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Forums - Nintendo - Nintendo: Not a lot of exclusive indie games on Wii U because “we don’t throw around cash”

 

Is paying for indie games a waster of money?

Yes 90 27.11%
 
No 74 22.29%
 
Only for lame indie games... 134 40.36%
 
What good indie games? 16 4.82%
 
Minecraft was an indie game so... 18 5.42%
 
Total:332
97alexk on 30 August 2015
LuckyTrouble said:
As I saw somebody else point out on N4G, the exact problem is that Nintendo doesn't throw their money around. They're too focused on sitting on their extra money, and they're scared to actually spend it on ventures that are desperately needed to expand their userbase. On the rare occasion they do throw their money around, they end up making a bad decision like picking Devil's Third back up, which then simply scares them away from funding further deals in the future. Or when they decided to fund Bayonetta 2, which was smart in terms of critical reception, but poor in terms of the fact that the first game wasn't exactly a blockbuster even though it was multiplat.

Basically, Nintendo is not the example to follow in the gaming world. They're afraid to take risks, and suck at properly researching risks on the rare occasion that they choose to take them. Spending money on good indies is smart. They may not be system sellers, but they give many people far more games to play, which is a very good thing.

weird, because i feel like nintendo is the only one taking risks



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bowserthedog on 30 August 2015
pokoko said:

Nintendo is ... odd. I don't know what else to say.

In business, growth is often considered an important focus, which is why you see a lot of companies, large and small, reinvest most their profits back into their own endeavors. Nintendo, on the other hand, seems more inclined to leave their money in the bank while investing the bare minimum in their products and services. This is why they've fallen behind Sony and Microsoft in many aspects of internet and console technology, not to mention the formation of business partnerships.

Even then, this "throw around cash" line is disingenuous, as it implies Sony and Microsoft are simply paying straight cash for exclusives. More often, such as with Sony's Pub Fund, developers are given an advance on future royalties along with advertising support and other considerations in exchange for an exclusivity window. Mutually beneficial programs like that have always clashed with Nintendo's self-focused attitude and it's cost them.

Didn't Nintendo just form a partnership in Singapore for exclusive indie games?



https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0JquK6FGR6O-0O-6L-VAuw

HoloDust on 30 August 2015

I'm guessing this is what they do with all the money:



Bofferbrauer on 30 August 2015
RolStoppable said:
Platform holders pay for (timed) exclusivity because they believe it gives them a competitive edge. In other words, in the end it's about selling more hardware, be it Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft.

Since this topic is specifically about indie games, there really isn't much of a point for Nintendo to aggressively pursue such a direction because the impact of indie games gets tremendously dwarved by the impact of retail games, and between Nintendo's inhouse development teams, Nintendo-affiliated studios and collaborations with third party partners, there are plenty of opportunities to invest money better.

This.

Besides, it looks like they don't need to do anything to attract Indies, as there are many coming to the Wii U. The lack of third party publishers is actually a boon for them, since the Indie games are now much more in focus on their console than they are on every other platform and thus have higher sales since they don't get overlooked as easely. Plus, Nintendo has started strongly to promote them as Nindies, which might attract additional Indie developers without needing to moneyhat.



tripenfall on 30 August 2015

All I can say is thank god for the indie games that HAVE come to the Wii U. They have kept me going in between long software droughts, if not for them the Wii U wouldn't have been used so much.



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DélioPT on 30 August 2015

Spending a lot on Indie games doesn't really seem like a wise choice. It may be in some cases if they really fit the type of gamer you are aiming for.
Still, Nintendo has had it's fair share of exclusives or timed exclusives and Indie games seem to sell well on Wii U and 3DS, so, why buy them when Indies already want their market?



Soundwave on 30 August 2015

Nintendo doesn't believe in money hatting because then Sony/MS will moneyhat every game too, and then you're in a situation where every decent looking indie game developer is looking for a moneyhat for every game.

And Nintendo doesn't want to get into a spending war ... particularly with Microsoft.



AEGRO on 30 August 2015

Wii U console owners should be offended with this kind of PR from Nintendo, specially when your console have had like 3 retail games released this year AND the highest scored game from this year is an INDIE game called Runbow.

SMH...



AEGRO on 30 August 2015
RolStoppable said:
AEGRO said:
Wii U console owners should be offended with this kind of PR from Nintendo, specially when your console have had like 3 retail games released this year AND the highest scored game from this year is an INDIE game called Runbow.

SMH...

Whether an indie game is exclusive or multiplatform doesn't really matter in this context. One game is one game.


Precisely, all the pressure should be on Nintendo shoulders.

The fact that the majority of Nintendo fans are defending Nintendo by not securing MORE GAMES is mind fucking blowing.

Its like defending Toyota for not making business with Pirelli and its OK that they could sell you the 2015 Corolla without tires.

Again. SMDH...



HylianYoshi on 30 August 2015

Nintendo's strategy since the E3 salt is to be dicks to the other companies, in particular console manufacturers. "throwing around cash" is making themselves sound like they think the other companies are wasting money, lel.



bet: lost