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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
Vrgin XBoom Boom
Posts: 640 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Wenatchee, Wa |
Disney Studio to Develop Video Games for Nintendo Consoles Nov. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co., the world's second- largest media company, is creating a video-game studio to make titles exclusively for Nintendo Co., targeting audiences for its animated characters. The studio, called Fall Line, will be based in Salt Lake City and run by Scott Novis, who led the team that created the game based on the Pixar film ''Cars.'' Novis's designers will build games for the Nintendo ''Wii'' console to be released this month and the ''DS'' and ''Game Boy'' handheld players. Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger said in September that Disney can earn more by developing its own games rather than licensing characters and content. Disney has spent $200 million in the past two years to buy or start game-development studios. The Burbank, California-based company will spend another $200 million in the next two years, said Graham Hopper, general manager of Disney's Buena Vista Games. ''Disney is naturally set up for video games,'' said Imran Khan, an analyst with JPMorgan Chase & Co. ''It makes sense because of their characters and their content, and because they already have a strong consumer product group, which others like Time Warner and Paramount don't.'' Shares of Disney rose 57 cents to $32.46 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. They have gained 35 percent this year. Buena Vista wants to produce 80 percent of its games internally, Hopper said. Of the games it makes, Buena Vista wants 80 percent based on Disney movies, TV shows or other content. Fourth Studio Fall Line is the fourth game developer Disney has bought or started in the past 19 months. The company has more than tripled its video-game payroll to 600 employees. In April 2005, Buena Vista bought Salt Lake City-based Avalanche Software for undisclosed terms and established a start- up studio in Vancouver called Propaganda Games, led by former executives of Electronic Arts Canada. In September, the company purchased Brighton, England-based Climax Racing, maker of auto- racing games ''MotoGP'' and ''ATV Offroad Fury'' for undisclosed terms. Khan expects Disney to rely less on licensing agreements, such as the accord with publisher THQ Inc. it inherited with the $8.06 billion purchase of Pixar in May. THQ, based in Agoura Hills, California, has game rights to the next four Pixar films. ''They are building the capability to do these games on their own,'' said Khan, who rates the shares ''overweight'' and doesn't own them. 'Chicken Little' Disney is releasing a second ''Chicken Little'' video game for Nintendo's Wii around the same time the console is expected to go on sale this month. The game follows a formula that Hopper and other Disney executives want to serve as a blueprint for future titles. Designers at Avalanche worked with the film's producers and animators to get scenes that were created entirely for the game. ''That lets us tell a story in the same universe and time frame as the movie,'' said John Blackburn, Avalanche Software's general manager. ''But we can expand the universe in a way that makes better sense for a video game.'' Collaboration between designers and animators has grown, Blackburn said. Designers get early access to footage, gaining more time to build a game and make it closer to the movie. ''Before we were with Disney, we wouldn't always get access to the movie team and because of the lack of trust, they wouldn't let us do things with the character,'' Blackburn said. Natural Partner Disney views Nintendo as a natural partner since its users tend to be younger. While Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. compete for ardent video game fans with high-end graphics and complex games, Nintendo has made the Wii simple and easy to use with a controller sensitive to motion. Novis said kids find Xbox and PlayStation games technical and difficult to learn, while they typically can pick up a Nintendo game and start playing quickly. At $250, Nintendo's Wii costs less than the Xbox and PlayStation 3. ''It seems like with our brand, the Nintendo platform is a really good place to put our development effort and focus,'' Novis said. Yeah, that's exactly what we need, more Disney licenced garbarge to further the fact that Nintendo's systems are for the 7 and under set. Yeah, that's the ticket.   Meh, I'll go play Red Steel instead. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
kinopioPunk's Not Dead
Posts: 14,644 Join Date: Nov 2002 |
I wouldn't mind having Disney licences on Nintendo's system if they were made by Capcom or something. As it is we just KNOW quality won't be there. ___________________ Now playing No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
Crunchyto jue
Posts: 7,246 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: the "Employee of the Month" parking spot |
Kingdom Hearts maybe? |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
Matt_MKing Nerd
Posts: 1,588 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, TX |
It's a new studio. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt until the first title hits the shelves. Even if it is aimed at children, there's hope that it won't be dreck. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
Terranigma FreakLakitu Posts: 1,417 Join Date: Jun 2004 |
I wouldn't mind having Disney licences on Nintendo's system if they were made by Capcom back in the late 80's to early 90's. Disney, I salute you with my middle finger! ___________________ 
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
LowMax[+ O : o o]
Posts: 4,915 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Pennsylvania |
yippie skippie ___________________ 
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
RivenMystMachine Says Yes
Posts: 1,152 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Exile |
Oh boy. More Disney bull**** to take up shelf space at Wal-Mart. ___________________ 
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
SuperCubeWii60
Posts: 2,553 Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Indianapolis |
Disney ****ing sucks nowadays. It used to be 'cool'. Now it's just retarded. ___________________ -Wii Friend code: 0504-1893-4505-0206 -Xbox Live Gamertag: SuperCUBE 3000 |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
AipotubeN-Philes
Posts: 8,933 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ottawa, Ontario |
well this makes sense. To put chicken little on 360 or ps3 right now makes near zero sense. I thik because the WIi is much cheaper and 'family friendly', we'll see lots of licensed stuff. And if Wii is the system from the start, maybe we'll see neat stuff in these games. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
Red YoshiWhat about us?
