Feature: Wii’s third-party predicament
Thursday, September 27th, 2007 at 1:04pm by Derek
Since the beginning of Sony’s now-fading dominance of the video game industry more than a decade ago, third-party publishers have consistently treated Nintendo consoles as Hyrulians do the scorching sands of the Gerudo Desert.
They avoid them altogether.
This unfortunate trend began with the Nintendo 64, when a series of controversial decisions made by Nintendo prompted many developers to shift support to competing consoles. For the first time since the emergence of the home console business, a Nintendo platform was not the dominate one, and the inevitable exodus of third-parties led to devastating consequences for Nintendo.
Most consequential were the increasingly frequent software droughts that left Nintendo fans and their three-pronged Nintendo 64 controllers idle, parched by excruciating voids of quality software. This would have been difficult enough, but the migration of hit titles away from the Nintendo 64 made a bad situation only more difficult for Nintendo supporters.
Square had originally planned its epic Final Fantasy VII - widely considered one of the finest games ever made - for the Nintendo 64, but moved it to Sony’s new PlayStation before development began. Prominent companies such as Konami and Capcom also dramatically scaled back support for the Nintendo 64, shifting the bulk of their support to Sony and leaving Nintendo alone to support its console, a pattern which would continue on the GameCube despite Nintendo’s best efforts.
But with Wii, things were supposed to be different. Consumers were promised, due to the affordability of Wii software development and the unique options for interface and control encouraged by the hardware, that third-parties would provide substantially more software for Nintendo fans.
Certainly, it could be argued that the promise of “more” has been kept. More than 20 games launched with the Wii in North America, and only three of them were developed by Nintendo. Almost a year later, third-parties are still churning out Wii games at a surprising rate, and many companies have created dedicated teams specifically for Wii software development.
While third-parties have been successful in getting more of their games on the shelf, however, they have failed to get those games into the hands of Nintendo fans.
The recently released Madden NFL 2008 exemplifies this phenomenon. The multi-platform football game, published by third-party behemoth Electronic Arts, sold a staggering 896,600 copies on the Xbox 360 in August, according to NPD sales data. The PlayStation 2 version sold 643,600 copies in the same month, and even the struggling PlayStation 3 managed a respectable 336,200 units sold.
The Wii version sold little more than 100,000 copies.
Third-party difficulties on Wii are perhaps even more clearly illustrated in examination of the console’s best-selling software. According to VGChartz.com, a Web site dedicated to tracking video game sales figures, eight Wii titles have sold more than one million copies worldwide to date. Only two, Ubisoft’s Rayman Raving Rabbids and Red Steel, were developed by a company other than Nintendo.
Speculation varies on the reasons behind third-party sales difficulties on Wii, but many share a bold theory: their games simply aren’t worth buying.
In an interview with Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal in March, Nintendo development guru Shigeru Miyamoto expressed concerns that third-party developers are not committing their best efforts to software intended for Nintendo systems.
When questioned about third-party struggles on Wii, Miyamoto said “…a lot of times, it seems that when (third-parties) are putting games out on Nintendo hardware, those games are being developed by their third-string team or their fourth-string team.”
“But when Nintendo puts out a title,” continued Miyamoto, “that title is always developed by one of our number one teams.”
Though Miyamoto garnered some criticism for his comments, he pointed out a simple truth: Nintendo puts its best teams behind first-party Wii software. Most Nintendo games on Wii - think Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Super Paper Mario - emphasize his point. These titles have achieved not only universal critical acclaim, but healthy sales figures and overwhelmingly positive reception from Wii owners.
Finding a third-party Wii game of comparable quality, polish and customer satisfaction can be a daunting task.
According to many third-parties, however, their development efforts are not to blame for their low sales on Wii. Rather, the problem lies with the Nintendo audience. Interview snippets and developer commentaries occasionally reveal that third-parties feel slighted by Nintendo supporters, and interestingly, journalists often sympathize, effectively portraying third-parties as the “victim,” a label they so frequently pine for.
Kevin Cassidy, founder of the popular Nintendo news blog GoNintendo.com, claimed in March that “when it comes to third-party games, Nintendo fans are almost impossible to please” and that they “turn their backs” on third-party software.
Two months prior to the release of the Wii, Game Informer’s Billy Berghammer justified third-parties’ avoidance of Nintendo platforms, claiming “the industry (has) witnessed Nintendo fans only really purchasing Nintendo titles.”
Researchers also place blame on Nintendo fans. In April, an analyst with Kaufman Bros. Equity Research suggested that Nintendo’s expansion of the video game market in recent years has actually had a negative effect on third-parties, suggesting that Nintendo is “leaving the publishers with a smaller slice of an only somewhat incrementally larger pie” and keeping them “in a permanent catch-up mode.”
There are two distinct sides to this debate: the third-party developers who feel their work is unfairly ignored, and the Nintendo audience who feels their work deserves the cold-shoulder. While both sides offer reasonable arguments, a simple truth can be uncovered in honest analysis of third-party Wii software and its sales:
Most third-parties simply are not “getting” what the console is about, and on the rare occasion that they do, Nintendo fans are not embracing those titles as they should.
One issue most Nintendo supporters and game critics seem to agree on is that Ubisoft deserves the distinction of the number-one offender of awful Wii games. Since their much-hyped Red Steel succeeded in becoming one of the most disappointing games of the last decade, Ubisoft has continued releasing forgettable software on Wii. They plastered a Teen-rated facade over the conclusion of their Prince of Persia trilogy, The Two Thrones, and tacked-on motion controls for their renamed port, Rival Swords. Instead of correcting its missteps, Ubisoft continued to pollute the Wii with “shovel-ware” like Driver: Parallel Lines and the abysmal Far Cry Vengeance.
If Ubisoft deserves commendation for anything it has done on Wii, it is the consistency with which it disappoints.
