Former DICE CEO Describes Wii as "A Virus"

[Tom Goldman]

Former DICE CEO Describes Wii as "A Virus"

Is the Nintendo Wii's popularity similar to that of the latest flu outbreak?

Fredrik Liliegrin, former CEO and co-founder of DICE, the development studio currently working on titles such as Battlefield: Bad Company 2, doesn't believe that the Nintendo Wii is all that great of a videogame console. He sees it more of a toy, which most purchasers barely use.

He's currently at Antic Entertainment working on a browser game called Junk Battles [http://www.junkbattles.com/], but don't expect anything to come from the studio anytime soon for the Wii, unless a lot of money is involved. He says: "If I got paid to develop a Wii game I would do it. I would not put an original IP on the Wii today unless I thought I had an absolute home run."

The reason? Liliegrin would "describe [the Wii] as a virus, that doesn't stick." It's not just a contagious, unwanted disease, but an impotent one as well. To him, the Wii is also "a toy, not an entertainment focused product." Most people that buy the Wii will "play Wii for a bit, feel it's really cool, blah blah blah, they go out and buy one," but that according to him these people generally "are not the core game consumer."

"They just don't use it, it was cool, but they're not gamers, so they put it away," he believes. He doesn't hate on Nintendo, believing that the company is "smart in that way in that they realize this is not a video game machine, this is not a games game machine," and that it capitalizes on things like the "Wii Fit phenomenon that helped a lot of people get a nice cutie voice telling that they're fat and need to go work out."

Before anyone gets out of hand saying Liliegrin hates Nintendo, his "virus" comment actually has a point. Most people probably aren't playing the Wii anymore. The system makes its way into their homes, but interest can fade just as quickly as people get over a cold. It'll get dusted off when Super Mario Galaxy 2 or the next Zelda are released, but these types of games do not hit the system very often at all. Liliegrin's comment is too generalized for sure, as the Wii has proven to be a great tool to entertain people of all ages, but in many cases I would assume he's right.

Source: CVG [http://www.gamingunion.net/news/former-dice-ceo-the-wii-is-a-virus--1107.html]


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[Tireseas_v1legacy]

Gaming CEO says what gaming journalists are saying. The only thing new is the source.

 

[Aura Guardian]

Before anyone gets out of hand saying Liliegrin hates Nintendo, his "virus" comment actually has a point. Most people probably aren't playing the Wii anymore. The system makes its way into their homes, but interest can fade just as quickly as people get over a cold. It'll get dusted off when Super Mario Galaxy 2 or the next Zelda are released, but these types of games do not hit the system very often at all. Liliegrin's comment is too generalized for sure, as the Wii has proven to be a great tool to entertain people of all ages, but in many cases I would assume he's right.

Source: CVG [http://www.gamingunion.net/news/former-dice-ceo-the-wii-is-a-virus--1107.html]



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I've been using my Wii for nearly 4 years now.

He sees it more of a toy, which most purchasers barely use.

All consoles are toys.

 

[SUPA FRANKY]

Yea, it kinda is. Everyone has one, its REALLY hard to actually break it.

 

[Byers]

First make an actual decent game, instead of remaking the same generic war shooter every six months - then you can criticize other people's work.

 

[iggyus]

BURN THE HERETIC!!! BLASPHEMY!!!! BLASPHEMY!!!!!!

 

[Jonny49]

I gave up on the Wii after trying The Conduit.

 

[ryuutchi]

Wow, someone's bitter.

Newsflash: gaming consoles are toys. And, tbh, most gamers I know have a Wii. If someone made a good, serious Wii game, it would get bought. But most people aren't putting in the effort to make Wii games that aren't shallow and frivolous.

Not to mention, what's with the knocking of shallow games? Most of us got into gaming with semi-shallow games and moved up from there.

And could someone explain to me what the difference between a "toy" and an "entertainment focused product" is? Aside from a false dichotomy perpetuated by bitter CEOs who know that Nintendo is racking in piles of cash and they're not.

Beyond that, I though being viral was supposed to be something good when it comes to consumer activities. A lot of people put a lot of hard work into figuring out how to make their products "go viral", so if you think it's like a virus, in a lot of ways that's probably good for business.

