Topic: Watch Dogs Delayed for Wii U

[Apollo5]

U will have to wait.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/36528

The release of Watch Dogs for Wii U has been delayed. The Wii U version of the game has been pushed to, simply, "a later date".

An Ubisoft spokesman had the following to say about the delay: "We made the difficult decision to further delay the release of Watch Dogs on Wii U to focus the team's resources where they could have the broadest possible benefit for both our customers and Ubisoft".

Watch Dogs was originally set to be released on Wii U between April and June 2014 along with other platforms.

[KITT 10K]

Bet ya $50 bucks it won't be delayed on any other consoles but Wii U.

[HairyChest]

It will be cancelled

[MagicCow64]

I beginning to believe that the WiiU is in substantially worse-than-Gamecube trouble.

[xcwarrior]

I look forward to the follow up story a month after the game's release on other platforms to acknowledge its cancellation. They stopped working on the WiiU version probably back in October when Rayman Legends tanked on all platforms.

[Soren]

Don't worry guys. It will soon be on shelves, right next to the Wii U version of Alien's Colonial Marines. And that Dirt game Codemasters was working on...

[BlackNMild2k1]

Businesses gotta business.

Ubisoft stuck it out this long, put in solid efforts and gave the Wii U every chance to succeed with a solid selection of quality titles. This may have been undermined by most other studios, and Nintendo themselves, but Ubisoft has to think about whats best for Ubisoft.

I want Watch_Dogs as much as the next person, and the gamepad has the potential for a unique experience on the Wii U, but bottom line is that the game is not likely to sell very much on the failed Wii U, and unless Nintendo gets their **** together and finds a way to salvage this mess with something that starts selling the system, it's in their best interest to focus on completeling the game on the systems that it will sell on, on time.

If we are lucky though, assuming Ubi doesn't quietly cancel this game, maybe we get one with the already released DLC included dubbed the "Special Collectors Edition".

[Pixelated Pixies]

I look forward to the follow up story a month after the game's release on other platforms to acknowledge its cancellation.

This was my first thought also. Are Ubisoft really going to take a portion of the development team off other potential projects to continue working on a Wii U Port? I kind of doubt it. I think it's much more likely that the Wii U version has for all intents and purposes been cancelled, but Ubisoft wish to muffle any backlash or bad press until after the game has launched on other platforms.

Although, quite frankly I don't think Ubisoft has anything to worry about. I don't think any sane person would begrudge them their decision to cancel the Wii U version. I mean, who can blame them?

[Soren]

They should just man up and cancel it. Gamestop almost did them a favor last month. Who are they afraid of pissing off?

[BlackNMild2k1]

They should just man up and cancel it. Gamestop almost did them a favor last month. Who are they afraid of pissing off?

the 12 of us paying attention, that's who. We are pretty damn vocal on our secluded, micro island of the internet. We are not to be messed with.

[ShyGuy]

Third party support is a real 'chicken and the egg' situation. Do publishers gimp third party releases in some way because they don't sell, or do they not sell because publishers gimp third party releases?

If they do cancel it, I will just wait a few months and buy it used for the PS3.

[broodwars]

Stick a fork in the Wii U's 3rd party support. This pretty much confirms that it's done if even Ubisoft's backing out. Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't cancel the Wii U version altogether, though I'm sure that's coming as well soon enough.

I'm not sure I care about this game anymore after Assassin's Creed 4 just drained me of my excitement for Massive Open World games, but if I get it I'll get the PS4 version.  The Wii U version was already a poor proposition, but with this version releasing likely long after anyone still cares about the game (if it releases at all) I can't possibly see this version selling more than 10,000 copies worldwide (and that's probably a generous estimate).

[Kytim89]

Ubisoft is not a smart developer. How dare they advertise a Wii U version and then go back on it! All of their past failures sold best on Wii U, so it stands to reason that supporting the Wii U is worth something. I bet this game does not sell well on other consoles. If Watchdogs is cancelled for the Wii U then Ubisoft can join EA on my gaming **** list. <$1alt="" title="" onresizestart="return false;" id="smiley__$2" style="padding: 0 3px 0 3px;" />

[BlackNMild2k1]

Ubisoft is not a smart developer. How dare they advertise a Wii U version and then go back on it! All of their past failures sold best on Wii U, so it stands to reason that supporting the Wii U is worth something. I bet this game does not sell well on other consoles. If Watchdogs is cancelled for the Wii U then Ubisoft can join EA on my gaming **** list. <$1alt="" title="" onresizestart="return false;" id="smiley__$2" style="padding: 0 3px 0 3px;" />

Not that it matters, but I hope you are joking, as Ubisoft has atleast offered considerable support equal to it's efforts on other systems for more than a year, including an exclusive solid launch title.

What EA did was inexcusable, promoting "Unprecendented" support and then purposely sabatoging all efforts (outside of NFS:MW) and canning all other software without explanation outside of "VENDETTA!!!".

