Take Two, after losing $15 million this year in spite of Grand Theft Auto IV’s success, has decided the Wii might be a viable development platform after all. Two million consoles sold in November will do that a company.
But their idea of “more development” and what kinds of games this “viable platform” deserves is a bit different than mine. My idea of a great Wii game is one that sits in the top 10 for months on end, and is generally received rather well by the video game establishment. Mario Kart Wii, while a franchise refresh, is an example I continually return to, as it enjoys millions of sales and hundreds of units sold month-over-month.
Take Two? They’re thinking more Carnival Games or ports of games that would do only marginally better on the Xbox 360 or PS3, their core development platforms. “Even the M-rated content that we think is much more appropriate for the PlayStation 3 or 360, we have to look at the Wii as a viable platform content across all our labels,” said CEO Ben Feder said during today’s earnings call. “You can’t ignore the install base. You just can’t.”
Right. But just because Carnival Games is some weird freak of nature doesn’t mean lightning is going to strike twice. And more second hand ports of Manhunt that arrive months or years after their already mediocre older 360 and PS3 brothers will just result in more losses for you. Give us dedicated, serious development on the Wii and we’ll reward you, Take Two. Otherwise, stick to losing money on those other systems.