We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
WiiU

Report: Nintendo of America Passing On Devil's Third

by Donald Theriault - July 10, 2015, 4:34 am EDT
Total comments: 51 Source: Unseen64

Quality concerns appear to have sunk Valhalla's Wii U shooter in North America for now. UPDATED JULY 10

If Devil's Third is to release in North America, it will not be published by Nintendo of America.

According to a video recently posted by Unseen64 (embedded below), NOA is passing on the game due to severe concerns about the game's quality. One anonymous European previewer claimed the game "looks like a game from two generations ago", while another was quoted as saying the game's aiming system is broken, and has extremely poor production values.

The game is not officially cancelled in North America, but its release is in limbo while Valhalla seeks a new publisher. Given the nature of Nintendo's concerns, whatever publisher might pick the game up is taking a big risk. There is no word about whether Valhalla may self-publish the game on the eShop, as statements from Valhalla studio head Tomonobu Itagaki have stated that he will release the game in North America no matter what.

UPDATE July 10: A report from Siliconera confirms the game has been dropped by NoA, but will release thanks to a publisher "Siliconera readers are quite familiar with".

UPDATE 12:25pm EDT July 10: A line further up the Siliconera story seems to confirm the identity of the mystery publisher: "this won’t be the last story about Tomonobu Itagaki’s game in North America" (emphasis added).

Talkback

EnnerJuly 09, 2015

Sad state of affairs on many levels.


Hopefully it will at least get an NA eShop release so people can determine the game's worth for themselves.

Triforce HermitJuly 09, 2015

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me and I frankly don't blame NoA if that is the case.

Bman87301July 09, 2015

I predicted from the very start NOA would hand this off to a third-party publisher based solely on the fact that it had "Devil" in the title. That being said, the "severe concerns about the game's quality" is clearly just an excuse.

broodwarsJuly 09, 2015

*shrugs* Eh. The game looked like shit, anyway. I'm more annoyed that Nintendo spent money saving that game that could have been spent on an actually worthwhile 3rd party developer.

DanteZXJuly 09, 2015

I'm glad Nintendo got rid of it. Ever since it was first shown off for the WiiU, I could tell then that it was a turd, and the only difference between then and now is that this turd is starting to reek in the hot sun. It looks bad, plays bad, and should be canned.

broodwarsJuly 09, 2015

Incidentally, I also dislike the comparison to Disaster: Day of Crisis. Even for a Wii launch game, Disaster was a rough-looking game, but I've beaten it and it's not a bad game at all. There's a very solid, if exceptionally goofy, game in there and Nintendo certainly released far worse Wii titles in NA. Devil's 3rd just looks bad, and the Wii U's install base is just not big enough or interested enough in 3rd party games for that game to find an audience..

Ian SaneJuly 09, 2015

"looks like a game from two generations ago" - so a Wii game?  *swish*

Due to the lack of Wii U titles in the pipeline this game better REALLY suck for NOA to not feel it was worth publishing.  Beggars can't be choosers and the Wii U doesn't have the luxury of rejecting titles.  Quality control is a totally valid reason to not publish a game but they better not be being picky.  They shouldn't be rejecting a game that's okayish, it better be outright shit.

I can't say I completely trust the word of the guys who felt that fuckin' XENOBLADE needed to be co-published by Gamestop to get released during a time when the Wii had pretty much nothing coming out for it.

AdrockJuly 09, 2015

Quote from: Ian

I can't say I completely trust the word of the guys who felt that fuckin' XENOBLADE needed to be co-published by Gamestop to get released during a time when the Wii had pretty much nothing coming out for it.

Different circumstances. Nintendo of America didn't trust Xenoblade Chronicles to sell based on niche status, not because it thought the game was ass.

