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Ubi - "Wii U owners don't buy AC", Watch_Dogs their last M-rated WiiU release.

I have a hard time seeing the typical M-rated games doing well on Nintendo's platforms. It has less to do with Nintendo's own particular ecosystem ecosystem and more of the established franchises they have; they have more defined "homes" on other platforms. People who typically play Assassin's Creed or GTA probably don't consider a Nintendo platform to be the home to play it on, unless it's exclusive. The games they have been getting from third parties have almost always came with the condition that they were simply better elsewhere. I think that alone would kill an audience, especially to established IP. I honestly cannot name a multiplatform third party game on Wii U that is defined very heavily to not look like a hand me down other than Rayman Legends, which was once an exclusive for the platform. Every single M rated game on the system does, sans Bayonetta 2 and Devil's Third...though some would argue that those are hand me downs because Nintendo is funding those third party games as first party releases.

With that said, companies should try to focus on games and franchises that seem to be more fit on a Nintendo system. The best ones typically have been platformers like Rayman, Mega Man, and Sonic, to name a few. I know the Wii U is doing poorly, but when all three of those IPs had multiplatform releases, I believe nearly every one of those games sold the most on Nintendo's; I believe Rayman Legends and Sonic Generations in particular sold more on Nintendo's line of hardware than others, which shocks me especially because for Generations, that was the handheld version by Dimps, not even the main version marketed. It then becomes a situation of trying to capitalize on it. I don't think platformers from third party are really considered AAA anymore, so their chase and hemorrhaging in that space only confirms a separation from Nintendo. Those experiences are defined more on other platforms, which essentially leaves Nintendo in a void with only their first party efforts to define the platform.

M-Rated games on Nintendo pretty much kicked the bucket after the Gamecube and Celda was released - still sad to see SNES and N64 have so much more variety in that arena and seeing the Wii U as it is today.
 

SeanTSC

Member
It's too bad they're not putting Assassin's Creed: Rogue on it. I'd actually consider buying it then. I have *no* interest in buying that game on my PS3 two weeks after Unity comes out on my PS4. I'll just wait for a likely HD version. If they had launched a Wii U version of Rogue though it'd be a different story.
 
I really hope we don't get a lot of revisionist history on Ubisoft's ports all of a sudden being good or competent now that the quote from Ubisoft's president has come out.

Seems to me the "revisionist history" is the other way around since people were definitely saying AC4 was at the very least a competent port on Wii U when it was first released!

Notice the number of mentions of Ass Creed, Splinter Cell and Rayman in this thread talking about great Wii U third party games? http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=854323
 
I have all of Ubisoft's M-rated releases, Splinter Cell, Zombi U and both Assassin's Creeds. I also own Rabbids Land and Rayman Legends. I'll also get Watch Dogs.

I understand them pulling out M-rated titles if they aren't selling and I appreciate the effort so far. I got both Zombi U and AC III close to launch to show support.

I do wish they had released the AC Rogue though. I've had my fill of AC just with 3 and 4 but my completeness instinct will make be get Rogue to finish this trilogy. Though a big appeal to me was the off-tv play.

Too bad for people who wanted mature games but I feel most people who are strong fans have another way to play them and are more invested in those ecosystems, achievements/trophies, friend lists, etc.

It also helps that the Rabbids are the only franchise I'm a true fan of from Ubisoft (hate me all you want). It sounds like those games could still come. In fact maybe that Wii U game Ubisoft's holding for release is another Rabbids Land that doesn't squander it's good parts. I can hope.
 

Shiggy

Member
I have all of Ubisoft's M-rated releases, Splinter Cell, Zombi U and both Assassin's Creeds. I also own Rabbids Land and Rayman Legends. I'll also get Watch Dogs.

I understand them pulling out M-rated titles if they aren't selling and I appreciate the effort so far. I got both Zombi U and AC III close to launch to show support.

I do wish they had released the AC Rogue though. I've had my fill of AC just with 3 and 4 but my completeness instinct will make be get Rogue to finish this trilogy. Though a big appeal to me was the off-tv play.

Too bad for people who wanted mature games but I feel most people who are strong fans have another way to play them and are more invested in those ecosystems, achievements/trophies, friend lists, etc.

