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Speculating on Nintendo's WiiU software release strategy in 2014

Neoxon

Junior Member
While I'd agree the two-screen segments would be terrible, it's not impossible to play.

Wii Party U, ZombiU, and NintendoLand, to my knowledge, will be the only games that will be impossible without a Gamepad.
Two of which are major Wii U games (Wii Party U is also a concern). Not to mention the menus.
 

haihoo

Banned
Nintendo put themselves in a shitty position with third parties once again. While most of the industry is transitioning development for 8gb 1.1-1.7 tfp hardware

8GB hardware? The is no 8GB gaming console next gen. The new XBox has 5GB for games, the PS4 4.5GB. The Wii U 1Gb. The Wii U uses 3 of 3 CPU cores, the PS4 and the XBox One 6 of 8 Cores for games.

Of course the PS4/XBoxOne have more power than the Wii U, but obviously they will not top last gen graphics significantly. And the power difference between PS4 and Wii U is only a fraction if the power gap the Wii and the PS3 had.

I think after Mario World and the other upcoming games in 2013 the Wii U Userbase will have a strong rise. The 3DS managed to do so and the Wii U can manage this numbers too.

And the people will see that they can play the new COD and the new Assassins Creed on the Wii U and that without a big graphical difference to PS4/Xbox One versions. The graphical gap between CoD on PS360 and Wii was really big, but between PSOne and Wii U it is only marginally.

The only real handicap for the Wii U in 2014 is the missing EA support with the sport games. But I can see Fifa & Co coming back to Wii U after big holiday sales.
 
I think this winter depends on Mario, and its a lot of pressure since this winter will make or break this system this holiday. If it doesn't pull in numbers like Launch did last year, it's a goner. Very rarely do systems sell less in subsequent holidays after launch holidays.

If the system does well this holiday, Nintendo should populate the first half of the year with high profile First Party games, such as Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, Luigis Mansion HD, Kid Icarus HD, Wii Sports, Yoshis Yarn, and Epic Unannounced Title. The second half will probably be filled with less big titles, but Nintendo could use the previous holiday sales to bolster third party support to fill in gaps. Nintendo really cant afford to lose steam after the holidays anymore. And they really need to pick up serious steam this holiday. The future of the Wii U depends on it.

If not, the Nintendo should spread out their big releases (Mario Kart, Smash Bros, unannounced title) and just pray for the best, because theyve just been squeezed out of the traditional console gaming market. And nothing will change that until they've expanded the market through innovation and new ideas.
 

hatchx

Banned
Two of which are major Wii U games (Wii Party U is also a concern). Not to mention the menus.



They could just bundle Wii Party U and/or NintendoLand with the gamepad.

I think by the time they made such a maneuver, the potential sales for ZombiU and those two games would have basically been reached.

I don't think they'll if WiiU sales take off and Wii Party U becomes this magical evergreen title that Wii Sports Resort was.....and it won't.


Not discounting Wii Party U I'll probably be buying it Day 1. Looks friggin' great.
 
Forget about the amount.
But the amount was the part I commented on. Not whether those games will sell better on a larger installed base. There isn't going to be "more support" there's going to be the same family-oriented support there is now, without the core-oriented support.
FIFA has never mattered on the Wii. Wii U is not the Wii, but I think we all understand by now the Wii U is not gonna end up selling 100 million units no matter what Nintendo do. FIFA and company are useless, because Nintendo know very well that what they should be shooting for is for the Wii U to be one of two consoles in consumers' homes, with one being PS4, Xbox One or PC, and one being the Wii U. Not many people would have gotten FIFA on the Wii U rather than on one of the first three platforms, whichever they own. For the Wii U to be successful as one of two platforms, it doesn't need to do what the other console does except worse. It has to do what the other console doesn't, or doesn't do as well.
Essentially this:
Your whole premise assumes that people want two different consoles in their house.
I don't know where this whole idea that people want two or more consoles in their homes comes from.

If Nintendo is hinging their home console future on being a $300/euro second console, then they may as well pack it up.
 

Some Nobody

Junior Member
8GB hardware? The is no 8GB gaming console next gen. The new XBox has 5GB for games, the PS4 4.5GB. The Wii U 1Gb. The Wii U uses 3 of 3 CPU cores, the PS4 and the XBox One 6 of 8 Cores for games.