SorenJuly 09, 2015

I mentioned this on another thread but I'll say it again, Nintendo is not in a position to turn down games, specially when NCL and NoE have no problem putting the game out with their name on it. There is no quality argument, specially when you're actively working on releasing games (Fatal Frame 5, SMTxFE) that would have never seen the light of day in this continent had NoA been working with a slightly healthier console. They're equally niche as Devil's Third with the exception that "they might be ok", which is dubious since no one outside of the Treehouse has played them yet (in NA).


If reviews peg this as a mediocre offering instead of the outright garbage people are predicting, then NoA will have once again insulted the hardcore fanbase that so desperately eludes them.

Both NoE and NCL are treating this game as a contractual obligation at this point, though.

NCL: Game is Amazon exclusive (when the hell does ANYTHING get a retail exclusive in Japan) for physical copies.
NoE: Only localizing the game into English instead of all the European languages.

NeoStar9XJuly 09, 2015

If the quality of the game is the issue then why wasn't it an issue last year. It's not like this suddenly was found out. Did they not know what they were spending their money on before it was shown at E3 last year? Did they not look at what was being done before agreeing to put their name on it? Is Nintendo as a whole that incompetent these days!?


If the game is bad then it's bad. If it is as bad as reported then I wouldn't have bought it. We'll know for sure when reviewers start reporting their impressions soon if the July 15 date is true.  I wanted to at least have the option to decide for myself because I DO NOT trust Nintendo of America's judgement on what should and should not be released. I do not trust Nintendo of America's judgement on what appeals to people when it comes to games that aren't normally from Nintendo. They are the ones that refused to release Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower. They are the ones that decided there wasn't a market and their releases proved t them wrong.

NeoStar9XJuly 09, 2015

Quote from: Shaymin

Both NoE and NCL are treating this game as a contractual obligation at this point, though.

NCL: Game is Amazon exclusive (when the hell does ANYTHING get a retail exclusive in Japan) for physical copies.
NoE: Only localizing the game into English instead of all the European languages.

That does speak volumes. It still goes back to why they even agreed in the first place.

OedoJuly 09, 2015

Better to (at least implicitly) admit that it was a failure than to have a terrible game on your resume. Why they'd put resources behind this specifically in the first place is questionable, but I think the decision not to publish what you feel like is a legitimately bad game seems pretty cut and dry. There's something to be said for letting people decide what's bad and what isn't, but if I were them I wouldn't want to publish a game that I feel like is most likely shit with the outside of chance of being mediocre either.

ejamerJuly 09, 2015

Arguing that "they shouldn't release a bad game" or "better off not releasing anything" are foolish.
Nintendo releases bad games sometimes. It happens. And given the sad state of Wii U any game is better than nothing.


I understand not being keen on taking the risk, but even then they should still release the already finished game via eShop instead of just abandoning it.  But at this point maybe it's my fault because I should know better, right?

SorenJuly 09, 2015

Quote from: NeoStar9X

I wanted to at least have the option to decide for myself because I DO NOT trust Nintendo of America's judgement on what should and should not be released. I do not trust Nintendo of America's judgement on what appeals to people when it comes to games that aren't normally from Nintendo.

Bingo. NoA has a history of terrible judgement when it comes to niche games. Good or bad, their track record has been deplorable, and the mere fact that they're giving up on yet another niche game without bothering at least a token release like NCL and NoE speaks volumes.

AdrockJuly 09, 2015

Quote from: NeoStar9X

If the quality of the game is the issue then why wasn't it an issue last year.

You expect a lack of polish when showing an unfinished game. Over a year later and it still lacks polish? That's disconcerting.

Quote from: ejamer

Arguing that "they shouldn't release a bad game" or "better off not releasing anything" are foolish.
Nintendo releases bad games sometimes. It happens. And given the sad state of Wii U any game is better than nothing.

Companies release bad games all the time. That doesn't mean that they should. Saying "it happens" is defeatist. Nope, strive to be better.

