Most Recent: Wii U

Square Enix planning studio that’ll specialize in PS4/Wii 2/Xbox 720 games

Posted on March 28, 2011 by John Scalzo

Square Enix plans to open a new studio in Montreal, Vancouver or Toronto next year and hire 100 new developers to work at it. So what, you say, new studios open all the time. Especially in Canada, which is quickly turning into the leading location for video game development.

Well, what if I told you that this studio would be responsible for creating games for the (currently unannounced) PlayStation 4, Wii 2 and Xbox 720. I’ll wait while your brain processes the change from “So what?” to “Whoa!”

The news comes from a report on GamesIndustry.biz, which cites an article in the Canadian newspaper La Presse. Stephane D’Astous, the director of Eidos Montreal, will make the final decision on where the studio will be located. But he’s not shying away from the fact that this studio is being built from the ground up to create next generation games.

“The new consoles from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo will require more attention and more staff,” D’Astous said. “We want to prepare ourselves.”

Maybe the next generation of consoles is closer than we think.

Posted in News, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One |

Michael Pachter embarrasses himself again by saying “Wii 2 will fail”

Posted on February 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

Michael Pachter, video game analyst extraordinaire for Wedbush Securities, was a guest on this week’s Bonus Round talking 2011 predictions with Geoff Keighley. “The Pach” was in rare form during this panel. Most people stop at their feet, but Pachter may have shoved his whole leg in his mouth.

During a discussion about the future of the Wii, Pachter laid out his prediction (once again) that Nintendo will announce a Wii 2 at this year’s E3. Whether or not Nintendo has a Wii 2 planned doesn’t much matter as the analyst goes one further and then claims that the Wii 2 “will fail” without third party support:

Pachter: “So without third-party support, I think the Wii 2, if it’s truly a revolutionary device, will fail. I think they boxed themselves in. No matter what they do, it won’t be as successful as the Wii.”

Just… wow.

ATTENTION INVESTORS! Michael Pachter is a moron. He has no greater insight into the video game industry than your average forum fanboy. I would volunteer to do his job for a quarter of his salary and I would do it better.

For proof, just look at that statement. The Wii 2 hasn’t even been announced yet and Pachter is already writing it off. This is lunacy. Especially when you consider the fact that a Nintendo system lives and dies by its first party support. Even the GameCube, a “failure” against the PS2, was hugely profitable for Nintendo and produced a bevy of classic games.

If you want to watch the hilarity yourself, check out the video after the break. The Wii 2 talk starts at the 17:09 mark. (more…)

Posted in News, Wii U |