While it seems like Electronic Arts has at least put some creative effort into their Wii software, as evident in games like Boogie and their Madden titles, their games have failed to entice the majority of Wii owners. Boogie, in particular, fell victim to extremely harsh reviews - Jenn Frank of 1up.com called it a “jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none moment of fluff” that is “fun for exactly 20 minutes” - and disappointing sales.
Things haven’t faired well for Eidos on Wii, either. Cheat Code Central claimed their universally-maligned Escape From Bug Island “set a new low point for…video games,” and their shooter Bionicle Heroes was also a critical and sales bomb.
And what of Activision? Hudson? Sega? None of these companies have been able to captivate the Wii audience as a whole, and the majority of their software has been poorly received by critics and gamers alike.
While perceptions of video games are subjective, it is difficult to argue that the aforementioned third-party titles have not deserved the negative reception they have received. These games are nothing more than generic attempts to profit from the fastest growing gaming audience in the business, and they contradict the very spirit with which Nintendo envisioned its industry-wide “revolution.”
For their refusal to buy these games, Nintendo fans can hardly be faulted.
While breezing past these games in GameStop or Wal-Mart, however, an enormous segment of Wii owners is simultaneously committing an absolute crime: it is also ignoring some of the most innovative software on the market, developed with care and imagination comparable to that of even the best first-party Nintendo efforts.
With the release of the charming Elebits, Konami created a fresh gameplay experience that delivered on the revolutionary premise of Wii. In addition to its addictive gameplay, frantic multiplayer mode and stylized visuals, Elebits was also a success from a technical standpoint; it was the first Wii game to utilize WiiConnect24 online functionality. Elebits allows players to edit their own levels with remarkable detail and take screenshots in-game, both of which can be traded with friends online.
The game has sold only 220,000 copies worldwide to date, and there have been other third-party gems on Wii that have not sold as well as they perhaps should have.
While swallowed by the immense hype surrounding Wii Sports and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess during the Wii launch, most gamers wrote off Trauma Center: Second Opinion, a reinvention of Atlus’ dramatic “surgery sim” for the Nintendo DS, as a quick port. What these gamers missed out on, however, was one of the best launch titles for the system. Almost a year later, Trauma Center remains one of the finest examples of the smooth, precise control and inventive ideas afforded by Wii.
Clearly, not all third-party games have been stinkers. So why have so many Nintendo fans passed on them, ignoring even the good ones?
The Wii software line-up for Q4 2007 is almost flawless, featuring some of the most highly-anticipated games in years. Hundreds of thousands of Wii owners are collectively holding their breath for Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, two games set to redefine and perfect their respective franchises. Though their audiences are smaller in size, games like Battalion Wars II and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast will almost certainly captivate Nintendo fans and achieve impressive sales.
Yet in the midst of their excitement, will Wii owners notice Capcom’s new Resident Evil shooter, Umbrella Chronicles, or its addictive adventure game, Zack & Wiki? On their way to the store to pick up their long-reserved copy of Super Mario Galaxy, will they stop at a demo of Activison’s Guitar Hero III on Wii or perhaps purchase EA’s 32-person online multiplayer title, Medal of Honor: Heroes 2? And as Smash Bros. mania sends countless Nintendo characters to the recovery room, will the gamers who sent them there stop by the emergency room for Atlus’ brand new Trauma Center: New Blood?
And when will other third-parties finally bring their “A-game” to Wii projects?
Blame can be unfairly placed on both developers and gamers. Certainly, most of the software released by third-parties on Wii hasn’t been worth the plastic it is made of, let alone 49.99 US dollars. But when more than 10 million people around the world own a Wii, it is a shame that only two third-party games - neither of which are as captivating or innovative as other third-party gems - have sold more than a million copies.
Reaching a conclusive end to this debate may prove impossible, and ultimately, any conclusion would be irrelevant. If Wii owners and developers hope to see the promise of Wii fulfilled, a reality in which both parties would certainly reap benefits, changes are necessary within both. Instead of playing the victim, third-parties should take note of why Metroid and Zelda achieve such high praise and sales figures. They should decipher what exactly makes Nintendo fans drool before accusing them of ignoring their products, or at the very least, give their Wii development teams some talent and budget to work with. And as wild as the idea seems, Nintendo fans would certainly benefit from buying games that don’t feature Mario on the cover once in a while.
For gamers and developers alike, a little effort would go a long way.
September 27th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
This article has some good points, but I think it has blown it a little out of proportion. As a wii owner (I was a sony person last gen btw, I had a PS2) i am always looking for good games to play. I am definitely considered a “hard core” gamer and even though I have my favorite genres (rpg being #1), I still expand myself to many other gaming areas.
Honestly, I really really REALLY dont care who develops the software…PERIOD. I look for good games. In all honesty, out of all my gaming friends, none of us look at who created the game. Just for a case it point, one of my friends had to point out that Halo 3 was produced by MS. Out of all the years playing the other 2 I actually didn’t know it was microsoft that made it.
So from this perspective I look for good games, and they are right, alot of 3rd party games that have been produced weren’t quite “up to snuff.” Its really disappointing to see fluid movement and wonderful graphics of metroid 3 prime corruption and witness red steel…there is no contest. I give no biased on who makes the game, if its good and fun, I play it.
That being said, I wanted to make a final note to really finalize this point: if your game is good, high quality, then it really will sell and it really will do good. Please, don’t try and throw something completely cheap and me and expect me to buy it.
Games that I plan to buy in the upcoming months that are NOT nintendo (by the way, I actually had to look them up to see if they were 3rd party): Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Manhunt 2, Ghost Squad, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, Nights: Journey of Dreams, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, the Crystal Bearers, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Lego Starwars The Complete Saga, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed…I could really go on.
