From Wii Fit to Wii Strip?

April 18, 2008 Peekaboo, a company that specializes in temporary at-home stripper polls, including one endorsed by Carmen Electra, announced this week that it's developing a strip aerobics game for the Wii.

"Peekaboo is pleased to confirm that it is in talks to develop a game for the Nintendo Wii that meets mainstream demand for the fun and fitness benefits of pole dancing," the company said in an e-mailed statement. "Peekaboo and its partners are focused on using Wii-friendly hardware to make aerobic pole dancing instantly accessible just as 'Guitar Hero' did for rock'n'roll."

Electra will not be involved in the game, according to the company.

"It would be natural for the platform. … That's the Wii's strength," said Rob Enderle, a Silicon Valley analyst. "If you wanted to create a stripper poll game, this would be the system you'd target."

In addition to its popularity — the system's newest game, the Wii Fit, has already sold out in the U.K. — another advantage of the Wii is its focus on non-gamers. Wii Fit uses a platform called a balance board to measure a user's weight and center of balance while performing about 40 exercise activities.

Hardcore gamers might not be interested in sexy shimmying in their living rooms, according to Enderle.

"Wii is the game system that is really about physicality … much more than the PlayStation or the XBox 360," he said. "Ideally, you would go after the Wii. That's the audience is that is attracted [to this]. This isn't for the typical gamer audience."

But according to Enderle and other analysts, the stripper game could cause potential problems for Nintendo, which has consistently made efforts to present a squeaky clean image.

"The platform manufacturer, in this case Nintendo, would have discretion and the final say. The licensee — also known as the third-party publisher — would submit the product for review and approval," said Hal Halpin, president of the Entertainment Consumers Association. "While Nintendo is likely looking for a wide diversity of content, appealing to the various demographics and ages of their customers, I'd be shocked if they consented."

Despite that image, the Nintendo Wii does allow some mature-rated content to be played on the console.

"While most content for the Wii is family-friendly, there is some mature-rated content that is designed for the adult gamer — "Resident Evil 4" being the best-selling of the M-rated titles for the Wii, life-to-date," said Anita Frazier, an analyst at NPD Group.

In discussing a potential stripping game, Frazier pointed out the popularity of strip aerobics.

"There are strippercise [fully clothed] classes taught in gyms … and it has been a rising fitness trend over the last few years," she said. "It's really just an exercise trend."