Mutant Mudds dev clarifies 3DS piracy comments, has 3DS games planned into 2014
"What saddens me is that some people have taken my comments as an attack on Nintendo."
Mutant Mudds and Dementium developer Jools Watsham has clarified his comments about the Nintendo 3DS and piracy.
In a blog post published last month Watsham expressed his concern about potential Nintendo 3DS piracy after a hacker claimed full control over the system, and said rampant piracy could seriously affect developer support for the handheld.
“If piracy gets bad on the 3DS, we will have no choice but to stop supporting the platform with new games,” he said. “Some say that piracy leads to more game sales, claiming that it enables players to try before they buy. Bullshit.”
Some interpreted his blog post as an attack on Nintendo and reacted angrily. Now, in a follow-up blog post, an emotional Watsham moved to explain his thoughts on the matter further and revealed Renegade Kid has 3DS games planned into next year.
“I have always been a huge supporter of Nintendo, the Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo 3DS,” he said. “If you have followed my vlogs, blogs, and tweets over the past 6 years you will know this. What saddens me is that some people have taken my comments as an attack on Nintendo, the 3DS, and the players. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“I wrote this: 'If piracy gets bad on the 3DS, we will have no choice but to stop supporting the platform with new games.'
“This does not mean I am taking a stand against piracy. This does not mean I am taking my business elsewhere in an action of protest.
“What this means is if we cannot make money from developing games we can no longer develop games. That is what can happen if piracy gets bad. If enough people choose to illegally obtain copies of my games for free instead of paying for them, it directly affects my business and my home.”
Watsham goes on to offer his thoughts on piracy, saying he doesn't think there is a solution and that it will always exist in some form.
“I accept that piracy will exist on the 3DS,” he said. “The question is how much is it affecting the market? Some markets maintain a healthy business environment alongside piracy. I believe this is due to many factors, not least of which is the service provided in that market.”
Last night Watsham confirmed a sequel to retro platformer Mutant Mudds. Mutant Mudds 2 will be an eShop release.
“Our support of the 3DS platform couldn't be stronger,” he continued. “I expect the cynics out there will discard my words as an attempt to just smooth things over. No. I just want to try and get my original intent communicated. That is all.”