It also helps that the Rabbids are the only franchise I'm a true fan of from Ubisoft (hate me all you want). It sounds like those games could still come. In fact maybe that Wii U game Ubisoft's holding for release is another Rabbids Land that doesn't squander it's good parts. I can hope.

Not even the Rabbids Invasion game is coming to Wii U.
 

big_z

Member
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As a Wii U owner who bought both Child of Light and Rayman Legends, it sad to hear this... Hopefully Nintendo can bounce back and try to get more 3rd party support on the system.
 

Sify64

Member
It's regretful that there won't be a sequel to ZombiU, since that is the only game I cared about from Ubisoft. I'd rather they had continued the development of the sequel, than all of the Ubi games that had released for the Wii U till now. Except Rayman Legends... maybe.
 
It's true, Gamecube was better. However, that doesn't take away Nintendo couldn't have done a lot more back then, which they could.

The move to use mini-discs was a pretty big F-U when the market leader (PS2) had DVD's. Developers were pulling support from Gamecube when they saw sales were horrid. Gamecube had next to no online whereas Xbox Live was signalling the future of games.

All this happened under Nintendo's watch while coming in close to last place that gen.

Maybe this is what they needed to wake up. Last generation they struck gold with the Wii and it may have made them a bit over confident in terms of how much their own software can carry a console. Now they're seeing just how hard it is. For their next console they need to go around to developers and ask them what they want. That doesn't mean that they have to have a console with some crazy specs and a $500 pricetag, but they have to make those developers actually feel like their voice is being heard on some level. There is an obvious balance between doing something developers want and doing something that's financially smart for your own company. Nintendo needs to find what that is for them.
 
So instead of asking for clarifaction you make the point you did. Others got the gist of what I meant.

Someone else said it too Ubisoft efforts on nintendo platforms are half assed and not aimed at really reaching nintendo consumers. Ubisoft and most 3rd parties can keep whining about any nintendo platform but as long as they ignore the fact nintendo consumers are just that and treat them as if they are PS or Xbox types they will never make it. This is true from the PS era till now. Pithy enough?
Elaborate on what exactly a Nintendo consumer entails, perhaps?

If you're referring to demographic factors, genre inclinations, etc. and the basing of software SKUs on those factors... then that's exactly what Ubisoft are doing...
 

JoeM86

Member
The thing is, third parties keep treating the consumer as if they're idiots.

You cannot create a shoddy port, remove features etc. and expect the consumer to lap it up. It's essentially the same situation as Mass Effect 3 with EA. They released it, sure, but they also destroyed any desire for people to get it by producing a better version on other platforms and focusing on that (Mass Effect Trilogy).

Again, not saying that suddenly AC would have sold millions on Wii U, but things like that do not help.
 
You should, it usually sells for a low price, and it's a great survival horror game, especially for a launch title.

Well, at least it is now that the game breaking bugs have been patched out. Still salty about encountering one.

and I love survival horror games, I will get it someday for sure.
 

atr0cious

Member
As a Wii U owner who bought both Child of Light and Rayman Legends, it sad to hear this... Hopefully Nintendo can bounce back and try to get more 3rd party support on the system.

You were a part of the problem.

But seriously, Rayman Legends sold more on the Wii U than the others, and it still had bad numbers on the Wii U because everyone hated them. I hope they keep pushing out the little games like Child of Light, but if you want to see any kind of effort out of Ubisoft, you have to buy the market leader.

and I love survival horror games, I will get it someday for sure.

Zombi U was definitely the scariest game I played, before I saw a stream of P.T.

Elaborate on what exactly a Nintendo consumer entails, perhaps?

If you're referring to demographic factors, genre inclinations, etc. and the basing of software SKUs on those factors... then that's exactly what Ubisoft are doing...

I'd like to think he meant their spending habits. I don't think Nintendo users on average are down for the whole release now, patch later style, and all that would entail. Since Nintendo is good at what they do, people would rather buy back cataloged and VC Nintendo games, rather than get the third party 'efforts.' Ubisoft and EA spent all of the Wii's lifespan, trying to see how little effort they could put into the next game and still make money. Capcom went from REmake and RE4 to on rails bullshit. Ubisoft has no QA for the life of them, so all their stuff, while ambitious at times, get notorious reps for shoddy quality, especially now with MiiVerse. Blacklist had Ubisoft's support line numbers up and down the posts. It was fucking terrible.

