Platinum probably git the game funded anyways and will not make any loss. But a successful game means they will get more likely funding for another project.

I don't think NIntendo invested too big. Sega cancelled Bayonetta 2. At that point some development already had happened. At the point Sega cancelled the game, they gave up on this money. So Nintendo funded only half a game, and Sega probably got something in return. So I think it might be profitable for Nintendo, if the game sells some 100K. The loss will be on Segas side, but they already accepted that the moment they cancelled the game.

Good idea. I hope Nintendo is open for such partnerships. The recent developments point in that direction. But restricted to other japanese devs. My dream project would be a Lego Zelda...

I don't agree with your reasoning.

1) How come would it be disappointing if Bayo1 sold around 1,8M in a 160M install base consoles? The series can't have grown a popularity higher than those 1,8M sales for sure and I bet 90% of those aren't on Nintendo's consoles. I wouldn't say popularity amongst Nintendo fanbase, but rather curiosity since most probably didn't get to play the 1st.

2) As far as the genre argument, that ain't quite true. And even if it was true, that doesn't equal sales. If a console is missing a genre/as lack of games of certain genre, doesn't mean it will sell if they put a game of that genre on it, means exactly the opposite, that it doesn't sell. WiiU barely has any FPS on it, why? Because publishers aren't happy with those sales. Any FPS selling 1M on WiiU would be a huge success, even though there is a shortage of FPSs on it.

My point is that TW101 is worse on the scale of "niche" than Bayonetta. Bayo at least has a clear appeal.

Bayonetta sold well enough between the PS3 and 360, but it didn't sell enough to cover the expenses to make the game in the first place. Sega refused to make another game until Nintendo took the bill. Its getting more expensive to make games. God of War is the surviving hack n slash that has expectations of high sales thats a remnant of the late PS2 era. Bayonetta looks good on the WIi U, but looking good wont cut it. Being left alone on the Nintendo is good for the longevity of the series as the name continues to grace the industry, but the expectation isn't great on the Wii U. Donkey Kong is struggling on the Wii U. Freaking Donkey Kong man...

He's probably talking about the Nintendo Land minigame!

I never said anything of the sort. I cant wait to play W 101, but you need personal feelings about games  from  sales expectations based on past performance and target market groups. Thats what we do on this site, look at numbers and make educated guesses.

I'm not saying the game wont be great. Its one of the my favorite hack n slashes of last gen, but even last gen when it sold over 2 million between two consoles it didn't cover the developmental costs. Nintendo is taking the fall for this game just like they did for W101 and you guys acting like its going to be any different on a Nintendo console is astonishing given past performance with Nintendos market. The only good thing about this is we get to play it and Nintendo taking the fall to make their console more diverse because third parties dont want to take the risk themselves on Bayonetta let alone on a Nintendo console. Ubisoft learned their lesson and now they are back to doing things the way they wanted to, which is pushing their engines to the next level with a crowd that will help them turn a profit.

Not a question of cult following. It was a multi-platform release on consoles that both had a 40 millions users base.

The Wii U only has  7 millions user base (by the time Bayonetta 2 is released) if you calculate the proportion of people who buy games according to its appeal compared to installed user base, it's really improbable that will reach 1 million (although that's possible since not many game are available on next-gen as of now, but knowing the Wii U audience, it won't happen)

Ubisoft seems to have really half-assed their attempt on the Wii U graphically. Why can a lower budget studio make humanoid characters that crap all over the character models in Zombi U?