MTV (yeah, really) has a great GameFile piece up right now that speculates on the upcoming battle between the Nintendo Wii and the PS3. But though the rest is interesting, we only had eyes for one little thing that Reggie Fils-Aime let slip:"We're reaching out to every publisher, frankly every day. I'll be spending some time later today with the folks over at Take Two to see what type of support they can give our console. ... The fact is there will be M-rated content on the Wii console."
This is either the sign of the apocalypse or the red carpet down which the Wii may strut to console wars victory. Take Two Interactive is, of course, the publisher behind the impossibly popular Grand Theft Auto franchise -- a franchise that has never appeared on a Nintendo console, though GTA has surfaced on the GBA.
We'll give you a moment to consider that one. It's okay. We'll wait.
Of course, there's more to Take Two than just GTA. And it's likely that we'll see some smaller franchises on the Wii, like the Outlaw sports games. But just as we were getting used to the idea of Mature titles on a Nintendo system, now we're faced with possibilities like Bully or the aforementioned GTA series. Reggie (and right now, we love him a little) said specifically, "we want every single best-selling game to be available on Wii. Whatever that content is."
That's a big shift from some older attitudes at Nintendo, and while it may lure more devotees to the new console, is it what the fanbase wants? Games like GTA aren't always popular with the people who live and breathe Zelda and Metroid. Will all be forgiven and forgotten when we see a Wii identifier on a GTA box? Or is the franchise not cut out for Nintendo?
[Update 1: Apologies for not clarifying where we were differentiating Nintendo's consoles from handhelds; that was an oversight, and thanks for the corrections!]













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-20-2006 @ 2:21PM
Lindsay said...
I don't think it really matters if it's there or not. I think that it may as well be! There are people out there who really like that franchise.
If you're not one of them, then it's just a matter of not buying the game. *gasp!*
For me, the more third party support the better. Even if I think that GTA is an aweful game. (which I do) I'm the kind of person who likes to be the good guy in the game.
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9-20-2006 @ 2:25PM
vidGuy said...
Grand Theft Auto? Very unlikely.
Now, Take Two's Table Tennis with the motion controller? I'll give YOU a moment to consider that one.
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9-20-2006 @ 2:47PM
TheDave said...
Ummmm... not to burst the GTA bubble, but Take-Two does produce other games you know. I'm think a Wii-make of Morrowind using the wiimote. It's been said that the Wii is above the XBOX but below the XBOX360 which could lend itself to a possible port of Morrowind GOTY ed. I'm just saying.
TheDave
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9-20-2006 @ 3:07PM
tismatron said...
Er, there was a GTA for GBA not too long ago, so your argument that GTA has never been seen on a nintendo console is wrong my dear friends, however, i'd love to see table tennis!
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9-20-2006 @ 3:12PM
mrNinya said...
Actually, GTA are available on GBA.
I'd really love to see GTA on Wii. And I think it would really open none-Nintendo-believers eyes.
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9-20-2006 @ 3:12PM
Wiiman said...
Does this mean I can beat up a hooker with the Wii-mote?
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9-20-2006 @ 3:12PM
SuperDave said...
Hot Coffee with the Wii-mote. I'll give you a minute to consider THAT one.
Seriously though, the more publishers the merrier. Seems like Nintendo is really trying to cover the bases this time. If Nintendo can convince more third parties to sign up and bring more franchises that really use the Wii-mote well into the fold, there will be more people getting the Wii version to get that control and will keep them making games for Nintendo, which is something Nintendo hasn't really had (really good 3rd party support after the 1st year of a console). Here's hoping.
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9-20-2006 @ 3:13PM
citizen said...
GTA has been on gameboy already, so I say GTA on Wii all the way! Even if it comes 6 months after the 360/PS3 release. Even if Wii doesn't have the same graphics capabilities as the other consoles I would welcome GTA with open arms. It would be cool to see the back-catalouge of GTA games show up as well, and to see the orginal 2D GTA games on the virtual console.
That last quote from Reggie says it all.
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9-20-2006 @ 3:14PM
AzaMcWazza said...
GTA would be awesome on the Wii. If you can get all your titles on one machine that has the best titles you like (For me, zelda and mario) then you don't need another. Not that it'd be easy to afford a PS3 anyway :)
Imagine stealing cars with the Wii ;) Open the door with the nunchuck, punch someone out and drive away, all with the cool controller ;)
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9-20-2006 @ 3:23PM
Covarr said...
GTA Advance was kind of crappy. It attempted to mimic the first two 2D GTA games, but didn't do a good job.