Posts: 2,853 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: England, UK |
Why the angry post face? It's all good, man. The more developers on the bandwagon, the better. Since they're exclusively developing stuff for Nintendo consoles, at least we know the system won't just get some brash ports. They'll have the chance to properly tailor games to suit each system's controls. Give them the benefit of the doubt. For the moment, anyway. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
SuperCubeWii60
Posts: 2,553 Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Indianapolis |
The thing is, the system can't get ports like that because of its controller design. :o( ___________________ -Wii Friend code: 0504-1893-4505-0206 -Xbox Live Gamertag: SuperCUBE 3000 |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
bleeper2.0Livid
Posts: 6,522 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London |
I think i remember Disney putting its foot down on developers making ****ty games using their licences. So maybe more average games will be released instead of just plain awful ones. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
CursiveLost And Safe
Posts: 2,943 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: England |
Whatever way you see it, increased developer support is good for the system no matter what (especially if it's Disney stuff which kids and families should lap up.) ___________________  |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
SouzetsuReady to Fly
Posts: 7,481 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: California |
Exactly. The more the better. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
Terranigma FreakLakitu Posts: 1,417 Join Date: Jun 2004 |
Disney's own game studio made 2 or 3 good games during the end of the 16 bit to early 32 bit days. I don't know what happened to that studio though. Gargoyles is a very good game while Toy Story was good but hard. I believe the also made Hercules for the PS1 and that game was decent, but that's all I know. I have no clue about their new studio. ___________________
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
Cult HeroFwoosh
Posts: 478 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: In the flat field |
And even if the games suck you can always choose... well... not to buy them. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
gonestarfishinFlyGuy
Posts: 472 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: VA |
I remember playing the Lion King game for Genesis when I was little. It was amusing. ___________________ 
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
ALIAS_FANHurley should die instead
Posts: 3,115 Join Date: May 2005 |
Disney Princesses here I come!!! ___________________ 
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
SuperCubeWii60
Posts: 2,553 Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Indianapolis |
If you look at it that way, it'll be cool. However, it does give a negative image, I think. Disney = kiddie. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
JoesterNeedle Mouse
Posts: 14,987 Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Kansas City, MO |
Hope this affects what system Kingdom Hearts ends up on. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
DayLahsWill Never Be Another
Posts: 46,290 Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Miami, Florida |
doubt it. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
JoesterNeedle Mouse
Posts: 14,987 Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Kansas City, MO |
Well I wouldn't be hoping if I knew it would come true. |
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| NerdTuesday, November 7th 2006. | |
rubaiyatMagikoopa Posts: 838 Join Date: Apr 2005 |
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| NerdWednesday, November 8th 2006. | |
KuribooSuper
Posts: 12,190 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: A Galaxy far far away.... |
I expect to see KH3 on Wii. I hope.  ___________________ Mario's Bitch |
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| NerdWednesday, November 8th 2006. | |
SpawnLurking around...
Posts: 4,232 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: The Netherlands |
What saywhatcuz said. Also, can we expect games where we can interact with the princesses?? :ashamed for actually typing this here: |
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| NerdFriday, November 10th 2006. | |
Vrgin XBoom Boom
Posts: 640 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Wenatchee, Wa |
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| NerdFriday, November 10th 2006. | |
moose♥ ♥ ム堂「すペ♥ ♥
Posts: 3,514 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: NY |
Get Kingdom Hearts III on Wii and get Mikami to design and direct an old license, and I'll be happy with this news. Give me another Chicken Little and I will be pissed. |
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| NerdSunday, November 12th 2006. | |
plufimNerd
Posts: 25 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kangarilla, South Australia |
I seriously doubt we'll see KH3 on the wii, despite both square and disney's recent commitments to nintendo. Too many of the fans of the series will be sticking with sony. It's happening with final fantasy, it'll happen with Kingdom Hearts. Now, if square were to start up a new square/disney series on nintendo, that would work - or perhaps a series of KH side-stories, much like the FF12 prequel on DS. Or better yet, a nintendo/square/disney series. Mushroom Kingdom Hearts, anyone? :3 Still, it's not entirely out of the realms of possibility. If the wii trumps the PS3 like the DS has the PSP, then I'm sure the heads at square will have serious second thoughts. I'm sure had the PSP done better, the FF12 prequel would be on that, not the DS. Boy, I'm bet sony are real sore about that one 
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| NerdSunday, November 12th 2006. | |
AipotubeN-Philes
Posts: 8,933 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ottawa, Ontario |
Historically sQuare has supported the platform with the largest install base. Historically, since sQuare and Nintendo became friends again, they've liked giving side stories. I can see a Kingdom Hearts side story coming our way, actually. oh and I like the sQuare thing. sQuarEnix. Ok that I don't like. |
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| NerdSunday, November 12th 2006. | |
LastAllianceTrollin' since 2003
Posts: 12,490 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Klamath Falls, OR |
I don't want side stories. Give me the real game damn it. |
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| NerdMonday, November 13th 2006. | |
ZachityZachYour favourite game sucks
Posts: 7,760 Join Date: Nov 2003 |
I wouldn't worry about Nintendo's image any more, to be honest. When I was in EBGames the other day, some guy asked about the PS3, heard the price, saw an ad for the Wii, and asked about Nintendo's new system, and the worker went into this whole speech about Red Steel and how Nintendo is growing up and whatnot. Don't worry about it. |
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| NerdMonday, November 13th 2006. | |
bleeper2.0Livid
Posts: 6,522 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: London |
Lord bless people like those Varleran. However there can be store workers who can give great advice. And there are some people who can talk out their arse0 i remember hearing on this message board someone talking about how they over heard a Sony, fanboy, stall clerk talk about how the PS3 will feature "high dimension technology". |
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| NerdMonday, November 13th 2006. | |
Joe_StrifeJoe Cool
Posts: 2,553 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Nibleheim |
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