Wii Status: none

Formed in 1994 and named after its popular Oddword series for the PlayStation, the company has since moved into motion picture creation and outsourced development.

Lorne Lanning - President/Creative Director (Oddworld, Stranger)
Sept. 19, 2005
"An interesting innovation for the small handed segment of the market. Hopefully a larger version will be available for the larger hand endowed audience that is likely to be more carpal tunnel prone."


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Wii Status: confirmed developer

oeFun is an independent game development studio in Austin, Texas. oeFun was founded in January 2005, by Ian Dunlop, a career game developer with 18 years experience in the industry.

Ian Dunlop - Founder
Aug. 2, 2006
"We are currently in the design phase on a Wii title. I can't say anything other than that."


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Wii Status: likely

Pandemic Studios is known for its Full Spectrum Warrior and Star Wars Battlefront series. The company has studios in Los Angeles, CA, and Brisbane, Australia. The company has also produced the multiplatform titles Mercenaries and Destroy All Humans.

Greg Borrud - Director of Production
Mar. 17, 2006
"We are very interested in making games for the Revolution. The challenge will be in our approach to these games. As we think about the Xbox 360 and the PS3 we see a lot of similarities between the systems so it will be relatively easy to have a game ship on both platforms. We don't necessarily see those kinds of similarities with the Revolution. Games that are made for the Revolution will really have to be re-conceived for that platform and can't simply be a port. While on the one hand that could mean fewer games for the Revolution, the games that do ship on the platform will probably be crafted with a lot more thought and care than would go into your average port. So yes, we are interested in developing entertainment for the Revolution - but only for the select group of games that really make sense."

Josh Resnick - CEO
Mar. 29, 2006
"We're enthralled with the platform just as much as we are with the 360 and PS3. Each of them have very different strengths that our games are going to play to. But we haven't announced any commitments yet...Well the Revolution is a very different platform, and we've actually just seen some things behind closed doors that are just mind-blowing. Very very exciting. They're doing something that's very different and unique. I agree that it's going to challenge the notion of just doing a port. I don't think it's going to be as easy to take a product from one console to the Revolution, and so I think we are going to be looking to see how we can tailor our products to that platform. But we do that also with other platforms as well, it's just that the Revolution may challenge us even more."


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» Paon
Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Untitled Virtual Console Game
Donkey Kong Blast Jet Race

Paon is based in Tokyo, Japan. The studio has taken over Nintendo's Donkey Kong series and has developed DK: King of Swing for Nintendo DS and the upcoming Wii title Donkey Kong Blast Jet Race.


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Wii Status: unknown

Marque Sondergaard
Sept. 28, 2005
"I certainly hope [the controller will be beneficial]. More of the same thinking in terms of developing the future of games can only take us so far. As a lifelong gamer and game developer, I urge everybody in our industry to support the innovation and risks taken by Nintendo on sheer principle. We always lament that there is no creativity and innovation in the games industry anymore. Guys, we have to rally around these initiatives. It brings a tear to my eye that somebody out there in this big brutal word of ROI and risk management still dares to go out on a limb like that to push gaming further. And my mouth waters when I think of designing for such hardware."


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Wii Status: unknown

An admired game development studio founded in 2004 by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, former Sega producer of Rez and Space Channel 5. The company has developed Meteos for Nintendo DS and Lumines for the Sony PSP.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi - President (Rez, Meteos, Space Channel 5)
May 16, 2006
"Nintendo Wii is very interesting, a very special controller, a very original style. Too special, maybe, if you want to make the game not only Wii, but for other platforms, because you want to give the game the best chance. I'm really interested in the style, though."
Oct. 26, 2005
States that he'd like to think up some way of combining the controller with music. He wants to create a game that gives the feeling of hooking up directly to your physical senses.


