http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=16094 
After the fall-out from Ubidays and after the fall-out from Capcom unveiling Spyborgs, we've seen two distinct ways to react to detractors in your midst. Whenever a corporation opens a forum they need to be aware of the risks that entails. Ubisoft clearly was not, where as Capcom was.
Nintendo fans were understandably disappointed with Ubisoft's showing at their annual media event, Ubidays. While the Xbox 360 and the PS3 got new iterations of The Prince of Persia and Beyond Good and Evil, the Wii and DS got games like "Petz Dogz Wii" (which might only have "Wii" in the title because the screenshots look similar to Nintendo DS title Nintendogs) and "Imagine Teacher."
Some of their disappointment made its way to Ubisoft's public message board. The thread a moderator had created just for Ubidays 2008 became inundated with upset owners of Nintendo systems. Much of it was indignant, much of it questioned Ubisoft's decision to "forsake" the Nintendo systems, and much of it just seemed depressed. There were the usual animated gifs and clever catch-phrases, like calling Ubisoft "Ubicrap," that one would expect from an Internet message board.
Capcom's forum uprising came after they lifted the veil on their newest Wii title, Spyborgs. There had been substantial hype, much of it not directly the fault of Capcom, regarding the unveiling of the new title. The often overly passionate Nintendo crowd is prone to expecting the world. When the title was announced, and the first screenshots released, the response was mild disappointment. The images released did not feature the graphics one would expect from a "big" title. It is important to note that the game is not being released until 2009. However, that didn't stop people from saying, at Capcom's message board, that it looked "cheap."
When the uproar made its way to Ubisoft's message board there wasn't an immediate response. However, after a day or so of dealing with it, one of the Ubisoft "UK Community Managers" (essentially a moderator) posted the following:
"The true of the matter is this, the Wii is a very different console than what most games developers are used to. The Wii has managed to make a huge success from having games on it that just would not work on a conventional console. The Wii has also managed to increase the market share to a huge group of people that are not that interested in gaming. With Wii Sports, Wii Fit and all manner of games built for family play, Nintendo know who they are marketing for and it is not die hard gamers. If you look at the most successful Wii games, they are not amazing new AAA games, they are predominantly family orientated games/alternative games.
Looking at the current UK games sales for Wii Wii Sales Link, there are not that many traditional games in the top 30. Trends are changing and not everyone wants a new action game, FPS game or epic RPG, sales of the Wii proves that the majority want something different.
Parents who are buying a console for their children do not really care about Prince of Persia, Rainbow Six or Far Cry on the box, they want games that are going to be good for their children and not get them in the local newspaper. Why else would games like Brain Training/Wii Fit/Mario Party sell in the millions if people wanted hardcore games?
Check the Nintendo DS figures in the UK as well. DS Sales Link. Notice whose name is listed there a few times but also notice which games are listed? We make games that will 'hopefully' sell to a selected audience. We are a business after all, but Nintendo know which people are their market, just as Sony and Microsoft know who their markets are. Ubisoft have always been aimed at the more mature market (Look at our back catalogue) and in the last few years have started venturing into the casual gaming market. This is because that market now exists, thanks to the rise in popularity of the Wii and DS. The Wii is still a new console and it still has plenty of time to grow, Nintendo know this and Ubisoft know this.
As for Shaun Whites on the Wii, can you at least wait to get some more information and gameplay on it before binning it? Most people have seen a few screenshots and they already hate it because it does not look as good as the 360 etc but to damn a game just because of looks, and without actually playing it is just silly. All I have seen is various forums doing childish Photoshop screens, at least wait to see the game face to face before turning it into a humorous gif."
There are a few problems with his response.
First off, it can easily be read as sounding like "all the people who own a Wii are kids, whose parents have to buy their games." Clearly this is not true, and is insulting. Even if that was not his intent, you would have to be blind to not see it being read that way.
