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Avalanche (Just Cause) - Wii U dev kits collecting dust, Nintendo is hard to reach

Bulletpoints, translated by me
- Avalanche has no plans for Wii U
- Have a couple of Wii U dev kits that only collects dust
- Too small install base according to Sundberg
- Nintendo is hard to reach, you never know how to contact them
- Believes Nintendo has a lot to win with copying Sony, reach out to developers, create enthusiasm

[UPDATE]
Article translated:
As for Nintendo's Wii U console, it is not particularly enthusiasm to track with the Swedish trio we met in conjunction with the Game Developers Conference.
- It's a bit sad
Avalanche has no plans for Wii U, they say bluntly.

- No. Not at the moment. My kids play "Skylanders Giants" on Wii U. It's pretty much the only dealings I have with the console, says Christofer Sundberg, founder of the studio.

- We actually had some development kits that just collected dust. It's a bit sad, because we wanted to do something. I think it is a cool platform, but right now it's not just up to us. We want the game to reach as many as possible.

- Is it that there are too few Wii U owners?

- Yes, it actually is, says Sundberg to PressFire

[...]
- Nintendo difficult to obtain
User base is therefore too small to Avalanche will take the risk of making a game for the Wii U. There are several examples of this kind of skepticism among developers.
[...]
Christofer Sundberg talks about some of the challenges they have had in trying to achieve cooperation. It is not only the number of console owners which give them little appetite:

- Nintendo have from our point of view has always been difficult to reach. You never quite know who to contact. Now, however, we have managed to get through, via the publisher we’re work with.

- I think Nintendo has a lot to gain by taking the same path as Sony, by reaching out a hand to the developers to get more on board, says Sundberg.

- If it happened, developers would be more enthusiastic, and perhaps wanting to make something cool and good. In Nintendo's case, it could be the use of GamePad controller for the Wii U.

Source (Norwegian)
http://www.pressfire.no/spesialer/gdc-13/6919/-Utviklermaskinene-stvet-bare-ned
 

ElRenoRaven

Gold Member
That is sad to hear. Nintendo really needs to get their shit together. They always say oh we've changed we've changed but then behind the scenes it's always revealed that they're as arrogant as ever and still haven't changed.
 

SmokyDave

Member
Dev kits collecting dust is a new one, wish I'd have thought of that.

These are the Just Cause guys, right? You really want them on side, JC is great.
 

Raven77

Member
Nintendo needs to be actively working to correct this situation with not just Avalanche but with any big 3rd party studio that will listen to them.

I don't think the Nintendo first party games have the draw to sustain a console that lacks the "hype" of the original Wii.
 
Wii U looking more and more like a disaster everyday.

Who could have seen that coming??!!

Oh wait...almost everybody...except nintendo execs...

obligatory i thought the wii would fail too disclaimer...but obligatory i'm not sure if a 50% batting average over the last two console gens is good for upper management, either, counter-disclaimer

I don't think the Nintendo first party games have the draw to sustain a console that lacks the "hype" of the original Wii.

Gamecube is proof nintendo software alone is not enough to make a successful console.
 
Queue 'Who cares, it's just Just Cause/Mad Max/Avalanche' posts.

This is sad. Nintendo third party relations stay the same despite all the promises.
 

Tarin02543

Member
First Nintendo console in which I have zero interest...and I don't have gamer fatigue as I am superhyped for ps4.
 

wrowa

Member
The 3rd party ship definitely seems to have sailed. Nintendo completely failed to convince their partners and now they aren't part of anyone's next-gen development plans. Even if sales start to get better at the end of the year, it might not change a thing anymore.

It's their own fault, though. Except of opening up to indies (and even there they seem to have been outdone by Sony's ambitions) there's pretty much nothing I can think about Nintendo's done "right" with the Wii U so far.

Create something and it won't be dusty?

The system won't develop software on its own.

Don't see the point.

The point is that it's not viable to develop something.
 

glaurung

Member
wiiufuckup.jpg
 

serplux

Member
I dunno. A ton of indie developers have said that Nintendo's been quite helpful with them, but you never know.
 

glaurung

Member
Yeah that picture from The Shining isn't really accurate.

