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WiiU

More Spin-Off Titles Coming to Wii U in 2015, Says Miyamoto

by Alex Osborn - November 2, 2014, 12:25 pm EST
Total comments: 29 Source: NeoGAF

The Mario creator assures us there won't be a shortage of software next year.

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto is confident that Wii U will have a strong year in 2015 as far as software is concerned, with third-parties getting involved in developing more spin-off games.

During the company's latest investor meeting Q&A, the Mario mastermind went so far as to say Wii U's games lineup in the new year will be "plentiful," as the company strives to increase its overall software output. His full response, as unofficially translated by NeoGAF user StreetsAhead, is as follows:

"On development time, we have already completed the step of learning new development techniques. So, we should experience less developmental delays stemming from learning new hardware. From now on, it becomes a matter of if we can use our experience efficiently and one part of our plan to do so is to use 'spin off games', which allow us to use our major title franchises, but create on a smaller scale and we are working hard on making these sort of derived products. In this way, we are preparing to expand on our characters while also increasing the number of software we output and allowing our customers to have their next experiences in certain franchises without waiting three years.

"We are also working more and more with many different 3rd party companies to produce our titles [note: this seems to refer to outsourcing things like asset creation, cut-scenes, etc] and from this year we have begun to work with some software developers for the very first time. We are in the process of creating a system where we are actively seeking outside assistance to help us create an abundance of major titles. I feel that next year's Wii U titles are plentiful. We will continue working hard."

Earlier this year, Wii U owners were treated to a Zelda spin-off/crossover with Hyrule Warriors. What other sorts of third-party projects tied to Nintendo's iconic franchises would you like to see? Comment below and let us know.

Talkback

SorenNovember 02, 2014

At this point Nintendo is serious about weathering the storm with Wii U, and if you can't lure third parties to make their games for your system, maybe you can dangle one of the many franchises as a carrot at least.


I don't want to see just spin-offs thought. F-Zero, Ice Climbers, Duck Hunt, 1080, Excite, Golden Sun, Advance Wars, etc. There's plenty of franchises to bring back as well as spin-off. The software library has to be diverse enough without having a bunch of Mario/Zelda spin-offs.

Triforce HermitNovember 02, 2014

Meanwhile there are still many titles, like Soren said, that Nintendo isn't doing shit with other then a cameo here and there.

King of TwitchNovember 02, 2014

I'm so excited for spinoffs. Here are a few ideas for Nintendo:

Samurai Goroh's Treasure Tracker
:reggie: Teaches Typing
Advance Wars: ISIS CRISIS
Dr. Wario (Wario disguises as a dentist so he can steal patients' gold fillings)
Wii Sports Resort Pyst
Star Fox Pod Racer
Metroid Pinball (haha yeah right)
Palutena's Pizza Parlor
A Gannondorf and His Blob

Luigi DudeNovember 03, 2014

Quote from: Soren

I don't want to see just spin-offs thought. F-Zero, Ice Climbers, Duck Hunt, 1080, Excite, Golden Sun, Advance Wars, etc. There's plenty of franchises to bring back as well as spin-off. The software library has to be diverse enough without having a bunch of Mario/Zelda spin-offs.

We're still getting non Mario/Zelda games as well.  It's just in order to get riskier games like Splatoon and Xenoblade Chronicles X, Nintendo is going to need to make some money off Wii U software and Mario/Zelda are the only two franchises that have shown can do that.

Plus just because we're getting spinoffs doesn't mean we won't still get other old franchises brought back as well.  How many people honestly expected a new Star Fox to be announced for the Wii U last E3, or a sequel to Kirby's Canvas Curse being a Wii U game either?  Just because Miyamoto says we'll see more spinoffs doesn't mean that's the only thing we're getting now.

ShyGuyNovember 03, 2014

If we get a mashup style spinoff like Hyrule Warriors, Soul Calibur/Zelda seems obvious. Warioware/Rabids? XenoBlade/Monster Hunter?

the asylumNovember 03, 2014

I suppose having just meager spinoff titles is better than the whole lot of no titles at all

Ian SaneNovember 03, 2014

Yeah because when the same old bullshit isn't selling Wii U's MORE of the same old bullshit is going to do it.  Apparently the Wii U just doesn't have enough derivative titles that give the impression Nintendo is stuck in a time warp.

