Coming off the heels of a report revealing new information about Nintendo's upcoming console/handheld hybrid, the company today has opened up its new Developer Portal. The program is accepting applications for enrollment from game and tool developers alike, as well as publishers.
"Are you ready to see your vision come to life on Nintendo's awesome hardware?" the site reads. Nintendo will now actively support those who wish to create games for the platform with the institution of a simplified Nintendo Developer registration process.
Signing up for a Nintendo Developer account is required for access to the Nintendo Developer Program. This is open to both existing company accounts as well as new or independent companies. The four-step process involves creating an ID, inputting company information — or, for individual developers, an address — and elaborating on development history and platform preferences.
Successful enrollment in the Developer Program will provide access to the Nintendo Dev Interface (NDI) Client. The NDI optimizes dev kits and aims to streamline the game development process.
Developers of both games and design tools will have access to the Client, as well as Nintendo's support forums, documentation, and other development hardware and middleware.
For publishers, Nintendo promises to make it easier to get a game up on the eShop through the new Portal website. "We'll soon have advanced project tracking and ROM submission, project-based message boards and more" available to publishers through the online resource site, the company claims.
Overall, the Developer Portal represents Nintendo moving further in the direction of supporting the growth of its expanding range of platforms. Only the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS are mentioned as the current hardware available for developers, but we'll learn more about how the NX fits into all of this when the company unveils more information on its latest system in 2016, as promised.