Ubi: Wii Is For Girls, 2K: Wii Is For Crap

Some interesting commentary around the Web today from game publishing execs in re the Wii market.

Ubisoft senior brand manager Ann Hamilton tells Tulsa World that Wii is a "female-driven platform," saying that "women, girls, and families" are the main force behind the explosive sales of Nintendo's console.

Hence the company's Imagine line (right) and Ener-G sports games for girls dominating its Wii and DS lineups.

Meanwhile, 2K's global president Christoph Hartmann seems frustrated with the massive amount of games that fill Wii shelves:

Where people go wrong in the casual market is that, while the development costs are exploding on the casual side, they're treating the Wii like the old PC market –- making cheap, accessible games. They think if they make ten titles and two are hits, they will finance the other eight. But they forget these eight crappy titles will flood the market and will lead to problems in terms of production –- and upset retailers. Also, the consumer will be pissed off because they'll be confused.

Hartmann goes on to point out a way that developers of quality software can break out of the pack: Develop games around "well-known brands." Note that Ubisoft, with its girl games, is doing just that -- rather than using external licenses, it's working to build brand recognition of *Imagine *and Ener-G (and Petz and My Coach), then fleshing those brands out with more games.
Game Industry Finally Notices Girls [Tulsa World, via NeoGAF]
There Are Too Many Crappy Games on Wii [MCV, via Kotaku]