And a game isn't finished if it's trash. Go back and fix it, don't come back until you do. I'm tired of companies thinking this nonsense is okay. It's weird to me that people here want a subpar game to be published just so there's something on store shelves. How many of you are planning on buying this? I mean, I don't think we should wholeheartedly trust the word of the people who Unseen64 spoke to, but if they're all saying the same thing, that should at least raise an eyebrow.

I don't think the game should be published anywhere in this state. Don't insult your customers by releasing a game you don't believe in. Delay it, off of Wii U if need be. "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is bad forever."

Evan_BJuly 09, 2015

Yeah, this aggravates me on so many levels, especially since I was actually interested in this game because I'm not at shooter guy but I do love online modes.

Obviously NCL doesn't have much faith in violent shooters- I mean, the whole point of Splatoon was to market to an audience that never really got into shooters in a big way. Likewise, at least NoE is releasing this game in some form. If NoA thinks they don't need to pad out the Wii U's release schedule, they're fucking stupid, pardon my French. I would rather have a game of questionable quality that I enjoy rather than a gaping hole in the release schedule. Plus, it's exactly the kind of game Nintendo needs for their catalogue.

Of course, the reviews aren't out yet, and it's up in the air if it is REALLY bad, but I'm a bit surprised to see all these people ragging on it. Apparently Nintendo did some close work with Valhalla on it, so I can't imagine quality concerns snuck up on them...

OedoJuly 09, 2015

Quote from: ejamer

And given the sad state of Wii U any game is better than nothing.

I don't think a "we got one game this Summer from Nintendo and it was friggin' awful" narrative is an upgrade over "we got no games from Nintendo this summer." I don't think a possibly okay game is going to materially change anyone's view on the Wii U or its library either. I just don't see who benefits from the release of this game. It's going to sell like crap because they've literally put zero marketing power behind it (which is 100% the right call if they think it's crap) and even if it ends up being okay, I doubt very many people are going to thank for them giving them a middling experience when they could have been playing something that was actually good. Putting out games just for the sake of putting out games in general is some pretty dangerous territory.

MythtendoJuly 09, 2015

Quote from: NeoStar9X

They are the ones that refused to release Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower. They are the ones that decided there wasn't a market and their releases proved t them wrong.

As it's already been stated, totatlly different situation. They initially passed on those games because they were RPGs released late in the Wii's lifespan, they were understandably concerned about the sales potential of them. And Last Story and Pandora's Tower got decent sales, but not great. With Devil's Third, they are not rejecting it because they think it wouldn't sell well; they are rejecting it because they think the game is utter crap.

NinfernoJuly 09, 2015

Then why not just have a Eshop only release? It mitigates the much-feared "publishing risk", has low visibility hence avoids damages to the precious NoA image, and nonetheless provides a way for people who want it to get it. Problem solved. To be honest, I don't really care about this game (I'm sad the one who brought us the two great modern Ninja Gaiden games seems to have failed this time though); I just don't see Nintendo has anything to lose to give it a digital only release.

If they're going to do an eShop only release, Nintendo doesn't have to do anything but provide the storefront. And that's probably what's going to happen, by way of Valhalla publishing it themselves.

I mean, we've had some real kusoge flow through the Wii U eShop, except this one they might have the testicular fortitude to charge $60 for.

ShyGuyJuly 09, 2015

If this title gets Disastereds, I am mad.

ThePermJuly 09, 2015

I hope NX will be nice enough not to have region locking. Why? I'll take a German version of a game. They advertised the crap out of this on the Nintendo Shop, they should take those down if this is the case.

steveyJuly 10, 2015

Weird but there was an odd undercurrent between Itagaki and the other westerners back in E3 2014 where they kept trying to distance and separate themselves from the game and Itagaki kept trying to involve them so it's not completely unexpected. Maybe Itagaki expected to get much more help than he received in the end leading to it being incomplete...

Either way I don't care about graphics, they should fix the aiming/gameplay and release it.

Evan_BJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: Mythtendo

With Devil's Third, they are not rejecting it because they think it wouldn't sell well; they are rejecting it because they think the game is utter crap.

