BlackBanditSho
Member
About two years ago, Nintendo made a BIG deal about getting indie games and PC games on the Wii U. Apparently, UNITY can run on the hardware now. Some version of UNREAL as well. The appeal of the Wii U was supposed to be some kind of extra support from Nintendo, as well as the ability to sell the games on the hardware at appealing prices, as opposed to on other platforms like iOS, Steam, or Google Play.
It's 2016, and I'm looking at games like Tharsis, Rogue Galaxy, and Oxenfree. They're on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but not Wii U.
Again.
It's not an issue of exclusivity because they're already clearly multiplatform. It's not an issue of competition on the hardware because although the install base of Nintendo hardware is small compared to the Sony and Microsoft titans, it's certainly not pittance. It can't be the hardware because none of these games are graphical powerhouses, and should be able to run on Nintendo's platform I'd assume.
Also, it can't be a soured history with Nintendo, either, right? I get it. Activision and EA and a lot of the old school majors have done business with Nintendo in the past and have opted to tread cautiously going forward for various reasons. However, the new guys have NO history with Nintendo, and were actively courted if the public displays by Nintendo PR were to be believed.
So if it's none of those things, and there's a potentially ready audience, then why are these games opting to skip the hardware?
There's a perception that Nintendo fans will only buy Nintendo games, but the unspoken reality of that statement is that there are so few options on the hardware that Nintendo consumers are left without much choice.
I'm looking at the indie new releases on the eshop, and it's just miserable. These are games that you'd passover on iOS. What's worse, I actually want to play Oxenfree, Rogue Galaxy, and Tharsis, but I'd prefer them on handheld devices. There's actually far greater a chance that they'll be on iOS at half price than on Nintendo hardware at full price.
It's such an odd situation. Developers often lament about overcrowding and invisibility on the mobile platforms, and fans often ruffle at the lack of curation Steam. Yet, there's literally no competition on Nintendo's eshop, and base of fans willing to try something other than Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros to get them through.
Is it the perception that Nintendo fans are all kids? Does it have to do with the poor sales of OLD ports of third party games to the platform? Why buy Deus Ex, an incomplete Mass Effect 3, or a sub par Splinter Cell game on the console when you can get better versions everywhere else?
I wonder how Kerbal Space Program will sell. I wonder if Activision is holding the poor sales of Call of Duty: Ghost against the hardware, despite the fact that the game was awful, instead of looking at the FANTASTIC sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on the hardware, a game that is regularly sold out because it remains incredibly popular. Frankly, if you don't dig Splatoon (which totally isn't my bag) Black Ops 2 multiplayer is pretty much your ONLY option on the hardware.
With that kind of data in mind, why wouldn't smaller indie guys be all over this thing? Is there something the general public doesn't know that devs do? I'd love to hear from devs or people who have a better understanding about the situation.
It's 2016, and I'm looking at games like Tharsis, Rogue Galaxy, and Oxenfree. They're on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but not Wii U.
Again.
It's not an issue of exclusivity because they're already clearly multiplatform. It's not an issue of competition on the hardware because although the install base of Nintendo hardware is small compared to the Sony and Microsoft titans, it's certainly not pittance. It can't be the hardware because none of these games are graphical powerhouses, and should be able to run on Nintendo's platform I'd assume.
Also, it can't be a soured history with Nintendo, either, right? I get it. Activision and EA and a lot of the old school majors have done business with Nintendo in the past and have opted to tread cautiously going forward for various reasons. However, the new guys have NO history with Nintendo, and were actively courted if the public displays by Nintendo PR were to be believed.
So if it's none of those things, and there's a potentially ready audience, then why are these games opting to skip the hardware?
There's a perception that Nintendo fans will only buy Nintendo games, but the unspoken reality of that statement is that there are so few options on the hardware that Nintendo consumers are left without much choice.
I'm looking at the indie new releases on the eshop, and it's just miserable. These are games that you'd passover on iOS. What's worse, I actually want to play Oxenfree, Rogue Galaxy, and Tharsis, but I'd prefer them on handheld devices. There's actually far greater a chance that they'll be on iOS at half price than on Nintendo hardware at full price.
It's such an odd situation. Developers often lament about overcrowding and invisibility on the mobile platforms, and fans often ruffle at the lack of curation Steam. Yet, there's literally no competition on Nintendo's eshop, and base of fans willing to try something other than Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros to get them through.
Is it the perception that Nintendo fans are all kids? Does it have to do with the poor sales of OLD ports of third party games to the platform? Why buy Deus Ex, an incomplete Mass Effect 3, or a sub par Splinter Cell game on the console when you can get better versions everywhere else?
I wonder how Kerbal Space Program will sell. I wonder if Activision is holding the poor sales of Call of Duty: Ghost against the hardware, despite the fact that the game was awful, instead of looking at the FANTASTIC sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on the hardware, a game that is regularly sold out because it remains incredibly popular. Frankly, if you don't dig Splatoon (which totally isn't my bag) Black Ops 2 multiplayer is pretty much your ONLY option on the hardware.
With that kind of data in mind, why wouldn't smaller indie guys be all over this thing? Is there something the general public doesn't know that devs do? I'd love to hear from devs or people who have a better understanding about the situation.
