Grand Theft ... Nintendo? [update 1]

by Alisha Karabinus { Sep 20th 2006 at 2:15PM }

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!]

Tags: Bully, Grand Theft Auto, GrandTheftAuto, mature, Nintendo, President, Reggie, Reggie Fils-Aime, ReggieFils-aime, Take Two, Take-Two, TakeTwo, Wii

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Lindsay @ Sep 20th 2006 2:21PM

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.

vidGuy @ Sep 20th 2006 2:25PM

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.

TheDave @ Sep 20th 2006 2:47PM

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

tismatron @ Sep 20th 2006 3:07PM

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!

AzaMcWazza @ Sep 20th 2006 3:14PM

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 ;)

SuperDave @ Sep 20th 2006 3:12PM

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.

Wiiman @ Sep 20th 2006 3:12PM

Does this mean I can beat up a hooker with the Wii-mote?

mrNinya @ Sep 20th 2006 3:12PM

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.

citizen @ Sep 20th 2006 3:13PM

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.

Draracle @ Sep 20th 2006 3:40PM

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?

Covarr @ Sep 20th 2006 3:23PM

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.

Lego @ Sep 20th 2006 3:33PM

It's about time. We need to see some more mature games on the Wii.

Excalibur @ Sep 21st 2006 8:55PM

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.

mykie @ Sep 20th 2006 3:58PM

Reggie's self-proclaimed "greedyness" is paying off for us gamers.

Still, that box art screams "Bad Photoshop" from miles away.

SuperDave @ Sep 20th 2006 3:54PM

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).

Cosmos @ Sep 20th 2006 3:56PM

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.

CJC @ Sep 20th 2006 4:32PM

@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.

Patrick @ Sep 20th 2006 4:27PM

I agree, they are trying to reach out to EVERYONE, and that included M rated games.

Lindsay @ Sep 20th 2006 5:03PM

Mykie... of COURSE that's photoshoped. It's just for visual aid/so-you'll-notice-the-new-post.

{rolls eyes}

Marc @ Sep 20th 2006 5:26PM

"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!

Mike @ Sep 20th 2006 5:21PM

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

DC @ Sep 20th 2006 5:37PM

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

AssemblyLineHuman @ Sep 20th 2006 6:02PM

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.

bestsymposium @ Sep 20th 2006 7:57PM

there was a gta for gameboy

Semih @ Sep 20th 2006 8:27PM

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"..

Alisha Karabinus @ Sep 20th 2006 9:03PM

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

BPMΩ @ Sep 20th 2006 11:09PM

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.

Alvin @ Sep 20th 2006 10:22PM

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!!!

seige1337 @ Sep 20th 2006 10:41PM

GTA is a possibility but I find it highly unlikely i think elder scrols or... prey???!!?

Niall @ Sep 20th 2006 10:51PM

Gta would be all Wii need, that and Pro Evolution!! I cannot wait for the Fusion Tour..

OSW @ Sep 21st 2006 12:26AM

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

OSW @ Sep 21st 2006 2:14AM

Allen Straith @ Sep 21st 2006 1:27AM

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.

Rahk @ Sep 21st 2006 5:04AM

"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.

Andy M. @ Sep 21st 2006 6:42AM

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.

Phil @ Sep 21st 2006 10:52AM

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.

Allen Straith @ Sep 21st 2006 5:32PM

@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.