Oh, you know that for a fact now, do you? Thank you for speaking on behalf of... What, Nintendo of America, I guess? Since other regions are still getting it, you know.

Also, what kusoge has gone through the Wii U eShop? I legitimately want to know, because I can't find jack shit there.

AdrockJuly 10, 2015

No one knows that for a fact, but the basis of Shaymin's article is a report from Unseen64 stating that Nintendo of America is passing on Devil's Third due to concerns about its quality. Shaymin also pointed out:

Quote from: Shaymin

Both NoE and NCL are treating this game as a contractual obligation at this point, though.

NCL: Game is Amazon exclusive (when the hell does ANYTHING get a retail exclusive in Japan) for physical copies.
NoE: Only localizing the game into English instead of all the European languages.

We also know NCL picked up the game so it has an incentive to recoup on that investment despite being known for canceling and delaying games due to quality. Nintendo of Europe has a history of publishing anything which sounds great but probably isn't the smartest way to do business. Also, Satoru Iwata is CEO of Nintendo of America so he has the authority of overrule anyone at Nintendo of America who decided against publishing Devil's Third.

It's easy to point and say, "Well, Nintendo is publishing Devil's Third in Japan and Europe, why not America?" but there's a lot more to it than that. Unseen64 broke the news and apparently spoke to people who have played the final code in Europe, the consensus of which was unanimously negative. Unseen64 is a pretty reputable source; we probably wouldn't be talking about this if it wasn't.

Personally, I want the game published eventually. However, I've been condition as someone who predominantly follows Nintendo and buys a shit ton of its games to expect a certain level of quality. While I've become a more savvy consumer in the past few years, I've bought some trash games in the past and have wondered how any company could think it was okay. Nintendo has delayed dozens of games for this very same thing so it's jarring to say the least that it's publishing a game it has little faith in. Devil's Third is exactly the type of game Nintendo would have delayed in the past. Not that Devil's Third is on the same level as Zelda, but Nintendo delayed Ocarina of Time, for example, a bunch of times until it was done right. It wouldn't be so revered otherwise.

Quote from: Evan_B

Also, what kusoge has gone through the Wii U eShop? I legitimately want to know, because I can't find jack shit there.

The Letter, Maze, Meme Run (since pulled), Suspension Railroad Simulator, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Don't Touch Anything Red, basically anything Daan reviews.

By the way, the story has been updated with some news that broke overnight. Please take a look.

NinfernoJuly 10, 2015

Guess everybody should be happy now, no?

motangJuly 10, 2015

I had a feeling this was going to be like Pandora's Tower, etc. Glad someone is bringing it here, I will surely buy it.

Evan_BJuly 10, 2015

Oh, I was hoping for something a bit more eastern in terms of kusoge

ejamerJuly 10, 2015

Not sure about everybody, but I'm happier to hear it will at least get some kind of release. Still concerned it will be eShop only, because I much prefer retail... but whatever. Beggars can't be choosers, and Nintendo fans should be very used to begging by now.


Still rather displeased with the way Nintendo (and NoA in particular) handles their business.  But that's not so bad - I wasn't planning to buy their next console anyway, and continued ineptitude only makes that easier.

Ian SaneJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: Adrock

Quote from: Ian

I can't say I completely trust the word of the guys who felt that fuckin' XENOBLADE needed to be co-published by Gamestop to get released during a time when the Wii had pretty much nothing coming out for it.

Different circumstances. Nintendo of America didn't trust Xenoblade Chronicles to sell based on niche status, not because it thought the game was ass.

I know their reasons were different but considering that the same NOA later was promoting the New 3DS release and the sequel, I don't trust their judgement.  They weren't keen on releasing a game that has since become a series for Nintendo.  They thought it wasn't marketable but they had their heads up their asses.  My feelings on NOA is that they're quick to reject games and have questionable judgement in that area.  If this was the pre-Reggie era NOA I wouldn't have even questioned them for a second.  If that era of NOA said the game was bad I would assume the game was bad.

