Gamecube News
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Gamecube release Europe |
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On its official Web site, Nintendo of Europe has revealed its plans for the launch of the GameCube in that territory. The GameCube will launch in Europe on May 3 for 249 euros, or half the cost of the Xbox and 50 euros cheaper than the PlayStation 2 in that territory. There will be 1 million consoles and a selection of 20 games available at launch. The list of games includes Luigi's Mansion, Wave Race: Blue Storm, Burnout, Crazy Taxi, Batman: Vengeance, FIFA Soccer 2002, Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, and more. Games such as Resident Evil and Super Smash Bros. Melee will follow shortly thereafter, and Pikmin will be available on June 14. Star Fox Adventures and Eternal Darkness will be released in Europe by year's end. Nintendo of Europe stated that there will be a total of 50 games available for the GameCube in Europe by summer 2002. David Gosen, managing director of sales and marketing for Nintendo of Europe, stated that 3 million units of both the Game Boy Advance and the Game Boy Color were sold in Europe in 2001. Seven million copies of Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal were sold in Europe over the same time period. Gosen also stated that 2.7 million GameCubes have been sold worldwide thus far and characterized the link between the Game Boy Advance and GameCube as "Gaming 24:7." Gosen also challenged the notion that the GameCube is intended for kids by stating, "The GameCube will not be targeted at kids, it will not be targeted at teens, and it will not be targeted at adults. The GameCube will appeal to anyone who enjoys being entertained by interactive gaming. And that is because we believe strongly that gaming is an attitude and not an age."
According to Gosen, the number of games that will be
available for the GameCube's European launch will be the largest ever in that
territory, and he believes that the 3 million people who purchased a Game Boy
Advance in Europe have already taken their first step toward GameCube ownership. |
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Realism = Fun ??? |
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01/17/02 Nintendo's Hiroshi Yamauchi Talks Mainichi Interactive recently interviewed Nintendo of Japan's president Hiroshi Yamauchi. And as usual he has some interesting comments: Question: We've been hearing lately how Japanese gamers are drifting away from games. Hiroshi Yamauchi: Software is still flooding the market today, but Japanese users aren't buying the same old rehashed games anymore. We're only expecting two GameCube titles to sell a million copies: Pikmin, with its realistically-moving A.I.-driving characters, and Super Smash Bros. Melee with its high-powered fighting. (Super Smash Bros. Melee has already sold over 1million copies in Japan) Question: Why is that? Hiroshi Yamauchi: Every game developer is shooting for nothing but realism and flashiness, so we're seeing an overflow of games that look exactly the same. What does realism and flashiness have to do with fun? If more games with new types of gameplay and fun come on the market, the market will expand, companies will have more support, and there'd be a business to work with. Question: You have some strong rivals coming up against you. Hiroshi Yamauchi: I don't think the Xbox will do very well in Japan. The same old genres and development methods still work in America, but they won't interest the more discriminating gamers of Japan. The PS2 was just discounted too, but I can't expect that will have much of an effect. Question: Do you think Nintendo will win? Hiroshi Yamauchi: With hardware as advanced as it is now, game development takes an enormous amount of labor. Talented developers want a system that will let them create anything their imagination comes up with as quickly and easily as possible, and the GameCube is perfectly balanced between audio-visual power and ease of development. It's a perfect match. You'll see the difference gradually as the year progresses. Question: Do you have any plans for a new president? Hiroshi Yamauchi: I've been thinking about it for more than two years now, but I think I want to retire before this summer. Nintendo isn't going to work under one person anymore, though; it will be run under a group-leadership system. Source
Mainichi Interactive
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01/14/02 Square President Comments on Cube In a Bloomberg news report released this morning, Square Co.'s president Yoichi Wada spoke briefly on how easy it is to develop for Nintendo GameCube. Square is seeking agreements to make video games for Nintendo, Square's Wada said in an interview. Square has been out of favour with Nintendo for about five years since it switched in 1996 to Sony's PlayStation format, supplying `Final Fantasy' games exclusively to Sony. "The Nintendo GameCube is more developer-friendly than the PlayStation 2," said Square Co.'s president Yoichi Wada. Source Bloomberg news |
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Mother 3 |
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Look for Mr. Yamauchi to retire as Nintendo of Japan's president in 2002. Satoru Iwata, Director and General Manager of Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Corporate Planning Division, is expected to become Nintendo's next president. Mr. Iwata was responsible for creating
Kirby and the SNES version of Earthbound (Mother in Japan). |
More news soon!