When I was at the D.I.C.E Summit earlier this month, I went around asking people’s opinions on things like the Steambox, Ouya, Nvidia’s Shield, and Wii U. What struck me was how many developers told me games were being cancelled left and right for Wii U. For example, EA had a big multi-console project and they cancelled the Wii U version. I must’ve heard from at least eight different developers who claimed to have a Wii U version in development, and they ended up cancelling it.
The most interesting discussion was speaking with an employee for a studio that makes games for Activision. The general consensus seems to be that Activision has been completely soured by software sales for Wii U version of Call of Duty Black Ops 2. But Activision will still be supporting the Wii U regardless.
The Activision employee (who doesn’t represent the opinions/views of everyone at Activision) told me the following:
“Activision didn’t expect much from Wii U sales of Black Ops 2, but they sure didn’t expect it to be that abysmal. Activision gave Wii U owners the best version of Blops 2 with Off TV features, and Nintendo fans didn’t support it. It’s easy for Nintendo fans to trash publishers for not giving them ports, but publishers have wisened up. They realize Nintendo fans are all talk. Nintendo fans are vocal with their mouths, but when it’s time to open their wallets, they’ll spend that $60 on New Super Mario Bros instead.”
When I asked him about what his industry friends at other publishers think of the Wii U, he told me the following:
“There’s just no enthusiasm for it. The only reason publishers are still going to bring games to Wii U is because they don’t want to damage their relationship with Nintendo.”
This seems like the trend with most 3rd party publishers these days (aside from Ubisoft and a few others.)
I’ll be at Pax East and GDC to talk with developers and see if opinions on the console are a lot more positive.
activision supported blops? lol
we know EA title was crysis, and its their own damn fault
I bought Tekken and ZombiU. I have no interest in any of the CoD games.
Yep, those publishers and devs have us fans all figured out. Call of Duty with no DLC support, Mass Effect 3 while the entire trilogy goes to other systems (not to mention no DLC either). How about we see how Rayman does before we say Nintendo fans don’t want ports/multiplatform games?
which is why its nonsense.
Pingback: RUMOR: Activision Upset at Black Ops II Wii U Sales, Says Nintendo Fans Are All Talk | GenGAME
Let’s not even mention the fact that most people who bought a Wii U now are die-hard Nintendo fans, and love fun games more than “cool” games. There’s not much of a market for shooters YET on the Wii U, until the install base gets more varied. Now, why should the sales of a shooter on a Nintendo console affect their decision to try other genres?
I’m tired of the “Nintendo owners only buy Nintendo games” bullshit, especially since some of the most desired games by Nintendo Wii U owners are games like Wonderful 101, Rayman Legends, Lego City Undercover, Monster Hunter, etc. Which of these games is actually made by Nintendo?
Ports are important. Even for less popular genres on Nintendo consoles, because they diversify the install base, and show people on the fence that getting Nintendo consoles mean you can play multiplat ports too. Developers have said that porting multiplat games to the Wii U can easily be done with a million dollars or so (and that in our current bloated-as-hell AAA industry, where costs are a lot higher than they should be by all laws of common business sense).
A budget like that would take less than 20,000 full price retail copy sales to recoup.
I somehow doubt that “AAA” (God I hate this word) ports aren’t selling at least that even now, at the very start of the console’s lifespan.
Of course the major 3rd party companies want to not just recoup their costs, but also earn a profit. That’s what companies do. But that’s not all that companies do. Companies also invest and think in the long term; or at least they SHOULD. Are they letting their desire for massive, instant profits blind their vision? Can’t they see that playing zero-sum, or for small profit margins now will help them in the long term? It occurs to me that it’s not just us consumers that are getting more addicted to instant gratification, but these companies too.
The lack of basic business and common sense major video game companies display is enough to kill my brain cells. This concentrating on the short term, upping the stakes by having massive bloated dev teams working on utterly mediocre but spectacularly-looking games (the asscreed’s, the halo’s, the COD’s) to get profit NOW instead of investing in a more long-term infrastructure is what will eventually spell their doom.
Pingback: RUMOR – Activision upset with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 sales, says ports don’t sell, no publisher enthusiasm « GoodyGate
lol Wow.. Best version of COD… If I remember correctly, that game was a rushed out lazy port, the fact that your statement from Activision includes “Activision didn’t expect much from Wii U sales” further proves that Activision didn’t want to perform any quality work in the first place. Furthermore most people already bought the game on other consoles, so why would they need to buy another copy again just because it’s on the Wii U? Not everyone will buy 2 copies of the same game.
The fact that Activision and EA chose to avoid providing DLC the current install base who actually bought their crap isn’t exactly instilling a lot of confidence in any of their products either. Furthermore Ubisoft chose to anger numerous fans of Rayman with their stupid delay, and their pathetic offerings to quell the anger. So overall this is not due to the tired excuse that nobody buys 3rd party games on Nintendo products, it’s mainly due to the fact that 3rd party publishers/developers like Activision, Ubisoft and EA chose to treat their consumers like crap.
From my personal experience, I will always consider COD games as junk, and I won’t support such a lazy business model, especially since all they usually do is reskin the the game. If Activision actually produces a quality product that actually peaks my interests, then I will actually buy it, not because it has a COD name on it.
