Make your own Wii games, says Nintendo

Nintendo has just announced a software development kit to allow consumers to build their own games for the hugely popular Wii console.

Known everywhere else as WiiWare, but strangely renamed Wii Software in Britain, the kit allows people with big ideas but no budget, to create Wii games which will go on sale online at the Wii Shop Channel, once Nintendo has quality-checked it. Nintendo said it will not vet game content, but ‘Adult Only’ or ‘Over 18’ titles are not welcome.

WiiWare will compete with Microsoft’s XNA development software which allows people to create their own downloadable games for the Xbox 360 console.

Nintendo believes Wii users with some development skills could be could be the key to the ‘next big game’ for the Wii platform. The key benefit to Wii owners is that the resulting games will be cheaper than retail Wii games from software publishers. The variety is also expected to be greater.

“Independent developers armed with small budgets and big ideas will be able to get their original games into the marketplace to see if we can find the next smash hit,” explained Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime. “WiiWare brings new levels of creativity and value to the ever-growing population of Wii owners.”

The first WiiWare games are expected in early 2008.

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