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Forums - Nintendo - Talking Point: Nintendo's Wii U Lineup Makes Commercial Sense

TripleMMM on 13 June 2013
TK14 said:
(Brick-text-wall)

Bloody hell, mate. You just made my thread a worth-while to make! ;_;

 

This really is a sort of a double-edge sword of a situation:

Do it for the crowd in the community to show off what you're made of at the hand of risking outsiders as potential buyers.

Go for the family fun and friendly approach to rake in new potential customers, but risk alienating maybe a majority of the gaming community that might not ever change their minds into buying your product.

It's more like who could screw the least at this point and what your goal is (long term or short term). Lots of variables going on here. :/



 And proud member of the Mega Mario Movement!
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zorg1000 on 13 June 2013
Salnax said:
Nintendo seems to be circling the wagons this year. Playing all the safe hits, aiming for reliability over a chance mof breaking big. Although some people are understandably disappointed, I have little trouble with this state of affairs. If this is what it takes to ensure the Wii U sells at least 50 million units lifetime, then I'm willing to settle for some fairly predictable yet masterfully made experiences.


This is how I see it, stay safe this holiday with games like DKC/3D World as those games r gauranteed to sell 5-10m. Add Wind Waker, Pikmin, W101 as support titles and Wii Fit/Party to get some casuals on board. Kart/Smash in thr first half of 2014 will keep the momentum going along eith X/Bayo 2 for core gamers. After that they can start getting crazy with higher risk games as they will have a respectible install bass by this time next year.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

zorg1000 on 13 June 2013
TK14 said:
I agree with this. I think people spend way too much time trying to put Nintendo in the same "box" that Sony and Microsoft operate in. Not bashing those companies or their new systems, but the majority of the games they offer are just completely different from the types of games and experiences Nintendo has always been known for. It's literally comparing Apples to Oranges. Yes, Wii U has had a slow first half of 2013...low sales, little hype...but there's a reason for that...in the first 5 months of this year, the only NEW notable games available have been Lego City Undercover and Monster Hunter 3 (an upgraded version of an older game). As Nintendo says, and as 3DS has recently proven, when Nintendo brings their core, highly-polished franchises to the system, the system will begin to sell. Some people act as though 3rd parties are Nintendo's only hope, and without them Nintendo is DOOMED. Newsflash: Nintendo has NEVER been able to rely on 3rd parties to truly sell their systems or pick up the slack. Nintendo's games sell their systems and THEN some 3rd parties jump back in as well. Also, just because Wii U doesn't have a comparable amount of RAM to Xbone and PS4 doesn't mean there isn't still a place for it in the market. This past generation all THREE companies were able to find success with their consoles at their own pace. Wii will end up over 100 million, and the other two will probably come close to that in the long run or at least 80 million plus, each. Yes, the dynamic will probably shift to where Sony "comes out on top" in sales compared to Nintendo and Microsoft, but again, Xbone and Wii U can both comfortably coexist with PS4 and make a profit for their companies, which is the whole point of this business, despite what some entitled, self-absorbed gamers may believe.

Also worth mentioning...would Retro making Metroid or Star Fox or a new IP have been more exciting and have been more of a surprise and more hype-worthy than a Donkey Kong Country sequel? Of course. But Nintendo really had two choices with Retro and this E3... 1) tease or show off the next Zelda, and have Retro make "hardcore" games like Metroid or Star Fox that are going to excite everybody at E3 and receive a bunch of positive press about it for the important, though probably smaller than we all want to believe, "hardcore" group of gamers who follow E3 and all the new information...OR...2) save Zelda and some others for next year since they weren't going to come out this year anyway, AND have Retro make a title that has a sales potential of at least DOUBLE Star Fox or Metroid. Look at the facts...Donkey Kong Country Returns sold TRIPLE what Metroid Prime 3 sold, and almost SIX times what Metroid: Other M managed. It's just a more mainstream option and since they're ultimately out to sell systems and make money, it's a better choice in the long run, hype or no hype. People always talk about Mario, Zelda, and Metroid as if they're Nintendo's "Big Three"...but that really hasn't been accurate...maybe in terms of review scores, hype, and the goodwill of the hardcore gamer crowd...but in terms of sales and the ability to move systems, Mario, Mario Kart, the Wii-series, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and Smash Bros. all have more clout than Metroid at this point. So yeah...maybe Nintendo is playing it a little bit "safe" with their games for this holiday...but ultimate it's probably a smart decision and their best move to ensure that the Wii U has a shot at carving out its niche in this gen. Besides, if Nintendo DIDN'T take steps to ensure their survival, then we'd NEVER get another Metroid or Star Fox or anything anyway. This way, Wii U has a fighting chance, and when it DOES find its footing, THEN in a year or two they can show off those other great franchises.