Of course the PS4/XBoxOne have more power than the Wii U, but obviously they will not top last gen graphics significantly. And the power difference between PS4 and Wii U is only a fraction if the power gap the Wii and the PS3 had.

I think after Mario World and the other upcoming games in 2013 the Wii U Userbase will have a strong rise. The 3DS managed to do so and the Wii U can manage this numbers too.

And the people will see that they can play the new COD and the new Assassins Creed on the Wii U and that without a big graphical difference to PS4/Xbox One versions. The graphical gap between CoD on PS360 and Wii was really big, but between PSOne and Wii U it is only marginally.
.

What the fuck am I looking at.
 

BowieZ

Banned
My crazy Wii U 2014 predix:

November 2013 Nintendo Direct - Steel Diver F2P reveal, new SM3DW secrets, Animal Crossing Utopia reveal

January 2014 Wii U Nintendo Direct - new Mario Kart 8 trailer/info, Bayonetta and Kid Icarus port announcement, more Steel Diver F2P details, secrets of DKCTF, Pokken Fighters reveal

Jan - Steel Diver F2P
Feb - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Mar - Bayonetta for Wii U
Apr - Mario Kart 8
May - Kid Icarus: Uprising HD / Pokken Fighters
Jun - Animal Crossing Utopia
Jul - Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Aug - Bayonetta 2
Sep - Art University
Oct - X
Nov - Yarn Yoshi
Dec - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

E3 June 2014 - trailer/footage for Zelda Wii U, SMTxFE, Animal Crossing Utopia, Bayonetta 2, X, Yarn Yoshi, Smash Bros. (among a plethora of first and third party 3DS games of course), fintendo
 
8GB hardware? The is no 8GB gaming console next gen. The new XBox has 5GB for games, the PS4 4.5GB. The Wii U 1Gb. The Wii U uses 3 of 3 CPU cores, the PS4 and the XBox One 6 of 8 Cores for games. What an obfuscation. These machines have 8GB of RAM to use in general. Meaning they will be more capable than the Wii U in every aspect.

Of course the PS4/XBoxOne have more power than the Wii U, but obviously they will not top last gen graphics significantly. And the power difference between PS4 and Wii U is only a fraction if the power gap the Wii and the PS3 had. The PS4 alone is more powerful than the Xbox and Wii U combined. It's also disingenuous to say they won't top last gen graphics considerably. Just go look at Second Son. But I assume you think graphics don't matter.

I think after Mario World and the other upcoming games in 2013 the Wii U Userbase will have a strong rise. The 3DS managed to do so and the Wii U can manage this numbers too. Impossible. Wii U will never touch 3DS numbers. Define a "strong rise" for us please, before I assume you're delusional.

And the people will see that they can play the new COD and the new Assassins Creed on the Wii U and that without a big graphical difference to PS4/Xbox One versions. The graphical gap between CoD on PS360 and Wii was really big, but between PSOne and Wii U it is only marginally. Why would people want to play hot multiplatform titles on the Wii U when all of the userbase will be on Xbox and PS4, consoles that have cultivated an environment for those games to succeed. Wii U owners will complain about not buying a downgraded port and perpetuate the idea that 3rd party games can't succeed on Nintendo platforms.

The only real handicap for the Wii U in 2014 is the missing EA support with the sport games. But I can see Fifa & Co coming back to Wii U after big holiday sales.The Wii U will be smoked this holiday, bet on it. Nintendo goofed. EA and Take-Two probably won't be returning, and I doubt they would get an adequate return on any investment into the platform. Nintendo itself is the biggest obstacle to the Wii U even becoming a moderate success.
.
 

