Topic: Is the lack of Wii U sales exactly what Nintendo fans need?

[Stogi]

The Wii U is selling terribly mostly due to a lack of (compelling) software. Nintendo realizes this, as do their fans. But is there a silver lining to this debacle?


Nintendo is no doubt making all of our favorite franchises for the Wii U; Zelda, Mario, DK, and Metriod will all be on the console at some point. I for one would easily purchase a Wii U to play the next iteration of Zelda, even if the Wii U turns out to be a failure and forever lacks proper support. What can I say? I love Zelda.


But most people aren't like me. Most people won't buy a system for one game.....or will they?


Is the lack of sales the push Nintendo needs to release other games we don't expect? Is the lack of sales the push Nintendo needs to release games the entire industry has always wanted? Is the lack of sales the push Nintendo needs to finally be drastic?


Sales will surely pick up this half of the year with Pikmin, Wonderful 101, Mario World and WiiFit, but an objective look at the situation will tell you it may not be enough.


Nintendo has the greatest backlog of IP's that they could use to stir interest dramatically, but there is only one IP that would make everyone, excuse my french, "Shut the **** up." And that's Pokemon. A fully realized Pokemon with online tournaments and clans.


I feel like Nintendo has been holding onto this ace card for a long time for two reasons: technical limitations and they've been a highly successful company. There was never an actual need to make this kind of game as well as the infrastructure to do so. But now, those two reasons are colliding.


The optimist in me believes they are remaking Wind Waker not only because it is still one of the most beautiful games ever created, but that graphic style may be used again at some point. And what game would look fantastic cell-shaded? Pokemon.


Now I may be wrong (and I probably am), but Nintendo really has to do something unexpected to become relevant again. Making a console with all the usuals and a few fantastic new IPs maybe enough for me and those like me, but not to the rest of the world.

[Adrock]

Nintendo can do all those things without sales being in the gutter.

Also, I disagree with your assertion that only Pokemon would get people to STFU. Nintendo should reboot Ice Climbers as an gritty, arctic survival horror title. Plot twist: Popo gets raped and murdered halfway through and the rest of the game becomes a revenge story where Nana goes apeshit on everything. Hear that? Stunned silence.

[Soren]

Also, I disagree with your assertion that only Pokemon would get people to STFU. Nintendo should reboot Ice Climbers as an gritty, arctic survival horror title. Plot twist: Popo gets raped and murdered halfway through and the rest of the game becomes a revenge story where Nana goes apeshit on everything. Hear that? Stunned silence.

Day 1.

[broodwars]

Nintendo can do all those things without sales being in the gutter.

But they won't unless sales are in the gutter, as evidenced by just about every other franchise they have that's stayed essentially the same for decades.

But hey, we've only been waiting for a real Pokemon console RPG for decades. I'm sure Nintendo will get riiiiiight on that any day now while making the same Pokemon handheld game since the original Game Boy game has been a license to print money.

[azeke]

But they won't unless sales are in the gutter, as evidenced by just about every other franchise they have that's stayed essentially the same for decades.

Metroid and Paper Mario changed. A lot.

But the thread is kinda pointless. It read like: "nintendo is doing bad! but it's good! "what doesn't kill you" and stuff!".

[Stogi]

Well most people feel that Nintendo simply needs to bring out the big IPs but I doubt that's enough especially with the emergence of their competitors. Some people also feel that Nintendo has yet to use their Gamepad in any thoughtful way despite offscreen gameplay. It's time to kill two birds with one stone and Pokemon could do that. As broodwars mentions it prints money on handhelds, so why not recreate that environment on their consoles?

Now like I said, Nintendo has a plethora of games to choose from, some obscure and some not, but I feel that nothing would hit harder than Pokemon. Hell, just a gameplay trailer would set E3 ablaze.

But of course, Nintendo would have to make it just right or at least just good enough to be truly exciting.

It's their ace up their sleeve and theirs no better time to play it.

[Ymeegod]

Nintendo's not known to throw money around even if it means failure for the WII U.  At this point in time it's going became the next DC--which I loved--dead before it even begins. 

There's little reason to try to buy developer support at this time, better off just riding it out and try again with the next console (early 2016 is my guess).

[ShyGuy]

Don't mess with success.

