Topic: RUMORS: Camelot Parts Ways with Nintendo?

[TheYoungerPlumber]

The developer behind multiple Mario sports titles and Golden Sun is working on a new online golf game in Japan…for PCs.

For years Camelot Software Planning has left its fans in the dark about their next project.  The general consensus among Nintendo fans has been that they are working on a Wii entry to the Golden Sun series.  After all, they posted a job opening for a programmer, citing the Revolution as a target platform, and the Takahashi brothers have expressed interest in bringing the series to a more versatile platform.    

Today Camelot and publisher Eleven-Up revealed a massively multiplayer online golf game for PC gamers in Japan titled I Love Golf!, scheduled for release later this year.  This will be the first Camelot game without Nintendo as its publisher since Mario Golf on the N64 in 1999.    

Camelot has always been a third party developer for Nintendo.  Although this announcement is unexpected, it does not necessarily indicate a falling out between the two companies.  Camelot has a long history of golf games, and Nintendo may have been reluctant to fund and support a massively multiplayer online game early in Wii's life—especially with its own Wii Sports set for launch.  Camelot may still have a Wii or DS project in the works; given Camelot's small size, though, such a game likely would not be released anytime soon.

[TheYoungerPlumber]

What is this, ominous news week?

Seriously, though.  At first I was really sad that Camelot is leaving Nintendo, but after thinking about things I'm not so sure they really are.  I mean, it's obvious Camelot really wanted to make this online game, and I'm pretty sure Nintendo would refuse at this point.

[Caliban]

I read that the official news is that Camelot just postponed any Nintendo project they had. So basically, they are still supporting Nintendo.

[Mario]

Well the fact they aren't developing anything means it'll be at least 3 years til their next Nintendo game is out, so that's still bad news.

[Neodymium]

Why does Nintendo have to lose every second party?

I call Retro will be gone in good time, as will.. who's even left?

Silicon Knights, Left Field, Rare.. they all held an important role. Another loss we. don't. need. Now Golden Sun will come out for PSP and my stomach will come out of my mouth.

[Bloodworth]

lol, the "second party" strategy is long since dead.  Camelot never was a second party even if some people lumped them in that category for a while.  And Retro is first party, so they aren't going anywhere.

[IceCold]

And Golden Sun PSP won't be happening any time soon..

[Nephilim]

well that game will be out this year, they will only need a small team for updates and such
im sure they could started/continue a wii/ds project then

[TJ Spyke]

Neody, Retro firsty party since they are 100% owned by Nintendo. The only way they could leave is if Nintendo decided to sell them(which is unlikely considering how well the Metroid Prime games have done).

[Kairon]

Is Camelot jealous that Tecmo is making Pangya or something?

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Requiem]

Yes, Yes, let me add my thoughts on the matter:





Seriously, I'm hoping Camelot has been working on the Wii/DS for awhile and just put whatever they were working on .... on the back burner for a while.

[Urkel]

It sounds like Camelot isn't ditching Nintendo, just giving priority to this game at the moment.

This is bad news in the short term, since it means we'll have to wait longer to play the rumored RPG they were making for Wii.

This is good news in the long term, since this weaksauce rehash of the same golf game they've been making for the past ten years is made of fail and wont sell because I say so which will leave them financially decimated and will beg Nintendo to buy them and they will and then they wont be able to pull this crap any more.



Just remember, I called it here.

[WuTangTurtle]

....or maybe their corporate leaders need to make a small game and profit off of it to use towards their bigger franchises.  I think every developer probably does this, and maybe thats why things like DOA extreme beach volleyball are given life.

[Michael8983]

Honestly, I don't think Camelot had what it takes to make the killer-app console RPG people were hoping for.
As for Mario Golf and Tennis. I could see Nintendo giving them to Namco which developed Mario Baseball.
Or maybe it's better Nintendo just consolidate all the Mario sports franchises into one package.
Basically Wii Sports but with Mario characters and gameplay elements.

[Ceric]

I personally think this is a good move for them.  They are third party and they need to remind people and Nintendo of such.  Now this is relatively bread and Butter for them.  Seeing the very Strong launch line-up that Nintendo has said there going to deliver waiting a year or so on your big project that you've worked long and hard on doesn't seems to bad.  The very last thing you want is for it to go unannounced eaten in a swarm of titles.  Plus you get the added bonus of letting other people test the waters so you don't have to necessarily make the same mistakes.

[couchmonkey]

I personally think a Camelot game would have stood out more at launch, or shortly after launch, rather than later.  Give it a couple of years, and you're competing with 100s of games.  As a quickie example see Halo, Pikmin, and Super Monkey Ball.  I think all of these new franchises benefited from being released at launch.  Though I admit Wii has a stronger launch lineup than Xbox or GameCube.

Of course, if Camelot is working on an RPG, it probably wouldn't have been ready for launch anyway.  It takes a couple of years to develop a big RPG.

[RickPowers]

No story here.  Camelot is adding PC games to their profile, and are in no way leaving or de-prioritizing Nintendo development.

[Requiem]

Hahahaha -- My plan worked! I'm a criminal mastermind!

Muhahaha

I got Rick Powers out of hiding! *Thunder CLAP*


Now....to move onto the second step of my deliciously evil plan!

[ruby_onix]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/722/722509p1.html

Quote
Camelot president Hiroyuki Takahashi expects G-Planet to be its next big thing. "SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment) said that the first Minna no Golf (Hot Shots Golf) wouldn't sell more than 80,000, but in the end it recorded sales of 2.4 million," he recalled at the press conference. Noting how a Nintendo of America manager had once referred to the company as "Columbus, who discovers unopened markets," he added, "We're once again becoming Columbus and taking off on the great seas in search of a new continent. We're confident that ahead of us, there lay a continent larger than Mario Tennis."

[Ceric]

I thought that said Columbo there for a second.  Man that would have been much cooler.