Figures. Nintendo puts out a digital download service infamously unfriendly to small developers (between the file size limit, the lack of marketing, and until recently the lack of demos), a small developer finds it's not worth it to make a bastardized version of the game for that service, and naturally people blame the developer. Guys, we've been hearing complaints from small developers about the problems with WiiWare for years. Remember when Telltale Games was complaining about the many issues with WiiWare when they were releasing Monkey Island (they even named a location in the game after one such problem)? Yeah, they saw that WiiWare wasn't going to work out, so they took their game to a service where the console maker actually gives a damn if they succeed. Oh yeah, let's blame the developers for Nintendo's lack of interest in putting out a service that suits anyone else's needs than their own.
This.
I am sorry guys, while I do agree that Team Meat made mistakes, I think Nintendo is the bigger culprit here. Team Meat LOVED Nintendo, BELIEVED in the WiiWare service. They kept singing its praises back in the day, just like many other indie developers did. Nintendo sold them a dream that they would limit in the end.
Truth is Nintendo kept botching up WiiWare. Yes, we have a storage solution, but the size limitations remain the same. Yes, we have demos but they are only for a limited time. I mean, they are so limited that Gaijin Games told people to buy their games so they can rate them on the Nintendo channel and thus the demo stays there FOR TWO MORE WEEKS. Most people that buy the Wii have no idea that it can connect online and download games. The advertising for WiiWare games suck. A trailer on the Nintendo Channel for a week and POOF, its gone. Developers would have to rely on luck and word of mouth just to get sales. Finally, even if the game gets a lot of promotion and great ratings the chances for success are small, especially when you compete against killer apps like My Aquarium and The Hungry Caterpillar.
Team Meat is not a big company with disposable income like Activision and EA. They NEED the money in order to keep creating games. It's very likely that they saw that the grass WAS indeed greener on the Xbox and PC side and decided to give that a chance, and they have seen a much deserved success there. To me, this isn't about them screwing over. Yes it sucks that Nintendo fans won't be able to play it on the Wii but with the economy in such a bad state right now developers need to SURVIVE first and foremost.
Also, Team Meat should have the right to create the game they want to create. Obviously, their vision of the game is bigger than the WiiWare service allows it to. A lot are saying "hey, compress that fucker!", but there's more to it than that. Compressing is an ideal solution, but they would still need to cut out a lot of stuff just to make it happen. They simply don't want a botched idea of their product.
Seriously people, stop trying to paint Nintendo as the main victim here. They have made many mistakes that have affected many developers, and Team Meat is just another cautionary tale for everyone to take note of.