Activision reported MW2 cost about $50 million. So unless MW1 cost even more than that, HD development can still go up. This is from the need to top the last game, which has been a thing in gaming for a while. It's rare for a sequel on the same system to cost less if the previous game was a hit.

Well, if you combine it with trestres's idea - that there aren't many more Wii games coming - it shouldn't take quite that long.

"Why is it so impossible to believe that it's the Wii projects that are costing the 3rd parties... you know, like they are stating directly?"

They didn't say the Wii games were the reason they lost money, just that revenue was down from them.

Although some might have lost money, but those would have to have been pretty pricey games to lose money (Dead Space was a definite one), and those are not that common on the Wii (even though some think they are non-existent).

I doubt many of those Wii games actually cost $5-7 million (I mean from the publishers which push out mass quantities of Wii shovelware like Ubisoft).

$5-7 million should be the cost for a decent game with a good amount of content, no?

Otherwise, yeah, the industry is doomed.

I made a mistake in my previous post.

It's the top 119 games out of ~1450 on Wii that sell 130Mill out of all ~190 mill third party sales,
and the top 152 games out of ~800 on 360 that sell 217Mill out of all ~277 mill third party sales.

well, I would have called you out on this OP a year ago as I was sure 3rd parties would jump on Wii in 2009 and 2010 based on its marketshare alone, much like the PS2. However, that simply isn't the case and its time for Nintendo's fans, myself being a HUGE one, to realize this.

However, it isn't the fault of Nintendo as they game 3rd parties more than enough support and a full year of lower ranked games to fill in the void with their own AAA IPs. However, they chose to only put out crap efforts and late ports.

I bet I can count on my 10 fingers the number of high quality mass marketable 3rd party products the Wii has seen over its entire life. That's sad. But, it seems like HD graphics IS what 3rd party developers want to create. They don't want to continue with SD 'last gen' products. They want to push boundaries and win their own virtual pissing contests for what they perceive are the best games available.

How can we be mad at that? While I enjoy a game like NSMBWii over any HD game made to date, as a developer myself I would have much rather created Assassin's Creed 2 or Gears of War 2, etc.

Well, here's to this gen's BEST gaming console, the Wii. It was born out of the greatest imaginations available, yet it dies lonely with no one else to call a friend beyond its own makers.

All three companies have a lot to learn from this generation.

MS/Sony have learned that to be really successful they don't need to create consoles that cost over $500 to make and push technology to its limits. While Nintendo learns that to really dominate they must be within a reasonable level of technology to their competitors. If they had been more like the PS2 vs xbox in power range, then 3rd parties would have put all of the same games on Wii and it would be well over that 50% market share barrier by now.

Next gen will certainly be interesting to see who has paid the most attention to their own failures this gen. I certainly hope Nintendo does some major self-reflection. HD + superior online with no limitations + its own considerably better innovation and games will surpass even the Wii's mighty success. It needs 3rd parties to reach PS2 levels of dominance.

wii going the way of the dreamcast confirmedzors

@Lordthenighknight

Did you actually read what I wrote ?


Do you know how the losses where splitted up ? How much of those losses were investements in new technologys. How much of these losses were due to WII games how much of these losses were due to financial recession ?

No NOBODY here knows it but some of you automatically assume that its the because of HD gaming DESPITE the fact all developers invest even more into the HD market ?
Do you know how their internal calculations are ? Maybe a big chunk of this costs were for education of employees or investing in new Hardware for 3d development natal development or what ever.

And we just had a financial crisis. You dont know it I dont know it NOBODY knows it as long as we dont get clear statements from the developers. or numbers. The developers cant do everything they want they have to follow the best interest of the shareholders if they dont do it despite knowing a better way, they go to jail.


Everything we know is that they had expenses because of the generation switch which are investements and not losses.

And we know that they are focusing on HD games and we know that if they purposly try to ruin their company they commit a crime. So we can assume that they

A: Have informations we dont have which indicate that Hd market is going to be more lucrative or maybe even is more lucrative then Sd market  

B: They just dont know how to make money on the wii.

It could also be a mix between both.

"How can we be mad at that?"

Putting what the customers want below their own need to pretend they are James Cameron? I can sure as hell be mad. They are denying the Wii awesome games based on this asinine idea.

"While Nintendo learns that to really dominate they must be within a reasonable level of technology to their competitors."

No, that's a myth concocted to excuse the developers not supporting Nintendo. They wouldn't have supported the Wii if it was HD, and just found any other excuse.

So around 8% of the Wii 3rd party games count for 68% of the sales.

And around 19% of 360 3rd party games count for 78% of the sales.

Hmmmm...  actually they're both top heavy aren't they?