So keep it up 3rd party developers!!! You are definitely appreciated, and all my friends agree, if its a good game, regardless of how publishes it, we will buy it.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
This really seems like one of those things that’s doomed to go on forever. game publishers think that nobody wants a third party game and so they don’t put in all their effort. gamers think that third party publishers don’t make good games and don’t buy them. Its a vicious cycle really. I personally don’t discriminate. I will buy anything that looks good. Actually I couldn’t name half the publishers for my games because i have no idea. I would imagine that i do own quite a bit of nintendo published games though because they just put out great stuff. I do have quite a few third party games however and i really look forward to those games coming up like Zack and Wiki and Medal of Honor. Hopefully things are beginning to change for the Wii, third-party wise.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Actually Nathan, Fire Emblem is also a Nintendo property, but the point stands. In fact, that list is very similiar to my own, and I’m about to start playing my freshly purchased copy of Dragon Blade right now.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
“third-party publishers have consistently treated Nintendo consoles as Hyrulians do the scorching sands of the Gerudo Desert.”
Geek alert! Geek alert!
Seriously though, are there any HIGHLY RATED 4rd party games that have been sales bombs? Not really. When 3rd parties start releasing games that can hit the 9s on metacritic and they STILL don’t sell, then I’ll be willing to listen to their moaning. But when they release poop and complain no one wants poop on the wii, thats an insult.
And Nintendo doesn’t exactly have the midas touch on Wii either. Look at games like Excite Truck, that game was great but it was critically panned and didn’t exactly set the sales charts on fire either. Even Zelda twilight princess couldn’t manage to drive any sales in Japan.
The Wii market is a bit of an enigma. They customer base is not the same as the 360. You can’t shovel PS2 games and thing they will sell well.
And if you make a product that doesn’t sell, its NEVER the fault of the audience. The audience will buy things it wants. A failed product either didn’t target the proper audience or failed to educate the audience such that it knew about the product in the first place.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
i think we’re in a limbo situation, where the 3rd parties are coming back to the big “N” to cash in quickly on the Wii’s success, but were unsure of the future of the system, so they rushed their projects and gave us the “B Game” standards and paid the price. as they start to see the quality of games nintendo is pushing out they will relize that the Wii isn’t going anywhere and then we’ll see the quality “A Games” being developed and by their better teams. obviously “N” and the 3rd parties had bumps in the road in their previous relationship and now need to mend those ties. however, the 3rd parties left us along time ago high and dry (maybe due to nintendo’s dealings with licensing and so on), but we paid the price and we remember when capcom and all the others left us for Sony. so why now do they expect us to come running back when we’re doing just fine without them. don’t get me wrong i’d love to see the best 3rd party games on the Wii, but with the time and effort spent on the other systems. the pie is big enough for everyone, but they have to make us trust them again and then our wallets will open.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
I fall squarely in the “third parties usually get what they deserve” camp. I’ll buy titles that are deserving of my money. For full price. On Day 1 of availability.
Sometimes, I’ll buy multiple copies of worthwhile titles for my nieces and nephews. I’ll be walking out of EBGames with no fewer than five copies of Zack and Wiki next month. How’s that for “support?”
Still, we Nintendo fans can’t do it all on our own. How many advertisements did anyone see on TV for Elebits? Trauma Center? Or the buggy-to-the-point-where-it’s-broken Wii version of Madden? And, conversely, how many advertisements did we see on TV for the arguably mediocre Red Steel? And Rayman? Anyone seeing a trend here?
If you develop crap for this console, don’t expect miracles at the cash register. And if you establish a pattern of developing crap for this console, don’t be surprised if your reputation takes a hit. There were a good number of bitter Nintendo fans who were miffed at the idea of publisher Ubisoft getting any kind of credit for hitching its wagon to Suda’s No More Heroes.
Long-time Nintendo fans, for better or worse, can be some of the most extreme fans in this industry. I notice (and make it a point to remember) when a company puts its A & B teams on the other consoles while the C & D teams are relegated to crappy Wii sideprojects. Indeed, I take a certain twisted delight when those companies meet with financial turmoil for their decisions. Let the Chapter 7 paperwork fly - they deserve it.
(Of course, it doesn’t help when Nintendo “fans” are financially rewarding that company by buying those A/B Team titles on other consoles.)
The only real admission that I’d make is this: given a choice between a A-grade Nintendo title and an A-grade third-party title in the same genre, the tie goes to Nintendo 95% of the time. This may be blatant bias on my part, but there’s some degree of reasoning behind it: Nintendo has earned my trust over the years. In contrast, most third parties have lost it. It’s up to them to earn it back.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Ok, Red Steel has been hit left and right as a bad game but I bought it at launch and enjoyed it a lot. It’s a fun, mindless game. That was the focus. It was NOT meant to be a game that changed the way games are played. It was meant to be a fun game released at launch that showed what the 1st wave of games could offer with the new control mechanism. IF Red Steel 2 doesn’t improve over the 1st, THEN we’ll talk.
What is al this non sense about “3rd party games don’t sell on Nintendo Hardware?” Have you even LOOKED at the DS? The Wii is set to follow the same model and by Christmas 2008 will have a huge library of Virtual and Retail games from 3rd parties.
As for the Wii itself, I have bought Red Steel, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Elebits, Trauma Center, Call of Duty 3, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition and Chicken Little. As for 1st party, I have Zelda, Excite Truck, Warioware and Super Paper Mario. I have MORE 3rd party games than 1st party games. My future purchases for the next 6 months are Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Dewey’s Adventure, Zack and Wiki, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, Guitar Hero III, Manhunt 2, Harvey Birdman, Trauma Center: New Blood (8 3rd party games), Metroid Prime 3, Battallion Wars 2, Super Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros Brawl and Fire Emblem (5 1st party games).
Any gamer or 3rd party company that is complaining that the Wii is “nothing more than a mini-games console” or that “3rd party games don’t sell on Nintendo Hardware” are just staying in the past. The now is different: Ubisoft is veeery happy with Nintendo and the Wii and Majesco was practically revived thanks to the success of Cooking Mama on DS and Wii. Those companies that “took a chance” with Wii are reaping the profits. Those that didn’t are rushing to change that (Hi EA, long time no see).
