Topic: Namco Developing Mario Baseball

[Jonnyboy117]

A representative from Nintendo of America confirms yet another collaboration between the two companies.

In answering a question about Mario Kart GP, the (currently) Japan-only arcade racer in development at Namco, Tom Harlin, PR Manager at Nintendo of America, has confirmed that Namco is also hard at work on another Mario game.  In IGNcube's weekly "Nintendo Minute" feature, Harlin mentions that Namco is collaborating with Nintendo on Mario Baseball.  No developer was announced with the project at its initial unveiling several months back, but Camelot was widely assumed to be involved, having developed all Mario sports titles since the N64 era.    

Planet GameCube will have much more coverage on Mario Baseball later this month at the E3 Expo.    

Update: One of our readers pointed out that this information was reported last November, also by IGN, although we're not sure where they got it from.  The developer was not listed in game databases at Nintendo.com, PGC, or some of our major competitors...so even if this isn't exactly breaking news, apparently a lot of people didn't know about it!

[Bill Aurion]

Heh, we've known about this for quite a while now... ^_^,

[MaleficentOgre]

i thought this was old new, but hey can't be first to everything. and at least it's officially official.

[Berto2K]

Ya really, this news is way old.  

[Jonnyboy117]

Article has been updated.  This is kind of a weird situation, actually.  I know for a fact that the developer was not announced back when the first screenshots were revealed, and Nintendo was not able to fulfill my request for additional information at the time.  IGN dug up the Namco connection in late November, but for some reason the info never spread.  The developer was listed as Nintendo (it's standard practice to use the publisher if you don't know) on our system as well as GameSpot's, while Nintendo doesn't have a page for the game even on its press site, which is quite bizarre since they were the source of the original screens anyway.  I personally knew about the Namco connection, but I learned about it at an embargoed press event and assumed it was part of the embargoed information (along with everything else not already publicly announced).  I can tell you that I was not the only person at that event who was surprised to learn that Namco, not Camelot, was behind the game.

[thepoga]

so nintendo is going to compete it's own Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball with Mario Baseball. Hmmm... I know they're going to have different styles of play, but... yeah...

[ruby_onix]

Camelot's busy making teh super-megatun RPG for the Revolution.

I hope.

[TheYoungerPlumber]

Indeed, ruby_onix.  It's very likely: they've been hiring for next-gen development and are overdue for a more traditional RPG.  I know some of Camelot's team is working on Mario Tennis for the GBA, but I find it hard to believe they aren't working on a second project.  The timing (roughly two years of development) seems perfect for a polisihed Revolution launch title.

[Berto2K]

Nintendo is the main developer, but is getting help from Namco is my guess as to why Nintendo is listed as the developer.

[RABicle]

Gah! Why do they waste time on such trivial games? Why not just include a Mushroom Kingdom side in that Pennact Chase Baseball or whatever inhouse baseball title they're making? I mean seriously, they had to invent characters and pull out worthless game bossed for Double Dash's roster, how will they make multible teams of ten? An all Koopa Team? This'll be pathetic and weak.