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So Ubisoft and Warner's major new core games weren't announced for Wii U

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
I decided to wait until after Nintendo's full day of press conferences since they could have just been announced later, but now that we're here and they haven't been, this kind of stuck out to me.

These two have also been pretty good about announcing Wii U versions up front, like Ubisoft just did for Just Dance 2014 and Warner did for Scribblenauts Unmasked.

Maybe I missed something, but has anyone broached either Ubisoft or Warner on this subject? I'm mainly curious since they seemed to be two of the central remaining supporters on the system, especially in terms of "core games".

---

Ubisoft:

The Crew: https://www.ubisoftgroup.com/en-US/press/detail.aspx?cid=tcm:99-101485-16&ctid=tcm:95-27313-32

Ubisoft said:
Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft revealed The Crew, a revolutionary online action-driving game developed exclusively for Xbox One ®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and for PC, to be released early 2014.

Tom Clancy's The Division: https://www.ubisoftgroup.com/en-US/press/detail.aspx?cid=tcm:99-101495-16&ctid=tcm:95-27313-32

Ubisoft said:
Today at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Ubisoft announced the development of Tom Clancy’s The Division, a groundbreaking online, open-world Action RPG for Xbox One®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation ® 4 computer entertainment system. The Division will arrive in 2014.

---

Warner:

Dying Light: http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/23/dying-light-adds-a-dash-of-parkour-to-techlands-zombie-tour/

Warner said:
Techland is keeping its zombie vendetta going in Dying Light, a new first-person action game coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2014, care of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Mad Max: http://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...Entertainment-Announces-Post-Apocalyptic-Open

Warner said:
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced Mad Max™, a new open world, third-person action game where players become Mad Max, a lone warrior in a savage post-apocalyptic world where cars are the key to survival. The game will debut for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox One® the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Xbox 360® games and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows® PC.
 
It's obvious that the games they have coming this year are Wii level tests and if they don't sell to a threshold the support is over. More suprising is that Mad Max has current gen versions with no Wii U version.
 

Oppo

Member
Ubi's support is faltering. It's biz.

It sounds glib but I really think it is that simple.
 

linko9

Member
Well they're getting AC4 and Watch Dogs. System obviously wouldn't be able to handle Division or Crew, what's the point of spending resources to get a much worse looking version of the game out that no one will buy? If the systems are going to be different, let them have different games.
 

JetBlackPanda

Gold Member
Anyone that thinks Nintendo isn't in trouble with 3rd party support is kidding themselves. N will have to sell a bunch of units this holdiay off of first party games and people will start to invest software in the machine.

I love my wii u but I got it for the first party games and that's it.

Also the games you listed clearly won't be up to the fidelity of the HD twins so why even bother if third party is going to get involved it should be for games what make sense.
 
Not surprised when it comes to games like The Division. The tech gap is just too large. Quite frankly, I shudder to think of how you would have to lobotomize the game to get it on the U.

Best to own multiple systems, as always, if you want to play everything.
 
I don't think third parties are going to announce additional support if hardware sales remain abysmal.

I think the deadline for Nintendo is to turn things around by the end of this year.
 

Amir0x

Banned
I think, once Ubisoft and Warner support falters out, that Wii U will be pretty close to Nintendo's worst platform for third party support. N64 probably still will lose out to it, but goddamn that's about the worst position Nintendo can be in. It pretty much makes recovery of Wii U even less likely, and it was already close to impossible.

Sucks because I want a healthy second platform alongside my PS4.
 

Mikey Jr.

Member
"Xbox One® the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft,"

The fuck is this and why is it so prevalent?
 

rjc571

Banned
Third parties didn't support Nintendo when they were dominating the market, so it's not surprising that they won't support them when they're struggling.
 

jmizzal

Member
To be fair Splinter Cell Blacklist and Watch_Dogs was not announced for WiiU last year at E3

they were not announced until this year

If those games make a profit im sure Ubisoft will continue to support WiiU, same with WB games
 

Eusis

Member
I think, once Ubisoft and Warner support falters out, that Wii U will be pretty close to Nintendo's worst platform for third party support. N64 probably still will lose out to it, but goddamn that's about the worst position Nintendo can be in. It pretty much makes recovery of Wii U even less likely, and it was already close to impossible.