I, for one, would very much like to see a 3D GTA game appear on the Wii. It may seem like people who use Nintendo systems aren't interested in that type of game, but that's mostly an after-effect of that type of game not appearing on Nintendo systems in the first place.
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9-20-2006 @ 3:33PM
Lego said...
It's about time. We need to see some more mature games on the Wii.
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9-20-2006 @ 3:40PM
Draracle said...
The Wii most definately needs M titles. Adult gamers (even non-traditional gamers)enjoy games which would require an M. I think Saddness will be an M, but no quotes tyvm. GTA would be a natural fit for the Wii, especially if Ubi's driving wheel turns out to be a hit. Driving and shooting... how could this not work on the Wii?
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9-20-2006 @ 3:54PM
SuperDave said...
9, Right.
I'm a huge supporter of Nintendo and love the Nintendo mainstays but I also love me some GTA. I have all of the ones since GTA III (including Liberty City Stories on PS2). If the release the next GTA on all three new consoles, I'd pick up the Wii version if it had really good, fun controls even though I'll probably have a Xbox 360 and HDTV by then. Graphics are nice, but it's all about the gameplay. Gameplay is why I play games, not the graphics (go figure).
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9-20-2006 @ 3:56PM
Cosmos said...
I guess I'm a rare breed. I'm not only a huge Nintendo/Mario/Metroid fan who is foaming at the mouth in anticipation for the Wii, but I'm also insane for the Grand Theft Auto games. I'm sure I've spent more than 400+ hours of my life in the virtual state of San Andreas.
My opinion on GTA (possibly) coming to the Wii? I would just cry. For joy.
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9-20-2006 @ 3:58PM
mykie said...
Reggie's self-proclaimed "greedyness" is paying off for us gamers.
Still, that box art screams "Bad Photoshop" from miles away.
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9-20-2006 @ 4:27PM
Patrick said...
I agree, they are trying to reach out to EVERYONE, and that included M rated games.
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9-20-2006 @ 4:32PM
CJC said...
@12
If you valued graphics over gameplay, the GTA games would make you a sad little gamer indeed. They're a little overdue for a graphical upgrade. I'd love to see GTA on Wii, even if Table Tennis seems more likely.
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9-20-2006 @ 5:03PM
Lindsay said...
Mykie... of COURSE that's photoshoped. It's just for visual aid/so-you'll-notice-the-new-post.
{rolls eyes}
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9-20-2006 @ 5:21PM
Mike said...
i dont think there is gona be a GTA for the Wii but i think that theres is going to be rated mature games....about 3 of them
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9-20-2006 @ 5:26PM
Marc said...
"MTV (yeah, really)"
Oooh, BUUUURRN!
For me, it doesn't really matter if GTA comes to the Wii. Cuz it's not like I'm gonna buy it.
But the more third parties, the faster we can beat Sony into a pulp!
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9-20-2006 @ 5:37PM
DC said...
it would help what some people say is a kiddy image (mario is cartoony no m-rated games really on nintendo consoles wcky zany games such as pikmin) and yea the more succesful franchises the better.And there really could be some fantastic uses for the remote
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9-20-2006 @ 6:02PM
AssemblyLineHuman said...
Did you guys forget? Bully's rated Teen. ;) Even if Nintendo didn't want to see M-rated titles on the Wii, Bully would be a candidate for support.
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9-20-2006 @ 7:57PM
bestsymposium said...
there was a gta for gameboy
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9-20-2006 @ 8:27PM
Semih said...
Why not? Wii GTA would be great. It is much better to have a nice, wide range of games. As far as I can see the greatest threat to "Wii as a competitor to PS3 or XBOX360" is not the device but the games. Red Steel and COD3 make a nice start but it will not go on forever.. I mean: there is a limit to childish looking sport and fantasy games, and unfortunately so far most of the Wii games are like that (Smooth Moves for crying out loud!).. GTA is one of the greatest game series ever created, and without a doubt Rockstar will keep new ones coming. It would suck to see that they don't care about Wii, and it would suck more if Nintendo blocks their way due to the M rating. LucasArts said they are considering a Wii game, and Wii's sales would probably double (there are a lot of SW nerds out there, including me) if Nintendo infact had such a game in its collection right now. They are making games for Wiimote, fine, but they are not much thinking about making games "now on Wiimote"..
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9-20-2006 @ 9:03PM
Alisha Karabinus said...
Sorry about the console v. handheld bit -- I neglected to address it in the original post and have fixed it. Color me red in the face today!
As for the actual meeting... yeah, Take Two makes lots of games and I think it's very likely, if they can all get along, that we'll see several titles on the Wii. But when Reggie starts talking about wanting "every" big franchise on the Wii, regardless of content... it seems clear he's talking about GTA.