Of course now that someone is publishing it we'll find out if NOA was out of line or not.

Luigi DudeJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: Adrock

Personally, I want the game published eventually. However, I've been condition as someone who predominantly follows Nintendo and buys a shit ton of its games to expect a certain level of quality. While I've become a more savvy consumer in the past few years, I've bought some trash games in the past and have wondered how any company could think it was okay. Nintendo has delayed dozens of games for this very same thing so it's jarring to say the least that it's publishing a game it has little faith in. Devil's Third is exactly the type of game Nintendo would have delayed in the past. Not that Devil's Third is on the same level as Zelda, but Nintendo delayed Ocarina of Time, for example, a bunch of times until it was done right. It wouldn't be so revered otherwise.

Considering Itagaki has a reputation for being an asshole, I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason they're letting it be released even if it's total shit.  I could see a situation where the people from Nintendo might have been telling him to change certain things to help improve the quality and Itagaki refused to do it.  After a while Nintendo might have just gone "fuck it, do what you want to do then but we ain't giving you any more time and money if you need it." 

As to why they didn't just cancel it then, maybe when they agreed to fund it part of the agreement was they had to publish it which is why in Japan it's going to be a Amazon exclusive just so it fits the requirements without having to spend much for publishing.

Fatty The HuttJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: Shaymin

Quote from: Evan_B

Also, what kusoge has gone through the Wii U eShop? I legitimately want to know, because I can't find jack shit there.

The Letter, Maze, Meme Run (since pulled), Suspension Railroad Simulator, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Don't Touch Anything Red, basically anything Daan reviews.

So, we're all just gonna let that one pass, are we? Metroid Prime Trilogy is crap now?
Silly boy.

broodwarsJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: Fatty_The_Hutt

Quote from: Shaymin

Quote from: Evan_B

Also, what kusoge has gone through the Wii U eShop? I legitimately want to know, because I can't find jack **** there.

The Letter, Maze, Meme Run (since pulled), Suspension Railroad Simulator, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Don't Touch Anything Red, basically anything Daan reviews.

So, we're all just gonna let that one pass, are we? Metroid Prime Trilogy is crap now?
Silly boy.

Shaymin has the same unconditional disdain for Metroid Prime that I do for anything Dragon Quest.

Fatty The HuttJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: broodwars

Quote from: Fatty_The_Hutt

Quote from: Shaymin

Quote from: Evan_B

Also, what kusoge has gone through the Wii U eShop? I legitimately want to know, because I can't find jack **** there.

The Letter, Maze, Meme Run (since pulled), Suspension Railroad Simulator, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Don't Touch Anything Red, basically anything Daan reviews.

So, we're all just gonna let that one pass, are we? Metroid Prime Trilogy is crap now?
Silly boy.

Shaymin has the same unconditional disdain for Metroid Prime that I do for anything Dragon Quest.

Geez. Both of y'all are crazy nuts.

broodwarsJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: Fatty_The_Hutt

Quote from: broodwars

Quote from: Fatty_The_Hutt

Quote from: Shaymin

Quote from: Evan_B

Also, what kusoge has gone through the Wii U eShop? I legitimately want to know, because I can't find jack **** there.

The Letter, Maze, Meme Run (since pulled), Suspension Railroad Simulator, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Don't Touch Anything Red, basically anything Daan reviews.

So, we're all just gonna let that one pass, are we? Metroid Prime Trilogy is crap now?
Silly boy.

Shaymin has the same unconditional disdain for Metroid Prime that I do for anything Dragon Quest.

Geez. Both of y'all are crazy nuts.

Sorry, but Dragon Quest is a series that has no right to exist. It advances nothing, and it strives to achieve nothing. It is just a time-killer for aging Japanese salary men nostalgic for a time when the Japanese gaming industry still mattered. It's old and archaic for the sake of BEING old and archaic. Its very existence when so many better games & series have fallen by the wayside offends me. "And that, as they say, is that."

