In a recent interview with gamesindustry.biz, Bethesda (developer of Fallout 3, Oblivion: The Elder Scrolls IV) Europe’s Managing Director Sean Brennan declared that they will be announcing a “really big Wii game” later this year. Brennan did not specify whether Bethesda would develop the game itself or if it would simply be the publisher.
“We have huge respect for the Nintendo platforms, and from a marketing perspective globally they’ve been phenomenal. It would be churlish to ignore that space.” – said Brennan
He added that “We’re not going to do a hamster simulator, it’s not us. We’re not going to produce games for girls or pet-sim products. There’s nothing to distinguish them from one another.”
When prompted on the topic of more mature games for the Wii, such as House of the Dead and whether this was an area that Bethesda would be looking into, Brennan responded:
“House of the Dead is great brand and the product is great too. I think it’s difficult, I’ve got consoles at home but I wouldn’t sit and play an 18-rated game with my family on the Wii. Is there space in the Wii market for that? I think there is, but again, it’ all about finding out how big that is. Is it 5 per cent? If it’s five per cent of the market and you can own that space it’s worth doing because you can achieve volume. If you can’t own it at five per cent, it’s not worth doing, quite frankly”
He then went on to say “We are going to make an announcement on a really big Wii game this year”.
Our favorite quote from the interview was “as soon as you spot the bandwagon, it’s already too late”. Does this mean that Bethesda will not jump on the latest bandwagon, i.e. developing more mature games for the Wii such as Madworld? Apparently not, as bandwagon jumping is “not within Bethesda’s business philosophy”, Brennan’s words seem to suggest a lack of confidence in Bethesda’s ability to own the Wii’s mature market.
If Brennan is to be believed, then Bethesda’s Wii game will not be another “mature” themed venture onto Nintendo’s console, and nor will it join the ranks of countless “My Girly Game Range” (Brennan’s words) type games that developers have put out in order to target the Wii demographic.
Whether or not it was his intention, Brennan has built up lofty expectations for Bethesda’s first foray into Wii territory. Announcement forthcoming.
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