Secondly, it has been pointed out that the top selling games on the Wii are, by and large, not casual titles. Ubisoft's top selling Wii titles are, in fact, Red Steel and Rayman Raving Rabbids. I hold neither game in especially high regard, but they're both million sellers. However, the sales of Red Steel, The Legend of Zelda TP, Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Bros Brawl all reject the argument that there is no market for "hardcore" games.
Third, he misstated the arguments that the graphics of Dogz and Shawn White Snowboarding (also shown at Ubidays) spawned. The general theme was not the graphics were below the level of the 360, but rather that they were below the capabilities of the GameCube. The Wii is significantly more powerful than the GameCube, and the theme was that there is no excuse for lazy graphics.
Lastly, he positioned himself as an Ubisoft employee. He used "we" repeatedly, and came off as if he was being "official." His position as "official" was amplified by the simple fact he is Ubisoft UK Community Manager. The fact of the matter is that he is paid by Ubisoft, by his own admission. However, he does not work there. His posts are not official.
His posting, which can be viewed as inflammatory, spread across the Internet via forums and blogs. It was as if the dam burst, and upset users flooded into Ubisoft's forums to respond to his post, which was often represented as "official" on the site these new posters came from. After 22 additional pages of people dissecting his post the thread was locked by a different "UK Community Manager" for being off topic and no longer "constructive."
As it stands, users are still posting in various threads, wondering when Ubisoft will issue a response to the criticism. To date, no official statement has been made, about any of the issues raised.
Capcom faced substantial less of an uproar, but responded much more proactively. In a thread that asked if Capcom was content to make "kiddie games" too, in a not too tacit reference to Ubidays (which had only occurred a few days earlier), there was an almost immediate response. Christian Svensson, Capcom's Corporate Officer/Vice-President of Strategic Planning & Business Development, responded by stating:
"Dark Void and Spyborgs are the two biggest titles our office is working on. To say that either of them isn't an incredibly high priority for the company, with major resources against them would be a pretty big misunderstanding of the reality.
The team working on Spyborgs is an all-star team of some of the best character action game developers in the world, backed by us. Have faith.
This is a game that is incredibly thoughtful in its design, incredibly varied in its mechanics and will be incredibly fun to play (both alone or with a buddy/son or daugther/father or mother) when its done.
The initial reaction here I swear is the EXACT reaction so many of you posters had when we first revealed Zack & Wiki. Somehow, Z&W is now a posterchild title for the Wii in your eyes. Mark my words... you will feel exactly the same way about the level of quality in Spyborgs when it is done."
This was an official response from someone at Capcom. It's hugely important that he had the faith to come in and assure the posters that this game will not only be good, but that it is high in their list of priorities. His other posts, from the same thread, compared the game to Ratchet and Clank (noting that there are members of the R. and C. team on Spyborgs), and offered additional insight into the game's origins. He even empathised with Wii gamers, referencing his previously stated distaste for Wii shovelware.
The difference in approach is staggering. Ubisoft was content to do nothing, until one of their Community Managers stuck a stick in the hornets nest. Even then, Ubisoft refused to do anything. Capcom, however, issued a quick and official reply. They promised a good product, and that the people who play it would view it as the next Zack & Wiki.
Ubisoft very well may have alienated some of their market more so than simply releasing these games would have already. Not only that, it brought extra scrutiny on games like Petz Dogz, which are clearly lacking in quality.
Capcom may have managed to sell people on the game before the consumers even know much about it. While the game may ultimately disappoint, it's safe to say that many people (myself included) are more optimistic about Spyborgs than they were prior to reading these posts. If it's true that Capcom is staking this much in the game then it could very well be great. The somewhat lacking screenshots aren't forgotten, but they're somewhat forgiven.
That's the double edged sword of operating a message board. If you hope to use it to promote your product you can't leave it unattended. Using it to communicate with your consumers can endear them to you, but saying the wrong thing can alienate them.
Topic: How to Manage Your Forums (Read 23485 times)
