Nintendo denies official DS developer status to 'Bob's Game' creator
by JC Fletcher 
{ Feb 6th 2009 at 8:00AM } 
His entire (not quite) 100-day protest was based on the fact that Nintendo had yet to respond to his application for a Nintendo DS SDK, so official communication from the company is, in one sense, vindication for Pelloni. But in another, more accurate sense, it's a rejection letter.
The text of the letter offers clues as to why Pelloni was not approved: Nintendo expects "secure business facilities, sufficient equipment and staffing, financial stability and other attributes that would distinguish the developer." We assume that a sealed office that you pretend is an alien spaceship does not constitute "secure business facilities."
Even more telling is the statement that Nintendo "provides Authorized Developers with highly confidential information" and thus "exercises a very high level of discretion" when choosing to whom it grants SDK access. If he really has heard back from Nintendo (and we must express a modicum of doubt in regard to anything Bob's Game-related), then Bob's constant blogging of his own wait for approval seemingly ruined his chances of receiving that approval.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Lee @ Feb 6th 2009 8:05AM
Hey what's going on over in that corner?
Temidien @ Feb 6th 2009 9:53AM
Yuu's made a mess of his room...
bld @ Feb 6th 2009 8:07AM
Hahaha!
Matt D @ Feb 6th 2009 8:08AM
Guy should just sell it as a downloadable rom for $5 on his website.
If it's actually any good, it'll probably make a decent amount of money that way.
jsutcliffe @ Feb 6th 2009 9:45AM
If it's actually any good, people won't pay him the $5 anyway. People are like that.
Arashikou @ Feb 6th 2009 2:39PM
This is actually a question I'd like to see explored more, even outside the context of Bob's Game. Would it be legal to sell a homebrew ROM you created? (Questions of whether anyone would buy it aside - I'm speaking purely from a hypothetical legal standpoint.) Perhaps more accurately, would Nintendo go ahead and try and sue you anyway even if it were legal, in hopes of pressuring you to stop?
I'm kinda bummed the DS generation doesn't have its Color Dreams yet. The ease of internet distribution and the anecdotes I've heard of widespread proliferation of ROM-capable devices would suggest this ought to be easier than ever. But either there's some precedent or obstacle I'm not aware of or in this age of the DMCA and its children worldwide, no one wants to take the legal risk.
Purple Haze @ Feb 6th 2009 4:22PM
I wouldn't pay him the $5 because he's a dick.
Zediker @ Feb 6th 2009 5:58PM
Yes, it would be legal. Tengen won the legal battle for this back with the original NES when they sold their own cartrages for games like Gauntlet.
mike @ Feb 6th 2009 11:47PM
put it on the iPhone, iPod, get on board with an exciting platform as opposed to one playing catchup tech-wise (DSi)
jonbob.new @ Feb 6th 2009 8:09AM
Seemed like he had a good idea and most of the public on his side at first. I suppose this is a pretty good lesson in how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Any other crazy game designers out there would do well to heed this precautionary tale. That said, I still want to see if this game's actually any good and worth the effort this guy's put into it...
Temidien @ Feb 6th 2009 8:19AM
It's not a good game. It's interesting would probably be a decent homebrew adventure, but a commercial-quality (whatever that is) product it is not.
Also, he didn't have as much public support as Yuu'd imagine and causing trouble at a Nintendo Store is not the best way to draw support...
Lord Negatron @ Feb 6th 2009 8:38AM
You can youtube it. The game is no more than exploration game a la Myst, with 2D rpg graphics. It is NOT an rpg, yet Bob touts himself for all his "pretty art work" done by, guess who? Rob Pelloni. He starting firing off on all cylinders too early. Hey, people fuck up. They write songs thinking, super star, and they play sports thinking, pro-player. He just happens to know how to make a game. Welcome to reality Bob, with all that time and effort, he was better off getting a job with Nintendo and hoping he could use his resources from within to accomplish his goal. He reminds me of the Matrix designer guy from the movie Grandma's Boy.
guttertalk @ Feb 6th 2009 9:13AM
@Tem:
Unless you have played it, you have no idea if it's a good game or not. Looking at screens, descriptions and video of Earthbound, I'd say it sucks. But playing it proves otherwise. Criticize his stunts, but don't confuse that with a game that has potential to be very good.
As for Bob, the guy has a point--Nintendo is much more restrictive about its SDK than, say, Microsoft, which provides anyone for FREE the tools to create community games. That said, one guy isn't going to change Nintendo.
As for Bob and Bob-wannabes, know exactly what you're to make and make sure you have everything you need BEFORE you spend any significant time and money on it. And know that you're not going to force or emotionally blackmail a large corporation to do something they've not done before and won't do.
Temidien @ Feb 6th 2009 9:47AM
I would love to try Bob's Game and decide for myself how crappy it is. However, Bob's insistence on making it impossible for anyone to play it by refusing to go with any publisher other than Nintendo has forced me to rely on his Youtube videos and years of experience playing RPGs. You're right, I can't judge how well the game plays without playing it, but from all the media Bob has released on it, the game looks to be extremely mediocre, contains little if no traditional RPG elements (it claims to be a traditional RPG), does not support dual-screen (if they could do it for the Chrono Trigger port, I'm sure Bob could think of something), and the developer lacks creativity on almost every front.