Unless Nintendo is just being super self-aware and knows that the only people that own a Wii U are Nintendo nuts that not only tolerate the same franchises again and again but actually would probably prefer that and that they're just catering to that audience.  The Wii U will almost never catch on the way Nintendo would like so maybe they should just exploit this niche audience they've created for themselves and the Wii U is the Neo Geo of its day.  The problem is that companies that just have this fixed collection of IP that they exploit for a fanatical audience don't bring in the kind of numbers to justify manufacturing their own hardware.  Being just the Mario/Zelda/Pokémon/Metroid guys is fine from a third party perspective but you're asking a lot for someone to buy a special dedicated console JUST for Nintendo stuff.  That's like Disney having a DVD player that ONLY plays their movies and it's the only way to view Disney films.  Some people would buy it but a lot of the people that would gladly buy Snow White for $20 for their pre-existing player would not pay for a special machine.  Nintendo has transitioned from being a video game console maker to being a Nintendo game console maker.

I don't really want them to go third party but if THIS is going to be the company they want to be I don't see any other model they can make a fair go at it.  We know what the market is for a Nintendo-only console is because we're seeing the very disappointing sales figures for it RIGHT NOW.

I like series like Zelda and Metroid a whole lot but I want them on a general videogame system with a variety of titles, not some specialized Nintendo-only machine that's existence is largely arbitrary.  I would prefer this general videogame system to be made by Nintendo but if they don't offer such a thing then I'll just wait.  I would buy Nintendo consoles when they were making the most influential cutting edge games around but when they're just rehashing the same stuff?  Why would I buy a whole console just for that?

Ian, you would have at least some semblance of a valid point if we didn't already know about a bunch of original, non-derivative games coming from Nintendo next year. This isn't instead of new things, but in addition. Nintendo finally seems to have gotten to the point where they realized third parties weren't coming back and decided to up their own output to support the system all on their own.

broodwarsNovember 03, 2014

On the one hand, it's good to see Nintendo determined to release more games. On the other, I don't want to see spin-off titles. I want to see MORE new IPs, more new ideas from Nintendo like Splatoon and Project STEAM. More of the old didn't bring people to the Wii U the last 2 years, so I doubt even more of it will make a difference now when the Wii U is pretty much dead outside a handful of titles.

AdrockNovember 03, 2014

I don't mind spinoff titles as long as they're good spinoff titles. Many of Nintendo's IPs are spinoffs, most notably Mario. And Miyamoto was being unsurprisingly vague. He didn't say they had to be new spinoffs like Hyrule Warriors. Personally, I'd like to see a Mario Strikers sequel.

the asylumNovember 04, 2014

I'd like to see a smash bros spinoff that features Captain Falcon doing his racing thing

Ian SaneNovember 04, 2014

Quote from: NWR_insanolord

Ian, you would have at least some semblance of a valid point if we didn't already know about a bunch of original, non-derivative games coming from Nintendo next year. This isn't instead of new things, but in addition. Nintendo finally seems to have gotten to the point where they realized third parties weren't coming back and decided to up their own output to support the system all on their own.

I see it more as company that doesn't really know what they're doing resorting to what used to work because they know nothing else.  Clueless companies stuck in a jam almost always get conservative.  It reeks of shareholders demanding safe sure thing "hits".

Nintendo should increase their output but the target audience for the same old IPs already owns the Wii U.  No one who didn't want to buy a Wii U to play the same old stuff is going to be won over by this.  They've released two Mario platformers, the most valuable IP Nintendo owns, and they utterly failed to move systems.  So Mario spinoffs will move consoles when the "real" Mario games did not?  Increased output is necessary but more of the same IPs will only preach to the converted, which is a minority niche at this point.

