Multiple devs question Wii U's future, if Nintendo should...

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Multiple devs question Wii U's future, if Nintendo should go third party
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A portion of a Games Industry interview with Jason Avent, Georg Backer, Dan Marshall, Ella Romanos and Andrew Oliver...

Q: GI: Let's open by talking about the Wii U launch, certainly the biggest recent event on the calendar. Is it enough to rejuvenate the console scene, acting as it does as a bit of a bridge between this generation and the next? Is Nintendo's policy of marketing it first to long-term, core fans sensible? Is it an attractive enough prospect to Wii owners?

Andrew Oliver: It's really interesting - I'm a massive Nintendo fan, and they've got a big, hardcore fanbase, but I do wonder if it's enough to sell a fairly expensive machine to people. You just see every TV advert, it's tablets and phones, tablets and phones. The general population is just going, 'I can play games on these sexy devices. It's coming round to Christmas where I can get a device and once I've got it, I can get all these games for free or nearly free'. I think that's skewed things so massively. It's a tough market for anyone, so it's going to be difficult for them.

They've gone with the idea that people like tablets, so they've made a tablet controller. Yeah, they do love tablets, but the problem is that they're probably going to buy one.

Ella Romanos: There will be a niche group of gamers who will buy it because it's a Nintendo device, but I wonder if that's going to be enough to justify the cost of doing it. I think things have changed so much since the Wii. If the Wii was coming out today we'd be having the same conversation, because the people who bought the Wii are today spending all of their time on tablets and phones and at the time they weren't.

It all comes down to the fact that all those people who already have a tablet, or a mobile phone - which you can get on contract, which makes them look cheap - whether there's going to be enough people left to make it worth it. I also think the fact that it's a tablet type thing - people who aren't in the games industry or don't know it well are going to be quite confused by that.

I think they'll be thinking 'why don't they use a tablet which already exists on the market? Why that specific one? Why can't I just connect mine to the TV? Why buy one which I then can't use for anything else?' People use tablets for multiple things.

Dan Marshall: I'm not sure about the Wii U because I haven't touched one, but I bought a Wii on launch day and got my £179 worth of joy out of it by playing tennis with my mother. That was enough for me. I think Nintendo's problem is actually one of software rather than hardware. I played Mario Galaxy, and enjoyed it, but played Mario Galaxy 2 for about an hour before I realised I was playing exactly the same game and was bored shovel of it. After a while, the Wii's core buckled under its own success.

It didn't have the hardware for many games like Call of Duty to justify making a port, so it was basically lumbered with Nintendo's software for a large part of its lifespan.

Jason Avent: People who buy Nintendo buy Nintendo products - what you're saying about it is true, though. My wife thinks that the Wii is for Wii Sports, she doesn't think it does anything else.

_____________

Make sure to read the entire article, which discusses the future of the Wii U. Of course, we also see discussion of whether or not Nintendo should go third party. You know, the same discussion we've heard for years and years now.

Interview here

[ridleysaria]

Going third party would be the worst thing they could do. In my opinion, they'd be killing the golden goose.

[LegendofSantiago]

Doom and gloom articles are pooring in. Just like the gamecube, the DS, the wii, the 3ds, etc

[Gamingboy]

Given that all of these people are more of the smaller, indy, middle-man studios (heck, I've only even HEARD of Blitz Games, I had to look the others up and I couldn't even find a few of them), I don't exactly think they have much, how do you say it... influence?

[joshb1983]

Why, if you are a gamer, would you ever choose a phone or tablet as your primary gaming device? 99% OF THOSE GAMES ARE CRAP!!!! This just angers me SO much. Are people seriously that STUPID or are they just that freaking CHEAP? I don't even care any more. I have lost my faith in gamers and devs. Wii U may not be Nintendo's last console, but it may be mine. I'm sick of the stupidity and the whining. If the industry is that stupid, I'm done with them. I hope the market crashes worse than the 80's.

[ocre]

lol. I hate it when people think Wii U is Nintendo reacting to the tablet boom when it's just an expansion of their hugely popular DS concept, which predates the mass popularity of tablets. Silly revisionist historians.

And I wonder what smartphone games don't bore that other guy 'sh!tless', free or not. Whenever I read this kind of BS, I really wonder if they like videogames at all. Nintendo going third party? lol Why is it that Nintendo are the ones that should step down from making consoles? Why aren't people calling for Sony to make games on iOS? What kind of sense does that make? Why sell garbage 99 cent "apps" when they can sell high quality full featured games and the systems necessary to play them. And why is it such a bad thing to reward Nintendo by purchasing their games?

And why all of the sudden do game makers need to be anything more than niche? Who cares if some random guys girlfriend thinks Wii is only for Wii Sports? There are a lot of clueless people in the world about every topic imaginable.

These guys suck.

[CCFanboy]

I took your advice rmc and I just want to smash my head on the table. This 'go third party' charade needs to end. I don't see the media, forum posters or 'industry experts' saying the others should go third party when (from my view) they don't even do enough to differentiate their consoles. Does the market really need ps3 and 360 when they are so similar? Of course. Competition is a good thing. And why are they saying they should make games for the other systems? because they didn't like their wii? Big deal. I did. I enjoyed wii. I think mario galaxy 2 is far more deserving of an hour before giving up. It beats the stuffing out of that mockery of banjo game rare did. Sega's software quality went down the drain when they went third party. The same thing would happen to them.