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Wii Status: unknown

Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Radical Entertainment was founded in 1991. The company created the Nintendo licensed NES game "Mario is Missing!." More recently it's known for licensed games such as The Simpsons Hit & Run for PlayStation 2 and multiplatform title Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.

Eric Holmes - Lead Game Designer
Nov. 26, 2005
"I'd like to know more about the software. When the announcement came out there was a whole lot of buzz about what could be done with the controller, but I have yet to see some video or feature doing the internet rounds in the same way that the PS3's E3 "Killzone" movie did. There's a lot of talk about what you could do...how about showing an amazing game running that is an absolute must-have-must-play-must-get-on-day-one system seller? I think if you showed what is being done with the unit it would make the potential of the controller clear. I would have preferred it if Nintendo had perhaps talked to more of the third party developers to get feedback on the controller from us, but I think it's all conducted internally. Nintendo has made a surprising move. As a gamer, I'm keen to get my hands on one and see what happens when the games start flowing. They will be different; that's about all we can be sure of."

Cary Brisebois - Technical Director
Sept. 19, 2005
"The Wavebird was second only to the Sony controller...I think that it is going to start getting really hard to make games that rely on the old standard configuration of face buttons fit with this model. It was tricky enough with the one fewer button on the Gamecube controller. Cross platform games may not be the model for Revolution...As Napoleon would say: "Yikes.""

Chris Mitchell - Game Designer
Sept. 19, 2005
"A lot of incredibly addictive arcade games can be moved into the living room now. Go to any Japanese arcade and you'll see people playing fishing games, dog walking games etc, and they're fun largely because of the interface. Traditionally those sorts of games have not translated well on consoles but now there's a whole body of existing and proven casual genre games that can be done by us."

Des Hinkson - Senior Designer
Sept. 19, 2005
"Revolution controller = casual gamer paradise...A lot of people are really intimidated by buttons. Console controllers are scary things that make you look dumb if you don't know which button to press. I remember my frustration at switching from Nintendo to Sony and having to look for the Triangle button, Circle button, etc in Parappa the Rapper and it took time and dedication to feel comfortable with the controller. My wife is not a gamer, heck she doesn't even use the TV remote proficiently, preferring to use the numbers instead of the channel up and down keys. I think Nintendo have been watching the people who put down the controller too quickly and the people who play with their tongues out and tilt their controllers to get that extra bit of corning control. Revolution means people can have fun more immediately and we can hook them on that fun without the time and dedication needed to learn how to use a traditional controller."


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» Rare
Wii Status: none

Once a member of Nintendo's "Dream Team" of second-party studios, Rare was purchased by Microsoft in 2002 and has since become an exclusive developer of games for Microsoft's Xbox consoles.

Duncan Botwood - (Perfect Dark Zero)
Nov. 16, 2005
Referring to whether the company could feasibly port Perfect Dark Zero to Nintendo's next-generation console. "We could make it work, but thered be some changes to the gameplay, I expect; the controller looks like it might lend itself towards a light gun style of shooting, which would be a fresh approach."


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Wii Status: unknown

A Japanese development studio formed in 2000. It has created several obscure titles for the PS2 including Bujingai: The Forsaken City and Gungrave Overdose.

Hiroi Ouji - President
Dec. 28, 2005
When asked about PS3, Xbox 360, and Revolution, Ouji goes on and on about how interested he is in the Nintendo hardware -- specifically, the controller.


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Untitled Game

Red Tribe and Warner Brothers are collaborating on a Wii project described as a fast-paced action game. Red Tribe is based in Australia.

Chris Mosely - Founder
Aug. 7, 2006
"Nintendo doesn't want to be part of the Sony/Microsoft arms race, instead it is looking for its own niche and has a different view of how to succeed in this niche."


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Wii Status: unknown

Relentless Software is based in the UK. The company has created products for Sony's EyeToy. The company's most recent title includes Buzz!: The Music Quiz.