Evan_BJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: Fatty_The_Hutt

Quote from: broodwars

Quote from: Fatty_The_Hutt

Quote from: Shaymin

Quote from: Evan_B

Also, what kusoge has gone through the Wii U eShop? I legitimately want to know, because I can't find jack **** there.

The Letter, Maze, Meme Run (since pulled), Suspension Railroad Simulator, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Don't Touch Anything Red, basically anything Daan reviews.

So, we're all just gonna let that one pass, are we? Metroid Prime Trilogy is crap now?
Silly boy.

Shaymin has the same unconditional disdain for Metroid Prime that I do for anything Dragon Quest.

Geez. Both of y'all are crazy nuts.

WHOA WHOA WHOA! Remember who hates Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D Land, here!!!

EnnerJuly 10, 2015

Ah, well at least so one is picking up the dice and rolling it, according to Siliconera's report. I've always doubted the game and early impressions are vindicating that, but I would like to see this game out so everyone involved can move on.

SorenJuly 10, 2015

XSEED does what Nintendon't.

Ian SaneJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: broodwars

Sorry, but Dragon Quest is a series that has no right to exist. It's old and archaic for the sake of BEING old and archaic.

That's it.  That's the reason it exists.  It's the RPG for people that want the exact same type of experience they had a kid.  It's the RPG equivalent of... NSMB!

TOPHATANT123July 10, 2015

It's XSEED, siliconera mentions "the last story" and that their readers should be familiar with the publisher, siliconera only cover Japanese games, add 2 and 2 together and you get XSEED. I say good for them, even though The Last Story would be a modest success by NOA's standards for XSEED it was their most profitable game ever, Devil's Third will fit in nicely with their niche portfolio of sub-100k sellers.

pokepal148Spencer Johnson, Contributing WriterJuly 10, 2015

Quote from: Evan_B

Quote from: Fatty_The_Hutt

Quote from: broodwars

Quote from: Fatty_The_Hutt

Quote from: Shaymin

Quote from: Evan_B

Also, what kusoge has gone through the Wii U eShop? I legitimately want to know, because I can't find jack **** there.

The Letter, Maze, Meme Run (since pulled), Suspension Railroad Simulator, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Don't Touch Anything Red, basically anything Daan reviews.

So, we're all just gonna let that one pass, are we? Metroid Prime Trilogy is crap now?
Silly boy.

Shaymin has the same unconditional disdain for Metroid Prime that I do for anything Dragon Quest.

Geez. Both of y'all are crazy nuts.

WHOA WHOA WHOA! Remember who hates Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D Land, here!!!

PFFT, that's nothing, I don't like Yoshi's Island.

LouieturkeyJuly 10, 2015

Does anybody actually like Yoshi's Island?  :P: :Q

Yoshi's Island is good, but every time they attempt to follow it up it goes... poorly.

pokepal148Spencer Johnson, Contributing WriterJuly 10, 2015

Oh, and we can stop pretending that Mario 64 is a good game as well. A good 3d platformer in 1996 =/ a good 3d platformer in 2015.

StratosJuly 10, 2015

Why has this not devolved into a Super Mario World vs Super Mario Brothers 3 fight yet? SMB3 > SMW!


Seriously though, XSeed has been a hero for the forgotten niche Nintendo fan. They have picked up most of NOA's discarded games and I will continue to support them as best I can.

EnnerJuly 11, 2015

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/619916072884420609


People, Nintendo of America is excited to bring Devil's Third out! :D

broodwarsJuly 11, 2015

Quote from: Enner

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/619916072884420609


People, Nintendo of America is excited to bring Devil's Third out! :D

...through XSEED, most likely.

UncleBobRichard Cook, Guest ContributorJuly 11, 2015

Hm.  Funny.

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement