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TheLastStarFighter on 23 April 2014
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st0pnsw0p said:
TheLastStarFighter said:
You could call it bias, or you could call it alternative motive. Several key third parties do not want Nintendo to be the platform of choice for hardware, because they do not want to compete against their software. EA is in this category. A few, like Take-Two, seem to have a mild bias and just prefer to work on other platforms. There are bias in favor of Nintendo too, like Shin'en for example, developers that grew up with Nintendo products and dreamed of making products for them. Other companies, like Ubisoft or Activision just want to make money and will put games on Nintendo platforms if it makes sense, but sometimes promote other versions because they were given money to do so.

But bias definitely exists.

Despite popular belief, Nintendo games aren't so good that they appeal to absolutely everyone and stop people from wanting to buy any other type of game. The reason most 3rd parties sell poorly on Nintendo consoles is due to their completely different demographics. People who buy a Wii U generally aren't the type of people who are interested in AAA 3rd party games and vice versa, hence why games like AC, CoD and the like sell worse on Wii U than on other consoles, but for a Rayman Legends, which appeals 

If Nintendo made a console that both audiences bought, both types of games would sell well and third parties would be willing to support it, just like they supported the PS3 at the start of the generation despite its faults simply because their games sold on it.


a) "Despite popular belief" is a funny term, but it's really all that matters.  You may not think Nintendo games aren't that good, but the popular belief is that they are and so people buy them ahead of all else if they are available.

b) Even if Nintendo games aren't that great and/or popular, they're still massively more popular than any other 1st party collection.  As a result, third parties prefer to publish on systems with weaker 1st party presence.  Hell, Sony thought about ditching their entire 1st party line up a few years ago.  If I was a third party looking to have as little competition as possible, that's where I'd go.