Damn I aaid the same thing as u but way less epic lol but Iim sure the second half of 2014 and 2015 will have all the crazy righer risk games fans want lIke Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, F-Zero, Mario Universe.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

Maris on 13 June 2013

It's all a bit too safe for my taste, but at least the games look like solid, well-made experiences. I'm hoping they bring out a few new/abandoned IPs next year, maybe a few digital titles.

I'm not convinced Retro is only working on Donkey Kong or that EAD is only working on 3D World either. These seem like the games that were easier to get out on the market so that Wii U would have some titles for the holiday season. I'd be surprised (and quite disappointed) if that's all they had for us.



TK14 on 13 June 2013
TripleMMM said:
TK14 said:
(Brick-text-wall)

Bloody hell, mate. You just made my thread a worth-while to make! ;_;

 

This really is a sort of a double-edge sword of a situation:

Do it for the crowd in the community to show off what you're made of at the hand of risking outsiders as potential buyers.

Go for the family fun and friendly approach to rake in new potential customers, but risk alienating maybe a majority of the gaming community that might not ever change their minds into buying your product.

It's more like who could screw the least at this point and what your goal is (long term or short term). Lots of variables going on here. :/

Haha, sorry, I know I'm long-winded...just have a lot to say and strong opinions about stuff like this. :p

But that's exactly right. It's clear which of the two options Nintendo chose, and again I think it's the right decision. Had they gone the "hardcore" route for E3 and this holiday...they would have gotten some hype at the moment, but at the tail end of this year, the hardcore crowd is going to be buying the PS4 (sorry, Xbone, the US isn't Japan where everybody has this magical, perfect, everpresent Internet connection) and Wii U really wouldn't be on their radar, with or without Metroid. The mainstream crowd, however, along with the Nintendo fanboys who haven't jumped on Wii U yet, will find a lot of fun, appealing titles to entice them towards Wii U this fall and during the holidays. Nintendo is banking on them...the loyalists and the people who will find $399 and above consoles, with only car games and FPS games available at launch, too expensive and limited. (Not saying PS4 and Xbone won't do well at launch, the hardcore gamer crowd is plenty big enough to ensure massive sellouts lol). Anyway, then, a year or two or even three down the line, when Wii U is down to $299 or even $250 or $199 (depending on how things go), and has Smash, Mario Kart, X, Bayonetta, and others out, PLUS Zelda Wii U fully revealed and on the way in addition to maybe Star Fox, Metroid, etc....Nintendo is hoping those hardcore gamers will give in and buy a Wii U as a secondary console, much the same way a lot of Wiis were secondary purchases amongst the hardcore to compliment their systems of choice (PS3/360) this past gen. Only time will tell if it'll work, but I'm pretty confident that the OTHER option would NOT have worked. 



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zorg1000 on 13 June 2013
Maris said:
It's all a bit too safe for my taste, but at least the games look like solid, well-made experiences. I'm hoping they bring out a few new/abandoned IPs next year, maybe a few digital titles.

I'm not convinced Retro is only working on Donkey Kong or that EAD is only working on 3D World either. These seem like the games that were easier to get out on the market so that Wii U would have some titles for the holiday season. I'd be surprised (and quite disappointed) if that's all they had for us.


I feel the same way im sure Retros got a 2nd team working on Metroid or Star Fox as we speak and once DKC is complete the teams will 100% work on it. Same with Mario Universe im convinced that will be a holiday 2014 or at the latest Q2 2015 release.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.