testing and will not screen any ideas, e.g. the developers have free reign over which input device they will use for their titles. While the Publishers themselves will be responsible for obtaining Entertaiment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings, Nintendo’s general licensing guidelines still apply; no video games rated Adult Only by ESRB can be released on the Wii channel. Moreover, Nintendo will have the final say regarding the pricing of the content, but will consult with software developers beforehand.
When asked about the possibility of cheaper SDKs or a less capable Wii development kit, aimed at Wii Ware, Fils-Aime responded: “All our SDKs and dev tools are already--I don't want to call them inexpensive--they're darn near free to developers. This is unlike our competitors, where you have to spend a lot of money building high-res assets to be competitive. So in that sense, there's almost no cost to developers".
In early 2008, video game developers and publishers will be able to sell their games through the service, similar to such established services as Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade or Sony’s PlayStation Network. In contrast to Nintendo’s Virtual Console, all software released through this distribution scheme will be new content.
According to an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime, led by LevelUp, Nintendo will restrict itself to bug-testing and will not screen any ideas, e.g. the developers have free reign over which input device they will use for their titles. While the Publishers themselves will be responsible for obtaining Entertaiment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings, Nintendo’s general licensing guidelines still apply; no video games rated Adult Only by ESRB can be released on the Wii channel. Moreover, Nintendo will have the final say regarding the pricing of the content, but will consult with software developers beforehand.
When asked about the possibility of cheaper SDKs or a less capable Wii development kit, aimed at Wii Ware, Fils-Aime responded: “All our SDKs and dev tools are already--I don't want to call them inexpensive--they're darn near free to developers. This is unlike our competitors, where you have to spend a lot of money building high-res assets to be competitive. So in that sense, there's almost no cost to developers".
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