Namco Bandai boss: Wii and DS market has "collapsed"

Ever had a friend who's so constantly peppy and cheery that the second they start acting like a normal human being, you absolutely know something's wrong?

Does that friend need a nickname? How about "Nintendo"? Yeah, the king of console hill is still definitely holding down the fort, but these days, Miyamoto and co's waggle/touch-centric empire is starting to look a little - dare we say it - mortal.

Don't believe us? Then just ask Namco Bandai VP of sales, marketing and publishing Olivier Comte.

“It’s a tough market,” he told MCV. “We had a lot of product, and the average quality of a game on DS and Wii is very, very bad. So in the mind of the consumer today, to buy a DS or Wii game is to buy a game that isn’t very good."

Madness. Party Babyz changed our lives. But game quality (or lack thereof) is only part of the equation. Good or bad, a game's still money in the bank so long as people are buying it. However, if they're not...

“One of the reasons the DS collapsed is piracy, it is very clear, but also it is a fantastic machine and very easy to develop for. It was possible for three kids in a garage to make a game for it," Comte explained.

“DS is the most successful platform ever, but all my kids’ friends at school have a DS with an R4. They have 100 games for no money. So yes, the market has collapsed for the DS and Wii.”

Which is approximately $3000 in stolen goods per child. Kids these days, eh?