Wii Status: unknown

Gameloft is a studio that creates Java games and software for mobile telephones and PDAs.

Ian Fisch
Sept. 28, 2005
"I shudder to think what the game industry would look life if only Microsoft and Sony were left to duel it out. I could honestly see another crash looming were it not for Nintendo's breath of fresh air. The PS3 and X360 are so homogenized it's not even funny. They both have virtually the same specs and have functionally identical controllers. As a designer I'm extremely excited by all the new possibilities the Revolution controller will bring. As a gamer, I'm salivating. When the most innovative thing Microsoft or Sony could come up with is higher resolutions, Nintendo comes out of left field with something that just may be a Revolution. I can't see this thing failing 3rd party support or not."


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Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Untitled Game

Game Factory was formed in 2004. The company publishes for all platforms and its licenses include Garfield, Care Bears, Postman Pat, Land Before Time, Franklin, Noddy, Strawberry Shortcake, Little Miss Spider, Code Lyoko, and Biker Mice From Mars.


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Wii Status: unknown

Game Republic is a Japanese studio formed by former Capcom employee Yoshiki Okamoto. The company created the Genji series which is described as a mix between Capcom's Devil May Cry and Onimusha.

Yoshiki Okamoto - President (Street Fighter)
Oct. 26, 2005
Okamoto believes that the controller has such appeal that even those who lack imagination light up with wonder at what can be done with the device. He admits to having just a few ideas himself, including an action RPG and a horror game so scary that it almost makes you throw your controller.


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Wii Status: confirmed developer

Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox, responded to a question from GamerCC noting that he finds the Revolution console interesting and looks forward to creating games for it. He said the company already has ideas that would be ideal for the interface possibilities of the Revolution. Gearbox is known for its first-person shooter Brothers In Arms series.

Randy Pitchford - President (Brothers in Arms)
Oct. 18, 2005
I don't think that the scope of a game has anything to do with the interface. The scope of the games are going to be driven by the dreams of our customers. If customers are there demanding these games, the games will be there, too. The big publishers don't like to leave money on the table, so they'll find a way to make the biggest brands work on the Revolution. Nintendo has driven the way on console interfaces for quite some time -- I think this one is a big, interesting step that we're all going to want to pay attention to. I think the analog "aiming" of the controller is really neat. The idea that we can have full, rich gaming experiences that we can interface with one hand is really exciting to me.


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Wii Status: likely

Genius Sonority is a newly formed Japanese development house, founded in June 2002. Created with the financial support of Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, Genius Sonority is made up of programmers who worked on such high profile RPGs as Dragon Quest and Earthbound. Their main focus will likely be console iterations of Pokemon. Notable past titles include Pokemon Colosseum (GCN).


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Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Untitled Game

Genki was formed in 1990 in Japan. Genki develops and publishes software for a variety of platforms. Genki is best-known for its Tokyo Xtreme Racer series which has seen several installments throughout the years.


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Untitled Game

Grand Prix Games is an independent developer located in Japan. The studio is responsible for the Victorious Road boxing series in Japan.


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Heroes

This small Japanese studio was created in March 1998. The company has since released Killer 7 for GameCube and is currently developing Contact for the Nintendo DS. The company's president has also confirmed an unspecified Wii game in development. That title has since been identified as "Heroes."

Kouichi Suda - President (Killer 7)
Dec. 15, 2005
"I was excited to make Killer 7 for GCN, so my mind raced with possibilities for Revolution. Actually, I've already got a plan for a very revolutionary game."
Oct. 21, 2005
"In truth, I have yet to get my hands on Revolution," Suda admits, but adds that he expects to get some hands on time shortly. Once he saw the controller at the product announcement, he felt that there was no choice but to make games for it. "I've already finalized a plan. Now, all that remains is to make it." The game will focus heavily on direct input through the controller, and will, he promises, exceed Killer 7.


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Wii Status: confirmed developer/publisher
Announced Software: Kirby Adventure
Untitled Virtual Console Game

Over the years HAL has managed to mold entirely new kinds of games and game play. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata got his start in video games working at HAL and later became president of the company before moving into his current position at Nintendo. Although the company is currently going through some restructuring after the departure of Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai, things still look good for the studio. HAL is responsible for technology such as the e-Reader and the microphone in "Hey You, Pikachu!." Notable past titles include Kirby's Adventure (NES), Pokemon Snap (N64), Super Smash Bros. (N64), Kirby Air Ride (GCN), and Super Smash Bros.: Melee (GCN).


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Wii Status: unknown

Founded in 1995, Harmonix is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company is known for its unique musical video games such as Karaoke Revolution and Amplitude.

