Indie developer protests Nintendo

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 22nd December 2008
Comments (22) Stumble
Indie developer protests Nintendo

Bob Pelloni will not be leaving this room until he gets a reply from Nintendo about his DS SDK.

Independant developer Bob Pelloni has announced that he is staging a long-term protest against Nintendo and its poor treatment of developers recently, claiming that he has barricaded himself in his room and will not be coming out until he gets a Nintendo DS Software Development Kit from the company.

Pelloni has apparently spent more than 15,000 hours creating his latest game for the Nintendo DS, a 2D shooter tentatively titled Bob's Game, but is unable to launch the game to retail because of lack of support from Nintendo.

Bob claims that he fits all the requirements Nintendo specifies for companies seeking an SDK, namely that he is the owner of a financially stable and registered game development company, with a FEIN and working from a commercial address. He has filled in applications to Nintendo to get an SDK, part of the agreement for which is that he will be notified of his status within six weeks. 17 weeks on, Bob still hasn't heard anything.

Now Bob, who originally met with Nintendo in February and who has been bounced around different departments ever since, has decided to stage a protest by locking himself in his room and filming himself on a webcam. Bob has no 'net access, TV or games consoles - just a small shower, an Android G1 to check his email with (so he can spot the reply from Nintendo) and a weekly delivery of food.

Bob is allowing up to 100 days before he leaves the room and is currently part way through his second week.

Bob says that he's worked on the game for the last five years and isn't going to give up "just because some stubborn intern or mid-level marketing exec at NOA is deleting my emails! I want an answer, and I want to hear it from the top. [...] I'll see you there on day 100, Reggie!"

All we'll say is that he has our full support, but you can share your thoughts in the forums and check the protest-log at Bob's site.
Quote titanium angel 22nd December 2008, 10:37
Looks interesting, It looks like hes put alot of work into the game and i think he deserves reward for doing so.
Quote biebiep 22nd December 2008, 10:38
Only fools resorts to these kind of measures... Inducing pity in the general public is like going home crying to mama >_>

I have full comprehension for nintendo's choice not to take his game... They can't just go around and accept every one man bussiness as a nintendo approved game developing studio >_<.
Tough luck for the guy, but if I was nintendo, i'd be just as picky about choosing new studio's to put my name on...


EDIT: By doing this, he proves he could be a liability to Nintendo...
But, as you can see from the post above me, Nintendo now has almost no choice to say no... the public just wouldn't accept a no after this, while no terms have been changed.
Quote titanium angel 22nd December 2008, 10:43
Quote:
Originally Posted by biebiep
Only fools resort to pity-inducing measures to get what they want...

I have full comprehension for nintendo's choice not to take his game... They can't just go around and accept every one man bussiness as a nintendo approved game developing studio >_<.
Tough luck for the guy, but if I was nintendo, i'd be just as picky about choosing new studio's to put my name on...

have you not seen all the drivle that nintendo already has put there name on???
Quote Stickeh 22nd December 2008, 10:49
Looking at the video for it it looks like a hell of a lot of work has gone into it and it looks genuinely interested to play. While i can understand that they'd be picky handing out SDK's to one man companies, when you can see that the game is so far along in production, surely they could base the sale of the SDK to him on the quality of his game, not some false premise or 'design ideas' that other companies have told Nintendo. For i am sure that EA gets a Dev Kit without question, but their games sometimes come out ****, just to see one man put all that effort in is some serious devotion, and look at the video, the game seems massive and awesome.

I'd play it.

God i hope it gets produced actually, and i'd love for it to see it titled 'bobs game' too haha.
Quote Tris 22nd December 2008, 10:58
He probably doesn't leave his room anyway. The only special thing about this seems to be that he doesnt have any net access, but i am sure he has a few single player games lying about.
Quote bowman 22nd December 2008, 11:03
This is what's called a clue.

Make PC games instead. Audiosurf, Peggle, World of Goo.. Ring any bells?
Quote amacieli 22nd December 2008, 11:51
independ****E***nt!!!! arg.
Quote D3s3rt_F0x 22nd December 2008, 11:56
Quote:
Originally Posted by biebiep
Only fools resorts to these kind of measures... Inducing pity in the general public is like going home crying to mama >_>

I have full comprehension for nintendo's choice not to take his game... They can't just go around and accept every one man bussiness as a nintendo approved game developing studio >_<.
Tough luck for the guy, but if I was nintendo, i'd be just as picky about choosing new studio's to put my name on...

