Nintendo: we're "not good" at core games
"We have to court third-parties" - Reggie.
Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has admitted that Nintendo is "not good" at creating "core" games, and needs to actively court third-parties to make more mature titles like BioShock 2 for the platform.
"The fact of the matter is we know we create great content for younger consumers, we know we've got great content for more casual players, and we want fantastic content for that more active player who loves Metroid or Zelda but maybe also wants something like a BioShock 2 to play as well," he told Industry Gamers at GDC.
"And we also recognize that we don't create that type of content ourselves. We're not good at it and it's not a key focus area. We want that content on our platform, so we have to court third-party developers and encourage them to make [those games]."
Asked how Nintendo might persuade third-parties, who seem increasingly sceptical about supporting the Wii, to create games for it, Fils-Aime argued that developing expensive, technically advanced core games for other platforms was not profitable.
"Developers love to create technically advanced games, and very visually stunning games, but the fact of the matter is not all of that content is selling exceptionally well either," he said.
"Look at the most recent NPD results. I'm not sure how much was invested into a game like Dante's Inferno, or how much is invested into a game like BioShock 2, but if that sales level is the best that they will do in a particular month, and it'll fall off rapidly from there, then those games aren't going to pay off their investment."