Rob Kay - Lead Designer at Harmonix (Guitar Hero, Antigrav)
May 16, 2006
"I had my first encounter with the Wii yesterday, in terms of actually using the thing. I am a pretty big Nintendo fan, in fact a lot of us at Harmonix are. I'm sure anyone who has been into games for a while is probably a Nintendo fan. So we have really high expectations and we are very excited about it for some of the reasons that you eluded to there. It's like this natural control scheme, where suddenly it's not about how many bizarre symbols on buttons can I remember in what contrived order for every single game I play. But instead it's more like - "Oh I'm going to move my hands and do gestures, and interact in ways that feel human and natural anyway." So we have really high expectations. And I think from Nintendo's E3 lineup, they have met that to a point, but they still have a lot to prove. I really enjoyed playing the tennis game, and loved how you held the Wii remote actually affected your type of shot. If you tilted your hand back you could get a backspin, you could slice it, get a topspin; that all felt really natural. Perhaps a little light as a game, I'm not quite sure where they are going to go with it. Some of their games had more traditional control schemes like Mario. I am a huge Mario fan and I love the transition to 3D that it's taken. I really hope that the new Galaxy game does well; I was only able to play 3 minutes."
Dec. 20, 2005
"Nintendo invented the modern joypad, so it's only right that they say it's time for a change, and have the confidence to go for it with Revolution. The move away from the standard joypad configuration, and towards a true 3D controller, is both staggering and welcome. Ultimately the Revolution presents an incredibly exciting new space for the games industry to explore, and as such it's a breath of fresh air. I agree with Nintendo that we need to make games more inviting to non-gamers, and keep the current gamers engaged by offering new experiences they haven't encountered before."


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Wii Status: unknown

Based in Illinois, High Voltage has created several licensed games including the multiplatform Charlie and the Cholocate Factory and Lego Racers for the PC.

Eric Nofsinger
June 16, 2006
"It's been an incredible design challenge. Some of the unannounced stuff we've been working on for Wii...it's been very challenging. You know, 'How do you do a fighter on this, how do you do a platformer on this?"

Tom Smith
Sept. 28, 2005
"[Beneficial for] Nintendo: Yes. It will give Nintendo a unique place in the next generation. They probably won't "win," but they'll do well. [Beneficial for] third-parties: Nope. This will be a challenge to develop for, and doesn't allow easy cross-platform development. They won't get a ton of games, but Nintendo likes to thrive on a few good first-party games. [Beneficial for the] industry: Change is good. Evolution is good. This could open up new possibilities, both in gameplay and in audience."


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Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Bomberman Land
Wing Island
Bonk's Adventure (TurboGrafx)
New Adventure Island (TurboGrafx)
R-Type (TurboGrafx)
Korinpa
Sudoku
Fishing Master
Batinda
Crossword
Jigsaw Puzzle

Japanese developer that released the TurboGrafx console. Hudson Soft has several popular series of games including Lode Runner, Bonk, Adventure Island and Bomberman. The company will be contributing many of its past titles to Nintendo's Virtual Console.


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Mercury Type R

Ignition Entertainment was formed in April 2002. The company has several development studios worldwide including Banbury, UK, Waltham Abbey, UK and Chicago, USA. Their most recent well-known title was Pool Paradise, released for GameCube, Xbox and PC.


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Call of Duty 3

Infinity Ward was founded in 2003 and has made a name for itself with its acclaimed Call of Duty series. The company will bring Call of Duty to the Wii and make full use of the console's unique controller.

Patrick Lister - (Call of Duty)
Sept. 28, 2005
"Nintendo's ingenuity and willingness to experiment with new designs is great for all involved. The Revolution has been immensely successful from the attention generated by the new design. 3rd party developers now have an entirely new control system to design to. At first, it may lengthen their design cycles, but in the end it will yield more intriguing titles."


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Fire Emblem

Intelligent Systems is a Nintendo of Japan (Nintendo Co. Ltd. or NCL) development branch located in Kyoto, Japan near Nintendo's main Kyoto office. Intelligent Systems was formed in late 1986 by a few former members of Nintendo Research & Development 1 and was immediately annexed by Nintendo. Throughout its almost 20 year history, Intelligent Systems has developed system tools, programmed software in conjunction with R&D1, as well as developed titles on its own. Notable past titles include Paper Mario (N64), Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA), Advance Wars (GBA), Fire Emblem (GBA), and Paper Mario 2 (GCN).


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Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Untitled Sword Fighting Game

Interchannel is a subsidiary of the Japanese electronics company NEC. The company was named NEC Interchannel, however changed its name back in 2004 when it returned to making games after NEC ended videogame development in 1995.


