Gaia Theory
Member
Is there anything REALLY that wrong with Wiki/Webzen? Nintendo needs to decide.
At first, my initial impressions of Wiki was the same as many of you. WTF? How can this be possible? I was not surprised to see that Nintendo had already issued a warning to the company behind it Webzen.
After some contemplation, I have come to a conclusion about Wiki, and one that could truly determine future Nintendo policy. Wiki really got me thinking about Nintendo.
Why should Nintendo sue Webzen? The reasons are obvious. Wiki seems to infringe on Nintendo intellectual property. The game shares more than a striking resemblance to Nintendos Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker. This marks the end of normal common sense.
In an industry that saw Dinosaur Planet, a wholly original property, transform into a Star Fox game simply because Nintendo thought it could work, why cant Wiki work for Nintendo? Think about an alternative to legal action. Why doesnt Nintendo embrace Wiki, seek to gain partnership with Webzen and help develop Wiki into a Nintendo brand? I would argue that Webzen might actually have been trying to get Nintendos attention with their over the top Zelda mimic, possibly in an effort to get Nintendo behind their project. Of course, its easier to assume that Webzen is trying to capitalize on Nintendos success or is it.
We all remember Nintendos push for connectivity during that dull E3 show. Then we should all remember that Nintendo develop without Namcos permission, a Pac-Man connectivity title and then presented it to Namco to see if they would green light its release. I think that Wiki couldve been developed with something similar in mind. An MMO RPG, in Wind Waker style, that Nintendo might look at and see the possibilities of working together rather than immediately trying to end the project.
With little resources, Nintendo would have, if Webzen was willing, a MMORPG in Wind Waker style that could even be transformed into a MMORPG Zelda title. I see the possibilities. Of course, Nintendo has to be willing to see the opportunity and be willing to capitalize on it. They would effectively fill a rather large void in their gaming lineup by adding Wiki to their roster be it for Gamecube, or better yet, the Revolution.
While it is entirely too easy to sue the pants off of a company that seems to be trying to make money off your past success, it is a harder yet likely more fruitful path to shake hands and join together so that the project can see the light of day, and perhaps reap benefits to both parties. Nintendo gains nothing if the game is shelved or if its released without their backing. Webzen stands to lose if its shelved and will likely gain if its released without Nintendo support BUT if Nintendo backs the project, helps with development and certainly, if they attached the Zelda license to it, both Nintendo and Webzen would have a much hotter commodity on their hands.
Nintendo needs to look at all possible business options going into the future. Why not take that little step and propose a partnership? For Webzen, that would be better than facing a lawsuit and the cancellation of one of their projects. If Nintendo goes through with the lawsuit that would likely take more resources than if they simply attempted to acquire the game. Id love to hear if Webzen would be open to it. The Korean market is absolutely huge, and there is a very large gaming talent base there, and I think Nintendo would be wise to look at ways to gain partners in that territory. Webzen has given them an enormous opportunity with Wiki, yet unfortunately, Nintendo has, so far, chosen to look at the negative side of Wikis development. Time to be positive.
Nintendo owes it to themselves to at least consider this possibility.
I feel this warrants its own thread on the basis that I am raising a fundamentally different question than anything that would be addressed within the already posted Webzen/Wiki threads.
At first, my initial impressions of Wiki was the same as many of you. WTF? How can this be possible? I was not surprised to see that Nintendo had already issued a warning to the company behind it Webzen.
After some contemplation, I have come to a conclusion about Wiki, and one that could truly determine future Nintendo policy. Wiki really got me thinking about Nintendo.
Why should Nintendo sue Webzen? The reasons are obvious. Wiki seems to infringe on Nintendo intellectual property. The game shares more than a striking resemblance to Nintendos Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker. This marks the end of normal common sense.
In an industry that saw Dinosaur Planet, a wholly original property, transform into a Star Fox game simply because Nintendo thought it could work, why cant Wiki work for Nintendo? Think about an alternative to legal action. Why doesnt Nintendo embrace Wiki, seek to gain partnership with Webzen and help develop Wiki into a Nintendo brand? I would argue that Webzen might actually have been trying to get Nintendos attention with their over the top Zelda mimic, possibly in an effort to get Nintendo behind their project. Of course, its easier to assume that Webzen is trying to capitalize on Nintendos success or is it.
We all remember Nintendos push for connectivity during that dull E3 show. Then we should all remember that Nintendo develop without Namcos permission, a Pac-Man connectivity title and then presented it to Namco to see if they would green light its release. I think that Wiki couldve been developed with something similar in mind. An MMO RPG, in Wind Waker style, that Nintendo might look at and see the possibilities of working together rather than immediately trying to end the project.
With little resources, Nintendo would have, if Webzen was willing, a MMORPG in Wind Waker style that could even be transformed into a MMORPG Zelda title. I see the possibilities. Of course, Nintendo has to be willing to see the opportunity and be willing to capitalize on it. They would effectively fill a rather large void in their gaming lineup by adding Wiki to their roster be it for Gamecube, or better yet, the Revolution.
While it is entirely too easy to sue the pants off of a company that seems to be trying to make money off your past success, it is a harder yet likely more fruitful path to shake hands and join together so that the project can see the light of day, and perhaps reap benefits to both parties. Nintendo gains nothing if the game is shelved or if its released without their backing. Webzen stands to lose if its shelved and will likely gain if its released without Nintendo support BUT if Nintendo backs the project, helps with development and certainly, if they attached the Zelda license to it, both Nintendo and Webzen would have a much hotter commodity on their hands.
Nintendo needs to look at all possible business options going into the future. Why not take that little step and propose a partnership? For Webzen, that would be better than facing a lawsuit and the cancellation of one of their projects. If Nintendo goes through with the lawsuit that would likely take more resources than if they simply attempted to acquire the game. Id love to hear if Webzen would be open to it. The Korean market is absolutely huge, and there is a very large gaming talent base there, and I think Nintendo would be wise to look at ways to gain partners in that territory. Webzen has given them an enormous opportunity with Wiki, yet unfortunately, Nintendo has, so far, chosen to look at the negative side of Wikis development. Time to be positive.
Nintendo owes it to themselves to at least consider this possibility.
I feel this warrants its own thread on the basis that I am raising a fundamentally different question than anything that would be addressed within the already posted Webzen/Wiki threads.
