Nintendo recently signed a worldwide license agreement with Unity Technologies to bring its multi-platform engine and development tools to the Wii U. To get a better idea of what benefits this deal will bring, we spoke exclusively to Unity's Tracy Erickson, who is in charge of Developer Relations at the company.
Nintendo Life: In simple terms, what does the Unity deal mean for Nintendo fans?
Tracy Erickson: Great games. Unity support for Wii U means a new generation of developers has the opportunity to create games on Nintendo's forthcoming consoles. For the first time, independent developers have a clear path to console and we're eager to see Nintendo embrace this new relationship with indies. On the other end, some of the industry's most recognisable developers and publishers - Obsidian Entertainment, Ubisoft, SEGA, even Nintendo themselves - are adopting Unity because it's easy to use. This makes it possible to develop high quality games in shorter time; more games from a greater variety of developers meeting the Nintendo Seal of Quality can only be a good thing.
NL: What benefits does Unity offer over other development tools?
TE: Unity offers two clear benefits: multiplatform reach and ease of use. Being able to create a game and take it to several platforms - iPhone and iPad, Android devices, consoles, Windows, Linux, etc. - while retaining the quality of that core experience is incredibly powerful. As a gamer, this is relevant - how many times have you seen a game developed for another platform and wished it was on your device, your console? Supporting multiple platforms involves a lot of technical work that Unity handles for the developer; in other words, Unity takes care of the boring stuff related to supporting multiple platforms and allows developers to focus on what matters: game design. And if the number of platforms that Unity supports still isn't enough, we help developers bring their games to other platforms through our Union program.
Second, Unity is easy to use and ideal for small teams. Our engine is designed to be straightforward and intuitive so that you don't need programming expertise to use it. Artists, designers, and coders are able to collaborate in the engine in ways that would be cumbersome in other engines. Unsurprisingly, this fosters more creativity and puts the focus on game design rather than building internal tech.
NL: What made you select Nintendo over rival firms?
TE: Timing dictated the partnership with Nintendo given the forthcoming launch of Wii U. Microsoft and Sony are valuable partners for Unity and we're working with them on a variety of levels. We support Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, too, which ensures Unity covers all current consoles.
NL: Only Wii U has been mentioned specifically so far in relation to the deal, but could the scaleable nature of the Unity engine mean increased support for existing systems, like the Wii and 3DS?
TE: Actually, Unity already supports Wii. Obviously, there aren't a ton of Unity games on Wii - that's a separate discussion as to why - and that's what prompted this unique partnership with Nintendo for Wii U. We knew that having a closer relationship with Nintendo was critical to Unity being a success on their console; Nintendo understood that embracing the Unity community is fundamental to the console's long term vitality.
Regarding Nintendo 3DS, that's kinda like asking about Pikmin 4 when Pikmin 3 hasn't even come out yet! The relationship between Nintendo and Unity has reached an exciting new level and we're focused on Wii U. Timing is important here since the console launches in this year, too. While there are no current plans to support Nintendo 3DS, we're always looking at what platforms make sense for us to support, where developer demand is, and the opportunities available for our developer community.
NL: What's the reaction been from existing Unity developers regarding the deal? Are they excited about Wii U?
TE: The response has been phenomenal. Unity developers see the opportunity on Wii U; they want to innovate, they want to push the hardware, they want to try new things. Many of these developers haven't worked with a console before or perhaps haven't interacted with Nintendo. Naturally, there's a desire to see how Nintendo moves forward in distributing Unity via the Wii U SDK - pricing, availability, options for publishing - these are important questions that will be answered in the coming months.
NL: What's the response been like from existing Nintendo third party developers and publishers?
TE The goal in supporting Wii U is mainly in bringing new developers to Nintendo's console. Existing Nintendo developers and publishers are wanted and welcomed by Unity, but the unique value Unity brings to Nintendo is in new developer talent. For those using other engines or internal tech, Unity support for Wii U is prompting a second look. It says a lot when Nintendo puts your tech in their SDK, which is an endorsement of sorts - that goes far in speaking well of our tech.
NL: Given the digital-only nature of many of Unity developers, it seems only natural that they will want to produce download-only software for the Wii U. Has Nintendo revealed any plans to you regarding its Wii U eShop?
TE: You'll have to ask Nintendo, unfortunately; they're in the best position to share details on the store and how it works.
NL: What does the future hold for Unity?
