kiwikid Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 I'm not sure if this has been discussed before but I was wondering would peoples thoughts would be if Rockstar decided to make the GTA series a Wii exclusive. I know this won't happen but what road do you think the Wii would take? Would Playstation fans suddenly think "oh its on a Nintendo platform so it will probably suck" and not buy it or would PS2 fans start jumping ship. Do 3rd parties hold the power when it comes to which system will sell the most depending on which platform they decide to release their big titles on. I have probably left out a lot of factors to consider but I'd like to hear other peoples thoughts on such a thing happening.
InvaderElmo Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 I don't know about GTA, as it will forever be cross-platform, but a double-deuce of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest hopping platforms would easily create an exodus, at least in Japan. This scenario is far more likely, though still not likely, as Square has been drinking a lot of Nintendo's Kool-Aid lately with Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy spin-offs such as Crystal Chronicles, Dragon Quest Slime Mori Mori/Swords/Joker, the pre FMV Final Fantasy games on portables etc. There are certain franchises that hold a power over many people, and most of those are currently hanging out in Sony-Land. It certainly didn't help N64 that Square left for greener pastures.
david.dakota Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 The problem Sony has is that its created a platform that, like the N64, is a bitch to develop for - third party developers are struggling with coding for the PS3 - how many titles have we already seen dropped from the PS3, or moved to multiformat after having an 'exclusive' tag? Sony does have a huge number of contracted developers - and they'll be beavering away at some titles for launch. Back to subject; GTA is currently a multiformat title. Its due on PS3 and XBOX 360. Therefore no contacts are in place to secure an exclusive release tethered to any one particular format. Its potentially possible for GTA to arrive on Wii. However, a third party publisher like Rockstar is reliant on Nintendo ensuring the certain factors are in place (taking GTA as an example) before the expensive task of planning and coding can begin: The Wii needs a large market share within the 18-34 age bracket. Wii consumers also need to have broad appeal. Many third parties struggle selling games on Nintendo platforms - people who buy a Nintendo machine usually don't bother with third parties. Loosen the image. Nintendo has a very specific image, which contradicts games like GTA. Nintendo needs to find a way to manage adult themed games, without the need to change blood to the colour green (over 15 years, and i'm still ranting about Mortal Kombat on SNES!?!). Third parties need to be sure that an adult themed game will not cause any issues. These factors help reduce the risk for GTA. Nintendo needs to actively reduce the risk of third party games not making money - businesses (shock, horror! Games Developers, a business?! They don't make games for the love of it?!) have no crystal ball - they're not able to see if a particalar item will be profitable at retail. All businesses must balance risk. On the whole its Nintendo's decisions that guide Third Parties- they have no real power to change the direction of Wii (could've phrased that better...). If Nintendo creates a risky environment for Wii, Third Party developers will shy away; If Nintendo creates a less risky environment they'll be interested. Of course, when you apply this theory to PS3, it become completely redundant, and makes my post look like it was written by a crab. Playstation 2 was just as much of a pain in d'arse and the PS3 is proving to be, but turned out to be a runaway success at retail.
mcj metroid Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 The problem Sony has is that its created a platform that, like the N64, is a bitch to develop for - third party developers are struggling with coding for the PS3 - how many titles have we already seen dropped from the PS3, or moved to multiformat after having an 'exclusive' tag? Sony does have a huge number of contracted developers - and they'll be beavering away at some titles for launch. Back to subject; GTA is currently a multiformat title. Its due on PS3 and XBOX 360. Therefore no contacts are in place to secure an exclusive release tethered to any one particular format. Its potentially possible for GTA to arrive on Wii. However, a third party publisher like Rockstar is reliant on Nintendo ensuring the certain factors are in place (taking GTA as an example) before the expensive task of planning and coding can begin: The Wii needs a large market share within the 18-34 age bracket. Wii consumers also need to have broad appeal. Many third parties struggle selling games on Nintendo platforms - people who buy a Nintendo machine usually don't bother with third parties. Loosen the image. Nintendo has a very specific image, which contradicts games like GTA. Nintendo needs to find a way to manage adult themed games, without the need to change blood to the colour green (over 15 years, and i'm still ranting about Mortal Kombat on SNES!?!). Third parties need to be sure that an adult themed game will not cause any issues. These factors help reduce the risk for GTA. Nintendo needs to actively reduce the risk of third party games not making money - businesses (shock, horror! Games Developers, a business?! They don't make games for the love of it?!) have no crystal ball - they're not able to see if a particalar item will be profitable at retail. All businesses must balance risk. On the whole its Nintendo's decisions that guide Third Parties- they have no real power to change the direction of Wii (could've phrased that better...). If Nintendo creates a risky environment for Wii, Third Party developers will shy away; If Nintendo creates a less risky environment they'll be interested. Of course, when you apply this theory to PS3, it become completely redundant, and makes my post look like it was written by a crab. Playstation 2 was just as much of a pain in d'arse and the PS3 is proving to be, but turned out to be a runaway success at retail. i agree with all of that! the obvious problem is that they are too japanese driven!They are still aiming at japanese kids and let's face it when it comes to japanese kids.Nintendo knows their market like no other!But games like brain are mature in their own way. New zelda is mature,metroid is,red steel is,call of duty is!Mortal kombat really is! They are doing well so far but keep it going.The gamecube never really had proper midway or 2k supposrt but it seems that the wii does.this is cool
knightendo Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 yeh Wii is certainly garnering a lot more 3rd party support than the cube, and (probably more importantly) a lot of very INTERESTED 3rd parties rather than just the usual name-checks when i console is about to be released. to answer the original question (even though it seems highly unlikely GTA will ever become an exclusive to any format again) you'd probably find they wouldn't care which platform it was on. they'd see the usual combination of violence, swearing, graphics, and wouldn't really care (the majority i have to say, but not all) about what new gameplay elements and all there'd be, so most would probably blindly follow it anywhere.
raven_blade2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Not gonna happen. Wii exclusive that is.. But if Wii has unbelievable sales and captures the imagination of the consumers then Rockstar will find it hard to ignore it.
ViPeR Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Well one, high budget, exclusive game can sure shift the public opinion of a console and sway people towards it. Just look at Halo, GTA, Final Fantasy etc. The thing is I can't think of any big 3rd party games, that could potentially be Wii exclusives, which would do this for the Wii. Red Steel and Metroid Prime 3 look promising but I don't think they'll have the same effect say Halo did for the Xbox. I see Wii sports doing this more than any other game and it's not high budget or third party. That's not to say we won't see some sort of 'Halo killer', as the fanboys like to call it, emerge from a third party. It really depends on Nintendo and how much freedom and support they give to developers. As Davidredge said, they need to lose this kiddy image. If they want a larger audience then they're going to have to buck up their ideas and not shy away from GTAesque games.
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