Take 2: GTA IV "not suited" for Wii

Benjamin Feder, CEO of Take 2 Games, has ruled out a Wii version of ´Grand Theft Auto IV´. Feder spoke in the company´s Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2007 Results Conference Call, answering a question by Citigroup analyst Brent Thill.

Brent Thill (Analyst, Citigroup): Just a follow-up on Grand Theft Auto, can you just give us your conviction level for the Q2 ship and have you thought about putting GTA on the Wii?

Strauss Zelnick (Chairman): We wouldn’t say it if we weren’t convicted.

Benjamin Feder (CEO): (laughs) We have a high conviction level and right now I think, no disrespect meant for the platform, but I think there are other titles that are better suited to the Wii than Grand Theft Auto IV.

In terms of publishing platform revenue, Wii was Take 2´s fourth biggest platform from August to October at 11 percent of revenue, after the Xbox360 (44%), PC (19%) and PlayStation2 (14%).

The financial report makes specific note of a "robust demand for Wii products" as a major cause for a rise in revenue. The company shipped more than half a million units of its Wii exclusive ´Carnival Games´ since its debut in late August.

Earlier in the same call, Feder addressed a question by Hudson Square analyst Daniel Ernst about its commitment to the Wii platform.

Daniel Ernst (Analyst, Hudson Square Research): Just looking at the pipeline for fiscal ’08, you commented about what you might have on the Wii front, given the success there. It looks like your Wii space is a little light relative to other titles you’ve announced so far. (...)

Benjamin Feder (CEO): We have seven titles on Wii. We’re pretty proud of that, actually. We’ve turned this company from a non-Nintendo shop into a shop that’s focused as much on Nintendo as it is on every other platform. Just to name a few, Bully is coming out on Wii, Prizefighter will be coming out on Wii. And actually, we think prizefighter as a boxing game is actually a pretty compelling game on the Wii.

And it’s not just the Wii. We are also focused on the DS. As we said, Carnival Games will be coming out on DS and so we are pretty excited about that and as I said, we have a pretty good track record on the Wii and we tend to exploit that.

So I wouldn’t characterize it as light. I would characterize it as perfectly appropriate.

On a sidenote, the company´s support for Sony platforms seems to be diminishing strongly. Revenue from PlayStation3 titles for the financial year ending October was 10 percent. For the last three months, however, that figure was down to 5. For the Wii platform, that figure was 5 percent for the entire year and 11 percent for the last three months - the exact opposite.

Revenue from PSP titles was down from 18 percent in 2006 to 10 percent this financial year.

Source: Take 2 Games
Thanks to: Seeking Alpha, Codename Revolution

Intel: Wii 2 may have no controllers

Justin Rattner, chief technology officer with chip manufacturer Intel, has speculated that Wii 2 may do away with controllers altogether. Rattner spoke to Business Week.

Please bear in mind that Intel is not privy to any inside information. Instead, the company is keen on re-entering the videogame industry after IBM snatched the contracts to supply the CPUs for all three current-gen machines.

Intel has talked to console video game makers about using chips that can perform in excess of 1 trillion calculations per second (BusinessWeek.com, 2/12/07) in future products that use cameras to track body motion to control the action, instead of using buttons or joysticks.

"We imagine some future generation of [Nintendo's] Wii won't have hand controllers," says Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer. "You just set up the cameras around the room and wave your hand like you're playing tennis." Intel missed out on supplying chips for the current generation of game systems, and is trying to gain a foothold there.

To me, that does sound awfully familiar to the PlayStation2´s ´Eye Toy´ line of products. But, I guess, that "1 trillion calculations per second" may be some improvement to that technology. However, positioning a camera in my room sounds like a bit of a hassle. Plus I actually prefer holding onto something.

Source: Business Week
Thanks to: Codename Revolution

My history of Super Mario in 4 minutes

If you are interested in what has kept me from posting recently, please view my history of Super Mario in 4 minutes or read the text version. Both the video and online text are in German, but the amazing work of our graphics department is worth checking it out even if you do not speak it.



On a personal note, please stick by this blog. I am preparing a very comprehensive study of one of the so-called indie development studios that have been rumoured to be developing for Wii. Will we ever play their games on a Nintendo system? I have compiled weeks of research and hope to be able to answer that question. The post will be up soon. Please stay tuned.

Source: 3sat