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"Nintendo place $100 million into Start Up development groups"

In a surprising move Nintendo Corp. Limited's President Hiroshi Yamauchi has said that he will set up an investment fund beginning next year to help promote the growth of videogame developers. Mr. Yamauchi is hardly known for throwing around money, but will use 20 billion Yen (roughly $160,800,00 US) of his own money in hopes of finding another clever game idea such as Pokémon.

The fund will be created to help subsidize new development houses looking to work on GameCube or Game Boy Advance. There is one stipulation, however. The collateral-free loans will only be given out under the agreement that projects will be completed within one year. So it's not exactly free money, there will even be interest rates to pay.

However it is a better chance than ever for small development houses to get their bright ideas published under Nintendo's wing, and with any luck Nintendo could stumble onto another big franchise.

Source: Nihon Kezai Shimbun

These arguments are getting so petty nowadays.

"Nintendo's fund scheme is better than Microsofts"

Does it really matter?

Dringo wrote:
> You can start the game before claiming assistance.

But if you have the money to start the game then it's not like you are going to be desperate for the cash then are you ?

And the incubator program is on the same scale as this, and better because MS are prepared to shelter development teams from external pressures AND wait longer than a year e.g. Big Blue Box who are coding the magnificent Fable have been in the program at least 1 1/2 years.

~~Belldandy~~

gamezfreak wrote:
> Parr wrote:
> Have Microsoft done this? NO, cos they are stupid rich poo's!
>
> Yes they have.
>
> Read up about the "Incubator program" set up by Microsoft,
> They provide newly developed companys with some cash AND a publishing
> deal to develop a game, Once it goes gold they give MS the money back.

It isn't on the same scale as Fund Q.

Nice 1, That'll teach Parr :)

Parr wrote:
> Have Microsoft done this? NO, cos they are stupid rich poo's!

Yes they have.

Read up about the "Incubator program" set up by Microsoft, They provide newly developed companys with some cash AND a publishing deal to develop a game, Once it goes gold they give MS the money back.

Nintendo are making sly ideas that really are trying to boost sales, Only if people other then us guys at SR would care about this...

It is strange... Squaresoft are taking AT least a year and a half to make a game...

You can start the game before claiming assistance.

microsoft want something like 4+ games out of two years from rare. with any other company this would be ridiculous, but asking this of rare is like asking robbin williams to shut up so micheal parkinson can ask a sodding question!

(note: actual games-years ratio may be incorrect)

well this is a parshall pay back for ocer pricing the n64 (law suit... £90 mill)

and one year, way too short...

Have Microsoft done this? NO, cos they are stupid rich poo's!

I so love it when they shoot Bill Gates on South Park the Movie