I can't believe people keep basing wii u's entire lifespan off of the wii. Nintendo acted on their feedback and gave you a console with a controller to suit your 'hardcore' needs. This article just reeks of the same kind of hate gamefaqs and neogaf throw at them. You guys like the idea of nintendo going third party now but you will regret it when you see how poor their output becomes.

[stealth]

dumb people

[Red]

>I think they'll be thinking 'why don't they use a tablet which already exists on the market? Why that specific one? Why can't I just connect mine to the TV? Why buy one which I then can't use for anything else?' People use tablets for multiple things.

Leaving the core and the informed userbase aside, it's a sound worry about those additional fish Nintendo caught in the net with the Wii.

1) "Can't I use my own tablet for this? It's more powerful, too."
and
2) "Wait, don't I already own the console? Isn't there some way around this?"

seem like valid hurdles a WiiU could face in the "Blue Ocean". When the Wii launched a lot of people were awed and easy to impress by a sort of new and cheaply bundled concept. With the WiiU the same people may feel more informed about things than back then and question/re-evaluate their purchase. Not exactly a grave worry, but I can see developers targeting precisely those kind of people still being cautious of a definitely interesting to see market-development.

As for the Nintendo going third party thing...eh, it's pretty much the same people not giving a lot of thought about why Nintendo "works" the way the work.

[NMHRULES]

awful just awful

[Hawk]

I know people are going to fly into this thread full of denial and say these people are idiots, but I have to be honest... I'm feeling a bit of doom and gloom for Nintendo as well.

I'm underwhelmed with the technical abilities of the WiiU, which wouldn't be a big deal if I felt like Nintendo was still the software juggernaut it used to be. But lately, I've been feeling like even Nintendo's games are stuck in 2002 and hindered by old ideas. Combine that with the fact that right now I have VERY LITTLE to look forward to.

What's supposed to dissuade me from being pessimistic about Nintendo? A controller with a screen on it that loses sync nearly every time I play the F-Zero game in NintendoLand? It's fun, but it's not going to change my world.

Nintendo needs to prove that the we're going to have reasons to play the WiiU up to a year from now, and they need to convince the world soon. Announce those big games! As cool as Pikmin 3 looks, it's not the kind of game that floats an entire console.

And Nintendo needs to prove to me that they're still the software innovators I always thought they were. I want to see Game Of The Year material from them again.

[gbpackers31]

It always amazes me how quickly people come in and write off any negative comments on Nintendo. These are all valid concerns and complaints. Going third party is a bit of an overreaction, however, but the Wii U, so far, has not been received particularly well.

[TheWon]

"I played Mario Galaxy, and enjoyed it, but played Mario Galaxy 2 for about an hour before I realised I was playing exactly the same game and was bored shovel of it. After a while, the Wii's core buckled under its own success.
It didn't have the hardware for many games like Call of Duty to justify making a port, so it was basically lumbered with Nintendo's software for a large part of its lifespan."

So Mario Galaxy 2 being the same was bad, but not having Call of Duty is good! Ya this is when you need to ask the question. Does anyone in the gaming world know anything about gaming.

by gbpackers31 » 03 Jan 2013 13:42
It always amazes me how quickly people come in and write off any negative comments on Nintendo. These are all valid concerns and complaints. Going third party is a bit of an overreaction, however, but the Wii U, so far, has not been received particularly well.

Should Sony go 3rd Party since the PSP died a quick death in the US market. The Failure of the PSPGo. The PS3 never not once in this generation lead the market. Sony 1st party games bombing left and right with only Uncharted, and God of War being really successful. Finally the Vita need I say more. After all of these major failures, and hits to their business, and we are not taking about Sony TV, Movies, and Music departments. How many times has anyone said Sony should go third party or even leave the industry. If things were fair no one would have to in your words White Knight for Nintendo. Nintendo is always doomed while everyone else has a chance to succeed.

[gatorboi352]

Ok so 2 devs compare it to smart phones and tablets.... and a 3rd dismisses it (having not played one yet) by comparing it to the original Wii and Wii Sports. L.O.L.

I could see if this was about the 3DS in regards to the smart phone/tablet comparison... but a home console??

[ocre]

Why aren't we allowed to get upset about these kinds of comments? One of these jokers hasn't even played the system yet. How do these guys know the Wii U had a shaky launch? I thought the Wii U had a better launch than the PS3 and Xbox 360 launches. Where are they pulling that from? Did they read a couple of posts in NeoGAF and take it as reality.

[qko]

I'd like to see developers that have actually worked with Nintendo platforms (with positive or negative results) give an opinion. Otherwise it's as if I, a person living in the US, were giving my two cents about how the future desirability of living in Canada looks like without ever living there or looking into it, how much weight do my words really carry? When devs and publishers that have worked with a company give opinions and actually name themselves then I'll actually take a look at what they have to say.

