Under the cover of anonymity, Wii Ware developers are coming out in support of Nintendo's download service, to the detriment of Xbox Live Arcade. According to Develop Magazine, Nintendo has been marketing Wii Ware to developers as an alternative to Microsoft's popular store, citing advantages like flexible pricing and smaller budgets. Their most attractive pitch: more money. Microsoft recently changed the royalty structure for XBLA games, which results in a lot less income for many developers. Also, Nintendo's division of VC and Wii Ware titles makes it easier for original games to be noticed and not lost in a pile of retro games -- a problem from which both XBLA and the PlayStation Network suffer, according to the interviewed developers. This problem led one developer to declare XBLA "full of shit."
Wii Ware's developer-friendliness isn't just good for them, it's good for us. Wii Ware is a lower-cost, higher-profit alternative to XBLA on a system with higher sales. Who's not going to want to make games for that?