AniHawk

Member
ignoring the fact the 3ds aint doing too hot in the us (despite being the #1 selling system here pretty much all year), it's weird how its 2013 lineup has been praised almost all year. and it's all on the back of nintendo games, with some titles from only a few third-parties. fire emblem, luigi's mansion, animal crossing, and upcoming games like zelda and pokemon have given people the perception that it's in 'beast mode'. it's received about half the games that have come to the xbox 360 and ps3.
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
There is nothing to speculate about: their 2014 schedule will disappoint, that's all ;p
seriously (more or less) I hope they'll focus more on Wii U than 3DS that already received a lot of their primary first/second party efforts, with all the games already announced, with no delays and some new surprise
 

MDX

Member
. EA and Take-Two probably won't be returning,

I think EA will. As a matter of fact, I think they are already working on some Star Wars titles for the WiiU. Not to mention, I dont think the sales of Xb1 will be so hot next year. Its an expensive console. I doubt it will even catch up to WiiU sales considering it is limited in the markets its selling, and the number of units they can produce.

Which means for publishers, there wont be that many consoles in the hands of the public to justify the costs of their big budget games. We'll be looking at another round of studio collapses and publishers filing for bankruptcy if they are stubborn in supporting all three consoles.
 

MDX

Member
I really doubt Nintendo will let Mario Kart slip past Spring 2014. What's your reasoning for this? It's not as if Mario Kart is notorious for long development times or delays.

That was 1st quarter Winter 2014.
Though Im hearing that it has been confirmed for Spring (april) 2014.
But maybe Nintendo gets desperate and moves up the due date sooner...
 
I think EA will. As a matter of fact, I think they are already working on some Star Wars titles for the WiiU. Not to mention, I dont think the sales of Xb1 will be so hot next year. Its an expensive console. I doubt it will even catch up to WiiU sales considering it is limited in the markets its selling, and the number of units they can produce.

Which means for publishers, there wont be that many consoles in the hands of the public to justify the costs of their big budget games. We'll be looking at another round of studio collapses and publishers filing for bankruptcy if they are stubborn in supporting all three consoles.

Yes I'm sure the 100-200k maximum Wii U versions can pull is going to be the make/break for studios. EA doesn't have to support Wii U if they still support PS3/360 which is what will happen if sales for the other two aren't so hot. They'll just keep doing PS3/360/One/PS4/PC releases and ignore Wii U
 

Taker666

Member
I think EA will. As a matter of fact, I think they are already working on some Star Wars titles for the WiiU. Not to mention, I dont think the sales of Xb1 will be so hot next year. Its an expensive console. I doubt it will even catch up to WiiU sales considering it is limited in the markets its selling, and the number of units they can produce.

Which means for publishers, there wont be that many consoles in the hands of the public to justify the costs of their big budget games. We'll be looking at another round of studio collapses and publishers filing for bankruptcy if they are stubborn in supporting all three consoles.

I'm not convinced. They won't even spend a minimal amount giving Wii U owners a shitty legacy edition of FIFA (which would have cost them practically nothing to make and would be guaranteed to make a profit)....and FIFA is the only thing they have made for the 3DS for a couple of years.
 
And the people will see that they can play the new COD and the new Assassins Creed on the Wii U and that without a big graphical difference to PS4/Xbox One versions. The graphical gap between CoD on PS360 and Wii was really big, but between PSOne and Wii U it is only marginally.

The only real handicap for the Wii U in 2014 is the missing EA support with the sport games. But I can see Fifa & Co coming back to Wii U after big holiday sales.
Is this a joke post? CoD audience isn''t interested in Wii U and won't be as long as Playstation and Xbox are around.
 
Whats a CoD audience? And did you poll them?
EA can grow a "CoD audience" if they want on any console.
i don't need to poll them. If EA thought they could grow this audience on Wii U, they would've attempted to by now. Fact is, the Wii U audience generality doesn't buy these games.
 
Nintendo should look into re-releasing Xenoblade and Bayonetta. Xeno could be just a Wii reprint, but B1 needs a port. Should be released early in the year as not to be too close to the sequels.

Luigi Mansion HD makes no sense IMO. Games sold quite well already, and I imagine a good percentage of Wii U owners have a 3DS. Also the game would have to be changed significantly if they implemented dual analog, as it would throw the balance away on the ghost fights. And if it didn't people would probably complain about it.

Kid Icarus, on the other hand, could find new players using the pointer as controls was its main drawback. And I guess it wouldn't need to be changed. (not sure about this, but playing with pointer should be roughly equivalent to stylus controls) Still, HD-fying GameCube games seems to be a better solution if they are that desperate for software.
 

