In just under two weeks, Nintendo will launch their WiiWare service in the U.S. Yet with 13 days to go, Nnooo creative director Nic Watt still doesn’t know how much his WiiWare title, “Pop,” will cost.
He does have a range for his multiplayer, bubble-based shooter: 500 to 800 Wii Points (translated: between $5 and $8).
“For a new company like ourselves, pricing is a really tough issue particularly on something like a downloadable service where there are games at a variety of prices,” said Watt in an e-mail interview with MTV Multiplayer last week. “Disc-based games are somewhat easier as they all generally retail for about the same price.”
Gamers have price and value expectations for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. For now, Watt uses Virtual Console as a yard stick for perceived value. “We feel we are somewhere between a NES and SNES game in price,” he said.
One thing that WiiWare won’t have, though, is demos. Demos are a requirement for XBL Arcade but merely an option on PSN. For Watt, the difference is moot; he doesn’t think a demo would help “Pop” out.
Demos may be the best way to find out if you like a game, but releasing one might not be in a publisher’s best financial interest, according to a study discussed at last week’s MI6 video game marketing conference.