 

[LeonLethality]

umm... video game consoles ARE TOYS! and the wii is damn fun. he obviously has never played NMH and NMH2

 

[Space Jawa]

So then who's playing all those copies of NSMBW that people bought, Hmmmmmm? Why would so many people be buying copies if most of them didn't use the system anymore?

 

[Acidwell]

First make an actual decent game, instead of remaking the same generic war shooter every six months - then you can criticize other people's work.

So you have never criticized a game in your life? Also the guy made BATTLEFIELD which was released a year before the nearest similar game COD, it popularized vehicles in online fps, and more or less introduced the capture point system that so many fps games have copied since then. If thats not enough he left just after the release of battlefield 2 meaning he has had nothing to do with bad company, 1943 or bc2

 

[Yopaz]

Before anyone gets out of hand saying Liliegrin hates Nintendo, his "virus" comment actually has a point. Most people probably aren't playing the Wii anymore. The system makes its way into their homes, but interest can fade just as quickly as people get over a cold. It'll get dusted off when Super Mario Galaxy 2 or the next Zelda are released, but these types of games do not hit the system very often at all. Liliegrin's comment is too generalized for sure, as the Wii has proven to be a great tool to entertain people of all ages, but in many cases I would assume he's right.

Source: CVG [http://www.gamingunion.net/news/former-dice-ceo-the-wii-is-a-virus--1107.html]



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I've been using my Wii for nearly 4 years now.

He sees it more of a toy, which most purchasers barely use.

All consoles are toys.

Uhm, that's correct... I got both a Wii and a 360 and I wouldn't say the 360 is a tool of any kind, unlike my computer that can be used to create games and software.
The guy making the Starfox games also called the wii a toy and wont be a part of making a game for wii.

Then again, of course the guy behind a game based on the most popular war in history where the result in the end still is that Hitler dies in his bunker and the only real change in the game is graphics will complain about a console with the last generation graphics.

 

[JaymesFogarty]

Before anyone gets out of hand saying Liliegrin hates Nintendo, his "virus" comment actually has a point. Most people probably aren't playing the Wii anymore. The system makes its way into their homes, but interest can fade just as quickly as people get over a cold. It'll get dusted off when Super Mario Galaxy 2 or the next Zelda are released, but these types of games do not hit the system very often at all. Liliegrin's comment is too generalized for sure, as the Wii has proven to be a great tool to entertain people of all ages, but in many cases I would assume he's right.

Source: CVG [http://www.gamingunion.net/news/former-dice-ceo-the-wii-is-a-virus--1107.html]



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I've been using my Wii for nearly 4 years now.

He sees it more of a toy, which most purchasers barely use.

All consoles are toys.

Excuse me, but how exactly are all consoles toys? The author was referring to the Wii as a bright object, that children will like, but will gradually grow out of, like a toy. In this day and age, with Blu ray and internet streaming, carrying the mentality that all consoles are toys will not get you far.
On subject, this is nothing new, really. Of course there are some good games on the Wii, but they are drowned by remake upon remake, and cheap cashin's, (see Mario and Sonic.)

 

[ryuutchi]

On subject, this is nothing new, really. Of course there are some good games on the Wii, but they are drowned by remake upon remake, and cheap cashin's, (see Mario and Sonic.)

Entirely unlike the remakes and sequels on the other consoles...

 

[Jack and Calumon]

Glad to see he caught on.

Calumon: Wheeeeee!!!!! Yay!! Haha! What a silly name!

 

[Gigaguy64]

like many people have said, all consoles are toys.
And so what people think the wii doesn't make "True Games" anymore.
Yea they have made many Novelty games but if that's all they think Nintendo is capable of now?
They obviously haven't played TvC, SSBB, or Muramasa:TDB and they must not know about
Metroid: Other M or Monster Hunters Tri.

 

[Byers]

First make an actual decent game, instead of remaking the same generic war shooter every six months - then you can criticize other people's work.

So you have never criticized a game in your life? Also the guy made BATTLEFIELD which was released a year before the nearest similar game COD, it popularized vehicles in online fps, and more or less introduced the capture point system that so many fps games have copied since then. If thats not enough he left just after the release of battlefield 2 meaning he has had nothing to do with bad company, 1943 or bc2

A game? Yes. But this guy's badmouthing a whole console with large sweeping generalizations. And I'm normally a big fan of those. But he's not doing it very well, or being very original.