| Salnax said: Yes, of course this is a joke! I'm a fanboy, not an idiot. But seriously, it takes more than one "flop" to make a platform a failure. Remember, loads of games flopped on the PS2 and DS. That doesn't mean companies should not support currently troubled platforms like the VIta or the Wii U. |
Go on then, Ill bite.
The Wii U isnt lacking support due to a "couple" of poor outings on the system. The Wii U is lacking 3rd party support because a lot of games are selling poorly on the system. This goes hand in hand with the fact that the machine itself is an unattractive console for the consumer and the Wii U is an underpowered machine in comparison to the competition. Its simply not selling enough units. Same can be said of the Vita, which doesnt have the userbase to support specific titles. They are not financially viable platforms. Vita is swiftly turning into an indie device, because the big 3rd party developers/publishers cant make significant money on the system.
The Wii U problem is that the games arent selling enough copies to justify putting time, money and effort into porting Gen 8 titles down to it. Its what we are going to see in the future. Its what we are already seeing with Batman: Arkham Knight. When cross-gen development stops, if the Wii U situation hasnt improved to the point where its worth porting the games down, then the Wii U will be pushed aside for PS4/ Xbox One/ PC development.
Look at the numbers. Look where the money is.
Assassin's Creed Wii U
| Pos | Game | Platform | Year | Genre | Publisher | North America | Europe | Japan | Rest of World | Global |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assassin's Creed III | WiiU | 2012 | Action | Ubisoft | 0.12 | 0.10 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.24 |
| 2 | Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag | WiiU | 2013 | Action | Ubisoft | 0.10 | 0.04 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.15 |
| Total | 0.22 | 0.14 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.39 |
Assassin's Creed PS4
| Pos | Game | Platform | Year | Genre | Publisher | North America | Europe | Japan | Rest of World | Global |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag | PS4 | 2013 | Action | Ubisoft | 0.65 | 0.63 | 0.02 | 0.13 | 1.43 |
| Total | 0.65 | 0.63 | 0.02 | 0.13 | 1.43 |
The point here is that within 5 Weeks, the PS4 version of Assassin's Creed 4 had more than doubled the combined efforts of both Wii U titles.
Call of Duty Wii U
| Pos | Game | Platform | Year | Genre | Publisher | North America | Europe | Japan | Rest of World | Global |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Call of Duty: Black Ops II | WiiU | 2012 | Shooter | Activision | 0.14 | 0.07 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.23 |
| 2 | Call of Duty: Ghosts | WiiU | 2013 | Shooter | Activision | 0.10 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.14 |
| Total | 0.24 | 0.09 | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.37 |
Call of Duty PS4
| Pos | Game | Platform | Year | Genre | Publisher | North America | Europe | Japan | Rest of World | Global |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Call of Duty: Ghosts | PS4 | 2013 | Shooter | Activision | 1.05 | 0.70 | 0.02 | 0.17 | 1.94 |
| Total | 1.05 | 0.70 | 0.02 | 0.17 | 1.94 |
Its the same as the AC comparison. Ghosts on PS4 sold more in 1 Week in America alone than both Wii U titles lifetime Worldwide. Hell, Ghosts on PS4 sold more than 1.1 Million units on PS4 within 5 Weeks. Thats more than every single title they have released on Wii U combined... And it did it in 5 Weeks!
I could go on and on with the comparisons, but I wont. I really cant be bothered doing it again. I could do the same with Vita also. The vast majority of comparisons point towards the Wii U being a poor system for 3rd parties, outside of the family-focussed Just Dance, Skylanders and LEGO stuff which will always sell relatively well on Nintendo platforms.
The Wii U will continue to get 3rd party support, but dont be expecting AAA efforts on the platform when cross-gen development has ended.
