Thursday, Totilo finally got an official response on the matter from Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America.

For those who are unfamiliar with Bob's Game, it's a one-man effort, more than 15,000 hours put into a top-down 2D adventure/RPG game. Late last year, hearing nothing from Nintendo about his request for a software development kit, he staged a locked-room protest that didn't get much of a reaction. That was followed by a bunch of strange antics that either were viral marketing ploys, or retconned as such when people started worrying about Pelloni's mental health.

OK, got all that? Now, at last, here is Reggie's side of the story, as told to Totilo.

[Pelloni] did submit to be a licensed developer. We have an evaluation process. We evaluated the opportunity. We decided at this point in time that he did not meet the requirements to be a licensed developer.

Totilo presses Reggie, asking how an amateur developer might get a favorable reaction to his idea from Nintendo. Reggie cites 2D Boy and "World of Goo" as a good example to follow. Totilo points out that 2D Boy and Kyle Gabler weren't "a garage developer," they brought credentials to the table when they asked for Nintendo support. Reggie's response:

There are a ton of stories. "Tetris." Just a guy out of Russia. "Pokemon" is another example. Before that was published in Japan, what was "Pokemon"? I think it's fair to say that Nintendo has a history and a legacy of bringing novel, unique ideas to the marketplace.

So, amateur coders, all you have to do is create the next Pokemon or Tetris and Nintendo will happily back your efforts.

I have some sympathy for Nintendo, because its role in this mess is not unlike a stalked movie star. But what Reggie's saying is sort of what Pelloni had assumed would pay off for him: If the idea and the game are truly compelling, things will fall into place. Pelloni clearly believed his game was that compelling through 15,000 hours of coding it, only to find out Nintendo didn't feel the same way at the critical moment.

Nintendo Finally Comments on Bob's Game Situation [MTV Multiplayer]

While the "joke" might mean he has no intention of harming himself, Bob's still extraordinarily discouraged at how this all turned out. He had put about 15,000 hours into "Bob's Game," loosely described as an RPG for the DS. He set up a business and followed Nintendo's rules for purchasing one, even applying for a developer's license, but they wouldn't approve the application and sell the kit. Without an SDK, his project can't move forward to completion.

So he started a 100-day "tensai sit-down protest" which he would spend developing his game in a room locked and barricaded from the outside. He set up a webcam, from which that image is taken, to film it. He had hoped to gin up enough publicity portraying Nintendo as a loutish corporate heavy, badly treating an indie developer, ultimately forcing them to hand over an SDK to end the bad publicity.

As you can see from the trashed state of his development studio, it didn't work. He called things off around Day 30, with a long, defeated message (below, in its entirety). Some guy over on 4chan's /v/ board said he got a phone number off of Bob's WHOIS info and got in touch with his sister, asking her to call his friends, send someone over, check on him, as there has been no motion on the webcam for a couple hours. Seriously, I'm wondering if a deputy shouldn't be sent over to check on Bob, because the above picture doesn't look too good.

Here's the give-up post. Again, this is on his site, so unless some troll got in and hacked it, I'd say this is on the level. And it's pretty extreme.

It was foolish of me to think Nintendo would hear my pleas. They're just another heartless corporation, only interested in the biggest profits. The core gamers don't matter anymore. It's not about the games or the fans, it's about spreading out and getting casual gamers to buy Wii Fit. The golden days of video games are long gone. A game like mine has no place on the shelf along with games like "Crossword Puzzles" and "Sudoku."

Nintendo sells all these games about "doing your best" and "being the hero," telling kids "you can do it if you try," but in the end that's just a story, a marketing lie that sounds good. That's business. That's the real world. In reality, if Link approached the castle gate, a guard would just throw him out. It doesn't matter how much courage he has. It doesn't matter how talented he is with his sword, or how pure hearted he might be. He's wearing a dirty tunic and he has no credentials. "Get out of here, you stupid kid." The evil kingdom of Ganon (Or should I say "Gantendo") spreads across the land, Zelda dies, and the credits scroll. Game over. That's the real Nintendo, I guess.

It was foolish of me to think Nintendo would hear my pleas. They're just another heartless corporation, only interested in the biggest profits. The core gamers don't matter anymore. It's not about the games or the fans, it's about spreading out and getting casual gamers to buy Wii Fit. The golden days of video games are long gone. A game like mine has no place on the shelf along with games like "Crossword Puzzles" and "Sudoku."

Nintendo sells all these games about "doing your best" and "being the hero," telling kids "you can do it if you try," but in the end that's just a story, a marketing lie that sounds good. That's business. That's the real world. In reality, if Link approached the castle gate, a guard would just throw him out. It doesn't matter how much courage he has. It doesn't matter how talented he is with his sword, or how pure hearted he might be. He's wearing a dirty tunic and he has no credentials. "Get out of here, you stupid kid." The evil kingdom of Ganon (Or should I say "Gantendo") spreads across the land, Zelda dies, and the credits scroll. Game over. That's the real Nintendo, I guess.

