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Reggie on Bob's Game: Refused license doesn't reflect on Nintendo's support for the little guy
You remember Bob's Game, don't you? The humble 2D RPG made by a single, possibly loony, individual? Well nearly two months have gone by since the game's creator Robert Pelloni was denied developer status by Nintendo and -- other than a NYC littering spree -- we've heard little about the game as of late. In an interview with Nintendo big boss Reggie Fils-Aime on MTV Multiplayer last week, however, the record was set considerably straighter.When asked for his side of the story on what had come to pass, the Regginator had this to say: "He did submit to be a licensed developer. We have an evaluation process. We evaluated the opportunity. We decided at this point in time that he did not meet the requirements to be a licensed developer." Well that about does it then, no? Apparently MTV wanted more from the conversation, pushing the CEO on what to do if a developer wants to work with Nintendo but doesn't necessarily have two or three major games under its belt, "My hope is that any developer who has a compelling idea will reach out to our licensing organization and share their idea and go through the process of becoming a licensed developer for the Nintendo platform," Fils-Aime said, "And we have a legacy of supporting that type of development." Unfortunately, as it seems, Mr. Pelloni's game wasn't quite "compelling" enough of an idea.
Bob's (playable) Game: Homebrew demo released
We're a bit shocked to see that Robert Pelloni has done something in relation to Bob's Game other than release fake news. In fact, the release of a real, playable demo goes a long way in our minds toward faking an alien abduction. Maybe. At the very least, it's finally something we can believe -- who could ever tell if anything Bob (or the character "Bob") said was real?The demo is an NDS file and thus requires either a flash cart or a DS emulator. The Bob's Game website says that the game works in NO$GBA. Now here's the really freaky part: we haven't loaded it up yet, but based on early reports from sites like Infendo, it's ... pretty cool! Bob seems to be delivering on the idea of a game about growing up with Nintendo, combining a real-world RPG about "Bob" with Retro Game Challenge-style, Nintendo-inspired minigames.[Thanks, Sean!]
Nintendo denies official DS developer status to 'Bob's Game' creator
The latest post issued from rogue Bob's Game creator Robert Pelloni's secret lair features something we were quite sure we'd never see -- no, he didn't give up, but 25 weeks after sending his application for DS development authorization, he finally got his letter from Nintendo. The text of the note is identical to that received by rejected WiiWare developer Xiotex Studios.His entire (not quite) 100-day protest was based on the fact that Nintendo had yet to respond to his application for a Nintendo DS SDK, so official communication from the company is, in one sense, vindication for Pelloni. But in another, more accurate sense, it's a rejection letter.The text of the letter offers clues as to why Pelloni was not approved: Nintendo expects "secure business facilities, sufficient equipment and staffing, financial stability and other attributes that would distinguish the developer." We assume that a sealed office that you pretend is an alien spaceship does not constitute "secure business facilities."Even more telling is the statement that Nintendo "provides Authorized Developers with highly confidential information" and thus "exercises a very high level of discretion" when choosing to whom it grants SDK access. If he really has heard back from Nintendo (and we must express a modicum of doubt in regard to anything Bob's Game-related), then Bob's constant blogging of his own wait for approval seemingly ruined his chances of receiving that approval.
Jilted Bob's Game creator fights back by littering
If you somehow managed to watch the video we've posted after the jump without reading this wall of text, you may be befuddled as to why we've posted a video of The Cure frontman Robert Smith gleefully vandalizing the Nintendo World store in NYC. Little do you know that the combat-booted troublemaker featured in the video is none other than Bob Pelloni, the jilted sole creator of Bob's Game, whom Nintendo is still refusing to sell a software development kit to. Gee, we can't imagine why.Pelloni's assault on Nintendo World took place on "Stage 50" of his 100-day sit-in protest (the rules of which can apparently be bent to allow for a brief littering excursion). He and his accomplices plastered the store's walls in Bob's Game posters, covered the floor with business cards, and filled store shelves with mock-up game cases. Given this latest desperate attention grab, and the fact that his once-humble development blog currently shows Pelloni consorting with aliens, we're guessing he's exchanged his game development ambitions for fleeting e-lebrity status. What a shame.
'Bob's Game' 100 day sit-in protest ends early, disturbingly
When Bob Pelloni, sole creator of Bob's Game, an old school RPG for the DS, announced that he would be locking himself in his room for 100 days until Nintendo granted him access to the official DS software development kit, we were fairly certain we were going to see the birth of a genuine indie dev folk hero. What we saw instead was the tragic dissolution of a grown man's sanity, and the apparent squelching of a project with some 15,000 hours of development time behind it.In his most recent blog post, published today, Pelloni announced that he's ending his strike early (after a month of solitary confinement) due to a wicked headache, likely due to a fractured psyche. His post contains a scathing rant directed at Nintendo (a "heartless corporation, only interested in the biggest profits"), as well as a heartbreaking farewell to his five-year project. "I really wanted to finish this game," he concludes. For what it's worth, Bob, we really wanted you to finish it as well.[Thanks, Greyline.]
