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[MikeE21286]

Developers and publishers were dragged kicking and screaming to support the Wii and that was due to the fact that there was just so many people buying it. Even then the support was paltry. WiiU will live off of Nintendo only. That's why I bought one. I had no expectations for 3rd party support whatsoever.

 

[Dave Meltzer]

I just listened to Street Spirit by Radiohead. The lyrics kinda fit Nintendo. Iwata probably finds it really hard to sleep lately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrTB-iiecqk

 

[GulAtiCa]

So that pretty much means the game in question would be Epic Mickey 2.

But didn't that game do horrible on all systems? It can't be that game.

 

[Fox Mulder]

I sold mine. The slow launch and current drought was expected like many launches, but third parties are bailing on the system and you don't see anyone praising the unique possibilities they could do on the platform. Nintendo isn't doing much to market the system either.

I actually thought they were holding out for an E3 blowout to fight against Sony and MS console reveals, but it's probably the console just having nothing much at all in the pipelines.

I'll do what I should have done from the beginning, which is wait a few years for Nintendo to get great games out and likely pay less as well.

 

[Baconsammy]

But didn't that game do horrible on all systems? It can't be that game.

Doesn't the game have to be AC3 or Skylanders?

 

[Saint Gregory]

Game cancellations at this point aren't surprising, the same thing happened to Vita after its horrendous start but out of curiosity what other 3rd party games have sold millions within three months of launch?

 

[sd28821]

so if the time it was supposed to sell a million over time why did they only give it three months before writing it off and not six months to a year.

 

[FyreWulff]

I'm pretty sure this is just bullshit business bravado myself. If console manufacturing becomes too costly for them they'll likely just go to the software side of development.

The day Nintendo announces they're not making consoles anymore is the day that Sony or Microsoft buys up the rest of their stock and locks them to their console. Nintendo's lifespan as a third party would be expressed in terms of minutes and seconds.

 

[javac]

It just seems weird to bring up nintendo making a bunch of games as a result of panicking when the problem is no third party support. It's not going to do anything to fix that problem, if anything it'll make it worse since third parties seem to blame nintendo games for their low sales.

So people expect Nintendo to not release games? I know that's not what you're hinting at because that's an absurd notion, but I guess is always going to be the self fulfilling prophecy. No Nintendo games = low sales = no third party.

 

[jay]

The fact they abandon ship so fast is proof in my eyes they never wanted the wiiu to take off for 3rd party titles.

This kind of resonates with me. Mario also said that when the PS3 was doing terribly, third parties never seemed as down on it as they are on the WiiU now. This is not to say there's a conspiracy or there are no reasons for publishers to want to support Sony over Nintendo. They just don't think WiiU is where the market is or ever will be and so they throw in the towel pretty easily.

 

[-MB-]

Developers and publishers were dragged kicking and screaming to support the Wii and that was due to the fact that there was just so many people buying it. Even then the support was paltry. WiiU will live off of Nintendo only. That's why I bought one. I had no expectations for 3rd party support whatsoever.

If only Nintendo got that message as qell and adjusted their output frequency at that, I'd be happy.
Nintendo left us with droughts way too much hoping for others to fill gaps in their release schedule.

 

[Lambda Pie]

PS4 and 720 wil do well on the basis that COD, BF, Madden and Fifa will be there with shiny new graphics and the market for that may shrink but will never go away.

Wii U is Nintendo banking on gimmicks again. the last one worked, this one doesn't. expect N64 level sales before a replacement is announced.

 

[evangd007]

Yeah I forgot to mention how bleak of a hope that was. Sony is definitely not repeating $599 and MS having another RRoD situation is extremely unlikely.

I, for one, wouldn't be surprised. Microsoft is arrogant enough to actually go through with the DRM and anti-used games features (this is for another thread, but publishers only hurt themselves by blocking used sales: trade-ins are often the fuel that powers publishers best source of income, pre-orders) and Sony has had 4 poor launches in a row and seem to be unable to learn from their mistakes.

