The Wii’s Success: It’s time for developers to put up or shut up
Saturday, January 19th, 2008 at 11:26am by Jack
OPINION — It’s officially time for 3d party developers to put up or shut up.
The act of complaining about developing games for a Nintendo console and turning a profit against the big bad Ninty and its cadre of 1rst party behemoths has officially been exposed as the pathetic, cry baby act that it is.
Recent offenders include the much ballyhooed Goichi Suda, whose No More Heroes isn’t selling as much as he would like in Japan. The title drops in the U.S. on January 22. “Whilst the sales weren’t as high as I hoped, other titles for Wii aren’t selling so well either,” said Goichi Suda in an interview with CVG published on Wednesday. “Only Nintendo titles are doing well. This isn’t just because of the current situation in Japan, as this is happening outside Japan.” He went on to say, “Before I was making this game, I wasn’t expecting that Wii would be a console targeted only for non-gamers. I expected more games for hardcore gamers. The reality is different to what I expected.” Suda, here are some boo hoo berries to chew on while you await the US numbers next week.
It’s ironic, don’t you think, that people only complain about the Wii 3rd party problem when it’s their game that isn’t meeting expectations?
There’s no money in it you say? Nintendo sucks it all up because they hold the keys to the castle? Rubbish. Ask Ubisoft, which managed to do just that with a stable of borderline dead on arrival quality games in 2007. Can you imagine the pile of money that company would be sitting on if they managed to slip just one A+ quality game into that pile?
When people like Goichi Suda say that only Nintendo can make games for Nintendo consoles my college education, which was steeped in courses on Logic, takes over. And I get a headache. This is because Nintendo titles don’t sell well simply because they have the Nintendo logo in the publisher’s spot on the DVD case, they sell well because Nintendo is an incredible developer and publisher. Simply logic says that if you create a great, fun to play game, you can make the same kind of money that a Super Mario Galaxy or a Twilight Princess can make in a year. The formula exists and yet developers, through ignorance or laziness or a mixture of both, are unable to tap into it. Developers are ignorant because they continue to think of the video games industry as a one dimensional playing field where only Xbox 360 games succeed and produce those incredible Halo 3 software sales numbers. If we subscribe to Suda’s logic, all he’d have to do for No More Heroes to be a runaway favorite it to slap a Nintendo logo on the box where his publisher/developer logos should be be. Viola! Instant million seller!
There are other bogus points of contention about the Wii too, including the infamous MSRB ratings system, and how a little black and white box holds such immense power over whether or not a system passes or fails.
There are no mature M rated titles? Let me do you the courtesy of arranging a sit down with Tony Montagna of Scarface; or the Don himself from Godfather. Ports, sure, but beyond that, who is the all-powerful game guru that declared only the best games are M-rated? Who was the bastion of video game stardom that said from on high in Redmond or Japan a system is only truly successful if it has a larger stable of M-rated titles that those less, more childish ones? When we examine these objective questions more closely, and begin to shed the Old World thinking that’s dominated the industry for the past 10 years, I think we’ll all begin to see that those who raise the maturity objection about any system, not just Nintendo’s, are probably raising it not to expand the industry, or enhance the experience of the gamer (read: customer), but to keep things the way they are so they can continue to make money, off of us, with the same old schlock. It’s funny though, and again very ironic, that those who bash Nintendo titles for not being mature would use the same breath to bash the ESRB system as a whole for being useless or inaccurate or a detriment to gaming when it censors titles like Manhunt 2.
Perhaps the craziest thing is we’ve been through this tired old song and dance before with the DS. Let’s go over it again though, just in case these bellyaching development houses, with their millions of dollars in resources, missed it. With that system there was a slow start; one which was so slow in fact that developers, “gaming journalists,” and “analysts” — all put into quotes on purpose and for obvious reasons — dismissed it as a clunky, useless feature ridden failure the instant Nintendo started the supply chain conveyor belts. As an early adopter of the system, even I was slightly skeptical when I picked up the system in May 2005. The killer app at the time was a port of Super Mario 64, and my gaming library consisted of a less than stellar tournament poker game and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005. If you thought the deer looked bad in the Wii version, the DS version made that deer look like Crysis. Even so, I put all my chips into the system because there was a certain buzz in the air about its upcoming software. Sure enough, in August 2005 Advance Wars Dual Strike dropped as did a game that would change the system and the industry forever: Nintendogs.