MDX

Member
Yes I'm sure the 100-200k maximum Wii U versions can pull is going to be the make/break for studios.

How many units do you think the Xb1 and PS4 will pull their first year?
Im sure you will find similar numbers for many games.
So smart publishers will need to 200K x 3 vs 200K x 2 or 200k x 1 to survive
unless their development costs were already covered.

As a matter of fact, I can see many publishers pushing their release dates
to the end of next year just so they can reach more consoles depending how well
these machines do.

And yes, they could cater to current gen consoles, but they will only prolong the adoption of next gen, which will be detrimental to console makers.
 
]How many units do you think the Xb1 and PS4 will pull their first year?[/B]
Im sure you will find similar numbers for many games.
So smart publishers will need to 200K x 3 vs 200K x 2 or 200k x 1 to survive
unless their development costs were already covered.

As a matter of fact, I can see many publishers pushing their release dates
to the end of next year just so they can reach more consoles depending how well
these machines do.

And yes, they could cater to current gen consoles, but they will only prolong the adoption of next gen, which will be detrimental to console makers.

Combined? At least 4x what Wii U did at the very worst.
 
I think a lot of these games that we expect to come out in spring and summer will be pushed to the fall.

And the English version of X will be delayed until 2015 and then cancelled.
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
I would like to see Shimizu get another shot at Donkey Kong or Starfox. DK '94, DK: Jungle Beat, and Starfox 64 were all amazing games that he directed/produced.

As for Koizumi's game, with his apparent desire to return to Zelda, and with him seemingly having the original Mana team (Grezzo & Brownie Brown [now 1up]) at his disposal, I wonder if he would do an original action/adventure title.

Wow this would seriously be a dream come true. Would LOVE a spiritual sequel to the Seiken Densetsu-games on the Wii U or even 3DS!
 

MDX

Member
i don't need to poll them. If EA thought they could grow this audience on Wii U, they would've attempted to by now. Fact is, the Wii U audience generality doesn't buy these games.

What!?
How do you know what the WiiU audience is at this early stage of the console's life?
One of the best selling games on the console was ZombiU, what audience is that?
 
What!?
How do you know what the WiiU audience is at this early stage of the console's life?
One of the best selling games on the console was ZombiU, what audience is that?

You mean the game that bombed and didn't come close to making its budget back according to Ubisoft? That's just shows how awful things are if that is one of the best selling games on the platform, and I don't even know what metric you are using for that. Top 5? Top 10?
 

MDX

Member
I think a lot of these games that we expect to come out in spring and summer will be pushed to the fall.

And the English version of X will be delayed until 2015 and then cancelled.

If they are smart, Nintendo will probably release the games based on droughts on the PS4 and XB1. This will give them more exposure from the media. And, they know how important momentum is after Xmas. Thats probably why they want to start the year with Donkey Kong and then a month, to a month and a half later, Mario Kart.
 
Being "one of the best selling games on the Wii U" really doesn't mean a whole lot, unless you're talking about New Super Mario Bros U.
 

Yanikun

Banned
Your whole premise assumes that people want two different consoles in their house.

My prediction is that the Wii U will outsell the GameCube. If Nintendo, with all they have and all they're capable of, can't manage to make 20 million more people over the next ~five years want a Wii U as a second system, then Iwata deserves to get fired, hired again, then fired again. But I'm very confident they can do it. Nintendo is constantly being both over-estimated and under-estimated. They can screw that up but it would be the same thing as this commercial.

I don't know where this whole idea that people want two or more consoles in their homes comes from.

If Nintendo is hinging their home console future on being a $300/euro second console, then they may as well pack it up.

Yes, because the Wii U is definitely gonna stay at the same price until the end of its life-cycle.

If you look at the numbers of previous generations and don't believe there's very significant overlap, then I don't know what to tell you. See you in five years, I guess.
 

Some Nobody

Junior Member
I think a lot of these games that we expect to come out in spring and summer will be pushed to the fall.

And the English version of X will be delayed until 2015 and then cancelled.

At a certain point, blind pessimism sounds just as stupid as blind optimism.
 