Not saying it's a guarantee, but it is a possibility. But maybe that's just me being pessimistic: I generally see everything I hate about this generation carrying over to the next and becoming worse.

 

[Pachterballs]

durango+orbis won't bomb. The pent up demand for spec bumped current gen console means they're not going to. people are happy to buy expensive ass ipads. The price of these next gen consoles are a pittance in comparison.

 

[sd28821]

This kind of resonates with me. Mario also said that when the PS3 was doing terribly, third parties never seemed as down on it as they are on the WiiU now. This is not to say there's a conspiracy or there are no reasons for publishers to want to support Sony over Nintendo.

I have to agree

 

[Dave Meltzer]

durango+orbis won't bomb. The pent up demand for spec bumped current gen console means they're not going to. people are happy to buy expensive ass ipads. The price of these next gen consoles are a pittance in comparison.

Yeah. The issue is if you have something people want. 720 and PS4 have things people want.

 

[SykoTech]

Mario said that he can't comment on what the game is. But he did say that it's one of the highest rated Wii U titles.

Maybe Batman or ME3 then. I don't know why they'd be expecting really late ports like that to do millions though.

Unless they were using Reggie's "not the same content" logic.

 

[miksar]

I predict the only positive scenario for Wii U western 3rd party support is if the heavy investment in Durango/Orbis backfires. Then most publishers will have to concentrate on making cross-generational games. By that time the price for Wii U will drop, its install-base will grow and they'll have to reconsider the platform. But if the biggest publishers find a quick way of transition into the new generation, Wii U will only be supported by Nintendo, Japanese publishers, small western developers and indies.

On the other hand, Durango/Orbis launches backfiring won't change the narrative much, instead of "Nintendo is doomed" it will be "Consoles are doomed".

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Yeah. The issue is if you have something people want. 720 and PS4 have things people want.

What with them selling like hotcakes and all.

 

[Dave Meltzer]

This kind of resonates with me. Mario also said that when the PS3 was doing terribly, third parties never seemed as down on it as they are on the WiiU now. This is not to say there's a conspiracy or there are no reasons for publishers to want to support Sony over Nintendo. They just don't think WiiU is where the market is or ever will be and so they throw in the towel pretty easily.

The difference is there was no reason to doubt Sony. PS2 and PS1 were great for third parties. So while PS3 started slow, people had faith that eventually it would grow in to a platform people would be able to find success on.

There's no reason whatsoever to assume that about a Nintendo platform as a third party.

 

[AzaK]

Considering Iwata said they're not dropping the price anytime soon because the system is still being sold at a loss... I guess it'll be interesting to see what PS4/Xbox are priced at in comparison.

Based on the Wii U GPU thread who knows how much they spent in the thing to customise it so much for size and power usage. And of course the GamePad. Orbis and Durango might be more standard and therefore cheaper in that regard.

What with them selling like hotcakes and all.

Don't be a smart arse. I went into my local gaming store the other day and they were all out of stock so obviously are!

 

[dampflokfreund]

So people expect Nintendo to not release games? I know that's not what you're hinting at because that's an absurd notion, but I guess is always going to be the self fulfilling prophecy. No Nintendo games = low sales = no third party.

Nobody buys a Wii U for the third party support, because nobody want's a slim version of a PS4/720 game. Hell, it's even underpowered in comparison with the Current Gen.

 

[The Mana Legend]

What with them selling like hotcakes and all.

I heard the PS4 and 720 were sold out everywhere 9 months from now while 2000 boxes of Wii Us were sitting on the shelf covered and dust!

 

[Bob White]

Crazy. Whole thread is about what game sold the worst. Like, seems like no one is saying "can't be this, because it sold really good". As a dev, who would want to chance anything on WiiU during this next gen transition?

 

[Qurupeke]

Whatever the game is, who the fuck expected something to sell millions on a new console?

 

[Cold-Steel]

I'm wondering what the game is. I doubt it's BLOPS 2 or ZombiU, since those have each sold well over "tens of thousands" of copies. I guess it could be AC3, but my guess is that it's Batman or Mass Effect 3.

