Nintendo To Hobbyist Developers: No Thanks

Reggie Fils-Aime:

“I would separate out the true independent developer vs. the hobbyist,” says Fils Aime. “We are absolutely reaching out to the independent developer.”

“Where we’ve drawn the line is we are not looking to do business today with the garage developer. In our view, that’s not a business we want to pursue.”

Small developer shops are only ever going to be able to do more and better things. Tiny Wings would make a lovely 3DS game, but we’ll probably never see it. Nintendo’s dogged insistence on sticking with their old ways of dealing with developer licenses is only helping iOS.

The way Nintendo interacts with licensees hasn’t changed in 20 years. It’s going to have to, and sooner than they think.