Sucks because I want a healthy second platform alongside my PS4.
Yeah, and it doesn't have the innovation factor that the N64 had either. In fact it's pretty much the polar opposite, games that look excessively samey even if it really wasn't necessary. But who knows, maybe a price drop of $50-100 will keep it relevant for awhile.
Console vendors provide the official name for their platforms for use in press releases.
And it's possibly the worst one I've ever seen. Obscenely long and reads more like forcing an advertisement into any press release that mentions them rather than just being an overly elaborate title like the "computer entertainment system", which I kind of expect was there from the start for PlayStation anyway.
 
I feel like if Ubi could, they would release those games for Wii U (and everything else), but they're just too beyond them tech wise. Interesting that WB's games are going PS3/X360 without the WiiU version though.

Also, is there any gameplay footage of Dying Light out there? I keep hearing positive stuff about the demos but I can't find any footage of it anywhere.
 

B.O.O.M

Member
I believe J Harker said everyone is keeping an eye on how Splinter Cell is going to perform on the WiiU and that some of the support will depend on its performance

if true..needless to say..wiiu is fucked
 

BD1

Banned
I think support is done until Nintendo proves it can grow the install base. No one is going to gamble on a box selling 50,000 unit a month in the US.

I'm really surprised Mad Max isn't coming, though. Maybe it depends on how Arkham Origins does this fall.
 
Posted about this in the E3 thread:

Games coming this year from WBIE and Ubi were set in motion before Nintendo delayed all their output and the system tanked at retail. In all likelihood they are ports of current gen SKUs.

The decision to release an already green lit in-development game for a system tanking at retail essentially boils down to whether you think you'll lose more investment scrapping what's already done or sinking more money into what will probably yield a negative ROI. And these titles presumably fall towards the latter so they're ploughing on.

The announcements coming out now and decisions on green lighting platforms for them were made more recently.

Publishers are moving on. They will release games they think appeal to the audience (they perceive) Nintendo cultivates: Just Dance 2014, Scribblenauts Unmasked, Skylanders. But they aren't bring AAA games targeted at traditional "core" demographics to the system.

The Wii U already failed the test, and they're not going to exhaust endless resources to keep propping it up.
 

Madness

Member
They weren't kidding about Nintendo do being the walking dead at this point. Yikes!

Seeing their E3 direct, it was all 2014, 2014, 2014... That's not very comforting to people who bought the console in 2012.

They released it far too early, without many games to show for it. So many games aren't coming for Wii U, that it's even worse than what happened with Gamecube. At least Gamecube only missed out on huge franchises like Grand theft auto etc. Wii U isn't even getting a sports port of FIFA, no NBA 2k14 etc.
 
CoD: Ghost also still hasn't been announced even though it's coming for the Wii U...the same happened with Watch Dogs and Splinter Cell: Blacklist. I'm not saying those are in development but, as strange as it sounds, not being announced doesn't mean it's not being developed for the system...
 
I believe J Harker said everyone is keeping an eye on how Splinter Cell is going to perform on the WiiU and that some of the support will depend on its performance

if true..needless to say..wiiu is fucked

Splinter Cell?! Wii U is truly doomed. That's going to sell like garbage
 

McSpidey

Member
It was clear this was going to happen when Ubi pulled a finished game at the last minute due to the WiiU install base.
 
Posted about this in the E3 thread:

Games coming this year from WBIE and Ubi were set in motion before Nintendo delayed all their output and the system tanked at retail. In all likelihood they are ports of current gen SKUs.

The decision to release an already green lit in-development game for a system tanking at retail essentially boils down to whether you think you'll lose more investment scrapping what's already done or sinking more money into what will probably yield a negative ROI. And these titles presumably fall towards the latter so they're ploughing on.

The announcements coming out now and decisions on green lighting platforms for them were made more recently.

Publishers are moving on. They will release games they think appeal to the audience (they perceive) Nintendo cultivates: Just Dance 2014, Scribblenauts Unmasked, Skylanders. But they aren't bring AAA games targeted at traditional "core" demographics to the system.

The Wii U already failed the test, and they're not going to exhaust endless resources to keep propping it up.
I don't think it's quite that final yet, although it is looking bleak. End of this year is likely the litmus test, if Nintendo can't drive userbase past certain figures by that point then the remaining publishers (Ubisoft, WB, Activision, Capcom, etc) will all pull out. Unfortunately for Nintendo, it seems all their visually arresting titles (Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, X) seemingly come out in 2014.


