General Nintendo sales/business discussion topic (previously: The Wii U Thread)

[SuperLink]

Q1 did almost nothing for Wii U or 3DS and it came off of the Christmas season too, I'm not surprised at all at the Wii U and I think the 3DS isn't underperforming, it just came off a busy Christmas season.

 

Q2-Q3's results should be way better for both, especially the 3DS with Animal Crossing and Pokémon.

(Wii U probably won't pick up until the end of the year though, best-case scenario. Like I said before, it's a bit presumptuous to assume otherwise)

 

EDIT: I mean Animal Crossing has broken 5mil worldwide, that's pretty good?

 

Also Pikmin 3 is really damn good, I know it's only pointer controls but this is one example I can think of where pointer is better than traditional controller. Will be harder to go back to Pikmin 1 or 2 after this.

Edited July 31, 2013 by SuperLink

[Candescence]

Also Pikmin 3 is really damn good, I know it's only pointer controls but this is one example I can think of where pointer is better than traditional controller. Will be harder to go back to Pikmin 1 or 2 after this.

To be fair, Pikmin 1+2 have Wii re-releases with pointer controls, so, yeah.

[SuperLink]

To be fair, Pikmin 1+2 have Wii re-releases with pointer controls, so, yeah.

Yeah I know, but I didn't buy 'em nor do I plan to (gotta save me cash).

 

It works really well though so I can see why I did it despite being bugged by the laziness of it back then.

[Candescence]

Yeah, it's definitely one of those cases where the pointer genuinely improves the overall experience.

 

 

Anyhow, since it was noted last page that Scirra was approved as an official Wii U developer, I wonder if Nintendo is willing to enable HTML5 developers means to test their games on normal Wii U systems. It would remove the need for certain indies to buy dev kits, lowering the cost for entry. As a Construct 2 user myself, I really hope they enable that to happen, because it would also make porting titles over to the Wii U cost very little, making actually putting games on the eShop a more enticing prospect.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Shirou Emiya

[Willsy]

Oh boy, those sales are bad :/

 

They haven't shown the sales for July yet though, and with Pikmin 3 getting to number 2 on the UK charts I think sales have picked up a bit. The only Wii U game that came out last month was Game & Wario and that ain't exactly a system seller. There's also The Wonderful 101 coming out next month so hopefully the Wii U will gain some traction in terms of sales. 

 

How bad is the situation compared to the 3DS's first year? Same, or worse?

[SuperLink]

It's worth mentioning that Pikmin 3 only made it to #2 in the budget top40, the top40 that includes budget games. Otherwise it reached #1.

 

Even if it's not selling a lot of Wii Us, it's good to know that Nintendo can still sell a lot of software.

 

How bad is the situation compared to the 3DS's first year? Same, or worse?

Definitely worse, but I still think it's salvageable.

[Sami]

How bad is the situation compared to the 3DS's first year? Same, or worse?

It's flopping worse than the PS3 did in its first year, with a significantly lower chance of turning it around soon.

That bad.

[Candescence]

Personally, if I was in charge of the Wii U's marketing strategy, this is what I'd probably do:

 

• Wait for the right time for a big marketing push to be effective

• As part of the big marketing push, make it blatantly clear to consumers that the Wii U is a system of its own and not a Wii extension (which is a big problem with how its percieved by the mainstream right now), and highlight why the system is worth buying

• Focus on the big exclusives that are already out, coming soon and in the future, as well as other third-party titles - after all, consumers want to know what content is available and will be available in the future

• Highlight eShop titles, especially exclusives - let's not kid ourselves, neither Sony nor Microsoft make an effort to advertise their digital offerings via mainstream advertisement. It's a big void that's just begging to be filled.

 

And that's just off the top of my head. I really hope Nintendo can get its act together with advertising its big titles later this year. While not quite as bad, the 360 was also floundering during its own head start, apparently.

