Huh. Rockstar North is hiring for untitled Wii, DS projects [news]

on: 05/25/10, 20:17:45

- Edited by

on: 05/25/10, 20:18:56

I'm not really into open-world games for the most part... unless Zelda counts? But I admit I'd be interested in one of Rockstar's Red Dead games on Wii just so I can have another 3rd-person shooter I can play with the Wiimote.

I guess GTA could be cool too, but I never liked any of the 3D games. Heck, the only one I actually liked was Chinatown Wars. But I have a feeling that if one of their games comes to the Wii, it's gonna be a table tennis game or something. As for the DS... who knows? I'd be down for another GTA on DS, that's for sure.

Posted by

GameDadGrant

on: 05/25/10, 21:08:02

Last gen GTA ports with Bully-like control improvements.

Actually, that'd almost make too much sense.

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 21:09:23

Zero said:

Last gen GTA ports.....

Posted by

GameDadGrant

on: 05/25/10, 21:12:32

If that were true, would they really need a new physics programmer for that?

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 21:15:49

Damned if I know. Maybe for Wii controls.

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 21:16:52

I'm not exactly the guy with the biggest development insight here, but that sounds a bit fishy to me. Besides, wouldn't it make more sense for Rockstar to have Toronto make the port instead of a team like North?

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 21:20:18

Well if they're hiring now, we wouldn't see the game for years. So maybe Rockstar has seen the Wii 2, seen that it's going to have adequate hardware for the kind of games they like to do, and are now looking for someone who's experienced with the Wii so they can transition more smoothly to the new console.

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 22:32:50

I doubt anyone has seen Wii 2 yet. Didn't developers only get to see Wii like 9 months before it came out?

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 22:34:08

@Jargon
They could also be hiring someone to fill a position on an already on-going project, right? Maybe someone quit, fell ill, or maybe they just need to free someone up from his or her previous task by hiring someone new? I doubt anyone's seen the Wii 2, but the next platform might very well be similar to program for, just like the Cube and the Wii, so the transition thing makes sense to me, though.

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 22:36:34

@Zero

Sure, but then Nintendo made sure to get third party devs on board early for the 3DS, or so I've read. They're changing their ways. They wouldn't have done that with the DS, fearing leaks.

Apparently that fear was entirely justified given the way the 3DS was announced, but still.

Posted by

Pandareus

on: 05/25/10, 22:37:35

- Edited by

Pandareus

on: 05/25/10, 22:38:01

Wasn't there some complaint recently that too much of their revenue was coming from GTA related software?

I get the feeling they're trying to diversify - my guess is that whatever ends up coming out on the Wii/DS will be very different to their regular stuff.

Posted by

achhibbar

on: 05/25/10, 22:43:35

That'd be hilarious if the Wii stuck around for years and years and just kept selling. Almost every argument I hear for a Wii 2 (HD) soon is that Nintendo "has" to release their next console first to stay competitive. But it's a tech argument, and I think the massive success of the Wii has already shown that tech isn't as important to sales as people thought... so exactly how not important is it? Maybe Nintendo wants to stretch it and find out. If it keeps selling, what is the rush to bring in a new console?

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 22:48:52

@Simbabbad

God, I hope not the way that 3rd party support seems to be drying up. But who knows, maybe there'll be some good announcements at E3. Plus, Nintendo has yet to make two Mario Karts on the same system, and I don't want to wait 5 years for my next console Mario Kart.

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 22:49:35

They haven't made two Mario Karts per console, but then, they never had a 10 year console cycle either right? There is always a first time. After all, we're getting the first direct 3D Mario sequel.

Anyway, I don't particularly want Nintendo to not release a new console for another 5 years, but I wouldn't mind it, and it would be rather hilarious if the other two released new consoles with even better tech and the Wii still kept selling.

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 22:52:33

@Zero

Honestly, since Nintendo actually makes money from selling their consoles, unlike Sony and MS, I think they have the most reason to stick to their normal game plan. Plus even though it is still selling more than the competition, sales have dropped ever so slightly. I think it's business as usual for Nintendo, so their next console will be coming before too long.

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 22:55:56

But how much money do they make selling consoles? My understanding is it's a small margin of profit, and once you add in the R&D that went into it, it might not even be much profit at all. IF they could continue selling the Wii for 5 more years and keep selling games at the same rate, I think that'd make them more in the end. Cut out a whole generation, then you cut out all of the R&D costs for that machine.

Of course, with everyone ripping motion controls, they have another incentive to release a new console fairly soon. Not HD and graphics tech, but the next big control mechanism. Some kind of motion/whatever device to make Sony and Microsoft's look behind the times. They can only keep tacking stuff onto the current controller for so long.

Posted by

on: 05/25/10, 23:01:29

Well there's also the market saturating. What caused Nintendo to transition from NES to SNES? Did the Genesis spur that? Was the market saturated? Did they just want to make games that weren't possible on the NES? You've read Game Over, give me the scoop.

Posted by