Developers Worried Over Wii's Future

Japanese newspaper The Nikkei Business Daily recently conducted a survey of developers and illuminated the concerns of some studios in developing for Wii.

According to various developers, several factors are contributing to their uncertainty. Some claim that Nintendo has been the only true beneficiary to Wii's success due to the publisher's inability to predict and control that success immediately. Third-party developers, some said, had to cobble games together in an effort to quickly produce titles and keep up with Nintendo.

Other participants subscribed to the notion that Wii is a fad. "The Wii is like the 'Billy's Boot Camp' weight-loss program on DVD," one unnamed president of a developer told Nikkei. "People bought it out of curiosity, and it's likely a lot of them haven't used it".

The recently declining sales of Wii in Japan also pose concern. Nintendo only sold 168,000 units last month, marking September as the worst month of sales since the system's debut in that territory. The Wii previously saw sales ranging from 250,000 to 500,000 per month. The exact cause of the decline is difficult to determine, but developers see these factors as signs of inevitable change with the Wii's success. As a result, third parties now view the prospect of creating for the Wii with greater hesitation.

The Wiire will remain ever vigilant on the developer front.