I've had enough. I'm ending the protest. I give up on getting the SDK. I really tried my best. Show's over. It's just not going to work. Sorry, everyone. I just can't stay in here. My head won't stop pounding. I feel like I'm losing my mind. It's like I'm splitting in half. I keep seeing these posts that I apparently wrote, but I can't remember writing them. I'm afraid I'm becoming someone else entirely.

Nobody even takes me seriously anymore- how is Nintendo supposed to? Everyone thinks it's some kind of viral ad. It's obviously not. I'm one guy that can't get a break. Don't you think that maybe I might get a little angry being locked in here for a month with no response? So maybe I have to joke around a little to cheer myself up. Big deal. I'll stay locked in for the rest of today to make an even 30 days, and then the protest is over. I know I lost. I've been completely disgraced and humiliated. I've been stepped on, pushed around, and trampled from all sides. It's like trying to fight a machine with words, with an army mocking you the whole time.

It's OK, Nintendo. I'm trying not to blame you, I really am. It's just.. man, I was stupid to believe that stuff.
"Be a hero! You can do it!" Yeah, right. "Throw away five years of your life." I guess that doesn't sell as well, huh?

My head hurts, so I'm ending this post. Sorry, everybody. Whatever. Why does this HURT so much?

Without the Nintendo software development kit, Bob's Game on the DS is no more. However, elsewhere on his site he talks about working on ports for Android, iPhone, and OpenPandora, and looking into XBLA and Steam distribution.

But this is a game that was built — over the course of five years — for the DS. And realizing the end of that dream, Bob takes it a little hard. A little self-indulgently maybe (the metaphors about Nintendo being Ganon and he being Link are silly), but then again, I've never worked on anything that long, so I don't know how I'd react.

While I can sympathize to a point, I think other people might realize that sinking so much of an effort into a project with only one ideal outcome over which you have no control is an extremely high-risk investment. What's the saying? "A goal without a plan is a wish." Bob had one, and it wasn't granted.

ONE HUNDRED DAY TENSAI SIT-DOWN PROTEST FAIL :{ {Bob's Game via GoNintendo]

He needs a DS software development kit to get his game, basically a top-down 2D adventure, into retail packaging. Nintendo won't sell him one. Bob says he's spoken with Nintendo about it, filed an application for the kit, was told he'd have an answer in 6 to 8 weeks, and now he's on week 17 with no answer and no kit. Thus, he's begun a "One Hundred Day Tensai Sit Down Protest."

Here's his story on getting the kit, or lack thereof:

I met with Nintendo in February- almost a YEAR ago- to ask for the SDK.
I did teleconferencing. I flew to GDC and had a face-to-face meeting.
I asked the WarioWorld division, and they sent me to marketing.
I talked to marketing, and they said apply with WarioWorld division!
The agreement on the application states I will receive a decision in 6-8 weeks. It has been 17 weeks!
I fulfill all the requirements- I'm a financially stable registered company with a FEIN working from a commercial address.
When Nintendo decides to approve my developer license application I will end my protest.

And here are the conditions of his protest confinement, which you can view via live webcam:

I cannot leave this viridian room. The door is locked and barricaded from 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.
I can receive and send email on my Android G1, so I can get Nintendo's reply and update my site with tether.
The LED counter will be incremented once a day, and sometimes it will display hints and secret messages.

He is on Day 11 of this protest. Bob justifies his work, says he meets all of Nintendo's requirements, then goes on a rant about the quality of his game and the lack of it in other titles. He says he's worked on the project for five years and isn't going to give up "just because some stubborn intern or mid-level marketing exec at NOA is deleting my emails! I want an answer, and I want to hear it from the top. [...] I'll see you there on day 100, REGGIE!"

Alright, Reggie Fils-Aime, you heard the man, ball's in your court!

100 DAY TENSAI SIT DOWN PROTEST [Bob's Game, thanks Tibor K. and many others]

If you're a friend of Robert Pelloni and you're wondering why you haven't seen him for half a decade, here's why. Bob's Game, a title we'll assume is tentative for now, is a top down 2D adventure game built over the course of five years by a single person. Yes, one (obviously mad) developer is responsible for the programming, art, music, story and script required to bring Bob's Game to life.

According to the developer, the homebrew title is a simple adventure game, an RPG-lite sans repetitive battles that looks more than a bit Shenmue-esque. You can learn all about it by checking out the annotated version of the above clip at YouTube. Pelloni is currently seeking a publisher and hopefully sunlight.

"bob's game" for Nintendo DS [YouTube - thanks, Matt!]