Splinter Cell?! Wii U is truly doomed. That's going to sell like garbage
In fairness, it's going to sell like garbage on every system. Watch Dogs or AC4 would probably make for a better test. Especially since they'll also have PS4/XB1 versions to compare against.
 

GetemMa

Member
Nintendo needed that first party killer apps to support sales and build an install base.

IF that existed, more 3rd parties MIGHT be willing to invest.

But they failed on the first party front too. As a WiiU owner I've been lied to.

"Pikmin 3, Wonderful 101....will be in the launch window (Q1)"

They are liars. I like Nintendo, but they lied to me. And when they miss that launch date, they think its license to just delay and delay and delay. That is bad business.
 
I believe J Harker said everyone is keeping an eye on how Splinter Cell is going to perform on the WiiU and that some of the support will depend on its performance

if true..needless to say..wiiu is fucked

I'm not sure Splinter Cell is going to be a hot seller on any of the platforms. Doesn't seem to be much hype for that game and it's out soon.
 

Kusagari

Member
We've seen that online extensive games seem even less likely to come to Wii U for whatever reason. The Crew and The Division are obviously very online heavy.

I actually think this a very bad omen for Nintendo if games like The Crew/The Division are where most third parties are going.
 

Squire

Banned
It's obvious that the games they have coming this year are Wii level tests and if they don't sell to a threshold the support is over. More suprising is that Mad Max has current gen versions with no Wii U version.

Chris Sundberg saying Nintendo is hard to reach should've been the first clue for people to temper their expectations.
 

idlewild_

Member
I can kind of understand Crew and Division not coming to Wii U given that they don't appear to be coming to the 360 or PS3. But Dying Light and Mad Max missing out is kind of baffling. Warner has already ported other games to Wii U, I'm sure the port cost would be low enough to justify putting the game on the platform.
 

B.O.O.M

Member
Splinter Cell?! Wii U is truly doomed. That's going to sell like garbage

Yep

I'm not sure Splinter Cell is going to be a hot seller on any of the platforms. Doesn't seem to be much hype for that game and it's out soon.

I'm sure they have a certain level of expectation. I doubt anyone is expecting it to do crazy good on the wiiu but I'm assuming they just want to see if it's a viable option for multiplat releases. So if it tanks into oblivion, compared to sales on other systems...that won't be a good sign. I'm guessing that's exactly what will happen too
 

jvm

Gamasutra.
It's really dire for Wii U.

pMxCqoD.png

(Hybrid means disc and eShop release. Retail means disc-only. eShop means eShop only.)

Activision is the top third party publishers for Wii U in terms of number of titles (10). None of those are hybrid or eShop-only. That's followed by Ubisoft with 7 titles, all but one are hybrid. WBIE is right behind them with 5, all of them hybird.
 

markot

Banned
Id be happy with this situtation if Nintendo just said 'fuck it' and went all out, bought more studios, created more internal devs... etc...
 

zma1013

Member
It's really dire for Wii U.

pMxCqoD.png

(Hybrid means disc and eShop release. Retail means disc-only. eShop means eShop only.)

Activision is the top third party publishers for Wii U in terms of number of titles (10). None of those are hybrid or eShop-only. That's followed by Ubisoft with 7 titles, all but one are hybrid. WBIE is right behind them with 5, all of them hybird.

Wow, 3 months this year have had zero retail releases? Is that accurate? Holy balls Batman.
 

eorl

Banned
What concerns me is why Dying Light and The Division aren't listed for PC. Give us games dammit.

On topic though, I'm not overly concerned about the Wii U as Nintendo seem to be doing their own warped way of things with that console. It is evident that they aren't so clear on what they want the Wii U to be and that the lightning isn't going to strike twice seems to have clicked on their minds. Hopefully we can get some good first party titles through the gate before it is pushed aside and whatever Nintendo comes up with next is given limelight.

Man, just imagine is Nintendo came out with a new console in three years time, maybe a Wii U revision that has 6GB GDDR5. My god that would be hilarious against Microsoft.
 

zma1013

Member
Id be happy with this situtation if Nintendo just said 'fuck it' and went all out, bought more studios, created more internal devs... etc...

