It's pretty obvious that there are game developers out there who need the Wii's potential market in order just to survive. I've written an open letter with the advice I think they need to have. I'd like to see your ideas and what you can add to the letter.
Dear Mr. Game Developer,
I've understand times are pretty rough out there and this video game generation is shaping up differently than you, or pretty much anyone else expected. You need to tap into that 50% market share out there that you don't really understand; except that they seem to be a different beast. You're right, we are. So here are some ideas on how to deal with us to our mutual benefit.
1. Think Quality but Not Grandiose Epics
The audience for giant cinematic epic games is probably not going to be there, at least for now, so continue to make them on the HD consoles. Most of the people that really crave GTA and SMG already have one. But that does not mean that we want crappy ports. If a game doesn't fit the Wii, graphically or control wise, please don't shoehorn it.
2. Think Diversity
Because the Wii users include everybody from the very young to old veteran gamers and lots of females, young and old, there is an opportunity for a much greater range of games. Since the user base is getting so huge, even a niche title can sell enough to make a nice profit if you take advantage of the lower development cost. Look over the 500K selling games, and tell me that isn't diversity.
3. Mini-games are Not the Answer, or At Least Not the only Answer
There is nothing wrong with mini-games as such. The Wii is a very sociable console and so short easily accessible games are in demand BUT we already have a lot of them, a hell of a lot of them including the mac-daddy - Wii Sport. If you plan to add to that library, try to come up with some fresh ideas.
4. Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master
Wii gamers come at widely different skill levels, often playing at the same time. Layered games which have easy accessibility but also plenty of nuance to master do well. Take Mario Karts, and Super Smash Brothers; both games simple enough for my 93 year old mother to have fun at but which I never tire of. Hell, I still go back occasionally and play the Game Cube versions for a change and it's still as much fun, and with a good opponent as challenging as day one. That's why these games just keep selling and selling and selling.
5. Forget the One night Stand, We're Into Long Term
You probably won't sell 2 million copies the first day, but you won't quit selling the second week. Good Wii games have legs like Marlene Dietrich, and even veteran watchers are surprised at the games that reach a million in their own sweet time. Think long term. In fact I'd like to see a system where Gold and Platinum sellers could put that on the box. That would help people find the gems and keeping them selling for years. With the constant influx of new customers there is no reason for a good solid game like BoomBlox to ever come off the shelf.
6. We Like Motion Control - Use It
Most of us are playing on the Wii because we like to "waggle" as those other people call it. There is nothing wrong with having alternative controls, but if your game doesn't work well with MC or you're not willing to take time to make it work well; then maybe your game doesn't really belong on the Wii. If your game uses precise three dimensional movements than Motion Plus will be a big Plus for your game.
7. We're Different Write for Us
If you look over the list of multiplatform games where the Wii versions have gotten critical scores comparable to or higher than the HD versions; it was because an entirely separate version custom built for the Wii was made. The version might try for a very similar look and feel like CoD WaW, or it can have an entirely different look and game-play like Shaun White, or it can add a new more accessible layer like the All Play sports games but in every case it was a unique work made for the platform.
8. We Don't Need New Versions Every Year
The really hardcore football types that have to have a brand new version of Madden every year mostly play elsewhere. Skip the new version unless it's to add additional content or new features worthy of an upgrade. I play for fun and I don't even keep up with pro football rosters to know if it's up to date. Maybe just some DLC but probably just take two years and make it twice as good.
9. We Do Like Graphics
Just because we don't judge a game just by its graphic doesn't mean we don't care. We have seen enough games with excellent graphics to know what the Wii can do. SMG and other Nintendo games of course, but also third party games like Shaun White, and Call of Duty World at War have raised the bar and we expect no less. If you're not going to make the effort, then don't come crying to us that 3rd party doesn't sell.
10. Don't Call Us Casual
Just because we may not have seven hours a day to play, and even if we play fewer hours per game; that doesn't mean we don't care about the gaming experience with the time we do have. Perhaps the exact opposite; I work full time and I have other interests so the few hours I can steal away are all the more precious to me. So take your time write it well and turn out a great game and we'll reward you with sales, just not all in one week.
Number 11: Learn to make games like Nintendo, don't try to make Nintendo games. (from Squilliam)
A.) Test, test, test. Many games with great potential have fallen flat due to a lack of testing. Get your game into the hands of as many different people as you can as quickly as you can and take advantage of any insight you can get. Personal story: Someone I knew once did an advertisement for the Phantom Hourglass (DS) and the developers constantly bugged him for his thoughts on the game, they were extremely interested in how he found it. He doesn't play games at all, but it shows how serious they are about this process.
B.) Fun is as important as excitement. You can only reliably excite anyone once, but if you make a game fun they will keep coming back to it. Nintendo games may not always be the most exciting games you can play, but they are generally among the most consistantly fun games and their fans can keep coming back to them.