Ubisoft gave Nintendo Wii U every effort up to this point. Them pulling out now makes business sense. Wii U has failed.
If business makes money, then business makes sense, and right now Wii U doesn't make business sense. Especially not for a game in a genre that is not heavily prominent on Nintendo systems.

I don't expect Ubisoft to pull all support, as in if they release another Rayman, then I'm pretty sure it would hit the Wii U, and I'm not sure how AC games are selling, but my guess is that if they would make more money if they didn't bother, then I would expect them to not bring the next one over.

[Stogi]

First Rayman, now this.

[Kytim89]

Ubisoft delayed a Wii U exclusive for Sony and Microsoft fans that they did not buy. The Wii U versions of Splinter Cell and Rayman sold better on Wii U. There is business on the Wii U, but Ubisoft has to work for it.

[MagicCow64]

Supposedly ACIV only sold 11,000 units worldwide on WiiU. Add to that that Splinter Cell and Rayman bombed in general, Rainbow 6: Patriots and The Division are stuck in development hell, Watch Dogs has been delayed once already and has an iffy smell about it, and that ACIV did worse than ACIII, and I think it adds up to Ubisoft circling the wagons and going on the defensive. Pulling resources from WiiU Watch Dogs falls in line with that, even though they've been as warm as possible to Nintendo so far.

While this is certainly another blow for the WiiU, I think it's also related to the weird, fragile state of the game industry right now and the Trojan horses of new consoles that promise to reinvigorate flagging sales but actually just greatly increase the amount of work a AAA game takes, and also the extra resources needed for two or three differently spec'ed versions.

[ShyGuy]

MagicCow64 spitting hot fire truth from the udder!

AAA console is going on the defensive. Take a $50-100 million dollar gamble! Welcome to new gen!

[BlackNMild2k1]

Ubisoft delayed a Wii U exclusive for Sony and Microsoft fans that they did not buy.

& Nintendo gamers got the multiplayer portion ahead of time and for free.

The Wii U versions of Splinter Cell and Rayman sold better on Wii U.

This is like arguing that your kid is the smartest kid in the remedial underachievers special ed class.

It doesn't matter if the Wii U sold the most out of a game that overall didn't succeed, or even come close to it. (I don't know the sales figures, but I imagine that if it sold most on Wii U, and still fell short of it's sales projections, it probably didn't sell all that well)
It would be a different argument all together is the Wii U version was wildly successful, and the other 2 versions were barely worth the discs they were printed on.
or that the game was successful and Wii U had a large share of that, but I think we know that didn't happen.
p

There is business on the Wii U, but Ubisoft has to work for it.

Ubisoft did work for it. It didn't work out. It's time to scale back. It's understandable.

[lolmonade]

This story doesn't personally affect me, as I'm patiently watching Watch_Dogs from the sidelines until some reviews come out.  That said, Ubisoft's support of the Wii U hasn't necessarily paid off for their Wii U games like it did for the Wii, so it doesn't surprise me that they're refocusing efforts for the other platforms they're supporting.


I think this is more a sign of them having some serious issues with Watch_Dogs as a game in general, not specifically them shunning the Wii U users.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Supposedly ACIV only sold 11,000 units worldwide on WiiU. Add to that that Splinter Cell and Rayman bombed in general, Rainbow 6: Patriots and The Division are stuck in development hell, Watch Dogs has been delayed once already and has an iffy smell about it, and that ACIV did worse than ACIII, and I think it adds up to Ubisoft circling the wagons and going on the defensive. Pulling resources from WiiU Watch Dogs falls in line with that, even though they've been as warm as possible to Nintendo so far.

While this is certainly another blow for the WiiU, I think it's also related to the weird, fragile state of the game industry right now and the Trojan horses of new consoles that promise to reinvigorate flagging sales but actually just greatly increase the amount of work a AAA game takes, and also the extra resources needed for two or three differently spec'ed versions.

I think this is more a sign of them having some serious issues with Watch_Dogs as a game in general, not specifically them shunning the Wii U users.

That makes sense too. Game is having issues, additional resources are needed to get it back on track, and Wii U being expected to bring in the least amount of sales, gets the short end of the stick.

[UncleBob]

Before this announcement:


After this announcement:


Skylanders 4 please....

[Shaymin]

The WiiU version of Splinter Cell Blacklist was approximately 1% of the total sales of the game.

Think about that.

[Nile Boogie Returns]

Sad. I bought Zombiu and have rented Just Dance enough times to pay rent. Watch Dogs was a buy and I'm getting Child of Light, even thoughI don't like turn based combat. Maybe there is something else at work. Nintendo asked them to implement more GamePad features as per their new approach. And some NFC stuff since I'm in a dreaming mood.

[ymeegod]

"The Wii U versions of Splinter Cell and Rayman sold better on Wii U"

? Love to see those numbers:

Both PS3 and Xbox 360 sold 10X+ for Splinter Cell: Black List which and Rayman Legends sold about the same aross all three platforms. 

Watchdogs WII preorders numbers were the lowest out of the consoles even the PC so dropping support for a game nobody was ordering isn't the developers fault--you have to want it first.