‘WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw’ Confirmed by THQ For Multiple Platforms
April 2, 2007
Officials from THQ and toy maker Jakks Pacific have confirmed that WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008, the latest in the company’s long running pro wrestling franchise, is currently in development for multiple platforms.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 is being created for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, and wireless devices. The game is expected to ship across all platforms simultaneously this fall.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007, currently available for the Xbox 360, PS2, and PSP, was originally planned to debut also on the PS3 as well, but the game was later pushed back to “late 2007.” This latest announcement would seem to confirm 2007’s cancellation for Sony’s console, making 2008 the series’ first appearance on the PS3.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 will build upon the best selling wrestling franchise with a number of new features, headlined by superstar fighting styles. The game will include eight different fighting styles and a new struggle submission system, as well as updated rosters, more environmental hotspots, and a combined season and general manager mode experience.
“We are extremely pleased with the success of the SmackDown! vs. Raw franchise and its continued growth to a widespread audience, particularly in our European markets,” said Bob Aniello, senior vice president, worldwide marketing, THQ. “With the addition of fresh, innovative game play on the Wii, the tremendous capabilities of the PlayStation 3 system and unique handheld experiences for Nintendo DS and wireless devices, gamers can now truly live the life of a WWE Superstar and choose from numerous ways to play.”
Nintendo Reveals (Some) Details at GDC
March 9, 2007
As part of Nintendo’s keynote, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the company is currently developing a new Wii channel that would allow users to enter their Miis in contests. Later, he announced that Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii is planned for release sometime within the 2007 calendar year.
Miyamoto also discussed Nintendo’s emphasis on creating games for a broader audience. He noted that even his wife, a gamer by no means, fancies herself to be a “true” gamer, thanks to the Wii, having made Mii avatars for the entire extended family and even all of their neighbors. Miyamoto also stressed the importance of balance and teamwork by using the Wii controller design as an example. He illustrated that Nintendo went through a number of prototypes before finally resting on the idea of a remote control, but he states that the final design only came through a group collaboration on the part of many of Nintendo’s design teams.
Following some words about the importance of risk-taking and tenacity, Miyamoto then made the announcements about the new Wii channel devoted to Mii contests and Super Mario Galaxy’s 2007 release. In the case of Galaxy, he made mention of the fact that numerous gamers have approached him, asking whatever happened to Super Mario 128. His usual response is that what originally started off as Super Mario 128 became the framework for what eventually became Pikmin.
It’s reported that the lack of any juicy announcements on the part of Nintendo is the direct result of a gag order placed upon the company so as not to significantly alter the price of its stock. News reports from Bloomberg indicate Nintendo’s desire to decrease the price of its stock and increase the number of shares available to the general public, so, instead of initiating a stock-split (as is the custom with most public companies), it requested that the Japanese government sell off all of its shares in the company. All Nintendo executives were recently placed on a temporary gag order (as a result of the impending securities trade) that would prevent them from revealing any information regarding “forward-looking” titles. Failure to uphold this gag order could potentially cause the stock to fluctuate, thereby greatly influencing the efficacy of the sale.
The real good stuff from Nintendo actually came before Miyamoto’s address. The biggest news was that Pokemon Battle Revolution will be the first Wii game that will take advantage of the console’s online capabilities. The Pokemon Battle Revolution release also marks the first game to feature Wii and DS connectivity, through which users not only have the option of importing saved characters from the upcoming Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, but they can also use the DS as a makeshift controller. Pokemon Battle Revolution will be released in North American on June 25.
Other upcoming Nintendo titles for the Wii include Super Paper Mario on April 9th, Mario Party 8 on May 29, and Big Brain Academy on June 11. Upcoming Nintendo DS titles include Pokemon Diamond/Pearl on April 22, Planet Puzzle League on June 4, and the “Opera” web browser also to be released on June 4.
Wii and DS Each Thrive for Nintendo
December 5, 2006
Nintendo said today that it sees an “emerging possibility” it will beat its earnings forecasts and DS sales targets. Official DS sales target for the year to March is 20 million units.
Nintendo President Satoru told Reuters that there has been little cannibalization between the DS and its new game console, the Wii. Analysts have been concerned that the DS and Wii could end up grabbing potential customers from each other, hurting Nintendo’s sales.
Nintendo, which dominates the handheld game sector but lags far behind Sony in the console market, aims to repeat the success of its hot-selling DS portable machine with the Wii, bringing both of the game maker’s two growth engines to full throttle.
“We had come up with the current earnings forecasts before we sold even a single unit of the Wii and when we were not so sure about the cannibalization effect between the Wii and the DS,” Iwata said.
“Confidence could be too strong a word, but there is an emerging possibility” for higher earnings results for the fiscal year that ends in March, he said.
Nintendo expects its operating profit in the fiscal year to grow 60.5 percent from last year and its sales to be up 45 percent.
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