On the other hand, I can't help but wonder how long a company that sees that big an attachment rate as a realistic goal is going to survive.

Neither has sold millions over time though.

The expectation that a:

1) Third party exclusive (ZombiU)

or a

2) Call of Duty title

Should sell 'millions over time' (say in the 1-2 million range) is fairly realistic for both.

In ZombiU's case, it is an exclusive - a system seller by nature that you do not find it on any other platform.

In Call of Duty's case, past demand for franchise games on other systems dictates that you should see similar success on a new platform.

 

[Baconsammy]

What with them selling like hotcakes and all.

True, I give credit to Nintendo for selling slightly more Wii U units than Sony and Microsoft are selling PS4s and 720s.

Whatever the game is, who the fuck expected something to sell millions on a new console?

You're leaving off the "over time" part. Which I guess does mean the game is Skylanders.

 

[walking fiend]

Probably ZombiU; but honestly, how many games that received 4.5 from GS and IGN and alike ended up becoming multimillion seller?

It's obvious ZombiU targeted a niche demographic.

---
and good GAF based god, it feels so good to have Baconsammy in my ignore list and being released from the torment of reading his posts.


---
I think Wii U struggle will continue until Durango/Orbis are launched; then either one of these two happen:

1. They sell well, both SW and HW wise, and Wii U will become a Nintendo machine
2. They don't sell well, Wii U becomes a viable platform.

And I think the ball is in Sony and MS hands, and whether they score or not is dependent on the prices of their machines.

 

[GulAtiCa]

PS4 and 720 wil do well on the basis that COD, BF, Madden and Fifa will be there with shiny new graphics and the market for that may shrink but will never go away.

Will they though? I'm always curious why people think the main COD base will move onto the next gen systems just for COD alone when they could possibly already get it for their current Xbox 360 or PS3 systems. I don't really seeing COD selling the next gen systems alone unless they don't appear on the previous systems. But that's more of a random guess by me.

 

[FyreWulff]

But didn't that game do horrible on all systems? It can't be that game.

No clarification provided that the other SKUs did any better.

Epic Mickey 2 had a massive budget and makes more sense to have been projected well over what it actually did. It's the only Wii U game so far that I can think of that would have had that much overprojection and would expect evergreen style sales. As far as I can tell from various news stories, it roughly fits the quoted amount of sales as well.

 

[Mpl90]

Mario also said:



So before Nintendo fans get their panties in a bunch, he's not saying Nintendo is doomed...alone.

Already posted by Haunted. Don't worry.
He, this reminds the 3DS situation a bit, when the slow sales made publishers starting canceling / delaying projects (Crush3D). But probably it's quite a bit worse. Yes, Nintendo needs to rely on Japanese third parties and collaborations more and more. Since this is what they'll do, I think there can be some "surprises" (not as WTF as SMT x FE, that will stay unmatched for quite a long time...I think :lol), though: the support won't come spontaneously, if not for some titles like Sonic, Just Dance, etc.etc.

Still, I'm expecting the console selling better from the end of March: if everything goes well, there's a good amount of good software coming (Lego City Undercover, Wii Fit U, Game & Wario, Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101) till June / July, FAR better than 3DS's first Q2, just as an example.

About Nintendo software's power, its strength is still far better than during GBA / GC days: just for example, Mario Kart 7 and 3D Land have already outsold their GC counterparts (LTD) in their first year, and MK7 more than doubled what MK did on GBA. With the right moves ( like bundles and a 50$ price cut right before the Holidays, even through bundles) the console can have good sales for the end of the year. Granted, it'll have almost three horrible months in the West.

 

[Dave Meltzer]

What with them selling like hotcakes and all.

Are you doubting that improved graphical tech is appealing to people?

 

[MikeE21286]

If only Nintendo got that message as qell and adjusted their output frequency at that, I'd be happy.
Nintendo left us with droughts way too much hoping for others to fill gaps in their release schedule.

