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[Nirolak]

Did the My Sims franchise bomb?

It did well up front, but about halfway through the Wii generation it imploded and they stopped making them.

The series as a whole was about 6 million units across 6 games, but that was notably more lopsided to the games released first and they eventually stopped trying as they sold less and less.

They also gave up the Hasbro console license to Ubisoft because they found they started making a lot more money with it on mobile instead once mobile took off. Same for Tetris.

 

[cafemomo]

Rayman Legends didn't do well an that's a colorful, charming platformer.

It sold the most on the WiiU

 

[bobbychalkers]

I never really agreed with the whole. Nintendo is kiddy notion but they sure as hell advertised the Wii U and 3ds as kids consoles last year.

 

[Lunar15]

This is somewhat of a tangent, but it's really really weird to me that a large portion of an industry that built itself around making things for kids has now essentially abandoned that demographic.

It'd be like Disney deciding to only make PG-13 movies from now on.

 

[Tak3n]

Interesting indeed...

So EA think the Nintendo platform is for kids hey.....

Well the fact they treat 'gamers' like fucking idiots with all their bullshit broken releases and online crap....

Then they can get lost, as if they treat adults like Kids they their respect for 'kids' would be atrocious

Oh and porting a game which has already been out on other systems for a year then moaning it did not sell, does not make their argument very effective...

E.A the place where only idiots reside

 

[2+2=5]

I would say it's aimed at everyone and too, some entries of some franchises are aimed more (!) on adults than children and reverse! Example: Zelda OoT, MM and TP are aimed more at adults than kids and so does Metroid, while Kirby is aimed more on children than adults.

Aimed to everyone means kids-friendly, so i guess we are saying the same things

 

[Ludist210]

To give example Mass Effect that while a good port they practically sabotage with the release of the trilogy is quite funny.

Pretty much this.

 

[Son Of D]

hell even Rayman Legends didn't do well an that's a colorful, charming platformer.

Didn't Rayman Legends sell best on Wii U though? Or was that just initial sales? Granted it underperformed everywhere.

 

[topplehat]

ME3 is a good example of how EA did this whole thing wrong with the Wii U. The full trilogy was released on other consoles at the same time, AND Wii U did not get all the ME3 DLC, leaving it as an "incomplete" version of the game.

 

[RMS Gigantic]

I don't really have a problem with anything that "EA Source" said. Maybe he was a little blunt, but ever since the Pokemon craze, Nintendo has been too focused on making things kid-friendly.

No, more like ever since ever. Even in the NES era, Nintendo forbade depictions of blood or the like on their systems.

 

[SmokyDave]

That's even dumber

You can find games for 'high skill users' on Wii U, on iOS and probably even NGage

Iwata's busy looking for another job so he probably let a couple slip through the net.

(In case you didn't get what I was referring to: here).

 

[zma1013]

EA has been giving Nintendo the cold shoulder for years, going all the way back to Gamecube.

 

[Nostremitus]

After this comment I'm starting to believe some of the conspiracy theories from the Wii days about EA intenionally sabataging sales to push Nintendo from the market...

 

[Jinfash]

"It became a kids IP platform and we don't really make games for kids."

 

[Captain Smoker]

Didn't Rayman Legends sell best on Wii U though? Or was that just initial sales? Granted it underperformed everywhere.

Yes.

But Rayman-Franchise isn't that strong to begin with.

 

[Sean]

Can't blame EA here. They did a solid port of Mass Effect and NFS Most Wanted and both flopped. Sports games (like half of EA's lineup) don't sell well on Nintendo platforms either. And Nintendo is absolutely focused on "family friendly" marketing campaigns and games while EA barely makes anything like that these days.

Wii U is just a mis-match for EA, and for nearly every other third party too.

 

[Penguin]

This is somewhat of a tangent, but it's really really weird to me that a large portion of an industry that built itself around making things for kids has now essentially abandoned that demographic.

It'd be like Disney deciding to only make PG-13 movies from now on.

It sometimes reminds me of the direction of the comic industry.

Which really does focus on a very thin sliver of the population. But as long as they buy it in a decent amount no reason to alienate em

 

[Mononoke]

While it's a douchey way to look at the games Nintendo makes, guy has a point. Nintendo's core demographics just might not be interested in the big third party titles. Problem is, those that buy these already own an X1,PS4 or PC. They aren't going to ever get a Nintendo system to play their third party AAA titles.

In a hypothetical situation where Nintendo leads in specs and thus has the best versions of all games, even then, it would be tough getting enough of these players for the third party publishers to consider it worth their time to release it on a Nintendo console. It's a terrible cycle.

But it's true that Nintendo has a demographic issue if it wants to compete with the other consoles. This isn't a slap against core Nintendo players. I don't see their games as just for kids. Hell, personally, I think Nintendo is making the best games on the market today. I love their games. But there is no denying that most AAA titles even if they were on a Nintendo console at launch, would sell poorly.

