• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Activision groups Wii centric titles: Wee 1ST

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
I want to re-iterate that I don't really see the huge deal here. Yes, its a really stupid name, but Activision alone is bringing its 2 biggest franchise to the Wii this year without any gimps at all (aside from the graphics obviously). If Wii owners have to suffer through Wee 1st but get quality versions of Guitar Hero and CoD every year, I fail to see the issue.
 
schuelma said:
I want to re-iterate that I don't really see the huge deal here. Yes, its a really stupid name, but Activision alone is bringing its 2 biggest franchise to the Wii this year without any gimps at all (aside from the graphics obviously). If Wii owners have to suffer through Wee 1st but get quality versions of Guitar Hero and CoD every year, I fail to see the issue.

Yeah I don't see the big deal either, but the name is just laughable. How lazy do you have to be?
 
BlackTyrano said:
Yeah I don't see the big deal either, but the name is just laughable. How lazy do you have to be?
It has little to do with laziness. Do you not thing the similarity to the name Wii, used in hit titles like Wii Sports, Fit, Play.. and the upcoming Wii Music will not garner a significant amount of attention?
 
Visualante said:
It has little to do with laziness. Do you not thing the similarity to the name Wii, used in hit titles like Wii Sports, Fit, Play.. and the upcoming Wii Music will not garner a significant amount of attention?

Yeah, I think that's probably the entire reason they did it. I just think it's a lazy way of attracting sales. Why don't they come up with their own compelling brand that they can build a following for instead of leeching off Nintendo's brand name by using a name that appears similar? It reminds me of those cheap console rips(Vii, PolyStation2&3, etc).
 

Neo C.

Member
20060428.jpg


Really, what kind of marketing expert does Activision have?
 

Gagaman

Member
rbmhb4.gif


This bandwagon of publishers branding their games with a Wii-like "for everyone!!" name is getting a bit silly now. They've officially run out of variants of the word "we" now. :lol
 

Amir0x

Banned
haha how awesome

the industry keeps sending me little signals that it's still worth saving. i will remember you Activision, when the time comes
 
Frank the Great said:
Kudos to Activision. This may not please the fanboys, but it was a smart business decision.

We will see that in sales numbers. In my oppinion this mini-game (casual) niche is already saturated, but nobody seems to care.

There are other niches on Wii which aren't coverd yet, but nobody seems to care also.
 

legend166

Member
Say what you want about Malstrom's other articles (that they sucked, obviously), but he was spot on in that birdmen one. More proof right here.
 
legend166 said:
Say what you want about Malstrom's other articles (that they sucked, obviously), but he was spot on in that birdmen one. More proof right here.

I believe that most people agree with him. Appart of the industry of course :D
 

Narcosis

Member
schuelma said:
I want to re-iterate that I don't really see the huge deal here. Yes, its a really stupid name, but Activision alone is bringing its 2 biggest franchise to the Wii this year without any gimps at all (aside from the graphics obviously). If Wii owners have to suffer through Wee 1st but get quality versions of Guitar Hero and CoD every year, I fail to see the issue.

The "huge deal" here is probably partially due to the title of the thread. Yes, "groups Wii centric" is technically correct since these are Wii exclusive versions of games that utlilize Wii controls, and Activision is attempting to brand this type of game (family friendly, not intended for the typical GAF audience) as it's own sub-genre within their games library, but the title of the thread can kind of mislead some into thinking this is the only effort Activision is making on Wii when Guitar Hero and the upcoming Call of Duty prove otherwise.
 
Narcosis, I think everyone on GAF is well aware of Activision's other multiplatform games.

Also when were there hands on previews of CoD Wii? I don't know where you're getting this idea that it will be a satisfactory port.
 
schuelma said:
I want to re-iterate that I don't really see the huge deal here. Yes, its a really stupid name, but Activision alone is bringing its 2 biggest franchise to the Wii this year without any gimps at all (aside from the graphics obviously). If Wii owners have to suffer through Wee 1st but get quality versions of Guitar Hero and CoD every year, I fail to see the issue.

This

Frencherman said:
We will see that in sales numbers. In my oppinion this mini-game (casual) niche is already saturated, but nobody seems to care.

There are other niches on Wii which aren't coverd yet, but nobody seems to care also.

As opposed to a lot of other western third parties (Ubisoft, TakeTwo, etc.), Activision are also developping games catering to core gamers on the Wii (Call of Duty : World at War, Quantum of Solace, Guitar Hero : World Tour, etc. ) with those casual titles.

Their covering a bigger userbase doing this.
 

Christine

Member
EA and Activision have more or less the right idea, Ubisoft not as much. The games covered under EA and Activision's purpose brands are the same sort of games that they'd be publishing anyway - the product is not much different than what has been sold to mainstream users by these companies historically. Nintendo's "Touch Generations" label is much the same, inhabited by traditional product.

Ubisoft, however... doesn't seem to understand that no-one wants Babiez Party. Creating software with the intent of fulfilling the ideology of a purpose brand is foolish - you want to use the brand to communicate to consumers a connection between the products appropriate to that brand, products you would normally be making anyway.

