The game had a huge marketing budget based on what I saw. I guess Ubi were hoping it would do 1m by the end of its life but it doesn't look like it will pass 500k at this rate.

The sales have nothing to do with the wii U's demographic, the game has been sold to 1/6 of the systems userbase which is solid. The problem is the userbase size.

By any means it not like this is a must have anyway. Redsteel was similar in that it was quite mediocre mechanically, but the concept was so exciting.

Well that also depends on how you do the accounting. Fixed costs versus variable costs etc.

Generally speaking, I don't think it's fair to separate all games from their publisher and count all the revenue towards the core development budget when we know that publishers, especially big publishers like Ubisoft, have huge costs on the publisher side of the company, not just costs of their development teams. All the infrastructure, legal stuff, administration, insurance, trademark management & patents, head-hunting, executive salaries and big office buildings must be paid too. The whole organization must be paid for. And their revenue comes only from games.

A game at full price gives roughly $30 to the publisher. I don't think it's fair to assume that just because those $30 covers the core development costs of a certain game, the game broke even. Technically and in publisher accounting it might be registered as breaking even (although I doubt it), but in the eyes of the publisher if every single Dollar from game sales goes towards the development team I doubt they regard that game as breaking even. To the publisher such a game lost them money.

Yes. But I don't think the price is the issue, as most areas are already selling the system for £200/£250 as opposed to £250/£300. It's the games and advertising which are needed, though an official cut could obviously up the buzz for the system.

they were expecting that wii u would sell twice as much consoles and therefore they can sell twice as much zombie u's=1mio+

it's definitivly not their fault as ubi soft is supporting the wii u better than nintendo-and that is extremly unusual.A similar support from nintendo for the wii u as ubi soft does and wii u would have sold twice as much consoles.

The US isn't as lucky as EU when is comes to unofficial price drops. An official price drop with a big release (pikmin 3?) would help generate some positive buzz which the system sorely needs.

Why not? especially when Ubi's mature launch title on WIi did WAY better sales wise and was reportedly an even bigger piece of crap? It is kinda Ubi's fault, they put their faith blindly into WIi U and thought it was going to do much better than its already doing. Well you live and learn i guess. 

What gives you the impression they put a low priority on it?

at least we can put this Zombi U made money debate to rest.

Salary is only one of the many things that goes into development cost, given that game took a lot of time to make (plus some delays) I don't see why the game wouldn't cost $105 million (especially given Rockstar record). 

This is the best I could find about Halo 4, it's all speculation, but Spencer said that it's not even close to anything they have made before, and they say that it might have costed $100 million (not sure if that includes marketing).

I remember someone saying that Bioshock Infinite was also very expensive, but I can't find any source.

Actually this is not to surprising.. Nintendo consoles depend on Nintendo games first and foremost to move systems... now if Zombie U came out say next year.. it might have done better.. (Though I have to admit 460,000 on a system of 4 million or less total users.. does not sound that bad really) But I doubt many early adopters of the Wii U was a huge fan of Zombie games.. (Though once again.. it still does not sound that bad.. when you look at the numbers.. I guess the only question maybe is that the pack in's as seen on Amazon's bundle?? or is that just the game??) Anyway.. it makes one wonder if they should not have had Rayman Legends ready at launch instead of this.. (It would have most likely remained a exclusive.. and would have sold a little better at least.. ) Sorry that this could not have had another game at least.. and been a franchise.. I don't like survival horror games.. but even I have to say this one did have potential.. sad to see it go..