I also feel that Nintendo now makes the mistaken assumption that the IP is the selling point instead of the gameplay.  Like the elf in the green suit is the selling point of Zelda, not the fact that Zelda games are historically some of the most epic and ambitious games around.  I interpret "allowing our customers to have their next experiences in certain franchises without waiting three years" as "we give you the spinoff and that fill the demand for franchise X, right?" as if something like Hyrule Warriors would "count" as a Zelda game when it's only connection to the series is the characters but that was never the selling point of the series in the first place.  Zelda is a big enough franchise that we'll still get the real game but with the more minor franchises I fear a token appearance in any game will "count" in Nintendo's mind.

The Wii U launch was Nintendo Land and NSMB U, a perfect example of thinking that Nintendo's familiar IP will sell systems.  This just seems like doubling down on what failed miserably years ago.

Great job ignoring the first sentence of my post. You're absolutely right, Nintendo only makes derivatives of existing IPs, like Splatooon and S.T.E.A.M.

marvel_moviefan_2012November 04, 2014

um,, Splatoon started out as a Mario Sunshine sequel so no Ian was right, they changed it to be more weird which is in line with their normal way of doing things. Also picking TWO games out of all their other examples, really so that's how you prove they aren't just making a token effort by reminding us they have ONLY two new games coming out, one of which started out as a Mario Spin-off.

Ian SaneNovember 04, 2014

Quote from: NWR_insanolord

Great job ignoring the first sentence of my post. You're absolutely right, Nintendo only makes derivatives of existing IPs, like Splatooon and S.T.E.A.M.

They don't only focus on existing IPs but they focus way too much on them and have now made a statement saying that we should expect that to ramp up.

Go watch their E3 coverage from this year and you'll see them spend a ton of time on new stuff. They're clearly putting a lot of effort toward original stuff, and simultaneously also continuing their existing franchises. I'm not sure what more you could want from Nintendo in terms of software development.

Quote from: marvel_moviefan_2012

um,, Splatoon started out as a Mario Sunshine sequel so no Ian was right, they changed it to be more weird which is in line with their normal way of doing things. Also picking TWO games out of all their other examples, really so that's how you prove they aren't just making a token effort by reminding us they have ONLY two new games coming out, one of which started out as a Mario Spin-off.

Those weren't the only two, just the ones I thought of off the top of my head while writing the post. Also, so what if Splatoon started as a Mario game? Pikmin started off as a Mario tech demo. I imagine a lot of prototypes within Nintendo start that way, since Miyamoto's style is to start with a gameplay concept and build around that, so the characters and whatnot aren't important at that stage.

LittleIrvesNovember 04, 2014

"I also feel that Nintendo now makes the mistaken assumption that the IP is the selling point instead of the gameplay."

Ian, you then list Nintendo Land as a launch title that tries to sell itself on its IP...  but the whole point of Land was that the gameplay was all new, made specifically w/ GamePad in mind. Sure the clothes looked like recognizable characters, but the meat of the game was all about mechanics and control. Maybe they could have sold it better, yeah. But they still realize their strength is in compelling experiences unavailable anywhere else.

Ian SaneNovember 04, 2014

Quote from: LittleIrves

"I also feel that Nintendo now makes the mistaken assumption that the IP is the selling point instead of the gameplay."

Ian, you then list Nintendo Land as a launch title that tries to sell itself on its IP...  but the whole point of Land was that the gameplay was all new, made specifically w/ GamePad in mind. Sure the clothes looked like recognizable characters, but the meat of the game was all about mechanics and control. Maybe they could have sold it better, yeah. But they still realize their strength is in compelling experiences unavailable anywhere else.

I think Nintendo Land is a good example of my point.  The game is full of Nintendo's IP but plays nothing like them.  So if I like Metroid I'm supposed to like Nintendo Land's Metroid themed mini-games?  I'm not interested in that game because I don't really care that much about Samus Aran or Zebes or Metroids but rather the Metroid style gameplay.  The characters aren't the real selling point.  The F-Zero references in Nintendo Land don't please F-Zero fans because they want high speed racing.  The Blue Falcon ain't F-Zero, the gameplay is.  Spin-offs make the assumption that the character is the selling point because that's what carries over.  The resulting game might still be awesome and create a successful side series but it isn't a guarantee and the character isn't the real appeal, especially with Nintendo since their character development and storytelling is embarrassingly poor.  They don't even have interesting stories to carry on into spin-off games.