TE: Unity 4, our biggest and most ambitious version of the engine to date, is being released soon. We're already in public beta where developers can test out our new features including DirectX 11 support, shadows for mobile devices, updates to our particle system, and our innovative new animation tool, Mechanim. We're also working on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 support, which we recently announced at our Unite developer conference. Flash and Linux support is coming, too. In short, more features, more platforms. And more games: Wasteland 2, Offensive Combat, Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops, Republique, RAD Soldiers, MechWarrior Tactics, Pid - so much good stuff to play.
Comments 28
Can't wait for sonic 4 ep II on WiiUWare
Does this mean an average Joe like me can form a group of other teenage idiots in my programming class and make Wii U games?
The existence of significant amount of Indie games, for me, is vital for the success of the Nintendo eShop. To be fair I generally enjoyed WiiWare and DSiware, but it WiiUware needs to be up to the level other platforms have gotten too. There is some idiotic shovelware, and ridiculous copies (which will need to be dealt with) but there is a potential for a large and significant numbers of works of genius on WiiUware.
Not excited about this...but its good news
Cant wait for the unique and new adventures we'll come across in this new era of Wii U!
Exciting stuff! I love Indie Games!
@Harmoknight
I hope that you are aware that Sonic 4 hasn't even been mentioned for the Wii U. Sonic 4 Episode 2 wasn't even that great (particularly how They completely botched the Tails integration if you're expecting anything similar to the Mega drive sonic-tails type gameplay), and I seriously doubt it's coming to Wii U.
I'm using this program right now in my Gaming class.
Would love to mess around with this just to see if i can make something.
@HarmoKnight sonic 4 episode 2 sucked, and your comment has nothing to do with the article, episode 2's engine had nothing to do with unity
This is great news and all, but I can't help but to feel like the 3ds is missing out and it'll get worst when the Wii U is released.
I don't really care.
Nah, indies still need to deal with nintendo. Not easy at all.
I don't care/
I'm really excited about this! It sounds like it could be what I had hoped WiiWare would have become.
So does this mean we get Battle Bears and FusionFall on Wii U?
this is good news for Wii U.
The way I see it, the more partners/developers/engines on the console the better.
Also, that screen of the fan remake of Sonic the Hedgehog!??
Wow! That looks better than Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (both episode)!!
Sega, take some notes, because you've just been schooled by a fan.
Bet it plays better than Sonic 4 too lol.
Slender HD on Wii U?
Considering how versitile Unity is, this is definitely a win. We're going to see a lot of stuff, epecially if free stuff is allowed (Slender, please). Yeah, dealing with Nintendo will never be easy, but at the very least the concern of having to adapt to the console will be negligible.
That's good and all, but I'm still just waiting for Pikmin 4.
I have Unity but I haven't done much with it because I don't have any friends that are interested in making games. And even if I did, I don't know how to make games with it. xD I've only made a couple of test games. I should practice a little.
Nice. It looks good. As for 3DS, considering Capcom has MT Framework mobile for their games, and other devs pull off other good stuff too, it's not all that bad without it.
This is really great news for small devs / indie devs and for us gamers. Nintendo, Unity and I believes that all big things start small. This will be a great start to see some remakes, reboots or new IP to the world of gaming. Really can't wait what's inside the mind of the creator of these upcoming small games and provide us unique gameplay. Goodluck Indie Developers! Thank you Unity and Nintendo!
doesn't this still mean that developers have to buy a several thousand dollar dev kit first?
@armoredghor: Yes they are sir... https://store.unity3d.com/. Comes with a price depends on the device your working on. There's no WII U dev kits price yet.
This is all kinda a big lie unless Nintendo is going to suddenly make it easier for those indie developers to get licenses to put their games on Nintendo's consoles. Normally you have to have a properly registered company with at least a couple of staff, or something like that, get the expensive dev kits and if the other reports are true you also won't see any money back until you sell thousands of units etc.
Note: I'm just quickly typing what I remember off the top of my head so people who really care about exact details should look them up rather than either taking everything I say as gospel or calling me a liar.
Either way, I'm not convinced it's going to be quite as simple for indies to get their games out on Nintendo platforms as it may sound in the press releases and these interviews.
@Bobhobob
Well it certainly sounds like you can just form a group and make Wii U games using Unity, assuming it really is as simple as buying the software and off you go developing a game directly on your PC, but getting the game running on Nintendo's consoles or indeed getting a license to put them on the platform for sale is probably nowhere near as simple or indeed as cheap as this kind of article would have you believe.
I personally think the Unity guys, and possibly Nintendo if they've had anything to say about this, really are being quite manipulative here in exactly what they are saying in these interviews.
What is that fan made sonic game? I want to check it out.
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