A few months ago, we brought youthe story of Robert Pelloni, a twenty-five year-old game designer who has single-handedly developed an RPG for the DS. Video of the title, appropriately named “Bob’s Game,” was pretty damn impressive, especially for a project undertaken by one person.
There’s only one problem. In order to finish the game and get it into stores, Pelloni needs a software development kit from Nintendo. After 17 weeks of waiting for a response from the Big N (they claim the process takes 6-8), he’s decided that drastic measures must be taken.
To that end Pelloni hasbarricaded himself in his officein protest and is broadcasting the event via webcam. At present, he is willing to go a minimum of a hundred days before giving in but notes that he may have to extend the lease on the office if it carries on longer than that. He’s twelve days in at this point, so it’s a long way to go yet if Nintendo doesn’t acquiese.
Here are the rules Pelloni has laid out for his protest (emphasis his):
“I cannot leave thisviridian room. The door is lockedand barricadedfrom the outside.I am sleeping behind the camera, and yes- I’ve got a shower. Food is delivered once a week by a friend. I have no internet access, television, or game consoles besides those I am developing on.”
Robert claims that he meets the requirements for licensing from Nintendo. If that’s the case, it’s puzzling that the company has not yet agreed to make it available. There’s likely more to this story than meets the eye and I’ll be keeping a much closer watch onBob’s Gameover the coming weeks.
[ViaKotaku]