It's no surprise that the Wii U is currently missing out on some amazing 3rd party multiplats that the next gen and even current gen consoles are getting. That being said, the Wii U's third party line up, at least compared to next gen consoles, is surprisingly saturated this holiday. More specifucally, the Wii U is getting every third party multiplat being released this holiday on next gen consoles except for anything published by EA.
Now opinions about EA aside, not getting those EA titles really hurts the Wii U. Battlefeild sells. Fifa and Madden sell. However, with such strong support from the other publishers, the Wii U is already in a better position than the original Wii was. Any Wii-only gamer this past gen could tell you this.
To add to this, the Wii U has finally started picking up sales momentum. Starting with Pikmin, the Wii U's first party and exclusive line up for this holiday is not unimpressive. Nintendo said they'd have key exclusive titles for the Wii U all through the holiday, and they weren't lying. With a strong-ish 3rd party line up and a stronger first party line up, especially sales wise, it's fair to assume that the Wii U's momentum will pick up even further through out the holiday, even in the wake of two console launches.
Unfortunately, 2014 doesn't look nearly as bright. Although the Wii U's first party line up for next year is nothing short of astounding, it's 3rd party line up... Well frankly, there is none. No multiplats at least. I'm hyperbolizing here, but the point remains painfully clear. As it is now, Wii U only gamers will miss out on The Crew, The Division, Destiny, The Witcher 3. Even Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III will skip the Nintendo console.
While all may seem doom and gloom at first glance, there are things to note. Both Activision and Ubisoft are looking at their Wii U holiday 2013 support as an investment, and they're right to do it. The Wii U would be in a far more dire situation without them, and that would only dampen both companies' potencial revenue in the future. Publishers are providing the Wii U with strong support now with the hopes that it will drive first party and in turn rekindle the Wii U's momentum, earning them an extra platform to recieve revenue from in the future.
Ubisoft has already stated that it is taking a wait and see approach to Wii U support, implying that if this holiday goes well, we'll see those Ubisoft titles on the Wii U.
The same can be read from Activision's comments. By supporting the Wii U now, they are hoping this investment will pay off in the future with a larger install base to publish their games on.
Even with EA, their comments have made it clear that though they are skipping the Wii U this year, they are waiting on sales numbers to determine how much (quality) support they intend to give the Wii U in the future.
I think it's very clear that the Wii U will have a successful holiday from a hardware and first party sales perspective. However, how 3rd party games will sell is far more dubious. Of course many Wii U owners here on VGC will be purchasing multiplats on the Wii U, but will the masses?
Basically, my question is this: How well do you think 3rd party multiplats will sell on the Wii U this holiday, and how do you see this changing the Wii U's 2014 third party line up? Will it get better, or will it get worse? Will third parties begin to flock, or will they flee?
I have no doubt that Ubisoft and Activision are making their announced next gen games with the Wii U very much in mind, however, I also have no trouble believing that they'd be willing to drop the Wii U at the drop of a hat if the Wii U doesn't have a successful holiday season. Will this happen, or is the Wii U's future finally looking bright? Personally, I think so. Let me know what you all think, though. Let's have a friendly discussion. :)
