Topic: FEATURE: GDC 2009: No More Excuses: Taking the Wii (and DS) Online

[MegaByte]

GameSpy Technology powers Nintendo's maligned online system.  Are the barriers to a successful online Nintendo game simply myths?

Todd Northcut of GameSpy Technology gave a GDC talk entitled “No More Excuses: Taking the Wii (and DS) Online. He began with a quick overview of GameSpy Technology’s business coverage. GameSpy has been providing online services for virtually every current-gen system that has been released, and in the case of Nintendo systems they provide all of the online services. GameSpy Technology is divided into four product families: connections, community, competition, and their newly-launched in-game downloadable content.

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[BlackNMild2k1]

I haven't read this yet, but please tell me this is calling the majority of 3rd parties (and Nintendo) out on their shoddy online support for the Wii.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

I haven't read this yet, but please tell me this is calling the majority of 3rd parties (and Nintendo) out on their shoddy online support for the Wii.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I started reading it and there is lots of calling out of BS, just not by name.

I'll start posting some choice quote (or a basic summary)

GameSpy has been providing online services for virtually every current-gen system that has been released, and in the case of Nintendo systems they provide all of the online services.[...]

Mr. Northcut looked at the breadth of talks at GDC and noticed that there were only three talks relating to the Wii, including his own and Satoru Iwata’s keynote. He found this curious since the Wii has sold more than the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 combined. “Why aren’t developers more actively discussing the system?�, he asked.

The speaker noted that games with online components sell better than those without. He also noted that, with the exception of Wii Fit and Wii Play, most top-selling games have a major online component. He was also surprised that the #10 best-selling game for 2008, according to NPD, was Mario Kart DS, released two years earlier. In addition, Mr. Northcut made the claim that Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection offers rich features. Yet, despite the obvious conclusion that games on Nintendo systems should have a strong online presence, he found that innovation is generally missing.

Mr. Northcut listed five excuses that developers give for not developing solid online offerings:

1.Only First Party games sell. Northcut showed that this idea is clearly a myth. Data shows that third party games sell more and are played more. 25 out of the top 40 most-played games on Wii are third-party titles, and a majority of game sales on the Wii and DS are third-party. One surprising statistic he noted was that even RPGs, which are under-represented on the Wii, have high play time online.

2.The core audience is not there because Wii users are casual players. Despite this prevailing sentiment in some media coverage, this is not true; core gamers still there. Northcut noted that Sega and Capcom, in particular, are now realizing this and releasing core-oriented games.[...]

3.Wii users are dumb. Mr. Northcut didn’t belabor this point and showed opposing opinions of the Wii audience and simply stated that the argument is poor.

4.Friend codes suck. Here, the speaker said flat out, “stop whining.�[...]

5.Our game was designed as a single-player game. Mr. Northcut noted here that online does not necessarily imply multiplayer, citing online rankings as an example. User-generated content is another good use of online for single player games, [...]

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Whut?  Which RPGs is he talking about?

[BlackNMild2k1]

I'd guess he's talking about Animal Crossing?

[Stogi]

I actually think AC is more RPG than most RPG's.

[King of Twitch]

"1.Only First Party games sell.

2.The core audience is not there because Wii users are casual players.

3.Wii users are dumb.

4.Friend codes suck.

5.Our game was designed as a single-player game."

The reasons they don't make decent online Wii features are... the same reasons they don't make decent Wii games in the first place?

Locked for trolling/arguing/words.

[ejamer]

Very interesting.
 
Were there really only 3 conferences about Wii?  Developers obviously care more about having the most resources and latest tech than about finding good ways to best use what they have.  Not a surprise, I guess... but still a disappointment.  For all the talk about wanting to create immersive game experiences that reach the most people possible, the truth is anything but.
 
A good presentation about the online capabilities though.  I've read lots of excuses about Wii not being able to handle online games, or Nintendo's online architecture being too tough to manage... but since GameSpy is running everything, apparently it's just developers choosing not to make the effort?  Why doesn't that surprise me.