[lolmonade]

Nintendo may start attempting more unique experience games, but E3 made it pretty clear that they're banking heavily on the iterative experiences to pull the Wii U around for the remainder of 2013 and 2014.  I don't think we'll see many chances taken until at least a few more years, regardless of how well/poorly the system is doing.

Also, I never see a full-fledged Pokemon game coming to consoles.  There's a reason they've limited them to handhelds, and I think the Internet overstates how successful a game like this would actually be.

[Ceric]

...
Also, I never see a full-fledged Pokemon game coming to consoles.  There's a reason they've limited them to handhelds, and I think the Internet overstates how successful a game like this would actually be.

"Till all are one" -Optimus Prime

[Ian Sane]

I want Nintendo cosnoles to do as well as they deserve.  I felt the Cube sold worse than it should have and that was frustrating.  It had some flaws but was overall a pretty decent system (or at least had that potential in the beginning) but was ignored from the start and never really got a fair shake.  The Wii on the other hand was a terrible product that caught on as a fad.  Since one underachieved and one overachieved I feel that Nintendo didn't learn the right lessons.  Overachieving is especially bad because it just encourages bad habits.  The Wii U is Nintendo assuming that since the Wii was such a success they did everything right and that repeating that approach, warts and all, will work again.  It isn't.  That's good because while truly brilliant people can learn from others' mistakes or anticipate and correct mistakes before they happen, a lot of us need to learn directly from the aftermath of our mistakes.  Nintendo needs to suffer to learn, they need to lose money directly because of their own incompetence.  If it inspires positive change then it's for the best for us fans.

If they were a truly brilliant company it wouldn't need to come to this but after over ten years without appearing to have learned from the mistakes of the N64, hitting rock bottom seems to be necessary.  Of course they could also hit rock bottom and never bounce back.

[lolmonade]

...
Also, I never see a full-fledged Pokemon game coming to consoles.  There's a reason they've limited them to handhelds, and I think the Internet overstates how successful a game like this would actually be.

"Till all are one" -Optimus Prime

I'm sure someone who has seen what you're referencing would understand the point you're trying to make, but I'm unaware of the context of that quote.  Care to enlighten me?

[Kytim89]

A smart move for Nintendo would be if they scoured the gaming landscape for fledgling developers/publishes with games that they can not afford to make and offer to fund and publish the games for them as Wii U exclusives. This is a similar manner to what Nintendo did with SEGA and Platnium  to get Bayonetta 2 as a Wii U exclusive.

[shingi_70]

It will never happen but I'd love to see a Zelda more inspired by stuff like Skyrim/Amular. Thankfully X seems to fill that void. (oddly enough it means sony is the only company without a strong first party RPG)


I think Nintendo needs to do much more to get its software development up and do more deals like Sonic Lost World and the Platinum Games deals. If shadow of the eternals doesn't get funded (it won't) than publish the game using the Eternal Darkness IP.


Nintendo also needs to be more proactive when it comes to indies. They have been doing great work but they should openly publicize it more. Sony has gotten tons of loving for spotlighting indies and their PR marketing machine hit critical mass after the indie section at E3. Microsoft seems to be planning similar things with indies being apart of their gamescom conference.


Also I'd say publish Dragon Quest X but in light of the other announced and rumored MMO's i'm not sure if its worth it. (well it would be cool for Nintendo only gamers seeing as the Wii U won't get any other MMO this gen)

[Pixelated Pixies]

I hate to be all doom and gloom, and perhaps I'm being premature, but I feel like Nintendo has already lost this generation (at least in terms of mindshare and influence). That's not to say that the Wii U won't be profitable for the company; as components get cheaper Nintendo will find a way to make profit on hardware sales, and provided Nintendo can start putting out games on a regular basis I also expect the Wii U to have a decent software tie ratio (even if third party games constitute very little of that overall pie). My understanding is also that Nintendo has enough liquid assets to float themselves for the whole of this next generation if needs be.
 
My concern, however, is that if sales for Wii u don't pick up soon then the console might be relegated to the margins, or left in the same 'Nintendo ghetto' that the Gamecube found itself. Which is not what I want. I want the Wii U to be a lively and exciting platform. I want it to be fully supported by third parties. I want Nintendo to feel comfortable enough to try new things, and not to rely on established formulas (Pikmin 3, DKCR: TF, Mario Kart 8, Super Mario 3D World - all these games look fine, but they don't give me the urge to run out and buy a Wii U because they're all quite similar to games I've played before).
 
