Struck out after only 6 months?
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Might 3rd Party Wii U Hate Be an Effort to Push Gamers to DRM-Locked Platforms?
- Thread starter Unison
- Start date
ZombiePlatypus
Member
I really wouldn't be surprised if it played a factor in skipping the WiiU for now. I really hope Nintendo stands their ground though. I'd rather the WiiU have no DRM and less 3rd party games, as opposed to offer all 3rd party titles with DRM that is game-breaking in multiple situations.
EA? Absolutely. Everything lines up too well. EA is also the most pro-DRM company out there. They shafted Steam because Valve wouldn't play ball on various data pushing and data collection practices.
Other publishers? Not as much. Ubisoft and Activision are actually giving the system decent support. Other companies may just be making shrewd financial decisions.
For now we'll just have to watch how things shake out. E3 is going to be very, very interesting.
Other publishers? Not as much. Ubisoft and Activision are actually giving the system decent support. Other companies may just be making shrewd financial decisions.
For now we'll just have to watch how things shake out. E3 is going to be very, very interesting.
theviolenthero
Member
Seriously?
When i said drm i was talking about XB1 style drm which is what the OP was talking about.
Oh and fyi, i've been gaming since the late 1980's.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
I doubt it, Nintendo has had shit third party support for 3 gens straight now.
Ninja Scooter
Member
As bad as their numbers have been they have lost the "benefit of the doubt". It's not just struggling. It's putting up the worst numbers since....shit probably Sega Saturn.
Yeah, no doubt... There wasn't much love for Nintendo to lose in the first place, but EA's shift from unprecedented partnership to unprecedented hate was pretty spectacular.
Maybe their management shift is just to blame there, though.
Ya, but they are already successful platforms.
If publishers can starve the Wii U, they can shift gamers to buying the games on One/PS4, making the Wii U never successful and leaving consumers with no real choice but DRM. They're playing the long game.
(This all assumes Sony is doing what MS is doing.)
Could be a side-factor, but I think the bigger motivation is just 1) 3rd party games sell like shit on nintendo platforms and have sold like shit for a long long time (you could argue it's a vicious circle, and it probably is—but it's still a fact of life) and 2) 3rd party relationships with nintendo are shit and have been for... basically ever. Even when Nintendo was on top of the world, they never really bothered playing nice with 3rd parties—which really bit them in the ass when the N64 hit and beyond. 3rd parties basically jumped ship the first opportunity they got and Nintendo was more than willing to give them countless reasons to do so.
the PS3 and GC went through some pretty lean times...
the PS3 and GC went through some pretty lean times...
TreasureHunterG
Banned
It would be stupid for third-parties to believe WiiU's userbase won't grow up till the end of the year. By that time, Nintendo probably will price cut the machine and this year's line up will come out. This will improve it's userbase, no doubt. How big will be the boost after all of this happens, we can't say for sure. Third-parties shafting it would have opportunity to sell their games on the system if they actually supported it. It's very odd indeed how third-parties are shafting Wii U like this. Sure, if WiiU had a 1/2 years life spam and was selling like shit, then yes, it would be certainly be called as a failure, but 6 months with no competitors around?
They had no problem shafting the Wii and that sold ridiculously well. Nintendo just doesn't play well with 3rd parties; 1st party studios will always be the priority. It can be a good thing (didn't need them for the Wii), it can bite them in the ass (GC was dire dire times for Nintendo)... but it's just the way Nintendo are. they march to the beat of their own drum and always have.
Goldenmoney
Member
It might have something to do with it, I would say definitely EA, but I think the majority just aren't confident that developing for the Wii U is profitable at this time.
Chinpoko_Master
Member
The Wii U is tracking below the GameCube. That is not "about equal launch aligned with the ps3", sorry.
Yeah, but publishers have an ear to the ground on these things. Wii U was gaining no traction with consumers pre-launch. Compared to the hype leading into the Wii launch, there was absolutely nothing to suggest Wii U was going to be a success. Consumer apathy and confusion and a poor first party launch window lineup were all pointing at a bomb and that was what happened.