What self respecting consumer would keep coming back to that?
 
They gave them a chance. Games didn't sell. They are cutting their losses. Unfortunate, but very understandable especially from a financial standpoint. It seems like Wii U consumers are not interested in those types of games or are experiencing them somewhere else possibly. I honestly think it is lack of interest though.
 
Bayonetta 2 is key for the future of "hardcore" "AAA" third party support on Wii U. Nintendo has to market Bayonetta 2 HARD when it gets close to release, especially since so many people make a big deal about the game. If it sells well, while it won't make third parties rush to put their games on Wii U, it will show that the reason so many third party games don't sell isn't because Nintendo fans don't want them.
 
As a Wii U owner who bought both Child of Light and Rayman Legends, it sad to hear this... Hopefully Nintendo can bounce back and try to get more 3rd party support on the system.


I don't necessarily think the problem is procuring the third party support, but the problem lies in the consumers just not showing interest. Unfortunately, I am not sure if Nintendo can do much about that.
 
Bayonetta 2 is key for the future of "hardcore" "AAA" third party support on Wii U. Nintendo has to market Bayonetta 2 HARD when it gets close to release, especially since so many people make a big deal about the game. If it sells well, while it won't make third parties rush to put their games on Wii U, it will show that the reason so many third party games don't sell isn't because Nintendo fans don't want them.

Bayonetta 2's performance isn't going to have any effect on how western third party publishers like Ubisoft, EA and Take 2 do business on Nintendo platforms. It's a mature game but it's really not targeting the same audience those publishers cater towards.

If Bayo 2 ends up being a huge surprise hit, maaaaybe it will get the attention of some Japanese publishers like Capcom or Square-Enix, but even that seems unlikely at this point.
 

Roo

Member
Bayonetta 2 is key for the future of "hardcore" "AAA" third party support on Wii U. Nintendo has to market Bayonetta 2 HARD when it gets close to release, especially since so many people make a big deal about the game. If it sells well, while it won't make third parties rush to put their games on Wii U, it will show that the reason so many third party games don't sell isn't because Nintendo fans don't want them.

It will bomb hard no matter what.
They can advertise the shit out of Bayonetta 2 but it won't make a difference in the current situation. Heck, even Nintendo's AAA games barely move the needle.
 
Well, I bought ZombiU, Assassin's Creed IV, and Splinter Cell (with a possible consideration for Watch_Dogs), so I suppose I held up my end of the bargain.

Best of luck in your future endeavors, Ubisoft.
 
I guess that's it for Wii U western 3rd party support.

There are still casual games.


Disney Interactive with Disney Infinity.

Activision with Skylanders.

Warner Bros. with LEGO titles.

Bandai Namco with 3D Pac-Man.

Ubisoft with Just Dance.

And some miscellaneous casual shovelware.
 

Some Nobody

Junior Member
The thing is, third parties keep treating the consumer as if they're idiots.

You cannot create a shoddy port, remove features etc. and expect the consumer to lap it up. It's essentially the same situation as Mass Effect 3 with EA. They released it, sure, but they also destroyed any desire for people to get it by producing a better version on other platforms and focusing on that (Mass Effect Trilogy).

Again, not saying that suddenly AC would have sold millions on Wii U, but things like that do not help.

Your first point is hamstrung by the second.

The reality is Nintendo games always sell better than non-Nintendo games. The only way to change that would be to get some third-party exclusives that can change the brand awareness a bit.
 
Bayonetta 2 is key for the future of "hardcore" "AAA" third party support on Wii U. Nintendo has to market Bayonetta 2 HARD when it gets close to release, especially since so many people make a big deal about the game. If it sells well, while it won't make third parties rush to put their games on Wii U, it will show that the reason so many third party games don't sell isn't because Nintendo fans don't want them.

It could sell a million copies (it won't) and it wouldn't change anyone's mind. Not to mention the biggest games soon won't even be able to run on Wii U when they remove PS3/360 support. I want Bayonetta 2 to do well so that Nintendo keeps investing in games like it.
 