3rd party games DO sell on Nintendo Hardware… when they’re actually good games. Nintendo has spoiled us, sure, and we expect a certain quality on other games in the console. But when “quality” (which many think refers only to graphics and special effects) is not there, FUN always makes a game wortwhile…
September 27th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Here’s my opinion: I will be the first to admit that I am biased against most third-party games. But that definitely doesn’t mean that I have never played one that I haven’t liked. Ideally, I would buy every game for every system that I could. However, I’m not made of money. So I can’t do this. However, with Nintendo, I find a higher satisfaction rate for the games I buy. I can’t waste any more money on Superman 64s (which sadly, I did buy right at release, much to my dismay).
Also, I understand that some games like Elebits (which I also bought) are innovative and fun in their own right, but can a game like Elebits stand up to Smash Bros. Brawl, Twilight Princess, or even Super Paper Mario? That comes down to game genre preference, but even on those grounds, I say no.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Very balanced and well written article. Bravo.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Ok, first I have to say this. I don’t care about inflation, gas wars, development costs, etc… Games cost too much. Sometimes it is hard to give and completely unknown title a try when it costs $49.99 Does anyone else agree with me? There are tons of games for any system I would like to try, but I’m not going to give everything a chance. That’s part of growing up. There are other priorities.
I will buy a Metroid Corruption on day one and deal with the price. I will buy an Elebits two years after release. If that hurts the maker of the game, I’m sorry. I just can’t toss up $49.99 for everything in the world.
For me, cost is what keeps me from giving every title a fair chance. I’m sure many of you feel the same way?
Having said that, I think any truly worthy title 3rd party title will be discovered and embraced eventually. I also think people should take responsibility for what they are creating. These people know when they are releasing substandard titles. How can they not? If they are going to do such, then their pricing should be substandard also.
I don’t buy this “let’s blame the buyer” junk. Make your games the best games they can be, then you should see the fruits of your labor.
We don’t owe it to anyone to give their titles a try. They owe it to us to make their titles good, if they want out money.
ps: I will still buy Red Steel one day… when it’s $9.99 (sorry Ubi)
September 27th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
The only reason Elebits didn’t sell well is it’s cute factor and everyone expected that game to be repetitive, which it was. I did purchased this game, but I also traded it in to put money for SSBB. If this game had other things that you could do besides the “Find Elebits, Capture Elebits, Avoid Obstacles, and Beat the Timer” objectives that it plagued until the finale with the final boss; it would of been a keeper in my books. It didn’t, and I felt I wasn’t going to play this game again, and I rarely trade in games so that is saying much.
As for 3rd party titles, I have a few that I want to get; Red Steel 2 (If it is happening), No More Heroes, and Oboro (the one Vanillaware title). Granted, not a huge list, but not many are being announced in 2008, so hopefully it will grow. I would suggest look at de Blob seeing that it also has the potential to be an original game, but it might suffer the same faults that Elebits had: repetitiveness.
September 27th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
My girlfriend was actually asking me about this the other day. She asked, “Why do you buy so many games?! It’s such an expensive hobby…do you have to have them the DAY they come out, why not wait and get it used for cheaper?”
My reply:
“I vote with my wallet, if a developer took the time to build something unique and fun, I should reward them with money. This way, when they think about making a sequel (thereby hopefully improving on the previous game) they will know that there was a fanbase and make another game, this time improved.”
I know the thought process is a little convoluted and overly optimistic. But take Red Steel, while very disappointing, still showed everyone an idea of what an FPS could be on Wii. Same with Elebits, I bought the game on promise. While Elebits might not have been perfect, I wanted to let the developer know that this is the sort of thing I want on Wii.
C’mon Elebits 2: online co-op, improved physics, better create-a-mode.
September 27th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
“The recently released Madden NFL 2008 exemplifies this phenomenon. The multi-platform football game, published by third-party behemoth Electronic Arts, sold a staggering 896,600 copies on the Xbox 360 in August, according to NPD sales data. The PlayStation 2 version sold 643,600 copies in the same month, and even the struggling PlayStation 3 managed a respectable 336,200 units sold.
The Wii version sold little more than 100,000 copies.”
and
“Speculation varies on the reasons behind third-party sales difficulties on Wii, but many share a bold theory: their games simply aren’t worth buying.”
Lead me to believe that the people who want Madden and the people who own Wiis are 2 totally different demographics.
Chew on this, there are a comparable number of Wiis and 360s out there but Halo sold 4 times as many copies in the first day than Metroid sold in it’s first week. Different strokes. Maybe most Wii owners just want to play Wii Sports? My neighbor has his set up on a 102″ projector just to play Tiger Woods.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
There is no bias against 3rd party developers. I, for one, am “party blind” when buying games. It doesn’t matter who made Trauma Center or who will be making Guitar Hero III, Mario, MOH Heroes 2, or Smash Brothers. Build quality games and they will sell.
EA’s sports titles will not take off on the Wii until online is established and motion control becomes preferable to the graphical edge of the 360. Yes, I did leave out the PS3 on purpose.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
I am a Nintendo fan, but I am desperately looking for good games from 3rd parties. Here’s my problem. Trauma Centre was mentioned. I bought it on the DS. It had better reviews there. Why would I blow more money on a worse remake? I bought Elebits. Not really my kind of game so I traded it. What are the other gems? I’ve seen mostly ports and multiplatform games from third parties. Of my 10 Wii games, 5 are from Nintendo and 5 are 3rd party. That’s going to change with some of the great 3rd party games being released between now and Christmas, but it’s a shame it took so long.
September 27th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
I’ve read the article and all your opinions about the issue. And I wanna to share my experiences.
I liked the Activision games, specially the Marvel and Spiderman ones, but, sadly, the poor quality of the Wii games does that I don’t want an Activision game for wii never.
Really, the X-Men Legends II on Gamecube was excellent, I don’t know what happens on Wii with Marvel Ultimate Alliance.
And Spiderman 3, puff, it was a merchandising game, because of the movie.