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» Irem
Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Untitled Virtual Console Game

Irem got its start in the arcades in 1974. Its best-known series is R-Type. The company was closed in the early 1990s however was refounded by the Eizo Nanao corporation on April 15, 1997.


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Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Untitled Game
Untitled Virtual Console Game

Jaleco is a well-known Japanese publisher. The company was formed in 1974 to create games for the arcade. Eventually the company moved to consoles and has released such GameCube titles as Goblin Commander: Unleash The Horde, Room Zoom, Super Bubble Pop, and World Championship Pool 2004.


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Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Untitled Virtual Console Game

Kemco is a longtime Japanese publisher and developer. The company, most known for its Top Gear series, is owned by Kotobuki System and recently faced financial problems. The studio currently develops games for the Nintendo DS.


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» Koei
Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Samurai Warriors Wave
Untitled Horse Racing Game
Untitled New RPG
Mahjong Wii
Untitled Virtual Console Game

In September 2005, after the unveiling of the Wii controller, Koei's chairman Keiko Erikawa announced that the company would support the Nintendo Wii platform. Koei is known for its Dynasty Warrior series of titles.

Kou Shibusawa - Producer
June 15, 2005
"It seems to be going in a different direction from the other two consoles, and it's trying to develop its own unique market. Being able to play old games from the Famicom era should be enticing to the gaming generation, and as a creator, I look forward to playing my games that I have a special fondness for. Aside from having good graphics, the Revolution's uniqueness and concentration towards gameplay should make it a product that's good towards all ages."

Yoshiki Sugiyama - Producer (Dynasty Warriors)
Dec. 28, 2005
When asked about the Revolution, PS3, and Xbox 360, he states that Koei will be fully supporting all platforms, although he adds that he hopes to make Revolution games. The game that left the greatest impression with Sugiyama was Nintendo's Train Your Brain (Nou wo Kitaeru). The event or happening that left the greatest impression with him was Nintendo's Touch Generations, a lineup of titles that appeal to a new user group (the lineup includes Train Your Brain, Nintendogs, and other successes).


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Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Elebits
Untitled Soccer Game
Untitled Baseball Game
Untitled Music Simulation Game
Untitled Action Adventure Game
Untitled Action Adventure Game
Untitled RPG Game
Untitled Virtual Console Game


On Feb. 28, 2003, Konami Entertainment announced it was in development with a Metal Gear Solid title for the Nintendo GameCube. The title came via Nintendo's then funded developer Silicon Knights. Konami has since collaborated on Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix for the GameCube. Konami has several important franchises under its belt including the Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, and Castlevania series. Konami is an important ally for Nintendo to have on its side -- especially for the titles that appeal to older gamers. Konami has said that it has an original title in development for the Wii.

Geoff Mulligan - COO of KDE
Sep. 14, 2006
"In order for our industry to continue to grow, we've got to think about gaming and games differently. That's exactly what Nintendo is doing."

Hiroshi Tanibuchi - Producer (Powerful Pro Baseball)
Oct. 26, 2005
Konami's Hiroshi Tanibuchi, producer of the Power Pro baseball series, states that he personally likes games that make you move your body and is interested in making an action game that uses both hands. He's also interested in the Wii-DS link up.
Oct. 21, 2005
"In truth -- and this is just between us -- I was able to get my hands on the controller. The on-screen characters move in accordance with the controller's movements -- it's such a fresh feeling. Although you probably won't understand until you've tried it yourself...If we were to make it [Prowerful Pro Baseball], we'd want to make a special Power Pro for the Revolution."

Hideo Kojima - Producer (Metal Gear)
Dec. 28, 2005
He does admit to wanting to make games for all three next generation platforms, though, giving the nod in particular to Revolution as a platform that, as a designer, it would be "foolish" for him to pass up on. With Revolution, he adds, he'd like to make strides in areas other than graphics and sound. This is a change for him, as he believes he's known as someone who pursues realistic visuals owing to his love of movies.
Dec. 15, 2005
"The Revolution will be popular with girls." He says he wants to make a game "based on life, something organic," something that will bring him closer to the movie directors and novelists he admires, and that the Revolution is the most capable means of achieving that goal.
Sept. 18, 2005
"'You've done it' was my impression. This was totally unexpected. I was pleasantly surprised, because the controller is quite comfortable yet provides something brand new...even though it was a surprise to me at first, once I touched the controller I quickly understood how it should be used much like a remote control for your TV. This is exactly what I was looking for."
May 23, 2005
"If the game creators and the users want to have a great steak for their anniversary, they go maybe to PS3. But if they want great dinner, great steak with their family, a little bit more casual during the weekends, they might select Xbox 360. Or why not have a great steak at your house everyday, they might choose Revolution. So my impression of the battle between the consoles is, its not about what kind of dinner it is. Its more about how much the dinner will be. Will it be worth the cost of being served? Or where can I have this dinner - number of restaurants, is it near my house or do I have to take a cab or train or bus? I think the battle amongst the next-gen platforms lies in that area."