Bob's Saga rumbles on
We've been following the Bob's Game drama for a while now, and it's just taken another weird/potentially controversial turn. After sealing himself in his bedroom (see: above) in a bid to obtain a development kit from Nintendo, Bob's Game creator Robert Pelloni recently threatened to release his "masterpiece" on a DSi-compatible flash cart, thus "significantly cut[ting] into Nintendo's bottom line."Now, in a selectbutton forum thread, Pelloni claims that a Chinese firm has approached him and offered to release Bob's Game on a flash cart, and says that a distribution deal with Wal-Mart could be on the cards.Pelloni argues that such a move means both parties win: he gets his game onto store shelves, while the mysterious Chinese company has a legitimate reason to sell a flash cart in a major retailer. We would argue that his actions are quickly severing any potential future ties that could exist between himself and Nintendo.We also advise giving the thread in question a quick read, if only for the part where Pelloni indirectly compares himself to Shigeru Miyamoto.%Gallery-39978%[Via Siliconera]
Bob's Ultimatum
Robert Pelloni, creator of the sedate-looking RPG Bob's Game, has resorted to desperate measures in order to secure his game an official release. If you've been following the story elsewhere, you know that he's in the midst of a self-imposed confinement, locked in an office until Nintendo agrees to sell him the DS software development kit.Now, on day 21 of his protest, Pelloni has discovered a previously unknown, even deeper end off of which to go. After calling out the Nintendo executives he's spoken to, who are apparently holding back his approval as a developer, Pelloni has threatened to bundle Bob's Game with a DSi flash cart if not given the opportunity to develop it as an official DS game. He claims it would be the first "killer app" for a homebrew device, and could "significantly cut into Nintendo's bottom line."We aren't sure if Pelloni ever catches DS Fanboy posts from within his secret fortress, since he claims to have no Internet access other than email from his phone, but if he is, we would like to suggest that he stop doing this kind of stuff, get out of the office, and either continue contacting Nintendo or just go somewhere else. We suspect that the more public he is with this stuff, the less likely Nintendo is to want anything to do with him -- especially if he's talking about flash carts.[Via Joystiq]
Bobwatch Day 21: Things get kind of weird
We were in support of Robert Peloni, the sole developer of homebrew RPG Bob's Game, when he began a 100-day lock-in to convince Nintendo to sell him the SDK he needed to release his game on DS. At least, we were on day 12 of said protest. We're 21 days in now, and things are getting ... well, they're getting a little odd.What kind of odd? Well, Peloni has started releasing the addresses of Nintendo execs and offering semi-creepy holiday greetings to Reggie. Oh, also, he's begun threatening to ... well, as he said:"If I cannot legitimately publish my game, the only option left to fulfill this goal is to bundle a KILLER APP with a DSi enabled 'homebrew device.' ... 'bob's game' is being translated into many languages, including Japanese, and will be released worldwide. Unfortunately, this has the potential to significantly cut into Nintendo's bottom line."We still hope Bob can work something out, we just ... well, we can see why Nintendo might be a little hesitant about working with him.
'Bob's Game' dev confines self in Nintendo protest
You've got to feel for Bob Pelloni. The guy sinks 15,000 hours over five years into making a DS RPG -- completely by himself -- called Bob's Game. Now, when his labor of love is finally ready to be shown to the world, the poor guy can't wrestle the last thing he needs, a disc containing the development kit (or SDK), away from Nintendo. After 17 weeks of trying, Bob's getting serious and locking himself in solitary confinement for 100 days in protest.Bob's got no internet, no television, just the tools he needs to work and a phone to check his email (in the hopes that Nintendo tries to get a hold of him). If you'd like to pitch in and help out, Bob's asking that you drop a line to Big N. We'll do the same, and let you know what we hear.[Via Wambling Gamer]
Confirmed: Bob's Game has gameplay, 'several' publishers interested
After impressing us with the first ever video of Bob's Game, Robert Pelloni is back with a second piece of footage for his homebrew title. This time it looks and sounds more like a game, in that it shows gameplay. The mission in the video above forms part of the title's tutorial, and sees protagonist Yuu hunting around for batteries for his mother. We're yet to figure out how to complete this quest, but then again we're a bit thick at this kind of thing.In other news, Robert reveals on his blog that "several publishers have expressed interest" in Bob's Game, including a "large, well-known" company. After half a decade of development, a publishing deal is probably the least Pelloni deserves.
Five years of work: Bob's Game
What drove Robert Pelloni to spend over five years creating a Nintendo DS game by himself? The same thing that motivates most homebrew programmers: "It's the game I wanted to play when I was younger, a vision I've been following since then."The video above isn't a proper representation of his 20-hour-long adventure game, as it's only a technical demo of its assets and features (in fact, you would be better off watching the annotated version at the clip's Youtube page), but Robert reassures us that the finished product will be like an RPG, except focusing on "story, puzzles, items, and communication instead of repetitive battles with palette-swapped enemies."The project, tentatively titled Bob's Game, doesn't have the high production values of big-budget titles backed by major or even minor dev teams, but the code, sprites, music, tiles, and everything else are all original, making for a very unique game. Who knows, it could be the next Cave Story! Robert is currently seeking a publisher for the project.See also: Japanese homebrew games that will blow your mind
