When Capcom's Sr. Director of Strategic Planning and Research speaks, I'd say you should at least listen ... even if you don't agree with him.
In a recent
message board thread on their official BBS, Capcom's Christian Svensson tells it like it is, and a world of fanboy fire rains from the digital skies. In response to a thread about wanting more "mature" Wii titles, Svensson is mum on specifics, but admits that most of their upcoming Wii line-up will steer clear of any subject that might garner an M rating.
By and large, I don't see the Wii being home to a sizeable mature playerbase outside of some of the early adopters. I see it as being very, very broad with a family focus. If there is a "core player base" on Wii (and it's might be so broad, there might be no such thing as "core"), within two years, it will probably be largely a younger player (or at least younger than 360 or PS3).
Svensson later cites the GameCube as a reference, saying that "6-10 [year-old] males was the sweet spot." He does admit exceptions -- Resident Evil 4 was the best selling game on the console in 2005.
Wars have been started over less, but these comments shouldn't come as a surprise. Nintendo has long been plagued by the "kiddie" image and despite strong sales, developer perception (or research of actual numbers and facts, as the case may be) may cripple the software library.
Wii fans can rest easy though, knowing that the console did receive the best (and only) next-gen version of Chicken Little: Ace In Action.
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Contest:
1:06 AM on 02.11.2007
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so hes saying when I blust the zombies head off rainbows will come out?
Anywho, I can't help but agree at the moment. This is the console that is bringing us Cooking Mama, after all.
According to him, resident evil for the wii would be an exception to the general perception of wii
http://dtlb1.destructoid.com/elephant/profile.phtml?un=milly
sigh.
Imagine if investors had gone to Henry Ford and said "For the last few thousand quarters the horse and buggy has done significantly better in the 19-25 demographic..."
or Shigeyru Miyamoto when he created Mario and gone "Pong for Atari has sold the best so far, let's just make more of that."
Screw market research. The market isn't just always going to buy the same things from the same company via the same preferences. Make something that truely makes more sense and it will be profitable no matter what the "market trends" are or who Nintendo sold to last generation or what other developers are doing or whatever.
@Milly
PS3 right now has nothing but potential and can play your PS1 and PS2 games. A purchase right now isn't worth it for me, even for my beloved Virtua Fighter 5. I'd rather wait till the price goes down or I can make someone buy it for me.
Silly Milly, Trix are for kids! Sorry that just popped in my head when I read your post.
i am surprised so many people love the microsoft console, especially after all the years of windows. but i guess it's because people are rebelling against the 'namebrand'.
unfortunately people who own xbox 360's are basically wearing clown shoes.
(win me)
(lose you)
Why has CTZ been fired?
Adults are a very VERY distant second.
Its always been diddytoid. You must be losing your mind.
Manhunt 2 will be uber fun.
Capcom has their doubts, its ok, they can make money later.
What really frustrates me are "adults" who can't see past the rating of the game to know if a game will be worth playing...maybe its just cause I had just as much fun with Animal Crossing as I did with God of War, two distinctly polar opposites.
But, alas, its the fact that people dont want to appear too "childlike" that forces companies to worry about these demographics, IMO.
For the record I agree with everything dprime and tactix said.
According to Bill Gates I'm a girl because I like Viva Pinata..?
What I am is a gamer who enjoys games, regardless of perceived audience or demographic - FYI I'd fit into the "30 something with 3 kids who has to balance other major commitments with his desire to play games" bracket... there's a few of us
One thing that Nintendo have taught us is that a game doesn't have to carry an M rating to be fun. The Wii will have M rated games but probably not as many as it's competitors. I see the Wii as being a source of alternative gaming much like the DS. A serious gamer will have the Wii along with a 360 and maybe a PS3 so it's good to have the variation.
You haven't met many fanboys, have you? :) I've heard the same level of zealotry from Nintendo, Xbox, PC, and Mac fans. Milly amuses the hell out of me. I'm still not sure if he actually believes what he's saying, or if he's just a very entertaining troll.
As far as the Wii being a "kiddie console", isn't it supposed to be? I remember getting the nes when I was 10 and growing up with the classics. I think Nintendo should cater to children. The ps3 and 360 are geared for teens and adults.
My Wii collects dust. I bought it because I wanted to relive some of the magic when I was a kid with my first Nintendo. I realized shortly after purchase though that it's twenty years later and I have different tastes. I don't think it's any insult to call the machine kiddy, it's made for kids. I think it's funny when adults defend the system. It reminds me how all the older Star Wars fans were going off about Jar Jar. Yeah, he sucked, but little kids loved him. Sometimes I think we have to let go a bit and remember that we are getting older.
Oh man, I forgot about Gamez01. Where's he been?
@ broham:
The Wii's supposed to appeal to everyone, that's why they showed people of all ages playing it in the promotional videos. I've heard plenty of anecdotes from Wii gamers and journalists who brought their system home for the holidays, and their entire family ended up getting hooked into Wii Sports. Ignoring market research is exactly what this Capcom guy is doing. Wii's aren't just owned by 5-12 year-olds, there are thousands of 18-34 year-old Wii owners right now who would love to see more mature titles for the system. By just assuming that it's a kiddie system, Capcom is missing out on that potential market.
Every system should be geared towards every age group. There's a market for all ages for 360, PS3, and Wii. The PS2 and Xbox also had plenty of kid's titles after all.
Gamez1 showed up the other day (Friday) and posted a bunch of Summa-hate. That was the last I saw of him.
Bottom line is that this is a catch-22, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If developers perceive the Wii as a kiddy system, then that is the reality of the system since they withhold their 'mature' games.
However, IGN did a nice little piece on how T-rated games are hands-down owning the E-rated games on the Wii, in spite of the fact they're outnumbered some odd 2:1. With Manhunt and Godfather on the way (which I still think will be a stupid port), the Wii has a chance to show that M-rated games will survive. Right now, the second top-selling game on the Wii is Red Steel, a (admitted toned down despite the name) FPS.
And they can survive. RE4 did nearly as well on the GC as it did with the PS2, in spite of the fact that the GC's base is 1/5th the size of PS2's, and despite the fact that Capcom really torpedoed RE4 GC by announcing it for the PS2 before it was released.
I agree with blue about the catch 22...it will be a circular debate that, due to nintendo's image over the years, will continue with every title they pump out.
[/rant]
Anyway, that self-fulfilling prophecy thing is a good point, and I'm not sure what it will take to change it....all I know is as long as the Wii makes good games, regardless of rating, I will be pleased...no matter what label people might give the system.