Andrew Eades - Development Director
May 6, 2006
"Mainstream consumers don't care about 'next-gen'. Nintendo has bowed out of the tech arms race so it has to win on games. It has shown that it can do that with titles such as Nintendogs and Mario Kart DS. Gamers in the know will buy a Revolution as a 2nd machine to play another Miyamoto classic, but the mainstream consumer needs something less abstract to latch onto. The Revolution must be both niche and mainstream."


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Wii Status: no current plans

Located in Vancouver, Canada, Relic was founded in 1997. It was first recognized for its real time PC strategy game, Homeworld. More recently it developed Warhammer 40,000 (PC, PS2).

Erin Daly - Senior Designer
Oct. 15, 2005
"Personally, it's always been a secret dream of mine to be able to make a game that my grandmother would want to play, something so broadly accessible you don't need to be a gamer, or even like games, to want to try it. I could see that being possible with the Revolution controller...I have a lot of respect for Nintendo for the direction they're taking. Basically, Sony and Microsoft are all about more of the same, but faster/shinier/smoother, and Nintendo is taking a very different tact."

Ron Moravek - President
Jul. 28, 2006
"We make more mature-rated games, and more high-end graphical games, and the Wii is going in a little bit of a different direction; they're not going to play the same game as the 360 and the PS3. You never know - if we came up with something cool we could do it, but right now our plan is not to... You can't do the same types of games on the Wii because the power is a lot different. It's a different type of technology. I think it was really smart for Nintendo to break out on their own and do their own thing. The platform's going to be really successful."


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Untitled Game
Parent Company: Nintendo


Despite having only released two titles thus far -- Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes -- Retro Studios already has a long history behind it. Regardless of the turbulence the company endured over the years, there's one thing that's clear -- it knows how to make games. Metroid Prime and its successor were both critically acclaimed and highly innovative approaches to the first-person genre.


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Wii Status: unknown

Ritual was established in 1996 and has developed a few pieces of software but works mainly on developing proprietary technology for game engines.

Richard Grey - Level Designer (SiN Episodes)
Oct. 15, 2005
"The new controller sounds interesting, and worth a try for sure. However, we have seen 'new' controller paradigms come and go in the past decade, for both consoles and PCs. Even when they are better, getting the gamer to make the change from such a well-grounded standard is not an easy thing to do."


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

Rocket Company is very much a Japanese company. The studio is located in Tokyo's Shibuya district. It was founded on June 19, 1998. You've likely never heard of their games.


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Wii Status: unknown

Secret Lair was founded in 2005 and is based in the Seattle, Washington, area. Its goal is to develop online games and is currently developing games for the Xbox 360 arcade.

Isaac Barry
Sept. 28, 2005
"Because all player actions are mediated through a controller, it would be difficult to overestimate the importance of a well-designed innovation here can have on the experience/form of a game. Of course, it might also be difficult to underestimate our ability to take something so promising and squander it; novelty doesn't preclude banality. It hasn't been since the introduction of the original Dual Shock controller that a console controller has been this exciting, though the promises this device would seem to be making are much greater. If we assume that they are kept, then there is no doubt that game designs will benefit and, with them, all the rest of us."


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Wii Status: confirmed publisher
Announced Software: Sonic and the Secret Rings
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Bleach
Untitled Gun Shooting Game
Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)
Altered Beast (Genesis)
Columns (Genesis)
Ecco the Dolphin (Genesis)
Golden Axe (Genesis)
Gunstar Heroes (Genesis)
Ristar (Genesis)
Toe Jam & Earl (Genesis)

It's unknown how Sega will fare now that it has merged with Sammy. However, What we all hope is that Sega will remain Sega. Sega has always been a company attracted to innovation and filled with creators admired by Nintendo and vice versa. During this generation, Sega has been exceptionally successful on the GameCube platform with the releases of Super Monkey Ball, Phantasy Star Online, and Sonic Adventure. (Sonic Adventure 2 for GameCube has been Sega's first and only platinum million-selling published title since it became a third party publisher). Nintendo also worked closely with Sega's Amusement Vision studio to create F-Zero GX. It's very possible future collaborations are in store. Although Sega pulled its sports franchises from the GameCube, one hopes they will return with the coming generation and that Sega will make apt use of the Wii's capabilities. Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed the company's support at the February 2006 DICE conference.

