Developers Sound Off On WiiWare

By Skylar Wilcox / Monday, 12 May 2008

WiiWare, which launches today, provides a service for the Wii much like Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network do for those other systems: it gives developers a lower-cost means of distribution, which is vital to independent developers on a shoestring budget, and it gives gamers a means to purchase games without leaving the living room.  Next-Gen.biz sat down with David Braben of Frontier (LostWinds), Dave Grossman of Telltale Games (Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People), and Bill Swartz of Mastiff (Major League Eating: The Game), to hear about their experiences in working for the platform. The developers' general consensus seems to be that the primary reason to use WiiWare over XBLA or PSN is the controller; that WiiWare distribution is good for small development teams; that the Wii's memory limitations aren't an issue; that WiiWare pricing is a secret Nintendo blood ritual; and that while WiiWare might eventually get loaded down with crap, their game won't be among it. For the full interviews, click here.