And therin lies a very important point. To see it however you need a little more vision than the sore losers that currently bitch and moan about the Wii have cared to exercise. The point is that while Nintendogs was by no means a game for everyone, the effect it had touched upon every type of gamer. On the one had it welcomed the cas-core sect in with open arms, and created this amazing new world where video games were not a hobby to be shunned by the masses, and you could officially play your DS in public on the bus or in a plane without any insecurity whatsoever. In fact, that cute girl sitting near you on the subway probaby has a pink DS sitting at home and didn’t think twice about asking for it for her birthday or for Christmas. On the other hand, Nintendogs’ immense sales numbers meant that there was money — incredible amounts of money — to be made on a system with low development costs, a quirky interface and a built-in audience with widely diverse tastes. Truly, the DS was a system designed with the developer in mind (fun fact: according to Nintendo, DS also stands for “developer’s system”).
Simply put, the DS literally stares whiny developers in the face each and every day from their pockets or their desktops, and they ignore it because that’s easier to do than accept that their way of thinking when applied to the Wii is an utter failure. The DS, like the Wii, is no powerhouse. Its components are not new or groundbreaking, but then again that’s never been the point of software development. The point has been to create great software that makes the end user experience a relatively enjoyable one. Software developers should focusing on creating great software. Why they obsess so openly about hardware specs and why they must by X or Y for a game to be a moneymaker is beyond me. The DS has proven if you build it, they will come. Square Enix, Ubisoft and Tecmo are just a few of the developers who “got it.” Why the Wii will be any different has not been sufficiently proven by any person, developer or analyst thus far other than the occasional half-assed “just because.”
All these points, of course, are readily available via a simple Google search. And, while I realize that our search foo skills are not as robust as we once believed, I do think they’re good enough to discover these games and easily dispell whatever myths have presisted about the Wii for the past year. So, if this information is so easily procured, what’s the deal? In my single, solitary and not-speaking-for-all-of-Infendo opinion, it’s quite simple: we’re starting to approach the cusp of the last gasp before the storm (mixed metaphor alert). One the one side are the developers who’ve made the decision to work and get a game that hums (and therefore makes money) on the Wii, just as so many did over the past three years with the Nintendo DS. On the other are those developers that believe only ports can succeed on the Wii, or mini-games, or any of the other labels that are used to demean the system because it’s different and therefore will always be perceived as too a difficult a task to undertake.
The future looks bright though, at least for those developers who’ve decided to make 2008 the year they’d seriously consider the Wii as a money making platform. The first half 2008 release list for the Wii is 90% 3rd party, and the DS list isn’t to shabby either. And yet, I’m still seeing the same recycled garbage from analysts and devlopers. It’s not surprising, but it’s my opinion this year will start to see much, much less of it. 2007 was the year where it was cool to complain, as is customary for etsbalished players to do with any disruptive technology, and 2008 will be the year the complainers put up or shut up.
It’s all just my two cents. The formula for success was established by the DS and will be enhanced by the Wii. It’s all but inevitable.
January 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Here here.
I couldn’t agree more. Developers put half-a**ed efforts onto the Wii, or just port a PS2/PSP game and wonder why consumers don’t bite.
Is it Nintendo’s fault that they put the time, effort and resources into developing games that sell ? The profits on Nintendo’s software sales are very well deserved imo.
Infendo, what are the profits on 3rd party games on other systems ? I’m talking about games like Lair(PS3), Okami(PS2) ,*add additional XB360 and PS3 games from third parties here*.
The problem imo lies with the way resources($$$) are allocated for projects for the different consoles (im referring to both development and marketing).
Get a publisher like Capcom…. Zack&Wiki is probably great, but i havent seen any marketing behind it. Can you imagine how many people would buy a Street Fighter 4 or RE5 if they decide to put out on Wii (even if it is graphically toned down).
I want serious all round efforts on Wii software in 2008. It is my opinion(and hope) that Factor5 will deliver.
