Wii to have substantial support from 3rd parties?

[TheBiggah]

Ubisoft will apparently have 7 (seven) titles ready to launch on Wii. That's probably more than Nintendo will have ready...

http://wii.ign.com/articles/723/723080p1.html

-TheBiggah-

[A Black Falcon]

http://www.tcforums.com/forums/showthrea...post102848

I mentioned that here. Just read down a bit.

Actually though, while as I said Midway, EA, and Ubisoft have said that they are increasing Wii support, the numbers we're hearing (6 from Midway, 7 from Ubisoft, 7 from EA) are all known titles and are almost all ports and/or movie games...

Midway: Mortal Kombat Armageddon (also on PS2 and Xbox), Rampage: Total Destruction (upgraded port of the GC/PS2 game), The Ant Bully, Happy Feet (movie game), Blitz: The League, and one other one.

Ubisoft says they are working on seven launch titles for the Nintendo Wii.

In addition to previously announced games Rayman Raving Rabbids and Red Steel, Ubi is working on Wii versions of Monster 4X4 World Circuit, Open Season, Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WW II, a GT Pro Series title and a Far Cry title.

Hit the jump for the shortish descriptions:

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WW II: As a squadron leader and ace fighter
pilot, leverage the Wii controller to experience intense dog fighting in the
famous air battles of WW II. Air combat simulation, rating pending.

Far Cry: As Jack Carver, use the Wii Remote to drive, shoot, slash, jump and
climb your way through a rebel-infested tropical hell. First-person action
shooter, rating pending.

GT Pro Series: Immerse yourself in the fast-paced action of this exclusive Wii
car-racing game and take full advantage of the Wii Remote. Racing game, rating
pending.

Open Season: Allows gamers to relive the humor and adventure of Sony Pictures
Animation'ss highly anticipated, first feature-length CG animated film. Kids
adventure, rating pending.

Monster 4X4 World Circuit: Use the Wii Remote to perform spectacular stunts,
jump and race the most powerful Monster Trucks, and go head-to-head in
pulse-pounding off-road competitions all over the world. Truck racing, rating
pending.

Rayman Raving Rabbids: Experience the return of Rayman when his world is
threatened by a devastating invasion of crazed, out-of-control bunnies. Whether
it be crazy Kung-Fu action or competing in the cow toss, players will use the
Wii Remote in the most imaginative and innovative ways possible to defeat these
whacky rabbids. Action-adventure, rating pending.

Red Steel: This Wii exclusive title takes place in modern-day Japan and
challenges players to master both the ancient art of the katana and the
sophisticated technology of modern firearms. First-person action, rating
pending.

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/ubis-se...191939.php

Remember that "launch" these days means "launch window", which means "within a few months of launch". In the Wii's case, "launch" means "anything that releases before or on December 31":

Talking in the conference call following the announcement, EA executives particularly noted that "...we have ramped up [game] production for the Wii and DS Lite", following significant excitement over the Nintendo-created consoles at E3. The company revealed that it would probably ship 2 titles for the Wii launch period (Madden and Need For Speed), and 5 titles over the fiscal year ending March 2007.

Regarding Wii pricing, EA execs simply commented that publishers would have to decide on pricing themselves, but that Nintendo had indicated that first-party Wii titles would not be priced at more than $49.99 - suggesting that Electronic Arts games may debut for Wii at $49.99 at launch, though they did not state this specifically.

In addition, execs revealed that there would be 4 or 5 launch titles on the PS3, including Madden, Need For Speed, and Tiger Woods - the 'launch period' being the 2006 calendar year.

EA execs also expressed skepticism that Sony would actually make it to 6 million units PlayStation 3 units manufactured in the 2006-7 fiscal year, commenting both that "hardware companies come up a little short", and that "we expect that they will be challenged" to make that number - not necessarily good news for consumer confidence in Sony's launch.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_in...tory=10311

[A Black Falcon]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/723/723081p1.html

Interview and more information on the Ubisoft games. Definitely worth a read.