Nintendo seeking 'unprecedented' partnerships for unique Wii U ideas

Nintendo is hesitant to spend money to secure exclusive rights for third-party games on its platforms, but the company says it's looking to partner with developers who have unique ideas for Wii U games. While Nintendo didn't specify what those partnerships could entail, it did say that it will work with third-party companies in "an unprecedented manner" that could help reduce their development risks significantly. Discussing plans for Wii U's launch this holiday season during a meeting with analysts at E3 last week, CEO Satoru Iwata was asked if Nintendo will bolster the console's software line-up by obtaining exclusive rights for games. "While Nintendo is not entirely opposed to exploring that option, I don't think it would be an appropriate course of action for Nintendo to get into a battle with a company like Microsoft over the cost or the expense of trying to go head to head in a situation to try to obtain exclusive rights," said Iwata. But he added, "If a third-party developer or publisher has come up with an idea of a potentially very unique use of the Wii U functionality with such a device, there is a high possibility that Nintendo will be a partner with that third-party in an unprecedented manner." There might be a few examples of such partnerships already, as Nintendo is set to publish two third-party Wii U titles from franchises typically handled by other companies: Lego City: Undercover (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (Tecmo). It's also publishing two other exclusive third-party Wii U titles based on new IPs: FreeStyleGames' SiNG and Platinum Games' Project P-100.