Sify64

Member
Ubisoft has no QA for the life of them, so all their stuff, while ambitious at times, get notorious reps for shoddy quality, especially now with MiiVerse. Blacklist had Ubisoft's support line numbers up and down the posts. It was fucking terrible.

What self respecting consumer would keep coming back to that?

This is one of the reasons why I didn't buy AC and Blacklist.
 
Bayonetta 2's performance isn't going to have any effect on how western third party publishers like Ubisoft, EA and Take 2 do business on Nintendo platforms. It's a mature game but it's really not targeting the same audience those publishers cater towards.
Like I said, it's not going to have a huge effect, but I don't think it won't have any effect at all. Even if Bayonetta 2 isn't for the same audience as most Western games, it's still an M-rated game. Bayonetta 2's success would help remove some of the stigma about Nintendo fans and mature rated games.

It will bomb hard no matter what.
They can advertise the shit out of Bayonetta 2 but it won't make a difference in the current situation. Heck, even Nintendo's AAA games barely move the needle.
Tell me how you really feel
 

Drakeon

Member
Welp, unlike Ea, you cant say ubi didn't give it a fair shot. Can't blame them for abandoning development, they gave them 2 years and didn't see enough of an increase to warrant continued support.
 

AdanVC

Member
Ubisoft gave Nintendo customers an inferior version of AC IV and because of that, it was obvious it didn't going to sell well. I'm sure there's lot's of Wii U owners who want to play AC IV but they know how awful the game runs on the console so they don't buy it because of that. Ubisoft did a terrible job porting the game properly on Wii U. Oh well. I can't wait for Just Dance 2015. What is Assasin's Creed?
 
I actually would've bought that new AC that wasn't Unity on Wii-U had they released it if it was just like AC IV. Had a good time playing that game on Wii-U but ah well, UbiSoft's decision.
 
I can't believe people have the nerve to say they tried

why would you get AC Black Flag on WiiU? It has no DLC and does not run as well so there were many reasons to pass on that version

they tried?

Watch Dogs is they tried too I guess lol
 
Yves Guillemot said:
We inquired about Ubisoft’s relationship with Nintendo.

“It’s very simple,” Guillemot says. “What we see is that Nintendo customers don’t buy Assassin’s Creed. Last year, we sold in very small numbers.” In fact, across Ubisoft’s portfolio, Nintendo home console sales only represent three percent of the total for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. That’s down a percentage point from the previous year.

The company isn’t abandoning Nintendo entirely. Rather, it is simply shifting its focus on the platform. “What we see is that they are very interested in Just Dance, very interested by other kinds of games," Guillemot says. “So what we are trying to do is to focus more on the types of games they are interested in.”

Watch Dogs is the exception to this new rule. Ubisoft has promised the title for Wii U, and as of now, that version is still in the works. “[Watch Dogs] is coming to Wii U,” he assures. “It will be the only mature game we publish on it.”

I'm ok with no AC or WD. Please keep making "other kinds of games" on Wii U though such as Rayman, Child of Light or Zombi U. Please at least make a Zombi U sequel.
 

Oddduck

Member
Some of you shouldn't kid yourselves.

Good ports or shitty ports, most Wii U owners didn't buy a Wii U to play games like Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell.

That is the reality of the situation, and good ports wouldn't change that.
 

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
I actually liked the AC4 port. It ran well, had Off-TV-Play and controlled well. I also had the game on 360 and I preferred the Wii U version a lot due to Off-TV-Play. I'd have loved to play Rogue on Wii U, too. And, considering I'm not a huge fan of action games (Bayonetta, Hyrule Warriors) nor Smash Bros., AC Rogue would probably have been my number one choice for a christmas game this year on Wii U.

Nevertheless, I think it's strange that they don't port Rogue as their last mature game instead of Watch Dogs (or in addition to it) - I can't imagine it being a lot of work considering they already have the engine running on Wii U due to AC3 and AC4, including features like Off-TV-Play, so a really small team would probably suffice (maybe even a single person?) and considering how scarce the Wii U line up in the second half of the year is, they could have probably negotiated a very low royalty price from Nintendo. Also, it would probably help the late WD-release to sell a bit more and lastly, this time there would not be any competition in form of a PS4 / Xbone version.
 

