Nintendo looking outside Q4

Nintendo of America's outgoing vice president of marketing says that the company is "starting to look at the annual calendar differently" in terms of release date timing, rather than just stuffing everything in Q4.

Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, Perrin Kaplan reacted to a question about Smash Bros. Brawl's proposed release date - a Sunday, 10th February - by saying, "Why not?"

"Sunday is actually a really good launch day of the week for products. And I think we're actually starting to look at the annual calendar differently.

"The first two quarters of the year tend to be more quiet. But now we've seen some evidence of sales in that period.

"Other than the holiday quarter, I think the traditional way of viewing it is not necessarily a slam dunk. I think a really good product can be a slam dunk any time of the year."

Asked to explain the change, Kaplan suggested that it was down to the Wii and DS systems' ability to act as "a quick hit of entertainment", whereas traditional system which might be more suitable when "kids and families can spend more time playing or during holidays".

What do you reckon, Eurogamers? Would you like more games at different times of year, or can you only shake off the braying of useless friends and relatives during the holidays too?