This makes precisely that the buyers like me desists of buying to 3rd parties. And for the moment, Activision and their future games are out of my lists.
Now, for Trauma Center: New Blood, of course I’m going to have it, the first game for NDS was excellent, original and with challenge. This are examples of 3rd parties’ great games, and it worth the purchase.
September 27th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
I guess you could chalk it up to 2 things:
Familiarity: Your average Nintendo buyer purchases based on familiarity. They are familiar with Mushroom Kingdom mascots and Nintendo systems. They may not be familiar with third party efforts or even care. Heck, you could probably argue the familiarity isn’t even there with Metroid Prime.
Nintendo Doesn’t Aggressively Pursue Third Parties: I regularly read Gamesindustry.biz and they are great for developer interviews. I have read time and again when asked why a certain developer doesn’t support the Wii a lot, the response is that Nintendo hasn’t even contacted them about bringing a game to their system. ID Software reps have said they would be alright (not enthusiastic) with developing a Wii game and making the controls work great, but that Nintendo has been very passive and hands-off about having their support.
September 27th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Why third party devs complain about the gamers not buy thier games?
Hmmmm.
Why Madden sold poorly on the Wii ? Its no more difference than the PS2 version , fact is is a PS2 game ported to the Wii , how much research and development it took EA to port a PS2 game using the same ps2 engine to the Wii is basically none.. so I dont think it hurted EA’s pocket much to considered a lost.
EA’s games like boogie or maybe My Sims is not even worth to mention no more to buy them they’d both sucked and EA expected ppl to buy them? why EA didnt make a 360 or a ps3 version of them and it would bomb there too..
It seems that the developers think only hi tech ppl buy 360’s and Ps3’s and Wii owners dont know jack, by making games with graphics that make your eyes bleed and think we dont care when they (third-parties) are putting games out on Nintendo hardware, those games are being developed by their third-string team or their fourth-string team and expect us to buy it? RE4 has set an example for being a excellent third party game that still sells to this day and you (3rd partys devs) should learn from that.
I think with games like these 3rd party should not ask why thier games are not selling..
Cooking Mama: Cook Off
Prince of Persia: Rival Swords
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Boogie
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Alien Syndrome
Monster 4X4 World Circuit
Open Season
Wing Island
Rampage: Total Destruction
GT Pro Series
Far Cry Vengeance
Spider-Man 3
Escape from Bug Island
The list will go on those are really bad games with bad controllers and bad graphics just to mention the basics.. Elebits seems to be a good game but it doesnt appeal much to everyone..
Now games like No more Heroes, BWII, Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, Zack & Wiki, Resident Evil:Umbrella Chronicles, Soul Calibur Legends, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, Knights and the latest rumor a new Fatal Frame for the Wii.. will do well in sales ..
September 27th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
The vast majority of third party Wii games have sub par graphics for a gamecube game, poor controls, poor design, poor advertising, and get poor reviews. Good third party Wii games seem to get crapped on by mainstream reviewers. I think the problem has more to do with the industry than anything, blaming the market for you making crap is a pitiful excuse.
September 27th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
I’m particularly disappointed with EA once again… last year games where OK, since they did not predicted how well Wii was going to sell and all… but I waited for this year games, particularly Tiger Woods 08. What a crap game that is… my brother likes it, but I think it really sucks… come on, using the B button to adjust settings? No back while creating your character, just quit?? Don’t they have an interface guy to sort these things out? In other words, they lost a customer. I’ll no longer buy a Tiger Woods game until I play one that is truly great, and I doubt they will ever get to this point.
Capcom, by the other hand, seems to have an interesting strategy. RE:UC, Zack and the golf game from Hot Shots creator (Camelot, right?) all seems to be good to great titles that are worth purchasing. And that is what I’m going to do once these titles come out.
I intentionally left all other publishers behind, these seems to be 2 extreme points in this matter.
Best!
September 27th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I’m skipping this whole generation, maybe get a system when they inevitably drop to $120 in 5 years. Nintendo screwed up their online offering, Sony messed up on price and must have games, while Microsoft gave us a system that craps out on us if we have the nerve to try and play games on it. No offering has me willing to hand over hundreds of dollars that could be better spent on PS2 and DS gaming.
September 27th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Wii games are tricky. Reviews for most of the third party Wii games have been extremely mixed and some are downright awful. I am now not willing to shell out $49.99 for a game that I may or may not like. I have been burned twice with Boogie and MySims because I believed EA had really understood Nintendo’s vision behind the Wii, but apparently they didn’t. I have learned my lesson. I want to know for sure that the game is worth the asking price and unfortunately with third party games as of right now, that is not the case. I am, however, more willing to shell out the money for Nintendo first party games because they are usually of high quality, they know how to introduce new and creative gameplay, and they make the games look the best they can. That saying, there are some third party titles I am really excited for, mainly No More Heroes, Zak & Wiki, King Story, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, NiGHTS, Opoona, Resident Evil : Umbrella Chronicles and even Red Steel 2.
September 27th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I know I’m setting myself up for massive backlash here, but I’ll give an honest opinion…meant with no malice or any of that fan boy-ism so popular among the younger set of video game fans:
The audience is hungry for the revolution that was promised. We all love new and innovative experiences. BUt a very large portion of the video game populace does not consider the Wii revolutionary. A different turn in technology (Especially the controller) does not equal revolution. In fact, the Wii controller allows for some amazing new experiences, while shrugging off the polished control scheme that took twenty years to develope. WHile other game machines have added to this tried and true polish and given hardware that allows developers to really flex their muscles, the Wii is stifling. Easy to develope for doe snot equal good in every scenario. Why should third parties put fourth their a list development teams when Nintendo fails to deliver a product that gives them room to shine and uses a controller that, while novel, is not as polished as what last generation’s machines had?
