It’s no secret that Australia and New Zealand usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to game releases. Game publishers have gotten better about localizing and having their games rated as soon as possible, so that gamers in those areas don’t have to wait several months to play the hottest new titles. New Zealander Aaron Davies compiled a report about a month ago not only pointing out these frustrating market patterns, but also the many possible factors that could be causing all the game delays and what could be done to fix them.

Nintendo took notice, and contacted Aaron and inviting him to write them with his questions about the matter. You can find Aaron’s detailed set of questions after the break, as well as Nintendo’s disappointing response.

Aaron’s letter:

What is involved in the localisation process that causes these extreme delays of software titles? Looking at the Office of Film and Literature Classification’s database, Wii software titles are often rated for release many months before they are available for sale. It is my understanding that video game software must be at a final, pressing-ready stage before it can be submitted for classification (OFLC, 2007). If the software titles are at this level of progression at the submitted time, what causes the actual release date to be pushed back so far?

Due to both Australia and Europe sharing the same PAL video standard, Australian Wii owners are generally forced into waiting for games to be translated into the various European languages before any PAL release is made available. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been an Australian–specific Wii game SKU, with all first-party Australian region Wii software releases containing the exact same discs as the fully translated European release. This is an issue that has been raised by many of my readers. Does Nintendo Australia have any plans to release its own versions of Wii software, without having to wait for the various game translations needed for the European audience?

The topic of Regional Lockout systems implemented on the Wii console has been extremely debated since the publishing of the mentioned report. Due to the wide availability of 60Hz-compatible displays within Australia, and the ability for Australian released Wii consoles to output to this format, any technical differences between regions have become nothing more than trivial. A statement was released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission four years ago; it states “The ACCC has long believed that region coding is detrimental to consumer welfare as it severely limits consumer choice and, in some cases, access to competitively priced goods” (ZDNet, 2003). Does Nintendo Australia see how the Region Locking mechanism present in the Wii not only limits consumers’ choices in the aforementioned ways, but also forces them into putting up with the extreme software release delays?

Region Locking has also been outlined in the presented report as a form of both market manipulation and consumer bullying; Does Nintendo Australia agree with this? I feel that these are strong but very well founded accusations, and I am certain your consumers would like a response.

Here’s what Nintendo Australia’s Public Relations Co-ordinator had to say in response, after the company invited Aaron to ask the above questions:

Nintendo Australia has no comment; Nintendo Australia does not comment on these issues.

Unfortunate, to say the least. you can read Aaron’s take on Nintendo’s response at his website linked below.

aaronights.com
via Vooks