Third-Parties Got Nothing but Love for Wii
When the Wii launches November 19, it will enjoy more third-party support than any console launch in recent memory. Publishers seem to love how easy the system is to develop for, and they like the plan of action Nintendo is taking (no small part of which is ensnaring more customers for them). Below are statements from third-parties who are busy readying games for the launch of the little Wii that could.
"I believe the Wii will attract new and casual gamers to the world of interactive entertainment. It's a fun, easy and economical system that will become a bridge to gaming for mainstream audiences. At EA, we are putting more support behind the Wii than any Nintendo hardware launch since the Super NES."
- Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO, Electronic Arts
"The Wii is changing audience interaction, opening up whole new experiences that have never been possible in video games. With the instinctual control of the Wii Remote, Nintendo is advancing the gaming experience to the broadest audience of gamers. Activision is excited about the launch of the Wii and the opportunity it offers. So much so, we plan to have five titles available at launch - our strongest lineup ever for a new console. We have more development resources devoted to the Wii than to any previous Nintendo platform. The Wii is likely to have a profound impact on the size, growth and overall opportunities for the video game market."
- Robert Kotick, Chairman and CEO, Activision, Inc.
"The Wii control scheme opens up unexplored areas for our talented teams to innovate when creating games. It's invigorating for us. We believe that it will help create a new level of interest in video games and engage more players around the world."
- Laurent DeToc, President of Ubisoft North America
"Nintendo's strategy is expanding the market. We are thrilled."
- David Pierce, President and CEO, Atari, Inc.
"Nintendo's vision perfectly aligns with our strategy to broaden our portfolio by allowing us to create new genres that have strong global appeal."
- Shinichi Suzuki, President, Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
"Video games are becoming more of a mainstream phenomenon than ever before with virtually all members of the family playing different games in the living room. Nintendo's strategy of ease of play and mass marketing pricing is perfectly aligned with Disney."
- Graham Hopper, Senior Vice President and General
Manager, Buena Vista Games
"In order for our industry to continue to grow, we've got to think about gaming and games differently. That's exactly what Nintendo is doing."
- Geoff Mulligan, COO, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
"For established publishers, the Virtual Console model is a tremendous opportunity to extend our classic brands. Nobody ever thinks of a good book as retired - why shouldn't great games live forever, too?"
- Naoya Tsurumi, CEO, Sega of America
"With escalating costs for both developing games and for consumers buying new game systems, we applaud Nintendo's drive to spread gaming to the masses - and we fully support that approach."
- Brian Farrell, President and CEO, THQ, Inc.