September 27th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
@Matt
This reminds me a lot of the 32/64 bit generation. An excerpt from an article I wrote:
“The mid-90s gave rise to possibly the biggest change in video gaming; A drastic shift in the industry, with 3D polygonal games rising meteorically to popularity, simultaneously pushing 2D games aside. And as developers and publishers scrambled to meet the demand, it quickly became clear that very few companies were fully prepared for the 3D era. 32/64 bit consoles were the first ever designed specifically for 3D graphics, and it shows. Poor controls, shoddy cameras, and generally poor visuals plagued most of the games for many years. The hardware manufactures were also largely to blame, with all 32/64 bit systems -with the exception of the N64- initially shipping with D-pad only controllers, the Saturn’s 3D processor being added as an afterthought, and Nintendo and Atari using ill-equipped cartridge media over CDs.”
See what I mean? Everyone’s rushing to play (and produce) these new games, and anyone who doesn’t adapt could very well be left in the dust (ie Saturn/Sega, and this time around MS and Sony).
BACK ON TOPIC: This was a pretty nice article, much better than the inane fanboy ranting we usually get around here…My only complaint is that it didn’t really reach a conclusion.
September 27th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
I think your comment has some validity Matt. It’s a very good thought. I don’t have a problem with the direction of the Wii, but I have been frustrated by the lack of polish in most of the games. We’re finally starting to see the great games coming now. But the Wiimote does not save a bad game or make it better. And the fact that it is still fairly new and only present on one of the three consoles means that an otherwise average game becomes a poor game.
I’m glad the Wii is the Wii, but it’s been a tough wait so far. (Ok, maybe not that tough as I’m catching up on PS2 games I missed)
September 27th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
The game lineups for Q4 and 08 are definitely better than last year. It seemed like for every 1 good game there were ten crappy ones. Now it looks like… 1:6 or 1:7. Not to say that it’s where we’d like it to be, but it’s a good thing nonetheless.
I can’t say what it will be like in the next two or so years, but if the rate of reputable publishers stepping up and putting a good amount of effort into their games continues, things will only improve.
That being said, right now the Wii is primarily a mini-game console with a few dashes of good games here and there. Some chalk this statement up to “Wii-haters”, gamers that don’t even play the console and just enjoy ridiculing it. Or as EdEN put it, gamers who are “staying in the past”. Unfortunately, the statement is very true. Pretty much all the Wii gamers I know agree with it; there’s a serious lack of quality games and a serious overload if cash-ins and shitty games.
The majority of games that occupy the shelf at your local store are either licensed games (Bratz), duds (Chicken Shoot), ports (Prince of Persia: Rival Swords), and mini-game compilations (Carnival Games). I’m not saying that out of these categories there aren’t some good games, but there just aren’t enough of them.
Too many of the third party developers are indeed not putting their fullest effort into making their games, whether it be because they just want to try and make a quick buck, or because they’re cautious and don’t want to invest in something that they’re unsure of. Consequently, that’s the main reason that their games aren’t successful or.. good.
You have to have faith in your creation that it will do well if you want to succeed. If that means putting your top team to work on it, then do so! I absolutely agree with Derek and Miyamoto on this point.
If third parties applied their teams and ideas to the Wii the way they do PS2, we’d see a plethora of quality games coming out. It’s no fault but their own that their games aren’t worth getting.
September 27th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
I bought Elebits and Dewy’s Adventure and they’re great. I also bought Sonic & the Secret Rings (but eventually grew frustrated with it and traded it in). I’m looking forward to the Wii version of Geometry Wars, and I’m really excited about No More Heroes. There’s plenty of other 3rd party titles I’m looking closely at as well.
Maybe I’m not the typical Wii owner, but I don’t shun 3rd parties if they do interesting work… even if their level of polish is not quite up to Nintendo’s level, I’ll give ‘em a try if they’re doing something a little different than what Nintendo does.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:15 am
I agree. But maybe the developers just need to warm up to the hardware, ya know? I mean, to say SEGA’s efforts on the Wii have been lackluster isn’t exactly correct. Super Monkey Ball: BB is probably the best MB yet. Sonic and the Secret Rings was Sonic’s return to glory and both featured great reviews (some mixed, mostly due to the reviewers, though) and now Sega is bringing NiGHTS Journey of Dreams which is supposed to be excellence. Let’s also look at Soul Calibur Legends, which promises great motion-control sword combat, Godzilla: Unleashed, which sports some of the best 3rd party graphics on the Wii along with promising new features, Resident Evil UC (mentioned), and even Ghost Squad and Geometry Wars: Galaxies are looking pretty good. So I think more than quality, it’s the typical Nintendo gamer’s mind. They aren’t apt to try something that isn’t Metroid or Zelda, but things are changing. I’m not a huge Metroid or Zelda fan myself so I play more 3rd party titles than the average Wii-er and I can assure that if you shun 3rd parties, you’re gonna regret it.
One problem with games like Elebits (awesome) and Dewy’s adventure (amazing game I hear) is that they are great games, wrapped in a childish package. So even though they rock hard, some Wii owners are too embarassed to purchase them. Which means that Wii owners not only have to become more open-minded, developers need to take the physics and shooting mechanics from Elebits, and make it the next BioShock.
All in all, things may seem grim now, but they WILL get better. I’m sure of it. The Wii is dominating, developers are gaining confidence as are large companies. Pretty soon, expect A-grade dev teams making Wii games.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:44 am
Would Elebits in a more realistic world be Half-Life?
September 28th, 2007 at 1:51 am
Developers needs to realize that Nintendo fans are a very targeted audience who buy games based largely on a sense of familiarity at this point. It’s mainly made up of two things: Classic franchises/characters and genre. They also have VERY high standards for games, generally.
Platformers and more old-school style games tend to do a lot better on Nintendo consoles, for example. The Sonic games are the best example, where they sold CONSIDERABLY better on the Gamecube than on the PS2 (although one could also rightly argue that Nintendo and Sega fans more or less merged after the DC died).
The Sonic and Mega Man collections also outsold their PS2 counterparts.
Sonic & The Secret Rings would have sold a lot better, but no one can deny that Sega has completely sullied Sonic’s once good name since the jump to 3D.
