Indie devs comment on Nintendo’s approach
EDGE recently caught up with a number of indie developers in order to find out how they feel about Nintendo’s strategy. Commented from Nyamyam, Dakko Dakko, Red Thread Games, and Knapnok can be found below.
Nyamyam co-founder Phil Tossell
“Nintendo’s approach is slightly different. I think Nintendo are actively seeking indies, but that they’re looking for quality, experienced developers that they can maybe form a longer term relationship with. I get the feeling that they don’t want a free for all like the App Store, rather a more curated experience. Quality over quantity.
Dakko Dakko studio director Rhodri Broadbent
“Certainly in our experience Nintendo has been every bit as helpful as the other platform holders. They don’t shout very loudly about it, but they are working hard behind the scenes to make their platforms as welcoming as possible.”
Red Thread Games founder and creative director Ragnar Tørnquist
“I don’t think Nintendo gets enough credit for their indie efforts. There are a lot of intriguing indie titles on the eShop, and they’re obviously passionate about increasing the variety of range of games available. They’re still lagging a bit behind Sony in terms of indie support, but I think that has more to do with how closed their hardware has been in the past, rather than a lack of willingness and engagement from their developer relations.”
“Despite the slow start, I do believe that both the 3DS and the Wii U have a healthy and exciting indie future ahead of them, and we’d love to be a part of that.”
Knapnok’s Lau Korsgaard
“One of Sony’s core messages at E3 was their support of indies and at the same convention Microsoft got a lot of criticism for not featuring independent game developers as prominently. Meanwhile Nintendo is just doing the right thing without making a big fuss about it. They work on establishing genuine human relationships with the indies. They are working on making their tools easily accessible and free and provide equipment for you and are super encouraging in general.”