That being said, send me a copy Bob and I'd be more than happy to review it for Yuu.
Duke @ Feb 6th 2009 9:59AM
"He reminds me of the Matrix designer guy from the movie Grandma's Boy"
Exactly. Bob got caught up in his own bs here and now just comes across as a loser psycho who nobody in their right mind would back. It's really sad he had to go the route he did for attention, but in the end he can bask in the glory that is being posted as a news story on gaming sites and being issued a form rejection letter by a game company. In some weird way that matters to him, so conrats Bob - you showed the world what a loon you are and we wasted time paying attention.
Frostybolts @ Feb 6th 2009 8:53PM
I've heard that all you actually need is:
- a business license
- a development studio in a commercially-zoned area
In which case, if he just had a real office he could have gotten the SDK
Rocketboy @ Feb 6th 2009 8:15AM
Good.
Temidien @ Feb 6th 2009 8:16AM
Thank Jeebus.
I doubt this'll be the last we hear from his whiny ass but at least now he won't have any reason to complain. If Nintendo really did respond to him, the only aspect of his campaign worth fighting for has been neutralized.
I guess loitering and littering in Nintendo stores wasn't the best way to cast yourself in a good light for Nintendo... sucker...
Just watch, I bet his next publicity stunt will be running through the halls of Nintendo's offices screaming "Yuu's here!!" and demanding he get a dev kit as consolation for being denied one for 25 weeks.
Strategy_Panda (Pot & Spoon 4 Life) @ Feb 6th 2009 12:34PM
I wonder what Nintendo's training video has to say about this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYjgHLFZMa0
mahjongotaku @ Feb 6th 2009 8:16AM
While good to see indie devs making games, this is retarded. Nintendo doesn't want your game, so what?
Nothing says that Captain N has to swoop in and deliver the SDK to you just because you made a game. It's their business, they can pick and choose who develops for them.
Like Matt D said, just sell the rom for $5 and let the public judge and then if good, hassle Nintendo for you.
Averna @ Feb 6th 2009 8:40AM
When you look at some of the titles the Wii has you gotta wonder how 'bad' Bob's game is. Either that, or the only requirement for making a Wii game is to have an office and employees...
Its annoying how the Wii is getting swamped with dud titles. It makes the good titles look bad when its flanked on the shelves by "Crappy Generic Waggle Fighter" and "Poorly Implemented Waggle Racer"
Anyway, back on topic, this dude has most definitely burned his bridges and I wouldn't be surprised if he ruined his career as a developer. There are a few 'weird' devs out there but at least they have some weight behind them *looks at Peter Molyneux*
Foetoid @ Feb 6th 2009 9:04AM
Um. Every fighter and racer on the Wii has classic controller support...your analogy is terrible.
tmmoore_nc @ Feb 6th 2009 8:19AM
I'm surprised he doesn't put it online and just sell it for $10-$15 as a PC game.
Lee @ Feb 6th 2009 8:24AM
Because his dream was to make a Nintendo game.
He is that spastastic.
Temidien @ Feb 6th 2009 8:43AM
Have you ever paid $10-15 for a homebrew title?
Didn't think so...
tmmoore_nc @ Feb 6th 2009 9:12AM
No, but maybe I should've said "if he was smart".
Temidien @ Feb 6th 2009 9:49AM
I don't follow...
Rocketboy @ Feb 6th 2009 11:57AM
No-one ever claimed he was smart.
Vilhelm @ Feb 6th 2009 8:53AM
I don't want to sound rude or anything, but this guy seriously needs to find something to do with his spare time, which he seems to have a lot of.
golden joe @ Feb 6th 2009 10:37AM
What do you want to bet the kid has rich parents and has never had a real job in his life?
Mr Khan @ Feb 6th 2009 8:28AM
Certainly this guy has proven that he could not be trusted with such sensitive secrets of the NDS's dev kit, despite the fact that they aren't really secrets
Either way, i wouldn't have acknowledged him if i were at NoA. To suggest that he had some claim of legitimacy (even if he doesn't qualify) will merely further his ambition, i think.
Dummy00001 @ Feb 6th 2009 8:53AM
People who take the initiative, are the people who drive innovation. Even if they end up messing up completely.
Ignoring them, in long term, only ensures business road to oblivion.
Essentially, to have a future, business need to have people who care about product and platform.
Nintendo has one such guy - Miyamoto. But having only one such guy marginalize chances of company to tap to wider markets - because view of the company then is one-sided. And surprise-surprise - Nintendo's view of gaming market *is* one-sided.
mazza_man @ Feb 6th 2009 12:22PM
I fail to see how Bob's Game would 'drive innovation'.
NewGuy @ Feb 6th 2009 8:32AM
I dont see how you could day this game would suck, I would take this any day over imagine babiez or bratz, or petz, or any other crappy shovelware game Nintendo would RATHER take than this game. You guys are pathetic, im supporting this guy 100%.
offday @ Feb 6th 2009 8:37AM
I agree. But I still think Bob is a little crazy.