Naoya Tsurumi - CEO Sega of America
Sep. 14, 2006
"For established publishers, the Virtual Console model is a tremendous opportunity to extend our classic brands. Nobody ever thinks of a good book as retired - why shouldn't great games live forever, too?"

Toshihiro Nagoshi - (F-Zero GX/AX, Super Monkey Ball)
Dec. 15, 2005
"I was just as surprised by the look of the controller as I was by playing with it. I was really struck by Nintendo's bold direction. All game creators will be inspired by seeing it in motion."
Oct. 21, 2005
"I was surprised when I saw it, I was surprised when I touched it, and when I played the sample games, I was even more surprised!" Nagoshi states. "I doubt that there's a creator who doesn't get tickled after getting their hands on this. It combines all the elements required to let you enjoy games while feeling that you've become the character." Continuing, Nagoshi states that he expects the controller to open up new paths for all genres.

Bill Petro - Senior Vice President of Product Development at Sega of America
Dec. 15, 2005
"Role-playing games will be greatly enhanced, due to new control styles. Pointing will make moving in large environments very simple, and twist- and position-sensing will allow for dual weapon wielding or gesture-based spell-casting."

Yu Suzuki - Producer (Shenmue, Virtua Fighter)
Dec. 28, 2005
Asked about the PS3, Revolution, and Xbox 360, he refers to Xbox 360 as being PC-like, Revolution as being toy-like and PS3 as being like a super home appliance.
Nov. 3, 2005
"For a techie like me, the PS3 is very attractive, but when you consider that both companies are delivering the quality that users want, I also believe that hardware like Xbox 360, which offers easy development, is important. As for Revolution, it's very Nintendo-like in that it resets the game experience and starts with a new device."

Yuji Naka - Producer (Sonic, NiGHTS, Phantasy Star)
June 15, 2005
"I look forward to the 'new kind of fun' that's unique to Nintendo, and I expect that there will be a lot of surprises, such as the unannounced controller. It's also great that we'll be able to play Famicom and other games via download. I hope Sega games will be playable as well."

Scott Steinberg - Vice President Marketing
Jul. 21, 2006
"The pundits are missing the point when it comes to the Wii's strategy - not every third party is late to the launch. It's true that a lot of third parties have been flat footed when it comes to having games ready for the launch window, but Sega is certainly not one of them. Some third parties have shown a lack of imagination when dealing with this new platform. The way the Wii is being built you have to design for it. Ports and upgrades are no good. That thinking takes a little bit of creativity and not every publisher has the necessary creative people available. I can say without any hesitation that we have a great relationship with Nintendo. The American companies don't do a good enough job of wooing Nintendo. Sega has become a lot closer to Nintendo, which is ironic given the history of the two companies, but that proximity has given us a great view of how they wanted to get out of the polygon race and stop battling the technology companies and instead find a very comfortable position in family-friendly fun games like Super Monkey Ball. We had a Wii room for journalists and analysts and it was the best way to try playable Wii games without getting in the colossal Nintendo line. Those games are built purposely for Wii, That's what makes the Sega story unique - we have family-friendly games with a great Nintendo pedigree - we are one of the few companies that can say we had a great run with GameCube."


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Wii Status: confirmed developer
Announced Software: Untitled Game

Sensory Sweep Studios announced in July 24 it was looking for "qualified Junior and Senior game designers to assist in level and character design for a hot new Nintendo Wii action title." Sensory Sweep Studios has worked on all major gaming platforms over the last six years. The developer's latest titles include Nintendo DS versions of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Tiger Woods: PGA Tour and Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.