Third parties want one thing and Nintendo deliver something else. At least the Wii had the hype and casual appeal which meant publishers couldn't completely ignore it. Without that, the Wii U struggles. The lack of used game DRM is just another strike against the console among many others.
People really do need to let this Origin thing go. It doesn't explain the motivation behind the other publishers who aren't making Wii U games. Square Enix, TakeTwo, Activision and Konami, etc. aren't making Wii games either. Is it sour grapes about a failed online infrastructure deal from all of them?
TreasureHunterG
Banned
Using DRM in a broad manner like that is just going to confuse the issue later on. Keep talking like this and just mentioning DRM will be a dirty word that derails discussion instead of conveying correctly the issues we actually want to address, in this case the value proposition between a market with used games sales and a market that can't have used games.
Sony is on record saying they'll let third parties do what they want. You hope there is good faith, but the door is open for Xbone type DRM.
Ninja Scooter
Member
I don't think PS3 ever sunk as low as Wii U's numbers the last 2 months. Even selling at $599. That's telling in terms of the appeal, or lack thereof, of the product.
I don't know...
The Wii U is simply not selling very well. I don't think it is financially viable to create a Wii U version of these games. How many Wii U games that were not bundled sold 1m copies? A half million? I'm sure I can count them on one hand.
Does DRM play a role in that decision? Quite possibly. Why develop for a platform that does not sell very well and does not have some check on used games?
The Wii U is simply not selling very well. I don't think it is financially viable to create a Wii U version of these games. How many Wii U games that were not bundled sold 1m copies? A half million? I'm sure I can count them on one hand.
Does DRM play a role in that decision? Quite possibly. Why develop for a platform that does not sell very well and does not have some check on used games?
I can't believe people still think this. Games have just as much a chance to sell on the Wii U as they do the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One if the quality of game was there and actually acknowledged. Many western third parties don't even try and cause their own failures.
If the DRM is the reason at what point do people accept that what is taking place here is collusion and actually illegal.
Yes. Frankly, I'm not about entertaining delusional fan hopes and dreams. The Wii U is tanking. No console has started out the gate this poorly this poorly and gone on to be a success.
You're more than welcome to continue hopin and prayin for a miracle. But don't expect the rest of us to.
Rickenslacker
Banned
Third party support has been paltry on Nintendo consoles since the N64, I don't think it's suddenly now because of DRM schemes.
Jinfash
needs 2 extra inches
well thats because the gamecube was ahead of ps3 after six months
edit: gc was ahead of 360 as well
http://m.joystiq.com/2007/05/19/the-first-six-months-show-ps3-lagging-behind-everything/
why would they want that?
Wow at dat momentum loss.
Ninja Scooter
Member
Nobody knows who the audience of the Wii U is. IT's barely selling. The casual Wii fanbase is gone and never coming back. The hardcore gamers haven't seemed to care. Nintendo fans are all over it but they always are, and will they buy 3rd party software? Did they on N64 and Gamecube when the userbase was primarily made up of that audience? If you were an exec at a third party publisher, would you be willing to stick your neck out, put tens of millions of dollars of your companies money on the line to create an exclusive Wii U game considering the state of the system right now? Who do you cater the game to? Who is the audience? Nintendo doesn't even fucking know and Iwata has said as much and you expect Third Parties to be jumping over each other for a chance to make Wii U games?
Trevelyan9999
Banned
When you think about it, logic would dictate that Third Parties should have some more games on the Wii U this holiday season due to the increase in the install base by that time. Nintendo's heavy hitting Mario Kart U will be coming out and there is going to be a lot of people buying a Wii U and they are going to want some options to play with on the system.
Most likely Wii U will see a little more Third Party support but not much. Xbox One and PS4 have a Zero install base compared to the Wii U most likely being over 5 million by the time they are released; but we'll be seeing huge support for those systems with high prices, high development costs and high priced games......logic be damned right?
I have a feeling there isn't going to be one huge selling game on either of those new consoles and many Third Parties are going to end up loosing a ton of money unless Microsoft and Sony have already money hatted them in case things go bad with sales.
The Wii U is going to get heavy First Party support, nice Indie Dev support on the eShop and a good amount of ports from most of the publishers who aren't EA.
