Thursday, October 04, 2007

Epic Games: "Big software dollars" on Xbox360, not Wii



Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games, believes that the Wii is an unattractive platform for engine developers. The company produces the highly successful ´Unreal´ graphics engine.

Speaking to GameTrailers, Rein said that "the big software dollars right now are being earned on Xbox360". The Wii would only be attractive insofar as a company could sell their engine directly to Nintendo.

Here is the video interview. The relevant quote is 1:15 minutes into the clip.



And here is a verbatim transcript of the entire passage, after GameTrailers suggests that the Wii must be a very attractive platform for engine developers.

GameTrailers: Have you guys sort of looked at that? I mean, like: ´Hey, you know. This is some place where we could move in and make a lot of money?´

Mark Rein: No, well... I mean... I think the problem is that it´s not in our wheelhouse. I mean what we are doing is the high-end, next-generation visuals. I mean we are pushing these machines pretty hard. I just think that... We have too many things on our plate to go back and put resources in that kind of... in that situation.

GameTrailers: Don´t think there is a lot of money sitting there on the table? All these developers out there, reaching out for something that is gonna make their games look good on the Wii?

Mark Rein: No, actually I don´t think there is a lot of money on making engines for the Wii.

GameTrailers: How come?

Mark Rein: Well, because I think the big software dollars right now are being earned on Xbox360 and they gonna be earned on PlayStation3 and I think unless you are going to sell your engine to Nintendo, you... you know... you are going for scraps on that platform.




I wonder if that comment is to be seen as Rein´s anti-Wii sentiment or if, indeed, other engine developers (Valve, Crytek and id) feel the same way.

If it was true that the Wii is not an attractive platform for engine development, despite it being market leader, then Nintendo will clearly run into some big problems over the next few years as the visual gap between Wii and its competitors is sure to widen significantly within that timeframe.

Source: GameTrailers
Thanks to: GoNintendo

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

As i wrote before on GoNintendo:
Nintendo should license the MP3 and SMG engines to 3rd parties.

And there's always Factor 5 which could jump in and license their Star Wars engine. I guess, after the Lair disaster, they could need some money and new credibility... Julian Eggebrecht already dissed all the 3rd party devs, bc he can't understand what's the problem of doing good graphics on Wii and praised the system for it's architecture. I hope there will be some action after those statement.

RGB said...

Thats funny, if I am not mistaken, he had dissed the system a year or so ago in favour of PS3.

Anyway bring back Turrican in 2D please.

I dont think Nintendo will license the MP engine. They keep stuff close to their chest, but if its used for just basically FPS games, I dont see why they shouldnt license it out.

Anonymous said...

@grandmaster b
Yeah, Eggebrecht dissed the Wii and everyone dissed him for that :) Maybe he's now ready for some "serious" business...
And yeah, Turrican would be great!

I don't think Nintendo considers licensing their engines, but after all those bad (3rd party wise) years of the Gamecube, they maybe could do something for 3rd party devs. OK, they also could just shovel 3rd party devs millions of Dollars in the ass, like Microsoft, to make sure they care about the Wii, but i would find it wrong in a moral way :-)

Anonymous said...

LIKE I STATED IN MY POSTS ON BUNGY LEAVE MICROSOFT THIS IS BULL SHIT 3RD PARTY POLITICS MARK RAINS BELOVED UNREAL ENGINE IS ON 360 AND NOT WII

WHAT A SHOCKING COINSUDENCE

MARK RAIN HAS SEEN PS3 FLOP SO HE IS NOW HYPING THE ONLY CONSOLE LEFT WITH HIS ENGINE ON IT 360 POLITICS PEOPLE HIS A LYING FUKWIID

MARK RAIN CALLED WII A FAD 12 MONTHS AGO STILL DOING IT NOW "WHY"

BECOUSE EPIC PUT ALL ITS ENGINE EGGS IN THE PS3 BASKET WII CAME ALONG AND TRAMPLED THOSE EGGS NOW ITS WII AND WII BUYERS FALT THAT PS3SIS DIEING

THIS GUY IS A COMPLEAT PRAT

BEFORE WII LOURNCHED HE KEPT PUTTING HIS FOOT IN HIS MONTH ASWELL

WII IS A FAD//RANTED ABOUT WII WAS LIKE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES WITH YOUR EYES SHUT WOTEVER THAT MEANS THE BAFFOON IS FULL; OF HIMSELF AND IS MEARLY MARKETING THE UNREAL ENGINE BY ANTI NINTENDO MOUTHING OFF

INSTED OF TALKING UP PCS 360S AND PS3 HIS RESORTED TO SLANDERING A BETTER SELLING SYSTEM AS THO BY MAGIC EVERYONE WILL LISTEN TO HIM AND BUY PS3S AND 360S HIS A TOTAL PHAT ASSED BAFFOON

WII IS CHEAPER AND EASIER TO DEV FOR IT OFFERS THINGS NO OTHER SYSTEM CAN THE MAN IS A TOTAL BULLSHITTER


his rants are self endulged marketing for epids wares

he reps the menality of jelous 3rd partys that hate nintendos power and sees them as competition not format these 3rd partys need a GROW UP PILL

Anonymous said...

mark is like a gambling addict he bets on a horse looses the housekeeping money on said wrong horse then blames the winning horse called wii for his own gambling adiction and his losses great weay to sum up this total cock shanker

Anonymous said...

mark rain is a fat ugly prat he looks like those bedroom yanks that live for there pcs only and eat junk all day his a ass wipe with no friends or a girlfriend

he fears nintendo just like everyone else in the industre

Anonymous said...