Yes, because the Wii U is definitely gonna stay at the same price until the end of its life-cycle.
Because that's entirely what I said. /sarcasm.
It's just received a price drop. It is unlikely to receive significant price reduction for the foreseeable near to mid-term. What I wrote is the situation at hand, and it's a frankly stupid strategy.

So Nintendo are positioning this system as a "secondary console" for it's eventual $200 price in 2015, or $150 price point in 2016, while it languishes on the market for three years in irrelevance? Good luck with that.
If you look at the numbers of previous generations and don't believe there's very significant overlap, then I don't know what to tell you. See you in five years, I guess.
Please, feel free to share these numbers that you're apparently privy to.
 
ignoring the fact the 3ds aint doing too hot in the us (despite being the #1 selling system here pretty much all year), it's weird how its 2013 lineup has been praised almost all year. and it's all on the back of nintendo games, with some titles from only a few third-parties. fire emblem, luigi's mansion, animal crossing, and upcoming games like zelda and pokemon have given people the perception that it's in 'beast mode'. it's received about half the games that have come to the xbox 360 and ps3.

This speaks volumes of the state of the games market in general, rather than just Nintendo specifically. It's easy to call Wii U a failure, and it's true for the most part, but I don't think PS4 and Xbox One are going to improve the overall situation in any meaningful way either. I think this time next year, we're going to be having some interesting conversations as to what went right and what went wrong over the next 12 months, and that'll be pertaining to all three console manufacturers.
 

MDX

Member
This speaks volumes of the state of the games market in general, rather than just Nintendo specifically. It's easy to call Wii U a failure, and it's true for the most part, but I don't think PS4 and Xbox One are going to improve the overall situation in any meaningful way either. I think this time next year, we're going to be having some interesting conversations as to what went right and what went wrong over the next 12 months, and that'll be pertaining to all three console manufacturers.

Exactly, what new markets do people think these two consoles are reaching?
We know that the Wii expanded the game market, now this market has contracted.
 

wsippel

Banned
I wonder if the new IP Nintendo worked on with Human Head is still a thing. That one has been in development for quite some time - could be a 2014 title if it wasn't canned.
 

radcliff

Member
I wonder if the new IP Nintendo worked on with Human Head is still a thing. That one has been in development for quite some time - could be a 2014 title if it wasn't canned.

Hopefully. I thought Prey had some interesting gameplay and it was quite a good looking game. I think they would be a good fit to collaborate with Nintendo. At this point, I am not sure if Nintendo is in a postion to be cancelling games.
 

Timeaisis

Member
Was it ever confirmed Smash was even scheduled for 2014? Mario Kart is, obviously. But I don't remember hearing Smash was definite 2014? If it did, it'd be holiday, I'd think.

I'm guessing Mario Kart is April or May. As for the rest, god (and Nintendo) only knows.
 

Yanikun

Banned
Because that's entirely what I said. /sarcasm.
It's just received a price drop. It is unlikely to receive significant price reduction for the foreseeable near to mid-term. What I wrote is the situation at hand, and it's a frankly stupid strategy.

So Nintendo are positioning this system as a "secondary console" for it's eventual $200 price in 2015, or $150 price point in 2016, while it languishes on the market for three years in irrelevance? Good luck with that.

Well they're not gonna position the Wii U as an additional purchase now, since new consoles are only launching then. They don't expect, and I don't expect, people to buy both a PS4 or Xbone AND a Wii U this holiday. That doesn't make any sense.

Of course that strategy of being adopted as one of two systems (I didn't say second by the way, I said one of two) is a long-term one. The goal is that this generation, over the next five or six years, people are gonna own both a PS4/Xbone/PC and a Wii U. They don't have to buy them both now. If someone buys an Xbox One in the 2013 holiday season and a Wii U in the 2014 holiday season, mission accomplished.

People will buy the Wii U, the PS4 and/or the Xbone when they feel the price is right. It can be now, it can be in 2014, it can be in 2015, it can be at the end of its life. Why would it have to be now while it's at $300? People buying it in 2015 at $200 or something will still be a part of the install base, so I'm not sure where you were going with this. Having 20 million people over the course of the next generation buying a Wii U at some point when they feel the price is right for them, is far from an unrealistic target.