 

[jeffers]

Considering the sales of AC, CoD, and other third party games, you are probably (99%) right.

But at least then they could say they actually tried with a solid effort, 3 games in 1.

vee gee chart zee (ewwww) has blops2 and ac3 at 230k, ME3 at 110k. So there was definitely some interest DESPITE the horrible conditions and room for improvement. Can see the whole trilogy doing better (whether that covers porting the extra 2 games i dunno), and it'd have helped build audience going forward.

 

[1st Course]

Never forget

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImzCgwdPIAw

 

[Hoodbury]

ME3 is a good example of how EA did this whole thing wrong with the Wii U. The full trilogy was released on other consoles at the same time, AND Wii U did not get all the ME3 DLC, leaving it as an "incomplete" version of the game.

Every game EA released for Wii U is a good example. Madden and Fifa were last years games without the new engine. NFS was 6+ months later than the other versions.

They didn't release anything at the same time on Wii U as the other consoles that was on par.

 

[Mlatador]

Not just you, EA.

'Kids platform' is a little harsh though, I think Nintendo prefer the term 'non highly skilled users'.

Yet games like The Wonderfull 101, DKC, Zelda Skyward Sword (not whining about, but mastering the controls), Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Luigi U etc. require more "skill" than any game modern EA has put out, besides Fifa maybe.

 

[jackal27]

So frustrating. I hate when EA brings up the example of Mass Effect 3, a lazy port that wasn't even supported well and came out months earlier on platforms the majority of the "core" (can't believe I just used that word) already owned.

 

[Kouriozan]

Good old EA
Unprecedented partnership indeed.

 

[axisofweevils]

hell even Rayman Legends didn't do well an that's a colorful, charming platformer!

Rayman Legends sold best on WiiU, which is quite an achievement when many WiiU owners boycotted the game due to the 7 month delay.

 

[Pociask]

It's pretty impossible to analyze this statement without knowing what this guy does at EA. Just some random developer? We've had other random anonymous EA sources before.

The funny thing to me about this quote is saying EA wasn't looking to do kids stuff. Does anyone think that Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare will do well on the X-Bone or the 360? Does EA even think that? Why isn't that title on a Nintendo system - you know, the same place EA found success with Boom Blox, EA Active (or whatever it was called), etc.?

Quick edit: Dude, chartz numbers are banned for a reason. They're totally fake. Please remove and stop spreading fake numbers pulled out of chartz rear end.

 

[Mr-Joker]

It's just EA being EA, meaning talking nonsense. They didn't even try rasing a fan base on the console other than some late lazy slapped port.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Nintendo has a lot of cartoony games but kiddy???

Debatable.

The EA dude wouldn't be able to finish Donkey Kong or The Wonderful 101.

 

[Nostremitus]

Rayman Legends sold best on WiiU, which is quite an achievement when many WiiU owners boycotted the game due to the 7 month delay.

I cancelled my preorder and still haven't picked it up...

 

[bluecapsule]

The company must understand that relocating a Kyoto businessman to Germany is not going to magically reverse its fortunes. Nintendo's European and North America offices, which should be hubs for local development support, are little more than sales outposts for skilled marketers like Reggie Fils-Aime. They need to be much more than this.

Can't really argue with this.

 

[Kouriozan]

unprecedented partnership

edit: the real story here is EA considers the 60 dollar ME3 port a solid effort

While releasing the Trilogy at the same time :lol

 

[evilromero]

People are so quick to forget Most Wanted U which is one of the best games on the system...and from EA.

So yes, they're very important and it should be a wake-up call to Nintendo to not have one of the most important publishers supporting the system.

 

[Nibel]

Iwata's busy looking for another job so he probably let a couple slip through the net.

(In case you didn't get what I was referring to: here).

You can't expect me to remember a statement from May last year :lol

I apologize, it seems like Iwata seems unaware of the games available for "his" platform. What makes that statement of his even more confusing is that the U in the console's name was suppose to stand for "You", meaning a console for everybody.. oh man, no reason to even think about that now

Never forget

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImzCgwdPIAw

Oh man, that whole thing was a disaster

 

[masterlobo]

I'm not going to defend EA...but how can you prove them wrong? The Wii U is flopping and it is ultimately not the console one would seek if he/she/it wants to play the current mainstream adult titles.

Who would buy a Wii U to play CoD? The image the Wii U gives is just not adequate for that kind of games. Bayonetta 2 is the probably the exception to the rule, but even then, it feels out of place, specially since the first part wasn't even on a Nintendo console -_-

And many people seem to get pissed when Nintendo is called kiddy lol

I suppose a more appropriate term would be family-friendly games.

 

[RumblingRosco]

This reminds me, ME3 for WiiU is only $11.20 on Amazon today. Anyone think it's worthwhile for that price for someone that has never played a ME game?

