One evolution with the Wii has been the decline in the media and gaming culture calling a Nintendo console kid-centric. Christian Svenssen, Capcom's Senior Director of Strategic Planning & Research, caused some rumblings when he referenced the kiddie image in a forum post on the Capcom forums.The controversial quote: "If there is a 'core player base' on Wii (and it's [sic] might be so broad, there might be no such thing as 'core'), within two years, it will probably be largely a younger player (or at least younger than 360 or PS3)." Despite the best efforts of the Nintendo Defense Force, we're inclined to agree that, by merit of taking a family-focused approach to marketing, children will likely be given this as a first console or as a system that parents feel they can enjoy with their offspring.
However, Svenssen is quick to remind forum readers that, in announcing their strive for a broad focus, mature does not equate to broadly appealing, which in turn is not necessarily "kiddie." On the fourth page of the thread, Svensson notes that Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles may not be the only M-rated title to be released on the Wii from Capcom ("One never knows what our teams in Japan will cook up down the road," he remarks), but that the likelihood is dependent upon the success of other M-rated titles on the console. Some M-rated titles we know coming up include Manhunt 2 and Suda 51's No More Heroes.
Svensson also made other points of interest, noting that Capcom's strategy is to wait sometime after a console launches before releasing a game (e.g. Dead Rising wasn't released until nine month's after Xbox 360's launch). Svensson acknowledges that the M-rated Resident Evil 4 sold extremely well on the GameCube, even though he predicts the console's primary demographic between the ages of six and 10.
Oh yeah, and that persistent little canary that screams Okami on the Wii? "I too think it would be great (both from a gameplay and a fit on the platform)," he said, "but unfortunately, we've got no news on that front. I just wanted to at least let people know we're certainly aware of the demand."
[Via WiiDS.co.uk]
