Nintendo has really stepped up to the plate these past few years when it comes to serving indie developers. Backing during the Wii and DS era, a mountain of restrictions and limitations ensured that Nintendo's digital ecosystem would be the last on any studio's mind. But with the Wii U and 3DS, we find a much more lenient, more inviting Nintendo, willing to bend over backwards to make publishing on the eShop as painless as possible.
Unless the game in question is The Binding of Isaac, that is.
Designed by Super Meat Boy co-creator Edmund McMillen, The Binding of Isaac was rejected from appearing on the 3DS two years ago due to the game's strong religious themes. This move didn't do any favors for Nintendo, which seemed to be channeling its restrictive behavior from the NES years. Thankfully, Binding had no trouble releasing on Steam, and now we are a month away from a PS4 and PS Vita remake called The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.
And here comes a curveball! Take a look at the short clip above of the Mega Maw boss' loading animation. Nothing strange about it, right? Hold on… what was that frame that flashed right at the very end? Did it look something like this?
That is indeed the Wii U menu overlay. Does this mean that Nintendo has eased up to allow the game to finally arrive on the eShop? That seems to be the case, as McMillen and Tyrone Rodriguez of Rebirth publisher Nicalis hinted on Twitter. Nicalis' involvement also suggests that the Wii U will be getting the Rebirth remake rather than the original.
Of course, nothing is confirmed just yet, but I think the picture is pretty clear. I'm glad that McMillen harbored no sour feelings over Nintendo's past behavior, and I'm just as glad that Nintendo is finally willing to play ball.