Thing is, even if they did some crazy scenario like that today, it would still take at least a couple years to see the results. It would be helpful for the future though, that's for sure.
 

Sean

Banned
Anyone that thinks Nintendo isn't in trouble with 3rd party support is kidding themselves. N will have to sell a bunch of units this holdiay off of first party games and people will start to invest software in the machine.

I love my wii u but I got it for the first party games and that's it.

I don't think that will change a thing for third party support.

If people ignore the Wii U for an entire year and only buy the console when the next installment of their favorite Nintendo franchise releases, that doesn't really indicate a strong demand for third party titles on the platform IMO.
 

onipex

Member
Don't think they've been that upfront about a Wii U version with all their game announcements. I wouldn't be shocked if these games weren't coming to the platform though.

Whats really worrying is that Nintendo didn't announce any new partnerships or publishing deals today.
 
It's really dire for Wii U.

pMxCqoD.png

(Hybrid means disc and eShop release. Retail means disc-only. eShop means eShop only.)

Activision is the top third party publishers for Wii U in terms of number of titles (10). None of those are hybrid or eShop-only. That's followed by Ubisoft with 7 titles, all but one are hybrid. WBIE is right behind them with 5, all of them hybird.
June's already out of date since I'm guessing you're also counting VC going by the numbers. Mega Man 2-4 came out today. :p
 

Haunted

Member
I think none of us expected the games only coming to PS4 and XB1 (and PC) to come out on WiiU as well.

That games slated for PS360 (and PC) aren't coming to the WiiU is the real story here, obviously. Third party support for the WiiU is drying up quick. EA isn't the outlier, it's leading the charge.


edit: also, it's really unbelievable that MS really stuck their tagline into the official name of the console. If you repeat something often enough, it becomes true? Almost reads like a parody.
 

Effect

Member
If publishers are looking at Splinter Cell I have a question. Is Ubisoft putting in something specific to the Wii U version to make that version more appealing or unique? Something signficant that would cause Wii U owners to buy that version instead of just getting it for their PS3 or 360?

I don't think it would be wrong to say that a lot of Wii U owners currently are very likely mulit-console owners. This is still the early adopter crowd here. If the Wii U version isn't unique enough or simply the best looking version they aren't likely to buy it. Why would I buy a Wii U game when it's clear the 360 version is the best version? Or better yet I know for certain the 360 and PS3 versions will get all of the content (DLC, pre-order extras) but I have to wait to see if the Wii U version sells before they give me a yes or no if we'll get it at some point? What if the Wii U version is actually missing modes like Injustice but being sold at the same price and doesn't get patched? Word of that travels.
 
What concerns me is why Dying Light and The Division aren't listed for PC. Give us games dammit.

On topic though, I'm not overly concerned about the Wii U as Nintendo seem to be doing their own warped way of things with that console. It is evident that they aren't so clear on what they want the Wii U to be and that the lightning isn't going to strike twice seems to have clicked on their minds. Hopefully we can get some good first party titles through the gate before it is pushed aside and whatever Nintendo comes up with next is given limelight.

Man, just imagine is Nintendo came out with a new console in three years time, maybe a Wii U revision that has 6GB GDDR5. My god that would be hilarious against Microsoft.

Techland is keeping its zombie vendetta going in Dying Light, a new first-person action game coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2014, care of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
 

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
I think they should have branded it something other than Wii, and it they probably should have waited. Yeah, Wii support died out years before the Wii U came alone. But waiting and coming into the scene with a big bang would have been better than this.

I know that Nintendo's entire message has been that they aren't playing the same game as Microsoft and Sony. But admit it or not, you are. You are selling games to people that are interested in games. You are also trying to convince developers and publishers that your console is just as good as the competition and worth putting resources into.

Realistically, how long they can continue like this? First year has been pretty lackluster. The announcements for 2014 were things we already pretty much expected, Bayonetta 2 and X. They're having trouble getting exclusive third party support...hell they're having trouble even getting ports that are going to the 360 and PS3. Do people really believe that's going to get better once developers move to the PS4 and Xbox One.

Is Nintendo dead? Nah. I think they'll abandon the Wii U though. There is no way they stick with it for 8 years like Microsoft did with the 360. Nintendo all but packed up shop on the Wii less than 5 years after it came out. And that was a success for them. When the situation is dire, yeah, you're going to want to move on and rethink your strategy.
 
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