So if you are a nintendo fan or a gamer you'll know Nintendo's WiiU has not been a big success, under performing in projected sales and game DLC being cancelled for the platform. Now while yes it has recently had some good games released (and by some I mean like 2 games) that sadly is not really enough and the sad truth is the way things are going Nintendo might kill of the WiiU before 2016.
The reason for that is because once again Nintendo's hardware is behind the curve compared to its competition the PS4 & X1 and this will cause publishers to not bother making WiiU versions as soon as they all switch to next gen only.
It already started, look at Rocksteady's new Batman game Arkham Knight it was announced as a next gen only game and its listed for PS4, X1 and PC but no WiiU version even though City & Origins were both released on the WiiU.
Now this is going to be a trend for the WiiU because publishers are going to want to start publishing games for the new systems and when they all go full next gen the WiiU third party support will be dead.
Right now PS3 & 360 are what's keeping third party support alive on that system and even then its not a lot since WiiU isn't getting Dark Souls 2, South Park or Lords of Shadows 2 the last old gen only titles.
When WiiU loses its third party support the system will die because it will literally become a barren wasteland devoid of games and no platform can survive without no matter how good the first party line up is.
Now you might wonder why third party support will die, well like I said the hardware is way behind compared to PS4 & X1 and that will mean publishers would need to spend even more money to make pretty much a worse version of the game which they won't do.
At this point you might want to add the Wii and how it was worse than PS3 & 360 yet still got plenty of third party support even when they looked worse and you are correct but here's the thing. The Wii sold like crazy because of its gimmick and the chances of earning a profit on the system was high, WiiU on the other hand has been outsold by the PS4 even with a year head start.
The incentive for publishers to bother making WiiU versions is not there and if they don't support the system it will have a horrible gaming library and people won't buy it.
It is unlikely the system will reach the year 2016 as things are going to get worse by next year when publishers stop doing cross gen games and the sad thing is Nintendo has no way out of this situation but to leave the console market and focus on the handheld market instead.
Microsoft announced its financial results for Q3 of fiscal year 2026, including an update on its gaming Xbox business and more.
Not looking good. Hopefully Asha Sharma is able to turn Phil’s disaster around.
To me it's still quite remarkable how they can cash-in 5.3bn in revenue in a single quarter, since their hardware is basically dead.
The stock mark is what makes Microsoft remarkable, They have convinced every institutional and retail investor to just keep piling money into them. Like many big tech giants they are just a big growing pyramid scheme. As long as people keep dropping money into ETF's that cover the market Microsoft will always be liquid. At the same time it is completely stifling innovation and competition. People need to start being more discreet in how they invest their money as it's killing the system.
Riiiiight because people will just flock back to them for one or two games per year.
15+ years of bad performance is what they call irreparable in business. It is time for them to sell off the assets and get out of entertainment.
These declines are on the back of extra revenue received from releasing games like Forza horizon 5 on PlayStation. So I’m being sarcastic here when I said they should go back to exclusives. Killing off a revenue stream from Ps5 sales will only make things worse
The charity event will be streamed live from Gamescom in August.
Thanks to the slip-up of an artist working on the title, we now have more evidence that a new Injustice game is in the works.
I'm sorry I have to disagree on your last point. Nintendo financially isn't strapped. They still have that Wii money, boatloads actually. They aren't in the position that Sega was in where the needed the Dreamcast to be a grand slam. The WiiU can fail and they can still pull through and develop a new system. You allude to it when you say the "focus on the handheld market instead" another facet where Nintendo reaps huge profits from.
Hmmm, I don't know. See, the thing is, they really haven't had 3rd party support for true AAA games on any system since the GameCube.
So first I'd disagree with saying that the 3rd party scene had much impact on the Wii. In fact, developers said time and time again that nobody could move 3rd party software on the thing. Of course there were a handful of acceptions but so many other poor-selling games proved to be the rule.
The second thing I'd mention is that Nintendo can sell a system on its games alone. The best example of this is the 3DS. Lately, its become fashionable to call it one of the best game systems ever made and if you look at its software it's building that reputation on its almost only 1st and 2nd party. More of the same even; Pokemon X &Y, Mario 3D Land, Zelda: LBW, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Fire Emblem: Awakening, and a bunch of others. All are IPs we've had for years.
Further, it may be enticing to think that Wii games like Mario Galaxy wouldn't have sold as well if it weren't for Wii Sports having put so many systems in people's homes, I'd say the 3DS helps disprove this as acciomatic as well. It had a slow start and only gained steam as these games, again these remakes and sequals of tried and true IPs, started coming.
So Nintendo CAN sell a system, even in this day and age, without lots of 3rd party support. So why hasn't it happened on the Wii U?
I think it's more simple than people usually consider it. The truth is that it doesn't matter how good a Nintendo game is. Sure it helps and maybe In the long run it matters but not in the short term. think of it this way, when Nintendo has released the games that got people the most excited it was because it was something that, I the previews, demos, and trailers, looked really cool and new.
Mario 64 wasn't just great it was also really cool-looking. New Super Mario Bros. U was good but didn't look cool or new. It looked like a game we played either on the NES or DS or Wii.
Mario Galaxy looked awesome. It may have been the same old plumber but running around upside down on small planets looked really cool and new. Super Mario 3D World showed Mario in a cat suit. It didn't look new or cool at all, even if playing it revealed it was.
We even see the same rule proving my point on the 3DS. Pokemon is a big seller as a franchise but there was more excitement going into X & Y than there has been for the last few generations. Why? Because in being 3D it looked really cool and new. It was a great game but it got people excited for it. Buy the system excited.
So I think Nintendo will be ok. They won't sell as many systems as they did off wii sports but if they can get even an existing IP to wow people (maybe the long requested Pokemon MMO) than they will sell well. And even if they simply make a stable of same looking but ultimately awesome games (Mario 3D world, Mario Kart, etc.) they can do well enough I believe.
No. Not it's already lost most of its 3rd party support and it's still alive. Nintendo themselves can keep it alive. They have the money to. I expect it to last until at least 2018.
I think the days of a very successful console having mainly first party games are over. How many gamers are going to give up the likes of big third party games like Battlefield, Destiny, Evolve etc? I see the WiiU being more of a niche product that will limp along until it is discontinued in 2017.