Even Resident Wiivil 4 has been burning up the charts for a 4 year old port. The game failed on the Gamecube, but the series has since become a bit more “classic” since the RE series came into it’s own with, arguably, part 4…go figure!
RE: UC is looking poised to do pretty damn well, too.
If Edios plays their cards right and advertises it, I’d even bet that Tomb Raider: Anniversary sees some pretty good sales.
Viewtiful Joe, which isn’t a classic franchise by any means, IS an old-school platformer/brawler. Both it and it’s sequel outsold it’s PS2 conterpart. And does anybody REALLY doubt that Okami on GC or Wii would have easily outperformed the PS2 version. ESPECIALLY a Wii version? Christ, had Okami been a launch title, it probably would’ve been outsold by only Zelda, as far as attach rate goes.
As far as Clover games go, I bet even God Hand, an old-school brawler done in 3D, would’ve done better with Nintendo’s core audience.
Or go ahead and release Mega Man 9 or a new 2D Castlevania on all 3 platforms. I’ll put MONEY down that the Wii version of those two series rip their counterparts a new one in the sales charts. Same goes for something like a new Street Fighter game or compilation.
On the other hand, it’s not black and white, either. Releasing a game that SHOULD appeal to Nintendo fans doesn’t guarantee sales by any means. Even Nintendo isn’t immune to this. Pikmin and Chibi-Robo didn’t exactly light a sales fire. Nor has Fire Emblem even been a huge seller. That’s the way it’s always been with a new series, though. Doesn’t matter what platform you release it on. You always take a chance releasing an unfamiliar series.
I’m kind of surprised Dewy’s Adventure isn’t doing better…although it would help a lot of it didn’t look like a game for toddlers, visually, and they tried advertising the damn thing (a lack of advertising killed Elebits, too, BTW). But that just goes to show that even if you hit the right marks, it doesn’t mean anything in this world without either a good ad campaign or word of mouth, which is a lot harder to get.
I know there was a bit of a debate on this site a few weeks ago about the importance of advertising, regarding Metroid. But given MP3’s arguably disappointing sales figures, I think that’s proof enough right there that a good ol’ fashioned ad campaign is still just as important as it ever was.
Although that raises the question of what constitutes a “hit” game. Games that sell over a million, I’ve found, are generally considered a success, whereas games that don’t manage to hit that mark are more likely to be considered a failure. But that’s an awfully high bar for the average game to hope to hit. Sales around the 500,000 range should be considered a success, rather than mediocre…alas, they aren’t.
But getting back on track, yeah…as far as Nintendo’s core audience goes, if developers keep it “old-school”, I think they’ll generally be met with more success than just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks.
New Gamers are much more of an enigma, but I think they need to stop looking at them as one big group and start dividing them. What appeals to a 14 year old girl isn’t going to appeal to a 50 year old man (or woman!). Without getting into it too much, I’ve noticed that while all New Gamers are attracted to the simplicity offered by the Wii, older ones tend to have more in common with “hardcore” gamers in that they have a better idea of what they want. Usually either something in vain of Wii Sports or a “time waster” style game a la Brain Age or a puzzle game like Bust-A-Move or something otherwise simple.
Younger New Gamers, by contrast, seem to just be looking for a fun time to be had with friends. Party games seem like they sell better.
September 28th, 2007 at 5:13 am
This article made me buy Elebits, thanks
September 28th, 2007 at 9:15 am
I’ll buy a Wii 3rd Party game when there’s one worth buying. Nothing, and I mean nothing so far has been good enough for me to buy, not even the much-praised-by-the-minority Elebits. I’ve bought one 3rd Party title….RE4, which in a lot of ways I don’t even count. I have one more third party game planned…RE:Umbrella Chronicles. After that who knows.
When I go to the store and I see an endless seas of third party games that are either a) licensed kiddy crap b) port with Wii controls tacked on or c)a really crappy exclusive, then I’ll pass every time.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
If people like Matt had their way, games would never have made the jump to 3D. After all, at the time, 2D games essentially had 20 years of polish.
Instead of staying with the polished 2D architecture games companies pushed forward into the world of 3D. Most of the first 2-3 years were filled with horrible looking unpolished games filled with ugly polygons and horrible character models. With time and patience however, 3D slowly became the fantastic medium we now have today. The same will likely be true of 3D motion controls. Yes, they are rough now. Yes, the old style of control is more polished. But if we always stick with existing technology because it is more developed and polished, we may never have the next big thing in gaming. Nintendo was somewhat forced to take the stance they did, but it was also a bit fearless. They chose to go where no one else dared tread. I’m glad they did. Even with the current line up of Wii games as they are, I’ve still had more fun on the Wii than with any other console. And for the person who mentioned Trauma Center. It was MUCH better on Wii than DS. I will be buying the Wii sequal but I probably wouldn’t pick it up if it was a DS exclusive.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
[...] lijkt het me nogal een debiel gezicht om iemand te zien met zo’n Wiimote, wordt er ontzettend veel geklaagd online over het gebrek aan goede spellen voor die Wii, kun je er geen dvds mee afspelen, ik weet [...]
September 28th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Honestly, I think you guys haven’t looked at the release schedule from now until December. There are 30 third party titles geared toward “hardcore” players and only 4 Nintendo games. That’s not even going into 2008. Will these games sell well, maybe and then again maybe not. The point is that the support is there. Some of these titles actually look promising. Rygar, Ghost Squad, Brothers in Arms, Counter Force, and Golden Compass are just a few I can name of the top of my head.
Also, I think also we place the threshold of what is successful high enough that few games ever sell enough to be considered great sellers. It takes most of these “great sellers” half the console’s life span to attain the 1 million mark. I could be wrong, just my two cents.
September 28th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Elebits rocks. I bought that one after we rented it. I put that title up against any 1st party nintendo creations. It is so cool throwing objects around the room while you hunt them up.
If you play that, you wonder why other third party developers aren’t working harder on graphics and playability. I didn’t buy this console for substandard gameplay and lame implementation of the controller.