I think "All Play" is more versatile than "Wee 1ST" - it's also more evocative despite the Wii ~ Wee connection.
 

Amir0x

Banned
TwinIonEngines said:
Ubisoft, however... doesn't seem to understand that no-one wants Babiez Party. Creating software with the intent of fulfilling the ideology of a purpose brand is foolish - you want to use the brand to communicate to consumers a connection between the products appropriate to that brand, products you would normally be making anyway.

I don't know, seems people buy IMAGINE: BABIES all the time on DS. Seems they were right to attempt to capitalize on this market of games that people totally do want, counter to your point, because they are buying it. This game has been charting all year in Europe.

And isn't that what's important? Isn't that the lesson Wii has taught us? That it is sales that matter, quality be damned?
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
Amir0x said:
I don't know, seems people buy IMAGINE: BABIES all the time on DS. Seems they were right to attempt to capitalize on this market of games that people totally do want, counter to your point, because they are buying it. This game has been charting all year in Europe.

And isn't that what's important? Isn't that the lesson Wii has taught us? That it is sales that matter, quality be damned?


Exactly! And by Ubisoft's own admission their casual Wii efforts haven't sold shit
 

Victrix

*beard*
I like this, a lot

Why?

It formalizes what they're already doing. Crappy cheap low budget casual games on the Wii, anything interesting on the other platforms. Now there's no guesswork involved!

Or are there a bunch of awesome Wii games on the horizon from them that I'm totally missing?

(and yes, I'm aware these sell, or they wouldn't bother. that does not help the pain)
 

Amir0x

Banned
schuelma said:
Exactly! And by Ubisoft's own admission their casual Wii efforts haven't sold shit

So far, but it would stand to reason that if they introduced one of their successful casual DS brands to another console (Wii!) with a similar blue ocean casual etc etc PR statement bullshit etc etc strategy that they are indeed following the intelligent business route of copying success where they've found it.

IMAGINE: PARTY BABYZ fills a gap that was missing, which is to say games based on babies (babyz, excuse me) who like parties. And it is clear people out there want such games. How does such software affect you, after all they're just filling in some perceived market hole!
 

Christine

Member
Amir0x said:
So far, but it would stand to reason that if they introduced one of their successful casual DS brands to another console (Wii!) with a similar blue ocean casual etc etc PR statement bullshit etc etc strategy that they are indeed following the intelligent business route of copying success where they've found it.

The point I'm trying to make is that Ubisoft has been less successful on Wii because product strategy is following brand, rather than the other way around. Imagine: Babyz is a successful brand because it's attached to a product that does fulfill a consumer desire and does copy success - that of products like Nintendogs, Animal Crossing and Tamagotchi. I think that Ubisoft understands what DS owners want better than they understand what Wii owners want.

Now, on the Wii Ubisoft is also trying to copy success - the success of games like Wario Ware and Mario Party. But I think that the Babyz brand is wrong for this kind of product - the values of the brand are much more appropriate to the time-killing caretaking sim than to the social party game. I don't believe that it will do nearly as well as the DS game has done, continuing Ubisoft's pattern of low returns from Wii. If I end up being wrong I'll admit as much.
 

Haunted

Member
bird-wings_MG0885.jpg
2007_men_team.jpg



Jocchan said:
Travis, remember to Wee 1ST, and head... for the Garden... of Madness!
:lol :lol


And bdouchey bdoughty got perm'd? Holy shit! I mean, it was clear he had an axe to grind with the Wii but I didn't expect him to snap like this. EA Sports must be furious to have lost such a diligent representative of theirs.
 

Haunted

Member
Seriously, the first few sentences of the press release read like a The Onion article. :lol


Amir0x said:
IMAGINE: PARTY BABYZ fills a gap that was missing, which is to say games based on babies (babyz, excuse me) who like parties.
A gap in Wii's library that has been overlooked for far too long!



edit: why did you people make me double post? :(
 

Amir0x

Banned
TwinIonEngines said:
The point I'm trying to make is that Ubisoft has been less successful on Wii because product strategy is following brand, rather than the other way around. Imagine: Babyz is a successful brand because it's attached to a product that does fulfill a consumer desire and does copy success - that of products like Nintendogs, Animal Crossing and Tamagotchi. I think that Ubisoft understands what DS owners want better than they understand what Wii owners want.

Now, on the Wii Ubisoft is also trying to copy success - the success of games like Wario Ware and Mario Party. But I think that the Babyz brand is wrong for this kind of product - the values of the brand are much more appropriate to the time-killing caretaking sim than to the social party game. I don't believe that it will do nearly as well as the DS game has done, continuing Ubisoft's pattern of low returns from Wii. If I end up being wrong I'll admit as much.

But why fault them for attempting to go to that market that was successful on DS, their closest comparable "blue ocean" market?