Akari Uchida - Producer (Rumble Roses)
Oct. 15, 2005
"I would like to come up with play ideas involving the direct influencing of characters on the screen with that controller. I can think of a lot of naughty things if I were to do something with Rumble Roses."


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Wii Status: likely

Krome Studios is known for its Ty the Tasmanian series of titles appearing on PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox. The studio is based in Brisbane, Australia.

Steve Stamatiadis - Creative Director (TY)
Jul. 10, 2006
"Krome Studios is really excited about Nintendo's new console Wii, and we love the DS as well. It'll be at least a year before we come out with a game for either system as we're pretty busy working on our current projects but that said we've had ongoing discussions and design meetings about future projects which definitely includes supporting the Nintendo hardware. For instance, we know that TY the Tasmanian Tiger has and will continue to be a perfect franchise for the Nintendo gamers so it's safe to say that our furry little yellow friend is a great candidate for Nintendo's DS and Wii consoles. Also, it will depend on what publishers want from us and what they think will appeal to the market." Feb. 02, 2006
"We're looking into the Nintendo Revolution as a possible target for future TY the Tasmanian Tiger games. A lot of it depends on a publisher and what platforms they think will sell. Personally I'm intrigued by the Revolution — I like that Nintendo is taking a different approach to how people play games and is aiming for a wider audience. Though, I don't like the fact that it means cross platform games like the TY the Tasmanian Tiger series will be much harder to develop on Next Gen consoles. The Revolution's new controller doesn't help, even though I think it's an awesome development — cooler even than Sony's Eye Toy. I'd love to get the chance to do a Revolution only TY game — that would be awesome."

Ben Droste
Feb. 15, 2006
"As much as I'm excited about the possibilities of new genres, I'm also very excited about playing existing genres in new, and possibly better, ways. Here's an obvious example: A Harry Potter adventure game. Yeah, you can wave the wand around and cast spells, everybody's said that, but that alone is boring. What I want to see is this: You walk and turn with the thumb stick attachment, using the buttons for actions and to lock onto targets and circle them like in Metroid Prime (no aiming with the wand in this game, Harry Potter isn't about head shots). The wand is used to case spells - in conjunction with a microphone attachment! Imagine having to speak the spell you want to cast, and using different wand movements to create variations on the spell (maybe the closer you are to a 'correct' movement the more powerful it is, or maybe you can flick it in different directions to throw people about). This would add a whole new level of immersion to the game. No more lame button pressing or cycling through a spell list, just speak and cast like a real wizard! And learning spells would be much more fun to, having to recite the incantation (so that you match the preset words while at the same time the game recognizes the uniqueness of your voice). Finally, let people create their characters and spend a year at Hogwarts — the kids would go nuts over it — and hell, even I'd buy it. Harryous Revolutionis!"


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Battalion Wars Online

Kuju Entertainment collaborated with Nintendo Japan on Advance Wars: Under Fire for GameCube. The company has developed several games in the past including Lotus Challenge for Xbox and Fire Warrior for PlayStation 2. Kuju has also been developing PlayStation 2 technology since September 1999 and Xbox specific code since April 2000. Post-Rare, Kuju is Nintendo's starting point at building stronger relationships with European developers.

"Nintendo historically is not so active enough in building up the working relationships with the European developers. But I can say that things are improving right now; however, I am not satisfied in the current condition and I believe we need to make efforts to improve our relationship with European developers even further."- Satoru Iwata, Nintendo President - April 19, 2004


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Wii Status: unknown

Level 5 is quickly gaining a name for itself as the premier RPG developer. They have worked on Dark Cloud, Dragon Quest VIII and Rogue Galaxy for the PlayStation 2.

Akihiro Hino - Producer (Rogue Galaxy, Dragon Quest VIII)
Oct. 26, 2005
Believes that the Revolution will give birth to new types of games. He is personally interested in making an RPG where you hold a shield in one hand, a sword in the other and mount a head set on our head -- although he laughs that this would be impossible. More seriously, he seems concerned about players getting tired due to all the hand movement, regardless of how much fun they're having. The hardware has a lot of potential, but he hopes that games are designed so that even if they're played for lengthy periods people won't get tired.


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