I really like the 3DS. If I had money I'd buy a white XL model in an instant.
 

Rootbeer

Banned
I think the Wii U dev kits must be gathering dust at Nintendo as well judging by the number of first party games they've released. Meanwhile the 3DS continues to rule with its non-stop barrage of great titles. Nintendo sure knows where its priorities are.
 
Do you guys think Nintendo is beginning to "get it"?

Do you think their execs are beginning to think, you know, it looks like we really messed up not making it more powerful? Or no? Are they still thinking just "well stay the course we will still succeed, only software can save us", etc?

Say "more powerful" isn't the issue, but it IS the issue why next gen ports are already widely considered by third parties as PS4/Durango, and not PS4/Durango/Wii U...
 

daxgame

Member
Hate to be "that guy" but I'm a bit confused here to be fair.

Afaik they have never done anything on a Nintendo console, am I wrong?

I don't think they've ever had any plan to release anything and they confirmed to have no such plans. So I'm not sure what they are exactly saying.
It's not like they wanted to do something but Nintendo isn't helping them, is it?

So I'm not sure what "WiiU kit collecting dust" is supposed to mean, if they never thought about doing anything

Do you guys think Nintendo is beginning to "get it"?

Do you think their execs are beginning to think, you know, it looks like we really messed up not making it more powerful? Or no? Are they still thinking just "well stay the course we will still succeed, only software can save us", etc?

Say "more powerful" isn't the issue, but it IS the issue why next gen ports are already widely considered by third parties as PS4/Durango, and not PS4/Durango/Wii U...

Wow people still beliving this? No, it isn't. It's all about the slow sales of the machine + the lack of consumer interest showed by the bad sales of the launch ports.
 

wrowa

Member
i would hate to see you on the jury of an innocent person

Wat. I'm not even sure what you are trying to imply.

The Wii U/Nintendo not being responsible for what is happening? Because they sure are responsible for bad hardware sales, non-existing software, hardware that's too low-spec for next-gen engines and for being "hard to contact".

The latter is the saddest part. It implies that there was at least some interest at Avalanche to make something for Wii U, but Nintendo failed to support them at all.
 

blu

Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
I dunno. A ton of indie developers have said that Nintendo's been quite helpful with them, but you never know.
Those indies don't exist /jedi mindtrick
 

Sendou

Member
Well one reason why they might feel like Nintendo is hard to reach could be because Nintendo doesn't actually have presence in the Nordic countries. Distribution is handled by Bergsala in Sweden (I think?)

It's weird because on the other hand NoE contacted Frozenbyte for Wii U port of Trine 2 (even that was awkward since they basically asked it and at the same time said that they need to get it approved by Japan later). It's pretty pathetic. I guess we'll see soon just how serious Nintendo is with Wii U.
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
Do you guys think Nintendo is beginning to "get it"?

Do you think their execs are beginning to think, you know, it looks like we really messed up not making it more powerful? Or no? Are they still thinking just "well stay the course we will still succeed, only software can save us", etc?

Say "more powerful" isn't the issue, but it IS the issue why next gen ports are already widely considered by third parties as PS4/Durango, and not PS4/Durango/Wii U...

Yeash, and the power was the reason for the lack of third parry support on the N64, and on the GC, and the reason why the Wii U didn't get the PS360 games for 2012 and 13, and...
oh wait!
 
Clearly Avalanche is boycotting them for not using Origin as there's no other possible explanation.

Beat me to it.

EA get so much shit for the same thing. Except they are only doing what every other developer in the world is doing right now. Nintendo arent even getting current gen ports, why blame EA for not making Next gen ones.
 

Petrae

Member
I read it as: small install base, no point in doing a Wii U version of something, and Nintendo is not paying us to do a game.

The "small install base" comment is telling. Why waste resources on game development when potential return on investment is so small?

On the other hand, even if Avalanche Studios was to develop a Wii U game, it'd still need a publisher-- and third-party publishers aren't too keen on Wii U currently anyway.
 
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