Most likely Wii U will see a little more Third Party support but not much. Xbox One and PS4 have a Zero install base compared to the Wii U most likely being over 5 million by the time they are released; but we'll be seeing huge support for those systems with high prices, high development costs and high priced games......logic be damned right?
I have a feeling there isn't going to be one huge selling game on either of those new consoles and many Third Parties are going to end up loosing a ton of money unless Microsoft and Sony have already money hatted them in case things go bad with sales.
The Wii U is going to get heavy First Party support, nice Indie Dev support on the eShop and a good amount of ports from most of the publishers who aren't EA.
The demographics aren't the same, it would make more sense to publish certain games rather than just throw everything they're working on on the Wii U. Unfortunately developers don't think it's worth it/have the resources to devote to Wii U specific games. The games they're working on have a much better chance of selling on PS/MS consoles because the people they're targeting are already there.
Chinpoko_Master
Member
In response to the OP, Nintendo is behind the curve in more ways than one. That includes DRM and used games if both Sony and MS are adopting the same policies with their next consoles. Not saying that that's a bad thing in this case however.
But yeah, lets fabricate an imaginary narrative that third parties are bailing on the Wii U because Nintendo is crusading for consumer rights. Dat wishful thinking.
But yeah, lets fabricate an imaginary narrative that third parties are bailing on the Wii U because Nintendo is crusading for consumer rights. Dat wishful thinking.
Ninja Scooter
Member
I hate this logic that so many people make in Wii U threads. The new Blackberry has a bigger install base than the iPhone 6, which hasn't even launched yet and won't until the fall, so all these peripheral and accessory companies should be working on Blackberry accessories and apps, right? Sony and MS have spent years creating a demographic of gamers that buy their systems and, in turn, buy 3rd party games by the boat load. Nintendo, meanwhile, spent the last 5 years catering to a demographic that no longer exists in the console space. Why should third parties put them in the same boat?
This idea that Nintendo will just turn it around, like its some assumed inevitability, needs to go away. In any other tech industry (example: THE NEW BLACKBERRY PHONE THAT SOLD LIKE CRAP) products are written off all of the time because of how badly they have been received in their first few months. It is very telling. The industry moves fast and if you start off slow there are always other companies and products ready to lap you. Video games are the same. The Wii U right now is, at best, being treated with indifference by the mass market. That isn't going to get better when those nice, new shiny PS4 and XBONES hit the market.
That disc you have to keep in the tray isn't DRM?
well not really, the gamecube had pretty decent 3rd party support, check out its library. Even the N64's situation was substantially better than the Wii U's present one, however these types of comparisons aren't all that fair since the thing has been launched fairly recently; of course we can consider that current support/partnerships will go on for a bit, at least until the install base grows enough to warrant some changes.
that's no more DRM than the CDs we've been using for thirty years. Don't use that analogy, it's bullshit.
John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Oh my oh my these days in hardcore forums crazy do fly.
Publishers aren't putting out games for Wii u right now because its very very difficult to be roi positive considering the console has declining momentum and its current user base is NOT BUYING ANY GAMES.
In before: ("But there aren't any games!!!")
There's no grand conspiracy. Near 80% of people who bought a Wii u bought nsmbu and nothing else. That'd all they want, Nintendo games. Nintendo needs to inject life in this system and attract people who buy more games and then more games will come. Those are the facts
Publishers aren't putting out games for Wii u right now because its very very difficult to be roi positive considering the console has declining momentum and its current user base is NOT BUYING ANY GAMES.
In before: ("But there aren't any games!!!")
There's no grand conspiracy. Near 80% of people who bought a Wii u bought nsmbu and nothing else. That'd all they want, Nintendo games. Nintendo needs to inject life in this system and attract people who buy more games and then more games will come. Those are the facts
Sports games have an even worse track record on Nintendo platforms than general 3rd parties do. In the case of NBA 2k14, I'd imagine the logic is they're not reaching any larger audience with the Wii U since the 360/PS3 are so prevalent and anyone who wants "next-gen" can get it on PS4/Xbone.
In the great 3rd party exodus on gamecube, sports games were the first to go.