Yagharek

Member
Zombi U - bought it with my Wii U. Great game, very tense atmosphere.
Rayman Legends - bought it at release, full price, despite the delay.

Assassins Creed III - had it on PSN+ for 'free'. The game was crap. Didn't buy on Wii U.
Assassins Creed IV - didn't buy because every AC game I've played was crap.
Splinter Cell - didn't buy; heard mixed things about it.

Just Dance - never played it; never will. No interest.

I can't fault Ubisoft for trying, after all, they did make some new games and despite the delay of Rayman it was still a game built for the system. I just dont think their titles align well with the demographic on Wii U.

Perhaps if they were making games like they used to - Beyond Good and Evil, for example, it might be a bit more of an overlap. But based on what they are making in the short term, it's not like I personally will miss much of their output.
 

BPoole

Member
And then they will throw out Watch Dogs in the heat of the Fall surrounded by major releases and scoff at the Wii U when it sells like shit
 

sinnergy

Member
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot: ‘Nintendo Customers Don’t Buy Assassin’s Creed’





After the high-profile failure of ZombiU, and the lack of support for AC IV on the platform (it's the only version of the game I can find for less than $20 at retail consistently.), this doesn't shock me. But at the same time, it's a very blunt way of looking at the problem. Yes, Multiplat M-rated games aren't selling on the WiiU. Does that mean the audience doesn't want mature titles, or that they're just playing those games elsewhere?

Yes it's seems like, so this is purely a business decision, people don't by these games on the WiiU. You would be a very bad business-man if you would keep producing these titles for the WiiU. In the end it's the end-users own fault and in some degree also Nintendo's for making a system that is hard to develop for.
 

danmaku

Member
The thing is, third parties keep treating the consumer as if they're idiots.

You cannot create a shoddy port, remove features etc. and expect the consumer to lap it up. It's essentially the same situation as Mass Effect 3 with EA. They released it, sure, but they also destroyed any desire for people to get it by producing a better version on other platforms and focusing on that (Mass Effect Trilogy).

Again, not saying that suddenly AC would have sold millions on Wii U, but things like that do not help.

Things like that are a drop in the ocean and won't make any difference. Most Wanted was an excellent port and sold like shit anyways, same for Tekken Tag 2. Why? because their audience is elsewhere, period. Even if AC3-4 had all the DLCs and looked slightly better than the PS360 version it wouldn't have changed anything. The few people that have a WiiU only want Nintendo games, and not even all of them, as W101 bombed awfully just like Sin&Punishment 2 on the Wii.
 

JoeM86

Member
Things like that are a drop in the ocean and won't make any difference. Most Wanted was an excellent port and sold like shit anyways, same for Tekken Tag 2. Why? because their audience is elsewhere, period. Even if AC3-4 had all the DLCs and looked slightly better than the PS360 version it wouldn't have changed anything. The few people that have a WiiU only want Nintendo games, and not even all of them, as W101 bombed awfully just like Sin&Punishment 2 on the Wii.

To be fair, EA barely promoted Most Wanted U and undershipped it. Grainger Games in the UK got 20 copies for the entire company. Plus, it was a very late port. You cannot make late ports and expect them to sell gangbusters.
 
Things like that are a drop in the ocean and won't make any difference. Most Wanted was an excellent port and sold like shit anyways, same for Tekken Tag 2. Why? because their audience is elsewhere, period. Even if AC3-4 had all the DLCs and looked slightly better than the PS360 version it wouldn't have changed anything. The few people that have a WiiU only want Nintendo games, and not even all of them, as W101 bombed awfully just like Sin&Punishment 2 on the Wii.

Using Most Wanted as an example is like, the worst argument ever. EA and Nintendo clearly had a massive falling-out before the Wii U even launched. It's clear EA never planned to support the console beyond the launch window. Most Wanted U received no marketing whatsoever, launched five months after the other versions and was heavily discounted on EA's store the DAY the game was released. That game was doomed from the start; EA had absolutely no intention of supporting the platform.
 
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