WII IS A CUSTOM HIGHLY EFFICENT CONSOLE

EDIC MAKE PC ENGINES

MARKS TALKING DESIL TRUCK ENGINES WEN WII IS A HIGHLY TUNED MOTORCYCLE THE 2 HAVE NO CONECTION APART FROM BOTH BEING A FORM OF CONBUSTION ENGINE

WII IS A CUSTOM FAST CONSOLE IT DOSNT REQUIRE UNREAL IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM WII CUSTOM ENGINES ARE REQIURED ISNT THAT COMMON SENCE


splinter cell was imposable on ps2 then all of a sudden theres splinter cell ps2 WII ALL HAVE HEARD THIS BULL SHIT BEFORE

quake 3 was a pc game OH YES IT LOOKED AND PLAYED FANTASTRICLY ON DREAMCAST DID IT NOT HMMMMMMMM

MARK SHUT UP

Anonymous said...

The comments section here was looking good RIGHT up until the mind numbing all-caps post.

The joys of the intertubes, I suppose.

Metaldave said...

Well the Oblivion engine is being ported over to Wii so obviously the Wii is an attractive system for engines. Epic games just doesn't have any confidence that their games can sell on the Wii. They think its not hardcore enough.

Mark needs to realize that just about ALL hardcore gamers have a Wii, they don't just have an Xbox 360.

Anonymous said...

startstriker its the inteligent content of a post that matters not your anal obsesion with prettty grammer

my posts are intelibable and more importantly INDUSTRE FACT

pretty grammer does not show inteligents the content is meaR THE BRAINS ARE CLEARLY SHOWN

IF YOU CARNT SEE A WII FEAR WII RANT BY A JELOUS 3RD PARTY

""YOUR BLIND""

Anonymous said...

Vik slick talk, with a cough full of North
Of course New York floss, don't know and blew pork
Before you walk across, look both ways
The third and the fourth of them nowaday old phase
Kept a dog on a wooden leg and hustled all night in the fog on the red
Even dressed like a bum and could beg
Instead use the other on the strength, what a good head
Been bred to win, since headspins, ooh them gems
Spread too thin, depends on who's losing
Heads do spin, it's deaded, now who's in?
Revenge all here, enough combined slang to bang all year
It's on, like it ain't never been on cordless before
Report for lawless, ports is off shore
With horses, hanging the tablets, mating with rappers
Habits til they hate 'em and had it, damn it
And it's gone with the wind, dead wrong
A song, with a spin and a grin
Out of style, with the blow out for mild mannered smile
Like a foul wild Spaniard on the soul out
Vaughn, the one you trick-a-don
Why stick it, if you gotta slip a snicker on, Viktor Vaughn

Anonymous said...

Hi Falafelkid!
This is from gamefront.de:
Bungie wird unabhängig / Partnerschaft mit Microsoft geplant

05.10.07 - Die Bungie Studios (Halo-Serie) streben an, wieder ein eigenständiges Unternehmen zu werden. Aus diesem Grund trafen Microsoft und Bungie eine Vereinbarung, nach der die Halo-Entwickler wieder zu ihren Wurzeln als unabhängiges Studio zurückkehren können.

Microsoft bleibt finanziell an Bungie beteiligt und führt die seit langem bestehende Veröffentlichungsvereinbarung für die Halo-Reihe, deren Rechte sich im Besitz von Microsoft befinden, und künftige, von Bungie entwickelte Produkte fort. Diese neue Struktur ist bereits seit 03.10.07 wirksam.

'Wir unterstützen den Wunsch von Bungie nach Rückkehr zu ihren unabhängigen Wurzeln, werden aber weiter in die Halo Serie investieren. Das machen wir zusammen mit Bungie und anderen Partnern, etwa Regisseur Peter Jackson, mit dem eine neue interaktive Serie im Halo Universum entsteht', kommentiert Shane Kim, Corporate Vice President der Microsoft Game Studios.

Harold Ryan, Studioleiter von Bungie, fügt hinzu: 'Wir werden weiterhin mit Fokus auf den Microsoft Plattformen entwickeln. Wir schätzen die beiderseitig sehr erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit mit den Microsoft Game Studios, und wir freuen uns darauf, diese mit Halo und auch darüber hinaus fortzusetzen.'

Die Bungie Studios bleiben weiterhin in ihrem jetzigen Firmensitz in Kirkland, Washington, ansässig.

Anonymous said...

I agree with starstriker, It’s because of such posts that any intelligent conversation or debate becomes difficult to maintain and also hurt this blog as a whole.

It’s odd that the people who claim to love Nintendo are the ones who do the most harm to any Nintendo fan-site or blog.

Anonymous said...

no you agree with star stalker becouse your both 360 fans ghod i see strate thru a fanbitch wen i see one

go bash a button or wotevber u do on that dreamcast copy outdated control pad im embrassing a new dawn in gaming wii

Anonymous said...

funny wiis fill rate @ 480p is basicly 360s @ 720p funny tev and hot wired custom hollywood goodies mimic shaders but as its not mainstream or out of bill gates backside or linked to bill gates direct wotever

its dismissed by IGNORANT FOLK BRAINWASHED BY MICROSOFT

yes you starstarker

directly comparing wiis custom design with pc tech is like directly comparing a desil truck to a petrol motorcycle

can wii compeat at 490p yes anyone who saysd otherwise has mark rains cock in there mouth

SERIOUSLY

Blizz419 said...

wow man those anonymous posts with all caps weren't just an eye sore they barely made sense with there horrible grammar and spelling, ever hear of spell check? and i love the Wii but no it cannot compete at 480p graphically not even at 480i i highly doubt it can make anything as pretty as Bioshock looks on my standard def TV fortunately graphics don't make a game there just an added bonus. and to whoever posted that rhyme it was wack.

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Anonymous said...

The WiiGW2 Gold would only be attractive insofar as a company could sell their engine directly Buy RS Goldto Nintendo.