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Changes Make Developing Indie Titles Easier On Wii U And 3DS
Nintendo’s WiiWare service featured some independently developed hits during its time with games like World of Goo, but the service never quite took off as much as other platforms.
That trend seems to be changing with the new eShop platform – and Nintendo is becoming more lenient in order to ensure a larger indie presence on its gaming platforms. This news comes from a Gamasutra interview with Dan Adelman, Nintendo's business development manager, who is credited as having helped make World of Goo a reality on WiiWare.
Adelman says Nintendo is trying to make it as easy as possible for indie developers to release their games on the eShop. Doing away with a requirement to have an office in order to keep confidential materials secure is one step in that direction.
“More and more people are working from home, and we recognize that developers are forming virtual teams around the world,” says Adelman. “I know we've shied away from talking about these things publicly in the past, so I'm glad that I can officially confirm that the office requirement is a thing of the past.”
Another point of contention for all indie developers is how consoles stack up against Steam's more open approach to things such as pricing.
“Developers set their own pricing for their Wii U and Nintendo 3DS content,” says Adelman. “As one example, Little Inferno launched at $14.99. They did a sale for $9.99, and it went so well, they decided to make that price change permanent. It's completely in their control.
“Updating games is also fairly straightforward,” adds Adelman. “If they find an issue they need to fix, they can. In terms of other Nintendo eShop functionality, there's a dedicated team working through a roadmap of new features. We'll be able to announce those as they get closer to release.”
Adelman details many other aspects of developing for Nintendo's platforms, such as using Unity Pro 4 on the Wii U, and other items of interest. The changes seem to have already interested some developers.
“No office required is a big improvement,” comments Kris Steele, founder of Fun Infused Games, the development studio responsible for Hypership Out Of Control! “Developing for Nintendo is no longer an unrealistic thing to do.”
Head over to Gamasutra to read the complete interview.
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