Nintendo Land is a weird case of a game that has no idea who its intended audience is. Reading too much into it specifically isn't going to reveal much about the kinds of things we're talking about. I also disagree that Nintendo's franchises don't have enough in the way of stories to work for this kind of thing, and I think the best example to the contrary is Hyrule Warriors, which revels in Zelda fan service to great effect.

Triforce HermitNovember 04, 2014

The Zelda crowd though gets a game ever few years. Fan service works then. The F-Zero crowd doesn't. Fan service tends to be more of an insult then.

marvel_moviefan_2012November 04, 2014

Quote from: NWR_insanolord

Nintendo Land is a weird case of a game that has no idea who its intended audience is. Reading too much into it specifically isn't going to reveal much about the kinds of things we're talking about. I also disagree that Nintendo's franchises don't have enough in the way of stories to work for this kind of thing, and I think the best example to the contrary is Hyrule Warriors, which revels in Zelda fan service to great effect.

I did check the E3 stuff, they had nothing new outside of the two you mentioned on Wii U, 3DS is not even in this discussion. So what if Pikmin started as a Mario demo was that your point? Well Pikmin doesn't sell so yeah there is that point also Pikmin isn't a new idea anymore its on its 3rd game, 4th release if you count the Wii re-release.

The focus has always been on their franchises and their spin offs, thats not new, I am not agreeing with Ian that spin offs are bad or that the new games are bad either just the fact is they do rely too much on their spin offs.

There is no point in guessing though we don't have a clue what this all means, it could just be more Mario sports, or another NES Remix type thing. BTW Hurule Warriors is my favorite Zelda game in years so no hate here.

Quote from: marvel_moviefan_2012

There is no point in guessing though we don't have a clue what this all means

Wild speculation based on little or no information is our bread and butter here on the Nintendo World Report Forums.

famicomplicatedJames Charlton, Associate Editor (Japan)November 05, 2014

I hope they make a spin off from Nintendo Land with that shooting game.
You know, the one where you can turn into a ball and fly a spaceship.

Nintendo wouldn't have to make it, they could get a western developer, maybe one based in Texas or somewhere?

I dunno, I'm full of stupid CRAZY ideas that will never happen.

pokepal148Spencer Johnson, Contributing WriterNovember 05, 2014

F-zero: the game

YmeegodNovember 05, 2014

Man instead of being so negative I'm going post my spinoff requests.
Mushroom Kingdom...think Kingdom Hearts but set in nintendos ips.
Bowser's Large and in Charge....a comedy platformer staring the big ole guy
Punch Out Fitness...that uses dual remotes.
Metroid Spinoff where you play as competing mercs trying to capture Samus

AdrockNovember 05, 2014

Am I the only one who wants a new Mario Strikers? I was playing the GameCube original a few weeks ago. Goddamn, I forgot how fun that game is.

StogiNovember 05, 2014

If they're anything like Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker, then by all means, spin away.

marvel_moviefan_2012November 05, 2014

Quote from: Ymeegod

Man instead of being so negative I'm going post my spinoff requests.
Mushroom Kingdom...think Kingdom Hearts but set in nintendos ips.
Bowser's Large and in Charge....a comedy platformer staring the big ole guy
Punch Out Fitness...that uses dual remotes.
Metroid Spinoff where you play as competing mercs trying to capture Samus

Where do I sign the petition to make this happen?

Mop it upNovember 07, 2014

Quote from: Adrock

Am I the only one who wants a new Mario Strikers? I was playing the GameCube original a few weeks ago. Goddamn, I forgot how fun that game is.

Probably. I didn't like either of those games.

I want a Mario version of Smash Brothers myself, but it probably won't happen. We still don't have a Mario Golf or Tennis with proper motion control, so I wouldn't mind seeing those either.

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