 

Edit: I honestly would be surprised if Nintendo didn't advertise the shit out of Wii Fit U and Mario Kart 8, seeing as how their Wii counterparts sold the kind of numbers rivaled only by Call of Duty. They could be serious system sellers if Nintendo played its cards right.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Shirou Emiya

[SuperLink]

Mario Kart and Wii Fit will be system sellers for sure, especially if Nintendo cleverly goes for a price drop this holiday season (if they don't they're daft, but I'd like to think the reason they haven't confirmed one yet is because they're waiting to spring it on the holiday season)

 

The Wii U isn't the same market as the Xbox One. Easy to use, affordable, with high quality fitness and party games, that's always been a big audience and Nintendo's good with it, even if their aim this time was to get the core back on board, it didn't go as they planned. There's always next time for that.

[Dobkeratops]

How bad is the situation compared to the 3DS's first year? Same, or worse?

 

 

Mario Kart and Wii Fit will be system sellers for sure, especially if Nintendo cleverly goes for a price drop this holiday season (if they don't they're daft, but I'd like to think the reason they haven't confirmed one yet is because they're waiting to spring it on the holiday season)

 

Pricedrop and MK would help a lot this holiday, but the latter is a 2014 title, isn't it? Still, they're going to need an official pricedrop soon because -on top of everything else- it'll have to go against a PS4 that sits at a mere $50 difference. Kind of a big deal.

[Sami]

I'd bet money on them dropping the price before the end of the year. They shouldn't even dream of competing with the PS4 at that price. It'd be completely asinine. I mean, I know it's Nintendo, but not even they can be that stupid, right?

Problem is, the PS3 and 360 are still strong this year. Wii U won't be the cheap alternative, and they won't be the hot new item either.

I don't see where SuperLink's getting "easier to use" from, either. I'd argue the X1's easiest of all, actually. Comes packed in with a camera, and you don't have to use the controller for navigating the UI at all. The Wii U Gamepad has just as many buttons as any other controller, and a massive screen to boot.

The Wii U doesn't have the same appeal as the Wii, and that's simply because Nintendo forgot why they succeeded in the first place last gen.

[Remy]

The main issue is there's no big game that would make you want to actually buy a wii u yet.

 

The Wii had Wii Sports... and later mario galaxy. The wii U at the moment has Nintendoland, a fun distraction but not worth a whole console, NSMBU, an entry in a series people are getting tired of and can play on portables already, and Pikmin 3... a game which appeals mostly to the already Nintendo faithful.

 

I suppose there's all the ports as well, but as a person who probably already has a 360 or ps3 why would you bother playing the wii u ports of these titles?

[Candescence]

I suppose there's all the ports as well, but as a person who probably already has a 360 or ps3 why would you bother playing the wii u ports of these titles?

To be perfectly fair, the Xbone and the PS4 also suffer from this issue with their multiplatform games, the average consumer either won't be able to tell the difference between the 'next-gen' versions (diminishing returns does not help) and the versions on current-gen consoles, or they won't care, since they can get the same experience without having to buy a new system.

 

Having multiplatform games cross-gen so early isn't going to help the 'next-gen' systems at all, I'd wager.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Shirou Emiya

[Remy]

The difference between the XB1/PS4 and current gen version of these games is still a fair bit larger than the Wii U's ports. So I think that would make people consider buying the new console version- darksiders 2 on Wii U looks identical to the other versions, and worse than it does on PC. So why buy it?

 

The other consoles also have an advantage- they're, from a marketing perspective, new and powerful and people will buy them based on that. The new Sony looks more appealing than the new nintendo- which from an idiots perspective looks like it plays the stuff on their old Sony.

 

Yes. The Wii U has it's fancy controller, off TV play and the whole asynchronous multiplayer thing going on, but it's harder to convey why these features are a big deal to people, than it is to show them a flashy trailer with oodles of effects of pretty new gen game graphics.

 

I kind of hate all the cross gen titles flying about. I think Destiny would have been better if they just let it be next gen only. Speaking of Destiny, why is there no Wii U version there? >.>

[Dobkeratops]

To be perfectly fair, the Xbone and the PS4 also suffer from this issue with their multiplatform games, the average consumer either won't be able to tell the difference between the 'next-gen' versions (diminishing returns does not help) and the versions on current-gen consoles, or they won't care, since they can get the same experience without having to buy a new system.