Cheers
January 19th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Hear hear. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, The third parties are presented with a choice between shame and supporting Nintendo. I feel that they will chooses shame and have supporting Nintendo thrown in later, under worse terms than before.
January 19th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Yeah, i just got the zapper and crossbow training and there was obviously more effort put into that than a whole lot of 3rd party games.
January 19th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Seriously the best reflection upon Wii gaming Ive read in a long time.
Thanks Jack
January 19th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Nice rant… I mean article.
Well done.
I really wish I could pick up a AAA 3rd party title for the Wii, RE4 is a rehashed Gamecube AAA title, but still the best 3rd party game on the Wii? I would gladly spend my money on a high quality looking and controlling 3rd party title.No More Heroes may be close to an AAA one but with those poor sales, I dont think it will be AAA,.
Meanwhile I am playing Assassins Creed, Bioshock,COD4, Obvlion, Mass Effect, Gears Of War and more on the 360 wishing I could have something similar on the Wii with its unique controls!
January 19th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Quick correction: It’s ESRB, not MSRB.
January 19th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I’m inclined to agree with Suda. The fact of the matter is, right now Japan is eating up the first party/casual games. According to the latest software sales charts, Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and Wii Play are the highest selling Wii games. And all the Wii games on the the list are first party games except RE:UC, which is the 30th and last.
I think there are two reasons why Nintendo keeps their edge high above any other developer for their systems.
Firstly, they have first-hand knowledge of everything that’s kept secret. This allows them to develop with these secrets very early on before anyone else. And because Ninty is so secretive they don’t really give third parties a chance to develop a game side-by-side. So when a developer learns about, say how the DLC issue is going to be handled, Nintendo is already two steps ahead of them, which means that Nintendo’s going to be basking in profit while the third parties have to catch up.
Secondly, they’re NINTENDO! Among all three current console manufacturers their franchises are the most known and played EVER. If you expect any new IP to reach the level of identifiability of a Nintendo franchise, especially while games are still being made for it, you’re joking yourself.
Suda’s current thoughts on the demographic the Wii reaches for are pretty much accurate. I didn’t know the Wii was going to go for non/casual-gamers before it came out either. But as Nintendo has shown, their priorities seem to be:
1. Attract non/cas-gamers.
2. IT PRINTS MONEY!!!!!!11one!
3. Protect innocent kids from the dangers of the interwebs.
4. Keeping everyone in the dark for obscene amounts of time.
5. Attract hardcore-gamers.
Btw Jack, you seem to be confusing MSRP and ESRB.
January 19th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Great article but i have to pick a bone with one statement. Nintendo may well be an incredible developer, but they aren’t a great publisher, especially if you live in Europe.
They delay games for so long over here, I begin to wonder if they even wany my money.
January 19th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Belly-aching developers have it all backwards: businesses are supposed to figure out what product the market wants and supply it. If their product is off, it’s their fault, not the markets.
I don’t owe Suda (or Nintendo, or Sony, or MS) anything. If they offer me something I want, I will buy it. (although I do plan on getting NHM…)
It’s time for the videogames industry developers to climb down off of their pedestals.
January 19th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
i can’t play the wii, it bores me
January 19th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
GUITAR HERO 3 has been successful, so I agree STFU
January 19th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Damn Jack, you hit the nailed on the frickin’ head. Well done.
I’ve read a lot of articles from the 50 or so video game blogs in my feed reader over the last few months but this is the best article I’ve read in a long time.
January 19th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
If Nintendo can barely market their own hardcore titles (Metroid) how can 3rd party developers change consumers minds?
Nintendo itself does alot of things half assed, especially when they have hype and success to ride on. If you look at what was promised in E3 back in what, 05, and what we got from Nintendo, there’s alot Nintendo decided not to bother with. Not because they were bad ideas or wouldn’t sell, but I believe simply because they realized with enough hype they could shift systems regardless of going the extra mile.
So where does this fit in with third parties? Well, to an extent a first party must develop a viable platform that alerts the consumer and indeed the developer that their system has it all. The PS3 and 360 both have a strong first party lineup for the core gamer, and also have great marketing and SDK’s for the third party developer. Everyone wins.