Please, feel free to share these numbers that you're apparently privy to.

I'd have to dig the exact numbers, which would be a pain, but I think we can all use our memory. How much did Black Ops, for example, sell on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, and how much did it sell on the Wii? You can interpret the numbers as you wish, but it seems pretty clear to me that perhaps people bought one console to play Call of Duty, Madden and Assassin's Creed, and another console to play Mario Kart, Skyward Sword and Just Dance.

By now it should be pretty obvious that Microsoft and Sony are pushing hard for their next-gen systems to look as hardcore as possible, and Nintendo is pushing hard for the Wii U to be the ultimate party console.

The problem with the GameCube gen is that all three systems tried to be the core console. This isn't happening again this time, and thanks to the Wii and the DS, Mario Kart got bigger, Mario got bigger, Smash Bros. got bigger, and in addition to that, they got several other new multi-million sellers, and opened a market for third parties to make their own that would match the system's identity.

For the Wii U to go below the GCN, all the new Wii IP's would have to go from several millions to tens of millions to zero, as the GameCube didn't have them. Mario Kart would have to go from tens of millions on the Wii and DS to a few millions. 3D Mario would have to lose close to half what it did.

So, I think odds that a fraction of those people eventually buy a Wii U for them are relatively good, even if they already own another system.

Also, because it's a funny video on the topic:
http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/wzzto7/gt-tv-reggie-fils-aime-promo-clip
 
Well they're not gonna position the Wii U as an additional purchase now, since new consoles are only launching then. They don't expect, and I don't expect, people to buy both a PS4 or Xbone AND a Wii U this holiday. That doesn't make any sense.

Of course that strategy of being adopted as one of two systems (I didn't say second by the way, I said one of two) is a long-term one. The goal is that this generation, over the next five or six years, people are gonna own both a PS4/Xbone/PC and a Wii U. They don't have to buy them both now. If someone buys an Xbox One in the 2013 holiday season and a Wii U in the 2014 holiday season, mission accomplished.

People will buy the Wii U, the PS4 and/or the Xbone when they feel the price is right. It can be now, it can be in 2014, it can be in 2015, it can be at the end of its life. Why would it have to be now while it's at $300? People buying it in 2015 at $200 or something will still be a part of the install base, so I'm not sure where you were going with this. Having 20 million people over the course of the next generation buying a Wii U at some point when they feel the price is right for them, is far from an unrealistic target.
You seem to be inferring things that aren't being said. I don't know where you're getting anything from my posts in this thread for or against outselling the GCN. I thought we were discussing the value of "core" third party support and now your assertion of there being significant multi-console ownership.
I'd have to dig the exact numbers, which would be a pain, but I think we can all use our memory. How much did Black Ops, for example, sell on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, and how much did it sell on the Wii? You can interpret the numbers as you wish, but it seems pretty clear to me that perhaps people bought one console to play Call of Duty, Madden and Assassin's Creed, and another console to play Mario Kart, Skyward Sword and Just Dance.
Unless you have numbers specifically showing ownership overlap for multiple consoles for multiple generations, as implied in your above post no you really can't just throw out "interpretations" of unrelated numbers and make definitive statements about very significant overlap. :/

All that Call of Duty selling a lot on the 360 shows is that it sold a lot on 360, it says nothing of whether those same people also owned a Wii. And again, the Wii U is not and will never be comparable to the Wii - not in conception, not in execution, not in broad appeal and so on. The Wii was a cultural phenomenon that sold on the novelty of a control scheme that resonated with a broad non-traditional audience.
By now it should be pretty obvious that Microsoft and Sony are pushing hard for their next-gen systems to look as hardcore as possible, and Nintendo is pushing hard for the Wii U to be the ultimate party console.
Nintendo doesn't know what they're trying to push the Wii U as frankly. It's an incredibly unfocused product.
The problem with the GameCube gen is that all three systems tried to be the core console.
The purple lunchbox wasn't really positioned well as a "core" console. Setting that aside, the GameCube's problems and the Wii U's problems boil down to the same problem: lack of developer support is self-perpetuating and means the system is inherently less valuable to consumers and developers compared to competing propositions; lack of consumers is self-perpetuating and means the system is inherently less valuable to consumers and developers.