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Wii Status: no current plans

Founded in 1993 and based in Californina, the studio is headed by Dave Perry and is known for its Earthworm Jim series on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. More recently the company has developed the Enter the Matrix licensed titles.

David Perry - President (Enter the Matrix)
Sept. 19, 2005
"I've been fielding interview questions on this new Nintendo controller for a while now, and besides the obvious stuff, I've been personally hoping for Nintendo to offer custom game interfaces...Meaning when a developer designs a game, they can very easily design their own interface at the same time. Their interface component would then (at a very low cost) be included in every game box. (Imagine a small "interface' block that clips in the front of a normal controller.)...The main controller (not looking like a remote control) would be designed so you simply plug in the component that came with the game...Nintendo talked about controllers having too many buttons and turning off non-gamers...Fair point, but if they honestly have a problem with too many buttons, then this solves that too. For example, on the faceplate that comes with a simple game, they could actually get rid of all unused buttons by not replicating them. If however I want a more complicated game with 10 buttons and a throttle slider on the faceplate for a Mech game, no problem...This solution covers many needs...The faceplate can also contain artwork (for that game) and tips, like "FIRE" written under the fire button. Trust me, that will help newbie gamers! Can you imagine how excited, and then let down I felt when I found out Nintendo nearly delivered this! I feel a lot of innovation in the original arcade games was increased by the freedom of designers to create new interfaces for their game at the same time. Think Pacman vs. Tempest vs. Missile Command vs. Star Wars vs. Lunar Lander. All radically different but the interface definitely added to the fun...After toying around with this Revolution remote control, and after fighting my grandparents off it, my prediction is that people will be looking to buy a "normal" controller to plug in...So thanks Nintendo for trying. I actually respect the effort a lot! People that know me, know I love big thinking and I LOVE innovation, but I still dream of the day when hardware manufactures stop trying to surprise game developers and actually invite a group of them to brainstorm on the hardware...It would be a great marketing scoop for them (being designed by the top ten game designers in the world), but it would also deliver a bloody cool console / controller...Oh well, just five more years and we can try again."


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Wii Status: unknown

Located in New ZealandSidhe was formed in May 1997. It has since created several obscure titles such as Frankie Dettori Racing and Rugby League 2004.

Robert Green
Sept. 28, 2005
"It definitely seems to be beneficial for Nintendo. With Sony and MS both going for the high-powered, third party fueled, traditional gaming market, Nintendo needed a really good way to differentiate itself, and boy did it find one. It's potentially a good move for some third party developers, as it presents so many new gameplay possibilities, and you can get away with lower production costs if the core gameplay is new and fun. Good for the industry in general? Of course, how could new and innovative ideas be bad? People still have Sony and Microsoft to rely on for the same old, same old, and now they can get something different as well."


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Wii Status: no current plans


Silicon Knights was once a Nintendo funded studio, but quickly became the last of its second-party studios after Nintendo decided that short-term relationship with third-parties was more beneficial. After developing Eternal Darkness and then collaboratively developing Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes with Konami, Nintendo ended its funding of the studio. SK president Denis Dyack said that it's possible the two companies will still collaborate in the future on a title-by-title basis. However, the studio currently has no plans to do so, as it is busy developing a title with Sega and the Too Human trilogy for Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Denis Dyack - President
May 19, 2005
"On the Revolution...the box looks nice, but theyve shown no specs, so the jury is still out on that one till next year. I really cant even guess, with the Sony PS3, and Microsoft Xbox 360, the specs are very comparable; my guess is the average consumer wont be able to tell the difference between those two systems. I think theyre virtually identical. With the Revolution, depending on what the specs are, if they come out with similar specs, itll probably be the same with them. I really hoped to see the controller, next year though. I really liked the design though, it was pretty sleek."


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