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

9/10.

 

[MagnaderAlpha]

It ONLY becomes a "kids IP platform" when the ONLY ones willing to make games for it just happen to make kids games. I kinda have a hunkering feeling some of these publishers just don't want to support Nintendo because Nintendo isn't meeting THEM halfway. If Nintendo folded to EA's Draconian practices, I'm sure they would've jumped to work with them.

It's kinda odd how, nowadays, the game developers/publishers seem to have more power than the console makers. THEY are the ones calling the shots. "If you don't make your console THIS way, we won't develop games for it!". Remember when developers and publishers were vying to release games on platforms, just to get more exposure? The tides sure have changed. It's sickening in a way, actually. Companies like EA don't deserve that sort of power.

 

[maxcriden]

Not just you, EA.

'Kids platform' is a little harsh though, I think Nintendo prefer the term 'non highly skilled users'.

Dave, get a gold on the five star challenges in NSMBU Challenge Mode and we'll talk.

ETA: Durr, totally forgot about that quote. My apologies!

 

[d1rtn4p]

No one cares about EA anyway. Console is better off without them.

 

[Suzushiiro]

Yeah, it's a little silly of them to act like they gave a shit about the platform in the first place.

That said, multiplats are the name of the game for third-party console developers that are not small Japanese shops, and anyone with a brain could see that Wii U was only going to be a remotely viable multiplat machine for ~2 years. I can see the logic in not bothering with it in the first place.

 

[D-e-f-]

Yeah, that $60 mass effect port was a solid effort...

The sad thing is, the port was actually really good from the side of what Straight Right pulled off. But of course EA then had to fuck everyone over.

 

[Captain Smoker]

While it's a douchey way to look at the games Nintendo makes, guy has a point. Nintendo's core demographics just might not be interested in the big third party titles. Problem is, those that buy these already own an X1,PS4 or PC. They aren't going to ever get a Nintendo system to play their third party AAA titles.

(...)

How do you come to this conclusion.

Wii & NDS had 100s of millions of 3rd Party sales, because they got support, from AAA games to licence crap. You can't sell anything if you don't offer anything to begin with.


3rd Party Problem is not just Nintendos fault (it is of course), but the other part of the problem is that 3rd Party Publishers release late ports that noone want's to play and cry about the fact that it doesn't sell and they don't support the platform to create a consumer base for this either. There is a reason why Zombi U sells better than Mass Effect 3 and not by a small amount.

 

[MDX]

It became a kids IP platform...

Assassin’s Creed III
Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Darksiders II
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition
ZombiU

 

[Dunlop]

People are so quick to forget Most Wanted U which is one of the best games on the system...and from EA.

.

Why are people treating this like EA made a public statement? It is a "source" from EA

The Onus is on Nintendo to do whatever the hell they needed to do to make their platform attractive to third parties, it is not on EA to sell the WiiU

 

[tebunker]

The op failed everyone here by using the catchy quote from ea that really has no bearing on the cvg op ed piece. In fact it is probably detracting folks fr reading the article.

People read the op ed article first. Ignore the Ea quote. The guy wrote a coherent and well reasoned article that should be discussed

 

[Suzushiiro]

This reminds me, ME3 for WiiU is only $11.20 on Amazon today. Anyone think it's worthwhile for that price for someone that has never played a ME game?

If you're going to play Mass Effect, you pretty much have to play the whole trilogy in order.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

No, more like ever since ever. Even in the NES era, Nintendo forbade depictions of blood or the like on their systems.

This hasn't been the case for a very long time.

 

[Honey Bunny]

I don't at all agree that the Wii U is a platform focused on IPs primarily popular amongst kids. Kids these days seem far more interested in Angry Birds, Minecraft and other such IPs than any Nintendo IP. Conversely, I think Nintendo's IPs still hold a great deal of appeal for older gamers who grew up playing Nintendo games, certainly those are the people who will have gone out and bought a Wii U at or soon after launch. That's not to say that the games themselves on Wii U don't appeal to kids as well, but I do think that those IPs are far more valuable amongst older gamers than they are amongst the kids of today.

So yeah, I don't really see how it being a platform for 'kids IPs' would be a reason to drop support.

Aimed at, or maybe marketed to kids, rather than popular amongst.

 

[Linkhero1]

Can't really argue with this.

That's one of their biggest problems. I don't remember which thread it was but I recall one developer saying he had to contact NCL for assistance with the devkit and how little help they were. They shouldn't have to contact NCL for anything. They should be dealing with NoA or NoE for aid with devkits and such matters. Nintendo needs to restructure NoA and NoE to offer development assistance.

 

[C00kie M0nster]

They released the Mass Effect trilogy for $10 cheaper the same month that the $60 Wii U version of Mass Effect 3 came out.

Is EA serious?