EA saying they aren't making games for the Wii U has follow on effects for the development community; there being no Bethesda or Take-Two games in the line-up, Ubisoft and WBIE now announcing things that are skipping the platform - this all has follow on effects for consumer perception.
This isn't happening again this time, and thanks to the Wii and the DS, Mario Kart got bigger, Mario got bigger, Smash Bros. got bigger, and in addition to that, they got several other new multi-million sellers, and opened a market for third parties to make their own that would match the system's identity. For the Wii U to go below the GCN, all the new Wii IP's would have to go from several millions to tens of millions to zero, as the GameCube didn't have them. Mario Kart would have to go from tens of millions on the Wii and DS to a few millions. 3D Mario would have to lose close to half what it did.
New Super Mario Bros blew up. And then it got a lot smaller again.
Wario got bigger. And then it got a lot smaller again.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero got big too. Fitness games grew. And then those markets collapsed. Just Dance has seen persistent year over year decreases in the UK market.

These things will not be the circuit breaker. These things can only pad out the software line-up so much, between Nintendo's output. And at the end of the day, these third party casual games will be on pretty much every platform.
So, I think odds that a fraction of those people eventually buy a Wii U for them are relatively good, even if they already own another system.
A fraction is a very vague non-specific statement, which I can agree with more than "very significant" overlap. But [part of] that fraction is already buying the system and it doesn't amount to much. A dedicated Nintendo fan in the EU or US may need a Wii U despite it lacking FIFA or Madden respectively - but it's already selling to those people and selling to those people alone isn't going to turn the ship around.

At the end of the day the competing value propositions are basically boxes with everything but Nintendo's games, and a box with Nintendo's games, but lacking pretty much everything else. And the market that will buy a $350, $300, $250, $200 or even $99 box just for Nintendo's games [or for any one publisher's games] has progressively diminished over the years with the sole exception of the Wii - and to reiterate again, the Wii U is nothing like the Wii.

As a generality, people want to pay the least amount of money for the most value. And on that premise, I do not see there being a large market of people who want to pay for a crap load of boxes under their TV.
 

Sendou

Member
Ah, OK. I must've forgotten because Brawl seemed to take forever. I'm guessing Holiday 2014, I doubt they have enough time to release in Summer, much less spring.

I still think Smash is going to be released surprisingly early. They didn't bring Namco in to help them with the development for nothing.
 

AzaK

Member
Nintendo should look into re-releasing Xenoblade and Bayonetta. Xeno could be just a Wii reprint, but B1 needs a port. Should be released early in the year as not to be too close to the sequels.

Luigi Mansion HD makes no sense IMO. Games sold quite well already, and I imagine a good percentage of Wii U owners have a 3DS. Also the game would have to be changed significantly if they implemented dual analog, as it would throw the balance away on the ghost fights. And if it didn't people would probably complain about it.

Kid Icarus, on the other hand, could find new players using the pointer as controls was its main drawback. And I guess it wouldn't need to be changed. (not sure about this, but playing with pointer should be roughly equivalent to stylus controls) Still, HD-fying GameCube games seems to be a better solution if they are that desperate for software.
Maybe rehashing everything they've done in the past is best for them (not us). Code already done, small update for HD and Nintendo fans will lap it up.
 

haihoo

Banned
Is this a joke post? CoD audience isn''t interested in Wii U and won't be as long as Playstation and Xbox are around.

The CoD audience is broad, of course the hardcore CoD gamers that spend hours with the multiplayer will not buy a Wii U to play CoD, but they are only a fraction of the CoD audience, most of CoD buyers only play the solo mission. Even on the Wii many CODs games managed to sell over a million, despite the fact that they are graphically downgraded versions. With Wii U the graphical difference to PS4/Xbox One games is only marginally.

Of course the Wii U will not get the gamers that buy a console only to play shooters. But "normal" gamers will see that they can get graphically bombastic versions of CoD, Assassins Creed, Watch Dogs, Batman, etc. and on top of that Mario Games, Bayonetta 2, Wii Party, Sonic and Zelda. So they are now much more encouraged to buy a Wii U than they was encouraged to buy a Wii last gen.
 
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