Nintendo, obviously, don’t have nearly as much credibility there. They spend far more time pushing casual games than gamer titles, and from the horrible state of online Wii, including Nintendos own efforts, their SDKs probably leave much to be desired as well.
So, a third party developer may WANT to bring an A class title to Wii that doesn’t involve some stupid wiggle crap or yet more party games, but without Nintendo themselves willing to gamble in the core gamer space I can certainly see why developers decide not to bother and stick with Xbox/PS3.
I think both sides are at fault, developers need to start taking a gamble (which it is, a big one, judging the poor third party sales, including some great titles), and Nintendo must start doing more to support them.
January 20th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I agree with the above comment by James. There must be something wrong with Nintendo too, we can’t blame developers only.
I’m concerned on how things are now. Wii is the machine for casual games, and I’m sure it isn’t what Nintendo wanted at the beginning. I bought my Wii with the idea it would have the biggest variety of games (much more than the other consoles) and I wouldn’t need to buy a complementing console. Now I’m reconsidering that.
January 20th, 2008 at 11:31 am
@neko
I think an important point to keep in mind is that the Wii has yet to have the old franchises that sold so well on PS2. The developers keep coming at the argument from last-gen-winner (PS2) to current-gen-winner (Wii). But if we compare it more accurately from GCN to Wii, the picture is completely different. It’s not that all of a sudden 3rd-party games aren’t selling on the Wii; They didn’t sell very well on the GameCube either, which is what led to Nintendo breaking into other markets. Those people who had their fresh core game experiences on the PS2 still look to Sony for their fresh core game experiences.
So many of the games being put on the Wii are ports, because the developers just have no clue how to make an A+ game for it (at least, not yet). And those that do (Zack & Wiki!) just aren’t advertising them. And that’s the thing. Those new gamers who bought a Wii, they wouldn’t have bought those games on the PS2 to begin with. So to reach those new people, you’ve got to push Push PUSH the hard sell of those properties.
of course, to put it in perspective, how many copies did Killer 7 sell?
January 20th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Hey, if third parties wanna pussyfoot and muddlefuck around, they can do so. In the meantime, Nintendo will be busy making all the money off the market leader. The third parties’ veto power over Nintendo’s success is over.
And all this “casual” crap is just bitter tears. Nintendo did a fine job advertising MP3. It’s on pace to outsell MP2 within the year. Not everything has to have uber-mega blockbuster sales to be a success.
January 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 am
I think alot of these games dont sell is because they dont have 4player splitscreen, nintendo has always been the multiplayer console!
if third party developers put all there effort into making good 4player gamers mature or teen rating, they can make a profit!
im a proud wii owners, but thats the reason i dont buy games
and established franchises should take more advantage of the wii
for example: no wii onwer wanted soulcaliber legends, they should of gave us a soul calibur 3 port with online play
capcom wii need re5,
sieera made a wackass crash bandicoot game, should of just gave us another crash racing game
and so on and so on
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I think both sides have a a point on this.
Nintendo does have a strangle hold on development and publishing, they tend to keep 3rd party’s out of the loop so that they aren’t able to maximize the potential of the system until Nintendo establishes it’s own titles.
They should ease up on the 3rd party developers and do something side-by-side every now and then. Let’s face it, Nintendo has a bad rep with 3rd parties for being “stingy”.
But 3rd Party developers are also at fault for looking at the Wii in a single dimension. They need to look at it in a different perspective.
Nintendo has never been popular for it’s M games or even T games, Nintendo made a name for itself becasue of it’s family-friendliness. It’s about pure fun and not about “how real the guns and blood look”.
Honestly, these new “hardcore” games are a little overrated, if you ask me. With all the hype of instrinsicate plotlines, complex gameplay, realism in graphics and engine, etc.
Sure a good story and cinematics enhance gameplay every now and then, but after a awhile I lose interest and get bored with those cliche’s (even with Nintendo games like Zelda). Yet I never get bored of picking up my granpa NES system and play Space Invaders, Milk & Nuts, Bomberman, Duck Hunt, Lode Runner, Elevator Action - heck even the first edition Tetris is lots of fun!
There are hardcore gamers, and there are tohse who just wanna have fun. Wii was designed for the latter.
February 11th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
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