Meanwhile Capcom is actually listening to the demands of Nintendo fans for a change, since they’re actually providing things people demanded on Monster Hunter 3U. I already have that preordered because I want the game. I already have a bunch of other 3rd party games I’m already planning on picking up on the Wii U, including some indie ones. So this tired excuse of blaming Nintendo only selling Nintendo games has to stop, because it’s getting pathetic and childish.
These highly insecure, immature, childish, down flagging, free loading, Peter Pan man-children, Nintendo fanatics who are so proud of trivial Nintendo for their kids stuff like sales figures and so called ‘innovation’ really need to man up and grow some real balls.
You’re the one who sounds insecure dude.
People like Bobby and Zelnick are a lot more greedy so even if they make tiny profits it isn’t enough for them. They want millions of dollars in profits or its a flat out fail. The fact Ubisoft said they have no problem with Wii U and the fact they are still porting means they are not only happy with how Zombi U did but they are happy with how AC 3 did.
Blaming Nintendo fans when it is the multiplat owners to blame isn’t right. If you talk to that guy again Calvin can you tell him this? “We aren’t to blame. The chances are its a group who claim they already played it or alternatively get it on their PS3 or 360. Those are the people doing the talk. The people on the internet who say “I don’t get third party support on Nintendo” so opt into the others”. You won’t believe how many people I know who own a Wii and said “well I didn’t buy it when it was there”. It isn’t Nintendo fanboys or Nintendo only owners. Its THEM!
But it really doesn’t help that Activision, Take 2 and EA are more greedy. Its kind of their greed that is the problem. Same as said above, EA need to sell at least 2 million copies of Crysis 3 in order to break even. If they whipped up a quick port they could just take what sales they get on Nintendo but they don’t. They want top dollar. Truth about those guys is they see sales Nintendo get and think “Why can’t I have that as well?”
I think Nintendo is better just focusing on Japan and fecking the rest of these suits TBH. Japanese publishers tend to be quite supportive of Nintendo and actually sell more so writing contracts on stuff like Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter is the way to go IMO.
For the multiplat owners who don’t step up I have news for you. You are supporting companies who insist on blocking used games and you supported a practice (DLC) that backfired on you. Now you have to pay for content locked on disc. Go and buzz to your power because no good can come from it in the long run. If dev costs double then something is bound to happen. I’m sure of that.
How could it be Activision’s fault?
Do you know how shafted and disadvantaged over 360 version PS3 COD gamers every damn year and every time a COD game is released?
I can list a hundreds of reasons for Ps3 gamers to boycott Activision …. Yet they still buy the damn COD game on PS3!
http://www.statisticbrain.com/playstation-3-best-selling-game-statistics/
That is what you call hardcore support!
and here you are whining about Wii U versions petty stuff?
And you know how Activision responds in kind to PlayStation gamers support?
You will find out soon.
The Nintendo fanboys are the problem.
The problem is not Nintendo nor Activision because I believe Mr. Iwata saw their mistakes with Wii and try to fix it and learned from Activision’s success and partnered with them….
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/nintendo-president-admits-mistake-in-abandoning-core-audience-for-casual/
….but its the fanbase who are not responding at all.
They want all this trivial “support” from 3rd parties just for decorations & stats on their favorite brand that toddlers and soccer mom’s help build.
The Joker is right about Nintendo fanboys and 3rd party devs on Nintendo platforms
To them Nintendo fanboys, 3rd party devs are just like freaks. they need them right now,,,but when they don’t they cast them out…like lepers!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8PxG5zvgOM
Hey pretty stuff I am a Nintendo fanboy and got CoD. This is what I am saying the problem is. I’d wager at least half of all 360 and PS3 users have Wiis. Now they complain about third party support. Quiz them on it. Did they buy games on Wii when they were given the option. Know what their answer is? No. No they didn’t.
This is what I am getting at. The people who own PS3 and 360 as well. Those are the ones to blame. If so many “hardcore” gamers own a Wii then yes third parties can sell. The problem is those “hardcore” gamers ignore the option and buy it on PS3 or 360 anyway. Not the Nintendo fanbase. They buy it. The people who own Wii but don’t use it. THEM! People like Brian Ashcraft himself admitted he ignored the option when he was given it.
They are willing to put up with buying 6 360s in a generation (something my brother did) but use the word “gimmick” against Nintendo. You guys like to flame Nintendo for their flaws but Microsoft probably broke the law by releasing such a flawed product with incredibly high failure rates. I don’t see the press ganging up on Microsoft questioning why they should suddenly expect a piece of hardware that can last an entire generation without the kinds of hardware faults it had.
Pingback: Activision Not Happy With Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 Wii U Sales? | My Nintendo News
To tell you the truth I’m calling BS on this whole story. No-one who was a dev for a studio that works for Activision would give a shit, or more importantly even know in the first place, about sales of the Wii U version of Black Ops 2. Never mind know details about the whole thing and willing to talk off the record about to it to a random blogger at a games conference. And if it is off the record and simply idle chitchat; why is it quoted?