Perhaps Stogi's conjecture is correct, and these poor sales figures will prompt Nintendo to release more games, but the recent financial results might also prompt an already very conservative Nintendo to be even more cautious. Which for me would be a serious turn off. As someone who has not yet been convinced to buy a Wii U, what I want to see from Nintendo more than anything is for the company to show some ambition. Honestly? I don't want to hear Iwata apologising (again) for having a lacklustre launch line-up. What I want from Nintendo is for the company to show me something interesting.
 
That's not me 'wanting' in the stereotypical entitled gamer sense. I really am waiting for a reason to buy a Wii U. All I need is a reason.

[NWR_insanolord]

Nintendo lost this generation a long time ago, when they decided to use the hardware they did. They knew then, or at least should have known, that the wouldn't have the market or mind share Sony/Microsoft would.

Nintendo is more profitable this way. Sony/MS are prepared to lose millions for a few years in order to have the highest end tech in their hardware. Nintendo has the money to do it that way, but they'd much rather make money in third place than lose it in first.

[shingi_70]

Nintendo lost this generation a long time ago, when they decided to use the hardware they did. They knew then, or at least should have known, that the wouldn't have the market or mind share Sony/Microsoft would.

Nintendo is more profitable this way. Sony/MS are prepared to lose millions for a few years in order to have the highest end tech in their hardware. Nintendo has the money to do it that way, but they'd much rather make money in third place than lose it in first.

Nintendo has the money to do it, but they can't. Sony and Microsoft has other forms of income that allow them to do so. Nintendo has enough money to go uber powerful, but they have greater risk since video games are they're only real source of income.

[Evan_B]

If the Wii U ends up being another Gamecube, I'm perfectly fine with that. The games they've shown on the horizon are already interesting enough to me, so if they keep the console alive and give it unique play titles, I'll be a-okay with that.

Nintendo does need to learn some lessons, and maybe after the success of the Wii, a bit of an upset with Wii U might be a nice wake up call for them. Then again, they do have an extremely successful handheld on the market right now too.

[nickmitch]

I still say Nintendo should make my dream game: a cel-shaded, action game based on the Pokemon Adventures Manga. You follow Red through the story, using his team, and maybe throw in Blue and Green as unlockable characters with their own stories. Just add in a couple of filler episodes from the cartoon to pad out the game a bit and BOOM. Best game ever.

[Kytim89]

I still find it stupid that Nintendo will allow Grand Theft Auto V to not be on the Wii U. We all know Nintendo's stance on buying support but having that game on the Wii U would send the message that Nintendo is serious about dealing with third parties companies. That Devil's Third and Shadow of the Eternals would make good exclusives to the Wii U.

[Oblivion]

Yes, because its Nintendo's fault GTAV won't be on Wii U.

[nickmitch]

That almost begs the question of whether or not Rockstar would've ported the game had the Wii U been more like the other consoles.

[NWR_insanolord]

I still find it stupid that Nintendo will allow Grand Theft Auto V to not be on the Wii U. We all know Nintendo's stance on buying support but having that game on the Wii U would send the message that Nintendo is serious about dealing with third parties companies. That Devil's Third and Shadow of the Eternals would make good exclusives to the Wii U.

You mean in the same way GTA: Chinatown Wars brought all kinds of of major Western third party support to the DS and 3DS?

[MagicCow64]

regardless of what happens this holiday season, the  wii u will never claim the hearts and minds of the mainstream game press. they will continue to treat it like the zune no matter what happens and this will continue to have its own feedbaack cycle effects in the west. and i really doubt there is anything nintendo can do about it. just compare the wii u to the vita in terms of coverage.  the vita y actually deserves the treatment the wii u is getting, but is treated with kid gloves or politely ignored. i checked gamespot the other day and there was a wii u tanking article followed shortly by an article about how maybe bioshock will someday be on the vita, oh boy

[NWR_insanolord]

The Vita doesn't deserve the treatment the Wii U is getting. It's not doing that poorly in sales and has a better software lineup than the Wii U does.