The Wii is gaining momentum in obtaining support from game developers and SNK Playmore is one of them. According to an interview given to the Advanced Media Network, Ben Herman, president of SNK, announced that his company would enthusiastically support the Wii.
Herman stated “…when I look at the new Nintendo system and controller, it is unique, it is different, and everyone is just having fun using it. And for us, as a company, the fact that we have a project which is Metal Slug Anthology, which is going to take advantage of the controller whether you’re throwing a grenade or firing a gun, at launch. . .it’s a very exciting time.”
Herman then indicated that Nintendo was extremely easy to work with, in regards to getting their Metal Slug 6 game accepted. This was in direct opposition to Microsoft and Sony, who are chared with having overly-stringent graphical standards. Herman also said that Nintendo was doing everything it could to help third party developers feel perfectly at ease with product research on Wii accessories.
“One of the things about the development kit for Wii is that, they said to us, create accessories. Do add-ons. If there are companies like Logitech and the like that are going to create all kinds of accessories that Nintendo. . .Nintendo’s not going to corner the market or say that these are the only accessories that will plug in and play. They essentially are saying ‘be creative.,”
To further establish SNK,s commitment to the Wii, Herman stated: “[The Wii] has the first support. Xbox 360 has been out for awhile but we haven,t brought out a title yet. PS3 is coming, and from our stand point as far as any games for it, they’re coming later. So without question, Wii is coming out, we have a game for Wii and. . .you know it’s certainly the first thing. . .so the first is usually. . . the first child is usually closest to your heart. But we do have some strong expectations that Sony will do very well. I’m sure Xbox 360 will continue to do well. The Wii, is just. . .the buzz at [E3] is very strong.”
Indeed, the former long shot, Wii, is rapidly gaining more attention and support. As recently as only four months ago, game industry watchers were already announcing that it was basically a two horse race between the PS3 and Xbox 360. Few articles or news stories even mentioned Nintendo,s entry because “it lacked power and next-gen graphics.” However, GamerNode reported that it was a race that was too early to call, and that Nintendo,s entry may very well be the surprise of the year.
With the Wii,s tremendous showing at the E3 convention, and the frenzy surrounding its unveiling, it appears that the Wii is off to a great start out of the gate.