Have you seen the imagine games range by any chance? ubisoft should be banned from ever developing games for any console for all time. Its not the subjects they cover its the complete lack of quality from the product which makes them so dire. I'd dare say this guys 5 years work will more than likely be better than their games.

But Nintendo havent given him a yes or a no im sure an answer would be nice for him either way and would certainly end this and any public sympathy he may have.
Quote V3ctor 22nd December 2008, 12:26
That is a way to protest... but u have to take a crap someday... Unless u are using the shower... :|
Quote hawky84 22nd December 2008, 12:29
I can't see how this is going to help him reach out to Nintendo, but he has been treated unfairly and as he has complied to Nintendos requirements then Nintendo need to back their own processes and provide what they promise.
Quote Darkedge 22nd December 2008, 12:59
Child.
Quote Veles 22nd December 2008, 14:27
Why the hell would Reggie care that much?
Quote Xtrafresh 22nd December 2008, 14:51
hahaha, great story this.

I think he's better off reconnecting his internet and playing the big "guess-the-email-adress-of-the-guy-in-charge" game. This is probably the best wayi could think of to alienate his future employer.

Sometimes i just think this world is too filled with idiots to be worth recycling for... :(
Quote Lilliput King 22nd December 2008, 20:19
I feel really sorry for him. He'll get media interest on the first day, and then that'll be it.

Can't understand why Nintendo don't just give him the SDK though. It seems to me there is so much crap for that console that even if the game is bad nobody will notice the difference, and if its good then it'll stand out and get sales.

Win/Win, surely?

They've just got to make sure the game is at least functional, which I'm sure they do anyway.
Quote s3v3n 22nd December 2008, 22:06
I understand if Nintendo didn't give him a SDK, but why didn't they just tell him "No" ? That's wrong just stringing him along like that. If you don't want to, then just say "No" to him. Give the man some closure.
Quote Neogumbercules 22nd December 2008, 22:39
Where's he gonna go poo?
Quote TurtlePerson2 22nd December 2008, 22:48
Why do people think that Nintendo of America does anything. Nintendo of America is just a front for the company in Japan. Has anyone ever wondered why NoA gets so much attention if they've never made a game. Getting excited about Reggie (whatever his last name was) is like getting excited about the head of Microsoft's marketing division. He has no say whatsoever in the development of Nintendo's games.
Quote Mighty Yoshimi 23rd December 2008, 00:50
Good on him, although, i'd say he's a bit sad developing a game for 5 years, yes singlehandedly (5 years presumably at a 8 hour working day).

Basically it better be bloody brilliant or we'll feel done, an he'll feel heartbroken.
Quote LordPyrinc 23rd December 2008, 04:45
Like it or not, despite his desperation, he has gained more noteriety than most of us will ever have.

Although, spending 5 years in his parents basement building a game, I doubt he will recoup the money he couldve made having even a medial job.
Quote Undeadragonslayer 24th December 2008, 08:28
Wait a second... He wants Nintendo to give him an SDK, which is used to make the software/game, but he has already made it.
What he has to do now is get Nintendo to license it and then find a publisher.
Quote Xtrafresh 24th December 2008, 09:57
Quote:
Originally Posted by Undeadragonslayer
Wait a second... He wants Nintendo to give him an SDK, which is used to make the software/game, but he has already made it.
What he has to do now is get Nintendo to license it and then find a publisher.
That's not how it works. The game is made, but it's a lot of work getting it to run properly on a console. That's what the SDK is for.
Quote Undeadragonslayer 25th December 2008, 06:11
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xtrafresh
That's not how it works. The game is made, but it's a lot of work getting it to run properly on a console. That's what the SDK is for.

I know how it works, I am a programmer.

An SDK is used to program a game as it provides the needed libraries an applications needed to create the game/application that you want. Besides he has shown it running on a DS, so he needs the publishing and licensing from Nintendo.

An SDK would help him with future projects, but not with this current one.
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