'Wii Party'/'Mario Party' Team Members Welcomed Into Nintendo

The "Wii Party" developers at Nd Cube have worked so closely with Nintendo since Nd Cube was formed as a subsidiary under the Mario makers and the advertising firm Dentsu in 2000 that many Wii owners might already have assumed they were entirely an extension of Nintendo in Japan. As of August 2010, they are, and Nintendo has taken the additional step of bringing some Mario Party devs from Hudson into their fold as well.

Nintendo now owns a 96% majority stake in Nd Cube, president Satoru Iwata said in an interview on Nintendo.co.jp, as translated and dissected in a report on Siliconera.

This development could represent a longterm investment in the "Wii Party" and/or Mario Party brands, or it could just be a pat on the back from Nintendo to each of the employees affected telling them what a fine job they've done. In reality, it's possible that a final decision hasn't been made yet on which franchise will be preferred or if they'll co-exist together, as "Wii Party" won't be out in the U.S. until October. At that point, sales numbers could be a key indicator.

Nd also had hands in "F-Zero: Maximum Velocity" and "Tube Slider" for the Game Boy Advance, though, so maybe we'll see more done with those properties in the coming year. It's all up for grabs.

Are you surprised about Nintendo buying up more of Nd Cube? Would you rather see more Wii Party or Mario Party games? Share your desires in the comment section below.

Tags Mario Party, nd cube, nintendo, wii party