Yeah I agree.

People buying a WiiU and expecting it to be their main console are (and probably will continue to be) disappointed.

 

[sd28821]

after Mario's statement I am really looking forward to Sony and Microsoft console launches to see how much of it rings true.

 

[xxbrothawizxx63]

durango+orbis won't bomb. The pent up demand for spec bumped current gen console means they're not going to. people are happy to buy expensive ass ipads. The price of these next gen consoles are a pittance in comparison.

I don't know who you talk to, but this is simply not true from my experience when it comes to a want for new consoles. Almost none of the people I know are excited about the prospect of buying new $400 boxes.

 

[DaBoss]

durango+orbis won't bomb. The pent up demand for spec bumped current gen console means they're not going to. people are happy to buy expensive ass ipads. The price of these next gen consoles are a pittance in comparison.

You're comparing a gaming machine to an everyday useful tablet that can be used for many things. No way they are similar.

 

[witness]

Very excited to see desperate nintendo at years end with price drops and a lot of 1st party titles. Part of me feels bad for them, but another part of me says they had this coming after the Wii.

 

[Dave Meltzer]

I don't know who you talk to, but this is simply not true from my experience when it comes to a want for new consoles. Almost none of the people I know are excited about the prospect of buying new $400 boxes.

They will be when they see the graphics.

 

[Cold-Steel]

Whatever the game is, who the fuck expected something to sell millions on a new console?

I think that is realistic if you are talking worldwide sales.

If a game on WiiU sells 500K in NA, 500K in EU and <50K in JPN you are still talking about a million units sold.

Hitting two million over a period of say a year in post-launch sales/discounts/bundles is realistic.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Are you doubting that improved graphical tech is appealing to people?

I never said that. I am taking issue with your time-traveling abilities.

 

[sn00zer]

Isnt it pretty status quo that most 3rd party games dont do well on the Wii...except Ubisoft games dunno what black magic they preform

 

[goomba]

durango+orbis won't bomb. The pent up demand for spec bumped current gen console means they're not going to. people are happy to buy expensive ass ipads. The price of these next gen consoles are a pittance in comparison.

Define bomb. Do they have to do as Well as the Wii to not "bomb" ?

I agree with Mario in that next gen in general will see decline from current gen . Some will say this is a 'failure' or 'bomb'

 

[JordanLMiller]

They will be when they see the graphics.

You sound like an expert.

 

[Kusagari]

I'm guessing the big game that mega bombed was Batman.

 

[DaBoss]

I never said that. I am taking issue with your time-traveling abilities.

lol, I love how you are just frank about it.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

The day Nintendo announces they're not making consoles anymore is the day that Sony or Microsoft buys up the rest of their stock and locks them to their console. Nintendo's lifespan as a third party would be expressed in terms of minutes and seconds.

Very likely.

But if Yamauchi is still alive they are going to need a lot of zeroes.

 

[Saint Gregory]

Are you doubting that improved graphical tech is appealing to people?

Was it appealing at the beginning of this gen when the Wii was outselling PS3/360 combined? Honest question.

 

[The Mana Legend]

I never said that. I am taking issue with your time-traveling abilities.

Remember when the Gamecube and Xbox outsold the PS2 because their graphics were so much better?

 

[Somnid]

Western publishers have typically resisted Nintendo platforms. 3DS has no meaningful western support. DS didn't even really. Wii certainly didn't. Gamecube had a little. Nintendo has never had any choice but to take the reigns move on and let the stragglers get eaten. While I think it's nice Iwata tries to extend olive branches he should know that Nintendo is ultimately responsible and that they should be the ones to fill their own gaps and not count on 3rd parties for it. If that requires expansion beyond their mid-size company model that they love into a super company like Microsoft and Sony currently are then that's what needs to happen.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

My guess is zombiiU + COD.

that's it.

We'll see what happens when ubisoft's space aliens wiiU game comes out. If they can rejig it to be non-exclusive, I expect them to make that announcment too following what they did to RML.

Ubisoft's what?