Lee @ Feb 6th 2009 8:38AM
See, the problem is suckage isn't relative. The games you listed sucks. This game looks sucky.
And I can't speak for Nintendo but they likely didn't want him because of whatever initial reasons, but these later reasons - littering in their store, going insane, having no financial security like Ubisoft does, disrespecting Nintendo high ups are all going to put the brakes on this.
Also his inability to draw sprites.
Linkario @ Feb 6th 2009 8:39AM
Bob, is that yuu?
Temidien @ Feb 6th 2009 8:46AM
The quality of the game has nothing to do with it. If Yuu look at the criteria necessary to be a developer for NOA, Bob doesn't fit any of it.
And New Guy, we know Yuu're Bob, so stop hiding.
NewGuy @ Feb 6th 2009 8:54AM
I still think my game looks better than any pokemon game, or any other 2d rpg. There is tons of stuff to do, over 100 hours of gameplay and tons of characters!
Lee @ Feb 6th 2009 8:59AM
RDRR!
I wouldn't say so. What drives pokemon is the excessive customization and collection do-whackey. Your RPG just looks dull and uninteresting compared to the good RPGs out there.
Lord Negatron @ Feb 6th 2009 9:00AM
I'll be pathetic since your taking the easy road in this matter. Compare kids titles , to bob's game = "hey whats the big deal, i rather bob's game!" From what i have seen, It doesn't support both DS screens. Its actually looks to have no purpose in general.
Really i think you are just taking a stab at Nintendo by your statement. His game was intended for the DS not the Wii. Although i am not a big fan of Nintendo products currently. I can see that your just taking shots at Nintendo in general. You can reach bob, im sure he would be glad to sell/give you a copy...
Lord Negatron @ Feb 6th 2009 9:08AM
Woops, if you are claiming to be Rob himself, then scratch what i said. Go sit down, take a deep breath and reflect on how you failed at getting Nintendo to work with you.
Temidien @ Feb 6th 2009 9:11AM
"You guys are pathetic, im supporting this guy 100%"
Also Bob, insulting your potential customer base isn't the best way to garner support. May I recommend taking a business class or two to develop professional etiquette and the basics of not being a whiny little b*tch when things dont go your way.
Jason @ Feb 6th 2009 9:48AM
XNA is your friend, Bob.
Rocketboy @ Feb 6th 2009 11:59AM
If newguy isn't bob, then (s)he's some asian chick hired via Craig's list.
mko @ Feb 6th 2009 12:19PM
Ubisoft might have lots of crap games but it has a million dollar capital making them "financial stable".
Oh and I'm pretty sure Nintendo will release something like XNA for DSi.
DS SDK must include some sort of encryption used to boot the games. If the encryption leaks to the scene Flash Cards will be perfected.
Arashikou @ Feb 6th 2009 2:47PM
Oh stop pretending - You're not Bob. The guy in the videos isn't Bob either. And neither is the guy on Bob's website.
Bob is the Keyser Soze of video game development. When you saw Bob being kidnapped by aliens, it was actually you that was being kidnapped.
Arashikou @ Feb 6th 2009 2:56PM
Hmmm - in hindsight, that's even better in Bobspeak:
Oh stop pretending - Yuu're not Bob. The guy in the videos isn't Bob either. And neither is the guy on Bob's website.
Bob is the Keyser Soze of video game development. When Yuu saw Bob being kidnapped by aliens, it was actually Yuu that was being kidnapped.
(As an aside, I think it would be awesome if, as Mko predicts, there were some kind of more-widely-available devkit for the DSi. However, I'm not holding my breath. While I don't agree with what Bob is doing, he HAS run up against one of the few flaws at Nintendo, which is that they have a view of developers and the development process that has remained essentially unchanged since the 1980s, and there is no room in that process for small indies. It makes a certain amount of sense. In the '80s, the video game industry was collapsing under - among other things - the weight of a ton of crappy games for consoles anyone could code for. One of the reasons for the NES' enduring success was that Nintendo strictly controlled who could program for it, thus filtering out much of the crap. This is a lesson they've taken to heart since - always retaining tighter control over their SDKs than any other console manufacturer for fear of a trade secrets leak leading to a wave of debilitating awfulness. However, their measuring stick is outmoded - they trust any large corporation and shun any one- or two-man developer, not realizing that large corporations and lone indies are both capable of producing genius (Bioshock, Braid) and crap. (Bratz, Kitchen Sink Wars))
Nightwish @ Feb 6th 2009 8:31AM
How shocking. It's not like the game could be any worse than the dredge Ubisoft lauches on their consoles, but hey, whatever. If it makes people care instead for the PC or, say, the Pandora, all the better.
offday @ Feb 6th 2009 8:34AM
So why doesn't Nintendo give him a developer's kit? I didn't think Nintendo had any standards anymore. Bob's Game has to be a better game than pretending to be a fashion designer or taking care of pet dolphins.