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Nintendo has said it expects a greater number of Western developers and publishers to flock to the 3DS.
In an interview with IGN, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has stated his belief that as the handheld’s installed base reaches something of a critical mass, more publishers – and the developers they represent – will begin to offer more content for the device.
"Western developers, historically, have been wanting to see that larger install-base before they jump in behind a platform," said Fils-Aime. "For the most part, Western third-party developers focus on home console, versus in Japan, where the lead SKU tends to be handheld. That’s another different dynamic that’s going on.
"But candidly, I think that with the progress we’ve made on 3DS, and certainly with the line-up we have coming this holiday, my expectation is that we’ll certainly see a lot stronger Western publisher support, because they’re going to see the size of that instal base to sell into."
While there is some conception amidst industry and consumers alike that the 3DS has not met with the early success of Nintendo’s previous handhelds, at present five million units have sold in the US, meaning the system is more successful at this point in its life-time than the DS was at an equivalent stage.