 

They're not gonna be getting any experience at all when all the games have made the inevitable switch into the next generation.

 

 

I think Destiny would have been better if they just let it be next gen only.

Speaking of Destiny, why is there no Wii U version there? >.>

 

(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ・。。✧・゜゜・。✧。 too easy ✧・゜゜・。✧。

[PSI Wind]

Wii U is next-gen.

[Silencer226]

Wii U is next-gen.

No, its current gen, Wii U's gen is already here.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Noel

[Candescence]

And we've gone back to the "is the Wii U next gen or not" argument again. Which is a really stupid argument, honestly, because the whole 'console generation' thing is completely stupid to begin with. Hell, I'd very much like someone to smash the whole paradigm with a hammer just because they can.

 

 

 

I think it'll be interesting to see how the industry goes on from here with the circumstances of the new generation, cross-gen multiplatform games, and what Nintendo plans to do to get the Wii U out of the rut its in.

 

Though I think one of the biggest game-changers isn't going to come from any of the big three, but rather from the results of game budgets spiraling out of control. I honestly think that one of the big publishers is going to go down in flames one way or another - we're already seeing big-budget triple-A titles sell millions and still end up being considered failures, especially the recent cases from Square-Enix/Edios. Hell, THQ already went to pieces and its corpse got torn to shreds and the pieces go handed out to the highest bidders.

 

The unsustainable AAA business model, at worst, is going to cause a second crash. The industry is too big for a second crash to cause the death of the industry itself, but any number of publishers and/or developers could die off within the next six to eight years.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Shirou Emiya

[Chili Dawg]

I'd bet money on them dropping the price before the end of the year. They shouldn't even dream of competing with the PS4 at that price. It'd be completely asinine. I mean, I know it's Nintendo, but not even they can be that stupid, right?

 

 

Never ever assume that. 

[Jin.]

And we've gone back to the "is the Wii U next gen or not" argument again.

 

The Wii U has been released. It is currently available. So it's current gen. I don't see what the argument in this is.

[Chili Dawg]

The Wii U has been released. It is currently available. So it's current gen. I don't see what the argument in this is.

Semantics and dick waving. Mostly dick waving. 

Edited July 31, 2013 by Chili Dawg

[PSI Wind]

The Wii U has been released. It is currently available. So it's current gen. I don't see what the argument in this is.

Then the PS4 and Xbone are current gen.

[Silencer226]

And we've gone back to the "is the Wii U next gen or not" argument again. Which is a really stupid argument, honestly, because the whole 'console generation' thing is completely stupid to begin with. Hell, I'd very much like someone to smash the whole paradigm with a hammer just because they can.

 

 

 

I think it'll be interesting to see how the industry goes on from here with the circumstances of the new generation, cross-gen multiplatform games, and what Nintendo plans to do to get the Wii U out of the rut its in.

 

Though I think one of the biggest game-changers isn't going to come from any of the big three, but rather from the results of game budgets spiraling out of control. I honestly think that one of the big publishers is going to go down in flames one way or another - we're already seeing big-budget triple-A titles sell millions and still end up being considered failures, especially the recent cases from Square-Enix/Edios. Hell, THQ already went to pieces and its corpse got torn to shreds and the pieces go handed out to the highest bidders.

 

The unsustainable AAA business model, at worst, is going to cause a second crash. The industry is too big for a second crash to cause the death of the industry itself, but any number of publishers and/or developers could die off within the next six to eight years.

Ok, Mr. I'm gonna make a really huge post. That was a joke, no one is wanting to argue that. A joke in the sense that people constantly called XBOX 360, and PS3 next gen for like 5 fucking years,a nd are starting to do it again for the new consoles coming out, including wii u.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Noel

[Jin.]

Then the PS4 and Xbone are current gen.

 

Yes. They are.

But the Virtual Boy is fifth gen, and so are the PS1 and the Nintendo 64, so don't even think about trying to say what I think you're going to say.

Edited July 31, 2013 by 少佐 Jin H. Kisaragi

[Kuzu]

....Are you guys seriously arguing semantics....really?