If I want to play gamecube games, I can do that already with my wavebirds. The Wii remote isn’t a laser pointer.
In my experience so far, gamecube games in a lot of cases can run circles around some of the 3rd party Wii titles we’re being handed.
Someone mentioned Carnival Games earlier. That game needed more work before it was released. When the camera pans over the venues and the announcer explains the game, the frame rate is just awful. There is no excuse for that in such a simple game. The character generation is terrible.
If bad titles are the norm, people will keep their Wii’s as a Wii Sports machine, like Atari Pong or something.
Nintendo isn’t immune to this either.
I’m talking to you, Mario Party 8. What a sorry title!
September 28th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
so late to the game that i will make the short comments.
first, third parties arent trying. they are only going for easy money and get what they deserve. a title that deserves sales but wont is deweys adventure but thats because they decided to create a great game but make it look like its meant for babies. i love the looks but thats not mass appeal looks. too many third party games are looking like kids games or just looking like ps2 graphics.
second, they dont advertise these games like they do the same game for other systems.
madden 08 was advertise only for the 360 in mainstream areas. pictures for multiconsole games are typically 360 pics, as is gameplay and controls.
they have to put money into wii games to get money out of wii games. if they think it takes $10mil to get even 1 more sale out of 360 gamers, then why cant they spend more then a few $100k, if they even spend that, on getting sales of wii games.
third, they often screw over wii fans with missing features, or for EA games, with broken online, both of which madden 08 was afflicted with. why does nobody blaim EA for focusing on the other systems. wii madden 07 sold better last year for wii, proving that wii gamers also like football games. but i also bet it was advertised last year. and while it didnt have online last year, that meant less complaints floating around.
ps2 game sales of madden have many reasons i am sure. first, i didnt hear of it having features missing, it has a certain graphical level that people are used to and that audience has accepted that and the controls and features by now. if they liked last years they know they will like this years and they know what they are getting.
more then anything else, advertising the wii version with workingfull features/controls would help EA push ps2 gamers to the wii by getting them confident that spending $10 more for the game is worth it.
otherwise, 3rd party games besides ubisofts 2 have sold well enough.
RE4 Wii has sold above expectations. DBZ Wii sold well last year, i remember seeing it above the other versions or around other versions on sales charts. Tiger Woods 07 Wii sold better then all other versions earlier this year. Tiger Woods 08 only came out i think 5 months after 07 this year, so people shouldnt have expected much for its sales, though tiger woods 08 wii still sold better on wii then most if not all other consoles in europe.
September 29th, 2007 at 3:47 am
Is there proof that most Third-Party developers don’t take Wii serious?
My try:
1. Wii titles are normally sold at $50 compared to $60 for 360/PS3.
2. Wii sales beat every othe console, even if buyers only playing Wii Sports are substracted.
3. Creating Lo-Rez graphics (polygons/textures and even Animation) for Wii should cost only a tiny fraction of the HD versions.
4. Most other factors should be similiar on the plattforms (OK Wiimote controls, but every developer should have a decent library by now)
My Conclusion:
At 5/6 of the price and a target audience bigger than every other plattform, every third-party-developer should be able to make decent/good Wii games with far less money than for 360/PS3, maybe even brilliant games with still less money invested.
But they don’t. They treat Wii games like they treat games for mobile phones, just pile the junk high and some people are going to fall for it.
September 29th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
The idea that us Nintendo fans automatically dismiss third party softare because it is precisely that, third party, is ludicrous.
A good game is a good game, whether it has Zelda or anything else written across the top.
The biggest challenge for third parties is to overcome the pedigree that the like of Zelda and Mario have established.
I’m looking forward to the likes of Medal of Honour though, it should be interesting to see what that’s like.
Let’s not forget people, what a radical piece of kit the Wii is, and we’re not even 12 months into its life cycle yet.
Give third parties time to fully explore the limits of the Wii.
To summarise though, the mere fact that third parties are making games for other consoles too, means they can’t dediacte as much time and effort into titles for the Wii as Nintendo do. So maybe we can’t expect them to churn out Zelda-esque titles without catering exclusively to the Wii.
When you think stellar third parties for the 64 for example, you think Goldeneye, Banjo-Kazooie, Perfect Dark - all awesome, all created by Rare who, at that point, developed games solely for Nintendo.
September 30th, 2007 at 9:06 am
The whole “nintendo gamers only buy first party titles” argument is somewhat flawed when it comes to the Wii, seeing that not only diehard Nintendo fans are buying it.
The last Nintendo console I owned was a NES. Nintendo games have been an essential part of my childhood and I owned most of the handhelds. Nevertheless, a PS2 was occupying my living room last generation, until it got replaced by the little white box. The Wii is drawing in a much bigger crowd, a big part of which isn’t necessarily focussed on the next Zelda or Mario title. In department stores I see the type of 13-year old male whacking away tennis balls in Wii Sports, who sure as hell spent the bigger part of the last console generation with GTA3 rather than Pikmin.
So third parties CAN stand a chance this time around if they successfully cater to this extended audience. They just have to start developing games who stand on their own.
September 30th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Madden on Wii should have sold more. The market wasn’t tapped. EA needed to get the game into the hands of sports fans who weren’t Madden players already. If you watch the Madden commercials they talk about people who ALREADY play Madden and prominently featured ONLY Xbox 360 controllers. EA had no interest in expanding their brand any further than those who already put in countless hours of their last games.
October 1st, 2007 at 7:32 am
exactly, i have said it before, and i am glad to see somebody else point this out.
johnnymilkshark is right, EA didnt even try promoting madden on the Wii so people jumped onto the platforms they were most comfortable with. also, if you dont tell people how fun motion controls can be they will go what they are most familiar/comfortable with.
advertising has always been important to selling a game, especially to selling new concepts like wii controls. of course giving wii equal features is important also, not expecting people to buy a game where they get less features then other versions.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:05 am
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