According to an initial report by GameXplain and several corroborations since, PlatinumGames is resorting to crowdfunding to bring The Wonderful 101 to Switch and PS4. Following up on a seemingly innocuous 4Chan post insinuating that Platinum would launch a Kickstarter to bring The Wonderful 101 to all three current-gen platforms, GameXplain confirmed with sources of their own that the campaign is real, at least for Switch and PS4, and is slated for launch on February 3. They also found a Kickstarter profile attributed to Platinum, but noted that anyone could have made the page. This all follows yesterday’s obvious tease by Platinum and vague tweet from Sabi referencing the game.
Outside of that, plenty of other industry figures have weighed in on different aspects of the rumor. Industry analyst Dr. Serkan Toto, ex-Platinum employee JP Kellams, and Liam Robertson of DidYouKnowGaming have implied that, in order to bring The Wonderful 101 to multiple platforms, Platinum gained IP ownership from Nintendo.
Then you're in for a surprise.
— Dr. Serkan Toto / Kantan Games Inc. (@serkantoto) February 1, 2020
Yep. The co-ownership makes the sale or gift of an IP much easier. My bet is if they bought it, that the KS is probably gonna be around the cost of the IP stake. I mean, if I were doing it, that is what I would do. https://t.co/oBp5EzoSeH
— JP Kellams (@synaesthesiajp) February 1, 2020
Essentially yes. I don't know if they own it outright now though.
— Liam Robertson (@Doctor_Cupcakes) February 1, 2020
Robertson also chimed in with his own confirmation of the Kickstarter, and added in that crowdfunding was not Plan A for Platinum. Apparently, they shopped The Wonderful 101 around a bit, and nobody (Nintendo included) was interested in publishing. After the original game bombed in sales, that is not too surprising, but then again, that was on the Wii U. I don’t blame Platinum for wanting a fresh start on systems with a user base larger than 10.
Kickstarter thing for TW101 is true. I waited for Platinum to announce it on their terms. The reveal was set for Monday.
— Liam Robertson (@Doctor_Cupcakes) February 1, 2020
Platinum (apparently) pitched it around to different publishers. Nobody wanted it. Nintendo certainly didn't want it. Kickstarter is a back-up plan.
— Liam Robertson (@Doctor_Cupcakes) February 1, 2020
While evidence and credible confirmations have piled up, we only have two days to wait until the Kickstarter’s purported launch date. Then, we’ll know if The Wonderful 101 is truly getting another chance. Details such as how much Platinum is asking for, who owns the IP, whether or not they have an Xbox One version in mind, and more should all come out then as well.