[mariomaniac45213]

". I played Mario Galaxy, and enjoyed it, but played Mario Galaxy 2 for about an hour before I realised I was playing exactly the same game and was bored shovel of it."

I enjoyed SMG more than SMG2 but SMG2 is a fun game and it worth completing to the end that being said it does feel more like SMG: The Lost Levels than a true sequel. That being said I don't see how you can enjoy the first, yet call the second the same but also calling it boring. By that logic you obviously didn't enjoy the first game if both games are the same. Now if he had said the NSMB series that would've been a different story...

"It didn't have the hardware for many games like Call of Duty to justify making a port"

Except Wii got all of the COD's except MW2....so he doesn't know what he's talking about.

[CCFanboy]

1.I'm underwhelmed with the technical abilities of the WiiU, which wouldn't be a big deal if I felt like Nintendo was still the software juggernaut it used to be. But lately, I've been feeling like even Nintendo's games are stuck in 2002 and hindered by old ideas. Combine that with the fact that right now I have VERY LITTLE to look forward to.

2. Nintendo needs to prove that the we're going to have reasons to play the WiiU up to a year from now, and they need to convince the world soon. Announce those big games! As cool as Pikmin 3 looks, it's not the kind of game that floats an entire console.

3. And Nintendo needs to prove to me that they're still the software innovators I always thought they were. I want to see Game Of The Year material from them again.

1. there is more to look forward to on wii u then there was on ps3 and 360 at this point in time. Not when they are established. When they first came out. If your really bored of wii u now you must have gone crazy when the others first came out.

2. Would you rather they show a killzone trailer which isn't out nearly 4 years from it's original showing? Or a gran turismo that doesn't come out until the end of the generation? Or a final fantasy that still hasn't surfaced. These games were all shown prior to ps3's launch. I would rather nintendo hold off and reveal when they are ready then show them off when they aren't out for 3 years. Give it time. There will be plenty of announcements at e3.

3. they still do game of the year material. I think the best games of the generation came from wii. smash bros brawl, metroid prime 3, mario galaxy 2, twilight princess (my favorite zelda), xenoblade (by far the best jrpg neptunia being second), pandora's tower is beast, monster hunter is great, tatsunoko delivered more gameplay value then umvc3 did. That is all my personal opinion.

[Hinph]

Being that Nintendo has always been the primary innovator of how we play games, I hate to think about what would happen without them in the hardware business. This is the same premature writing off of Nintendo that we always get and I cant believe we are still having this conversation all these years later. It all started with Sega going third party, but Sega was in heavy debt and only falling further and further into their hole. Even if the Wii U were to be another Gamecube, Nintendo would still remain profitable, still have billions in their warchest, and still have another shot.

Also, have to love the guy who says Galaxy 2 bored him to shovel for being the same thing only to go on mentioning Call of Duty in the next breath. It's like satire, only it's not...

[ghettojourno]

And Nintendo needs to prove to me that they're still the software innovators I always thought they were. I want to see Game Of The Year material from them again.

If Xenoblade Chronicles, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 weren't Game of the Year contenders to you, then I got nothin' for ya man. (And probably, neither does Nintendo.)

[Entity]

Uhm.... I didn't get to read all you guys' comments since I have to write down my thoughts now...

1. Not EVERYONE buys a Nintendo console for Nintendo games alone. I have a Wii U with Trine2 (love it), ZombiU(Love it), Sega KArt (Love it) and chasing Aurora (unsure so far).... Not ONE single Ninty game. Same on the Wii, I had more 3rd party games on it. But then again I look for games, I read about gaming and can make up my own mind. And the more you read about games, the more games you will discover.

2. As someone above mentioned is that Ninty aren't trying to jump into the tablet arena with the Gamepad. It might do so partially of course, but it's a fancy DS

3. A console is a set of tools. A developer uses those tools and combine this with their creativity an skills and they can make a good game. A good developer could make a good game on the C64 today (and some still do).

Let us give the U at least a year before we can see more games and how it will battle it out with the two others. You never know, one of those might flop!

[OmicronTurtle]

And Nintendo needs to prove to me that they're still the software innovators I always thought they were. I want to see Game Of The Year material from them again.

Agreed. They need to convince me a Wii U is worth a purchase. I'm not buying a system with just the promise of Mario, Zelda, Metroid, F-Zero, Smash Bros. All of which I don't see releasing this year.

[Fatmanonice]

I find it amazing how so many people have already forgotten how overwhelmingly underwhelming the 3DS, Wii, Gamecube, PS3, and even the DS and 360 launches were. I've been a gamer for 22 years and my thoughts on all of this is that these kinds of talks should be reserved for a consoles' second or third year unless it completely tanks right out of the gate like the Virtual Boy. Most people's response to the Wii U is "meh" but there's plenty they could still do given how they've barely revealed anything about future titles especially for their biggest franchises.

[Mahe]

The Wii launch was awesome. Fantastic games, fantastic hardware. Wii U just isn't capturing that, and it's due to Nintendo's poor planning.

[tdub154420]

How can anyone who dumps on Super Mario Galaxy 2 be taken seriously?