Or maybe it's just wishful thinking. I dunno. Makes a nice discussion, though.
-Alisha
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9-20-2006 @ 10:22PM
Alvin said...
It's very unlikely that a Grand Theft Auto game can be in the Wii, because realy, how many game are there in any Nintendo consle that are M games and say words like "Fuck", "Shit" or "Bitch" constantly like in GTA: SA??? Please, give me some feedback!!!
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9-20-2006 @ 10:41PM
seige1337 said...
GTA is a possibility but I find it highly unlikely i think elder scrols or... prey???!!?
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9-20-2006 @ 10:51PM
Niall said...
Gta would be all Wii need, that and Pro Evolution!! I cannot wait for the Fusion Tour..
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9-20-2006 @ 11:09PM
BPMΩ said...
Of all the replies here, only ONE mentions games Take Two publishes that ISN'T by Rockstar. TheDave brings up The Elder Scrolls series, which is by Bethesda.
Umm... but pretty much everything else they've done isn't memorable...
Well, Take Two does have 2K Games...
Personally, I don't give two hoots about GTA. But, it would be good for Nintendo to have GTA on their system, as it will attract new customers.
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9-21-2006 @ 12:26AM
OSW said...
Although i've come to dislike GTA and not really give a crap about it, bringing it to wii would be great news for nintendo, growing audience thru GTA's popularity.
also i'd LOVE to see the table tennis game on wii
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9-21-2006 @ 1:27AM
Allen Straith said...
Nintendo and GTA do not mix. It's not creative. However, business wise, this is a good idea. To have a GTA on the Wii will do one thing: Show Nintendo has changed. And since GTA has never been about graphics, I doubt the fact the Wii is underpowered (however much so that is true) will matter.
But I doubt GTA will ever come to the Wii, but the way Reggie was talking...maybve it is possible.
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9-21-2006 @ 2:14AM
OSW said...
Although i've come to dislike GTA and not really give a crap about it, bringing it to wii would be great news for nintendo, growing audience thru GTA's popularity.
also i'd LOVE to see the table tennis game on wii
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9-21-2006 @ 5:04AM
Rahk said...
"Still, that box art screams "Bad Photoshop" from miles away."
Bad Photoshop? I'd go further than that and call it a bad Paint job. Actually, it looks more like a strip of paper with 'Wii' printed on it was glued to the San Andreas box art and then scanned.
Anyway, I shudder to think how GTA would control with the Wiimote since they can't seem to get the controls right as it is.
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9-21-2006 @ 6:42AM
Andy M. said...
GTA was also on the GBC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_%28series%29#Grand_Theft_Auto_1_series
^^If that link doesn't work the way I want it to, it's in the section about GTA 1.
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9-21-2006 @ 10:52AM
Phil said...
A lot of you guys don't take the time to think of things from a marketing standpoint. First off, let's look at a company like McDonalds. Yes, they are the number one toy distributor in the world, but they also market towards the African-American community probably more than any other company in the world. Why would they limit themselves to just marketing towards parents and kids, when the marketing demographics are so much wider than the scope of "family"
Now just because Nintendo is the company in the industry that markets towards children and teenagers, why not change the business model for the good of all ages. It only makes sense and here's why. With the Virtual Console capabilities of the Wii, Nintendo will regain a demographic of gamers that they once had. All of those gamers are now adults that grew up on Nintendo & Sega Consoles. Now that they will regain those games back, they also have to have other titles that will appeal to these gamers that they have won back to their side. It's about versatility, and I think that Nintendo is back to their normal selves of the NES and SNES days. The only way that they will shoot themselves in the foot is if they don't keep these types of moves going on a consistant basis.
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9-21-2006 @ 5:32PM
Allen Straith said...
@36
Thats why I said it was a good move business wise, because it is. But I still don't think they mix well. I am all for a game thats like GTA, honestly I am. But when it comes to it -- GTA doesn't spark "creative" to me. In fact, since GTA III, has there been any big imprtovements, other then minor ones? I wouldn't know, really, but from what I heard, it's been nothing but the same.
So maybe this would be good for both the GTA series and Wii. Who knows.
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9-21-2006 @ 8:55PM
Excalibur said...
I agree more with vidGuy...the more likely scenario is the table tennis game on the wii. That makes more sense then GTA. If for some miracle GTA does appear on wii, it is more likely a port of the xbox or ps2 versions. I personally don't like GTA and could care less if this game ever comes to wii.
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9-23-2006 @ 5:38PM
Spawn said...
hopefully it does come on the wii. its super fun!!!!
helll yeah bring on the sex and violence!! and dont forget about the gore and slaughter!!
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