Frankly it made much more sense for them to attempt success with that market at first, then it did to clutter the Wii with shitty games like Red Steel and Rayman: Raving Rabbids, or the endless array of tacky ports.
 

justchris

Member
Sadist said:
This reminds me: all three of the big ones (EA, Ubisoft and Activision) have a "casual" label now. Man, such creativity... :lol

So does Nintendo, they call it Touch Generations.

Admittedly, their name is both less stupid and less insulting.
 
"Dancing With the Stars: Get Your Dance On"?

"The Star Dance Dancer: Dancing With the Stars: Get Your Dance On - Dance-Off 2, The Reckoning"
 

stonedwal

Member
I take it this is the reason ATVI was down another 5% today. These underdeveloped "casual" games are flooding the market, and all of these publishers are going to get burned.

It's days like this that make me think I should put my degree to use and join the business side of the industry, rather than continuing to write. Give me the job of whoever is responsible for this, I'm sure I could do much better and I'll work for half the salary :p
 

Amir0x

Banned
stonedwal said:
I take it this is the reason ATVI was down another 5% today. These underdeveloped "casual" games are flooding the market, and all of these publishers are going to get burned.

It's days like this that make me think I should put my degree to use and join the business side of the industry, rather than continuing to write. Give me the job of whoever is responsible for this, I'm sure I could do much better and I'll work for half the salary :p

haha you think something like this would cause a five percent drop? oh ha

i think if you look around, something a LITTLE bigger happened yesterday with the company!
 

Christine

Member
Amir0x said:
But why fault them for attempting to go to that market that was successful on DS, their closest comparable "blue ocean" market?

I don't fault them for the attempt; I think that they are executing it wrongly. Aligning a number of DS games under the "Imagine:" banner worked well, but I don't think that building a Wii party/social game around the Babyz theme will meet with similar success. The babies theme is a good way to communicate the product identity of a caretaking sim, I don't believe it will work nearly as well to communicate the product identity of a party game.
 
where is the problem?

if you're a serious gamer -- as in you have a history with the hobby -- the WII IS NOT FOR YOU. these games are perfect for the audience nintendo is targeting: the NOT YOU audience. how many interviews with nintendo execs do you have to read before you realize that NINTENDO DID NOT MAKE THE WII FOR THE FOLKS WHO POST ON VIDEOGAME FORUMS?

let your retarded nostalgia and company bias go. buy a 360. if you can't get past the blind weeaboo hate of an american console or micro$oft lol there's a dollar sign AHUAHUHUAHUA red ring hoo hurp durp i just shit my dickies, then BUY A PS2.

it is fine to ask in your twee nasal voice BUBUBU WHY CAN'T IT BE FOR ME but please do not shed the thick tears of the bloodhound gang's eponymous stripper when nintendo, ubisoft, ea, and activision run a train on your ass after throwing you a wario shake style bone, hoping that you'll bend over fast enough to keep the engine chugging. this is a cruel hobby. try to keep up.
 

rakka

Member
Drinky Crow said:
let your retarded nostalgia and company bias go. buy a 360. if you can't get past the blind weeaboo hate of an american console or micro$oft lol there's a dollar sign AHUAHUHUAHUA red ring hoo hurp durp i just shit my dickies, then BUY A PS2.
what about a ps3?
 
i do agree, it looks like buttery sex

and really only emphasizes that it is the exception that proves the rule, in much of the way that the one gentle caress from the gimp can keep stockholm syndrome alive
 
Smiles and Cries said:
`huh? with all this yellow piss flowing in it I'm seeing green

no, that's just your view from the beach as a ninthing, the cruise having sailed without you

and all the mint juleps and jimmy buffet albums in the world shan't change that
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
Drinky Crow said:
where is the problem?

if you're a serious gamer -- as in you have a history with the hobby -- the WII IS NOT FOR YOU.
these games are perfect for the audience nintendo is targeting: the NOT YOU audience. how many interviews with nintendo execs do you have to read before you realize that NINTENDO DID NOT MAKE THE WII FOR THE FOLKS WHO POST ON VIDEOGAME FORUMS?

let your retarded nostalgia and company bias go. buy a 360. if you can't get past the blind weeaboo hate of an american console or micro$oft lol there's a dollar sign AHUAHUHUAHUA red ring hoo hurp durp i just shit my dickies, then BUY A PS2.

it is fine to ask in your twee nasal voice BUBUBU WHY CAN'T IT BE FOR ME but please do not shed the thick tears of the bloodhound gang's eponymous stripper when nintendo, ubisoft, ea, and activision run a train on your ass after throwing you a wario shake style bone, hoping that you'll bend over fast enough to keep the engine chugging. this is a cruel hobby. try to keep up.
Prolly a joke post, but I still have to voice my disagreement. I can guarantee that most of the people buying up all the Nintendo software know their way around a joystick. Publishers think they can't compete with Ninty for the core gamers but they're hardly trying.

Publishers won't be able to get away with Wii shovelware when the competition for shelf space starts to undermine their desire to take advantage of 'the long tail'.
 
Top Bottom