Nintendo Collaborating With Third Parties To Create Wii U Software

Coming from Nintendo's 71st Annual Shareholders Q & A:

Regarding the Wii, the lack of software was extreme only in Japan, and the situation is a little different in the overseas markets but, at first, we thought that time would solve the issues for the Wii just as it had done for the Nintendo DS, but this was not the case. As a result, the software publishers put some effort into creating some titles, but the sales did not reach their expectations on the Wii, which made them think that they could not have high expectations for business on the Wii. At that time, a title called "Monster Hunter Portable" was selling well on Sony's handheld gaming device, PlayStation Portable. Only one title changed the whole momentum of that hardware, and because this all happened at the same time, the software publishers who were considering developing software for the Wii changed their minds and decided to make it for the PlayStation Portable. Because of this, when Nintendo failed to seamlessly provide software, there were no other titles to fill up the gaps.

In that sense, and this is common to both the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U, we think that it is important to encourage the software publishers to think "This is a platform on which we can perform our business" in the very first stage of the platform. We think it very important to make several hits from the third-party software publishers within the first year from the release of the platform, while offering Nintendo software seamlessly. In order to achieve this goal, we have shared information about the new hardware with the software publishers earlier than we did previously and built a cooperative structure, and we are developing several titles in collaboration with these publishers. I cannot talk in detail about the names of the titles, or with which publishers we are currently collaborating, because we have not announced this information yet, but what we are aiming for with the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U is, platforms which have much more software and a wider variety of software than the former Nintendo DS or Wii. Therefore, we are thinking of creating an environment where software from other companies will become hits. Please understand that Nintendo is prepared to invest in order to make this a reality.Iwata

This all sounds very good, but I hope we do see an end result this time next year. The fact that Nintendo is more open and collaborating with third parties is a great start. A console with Nintendo software plus most third party titles plus exclusive third party content would be absolutely amazing. Lets hope.

If you want to read more of the Shareholder Q & A, you can here.

Great!

If overseas had more third-party software than Japan, it doesn't really matter as most of it wasn't good software. I am hoping for a massive improvement on the Wii U.

According to the darksiders 2 devs, it only took them 3 guys 5 weeks to pOrt the game over with controller support. If it's THAT easy to brin over multiplats, I see a lot of devs taking the risk given the lack of investment needed WreckEm711

If that is even marginally true.... It could mean a lot of awesome 3rd party support, and some fantastic ports and HD remakes!

I mean seriously with 2-3 guys in 5 weeks lol, might as well be automated.

[QUOTE="WreckEm711"]According to the darksiders 2 devs, it only took them 3 guys 5 weeks to pOrt the game over with controller support. If it's THAT easy to brin over multiplats, I see a lot of devs taking the risk given the lack of investment needed Lach0121

If that is even marginally true.... It could mean a lot of awesome 3rd party support, and some fantastic ports and HD remakes!

I mean seriously with 2-3 guys in 5 weeks lol, might as well be automated.

I don't have a link to it, but there is a pretty big thread on it in system wars (I'm in class or id link it). Supposedly they are ridiculously excited over how easy the architecture is to develop for. This could mean VERY big things for third party development. Even if they don't get the sales of the other consoles for their games, with such little required to port the game over, its pretty much a guaranteed profit :O

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/topic/28755785/thq-only-took-5-weeks-with-3-people-to-port-darksiders-2-to-wii-u.?page=0

Nevermind I found it, enjoy :)

Lot's of possibilities here. Maybe There will be Nintendo exclusive characters in fighting games? More third Party Characters in Smash Bros? Capcom vs Nintendo?

My fear is that no matter how involved nintendo is, third party publishers will always be lazy and take the path of least resistance. I fear that wiiu's first year we'll see great 1st party exclusives, and a back catalog of third party multi-plats from the past 5 years. I expect nearly all ports and I expect most of these games will simply move the menu/hud/map to the controller screen and nothing else. Expect no camera support, no motion support, no innovative or unique touch-screen features, no wiimote support. Just the same game we all played on the PS3/360 years ago with a menu on the controller.

Third parties are not going to put in effort. They never do. Some third parties will "attempt" a unique exclusive game, but they will be "tests". They will be quick games with low budget and low risk. They will review poorly and sell poorly. Third parties will point towards these games as proof that the core market is on PS3/360 and we will end up with another console cycle of high quality nintendo games and ports.

What's worse, I expect nintendo will release its games slower now too. This is nintendo's first time dealing with massive budgets and HD. They might not be totally ready.

The only silver lining here is that future multi-plats will be on the wiiu too...but don't expect anything more than a strait port.

I am not a business man so I apologize up front if my question is an ignorant one, but didn't Nintendo crush Sony and Microsoft in sales with the Wii without a huge amount of 3rd party support? I do not understand why Nintendo seems to be so concerned with what 3rd party developers and video game media think about how they do business.

I like Nintendo and I like their products. I hope I do not see them altered in some ridiculous attempt to please other people.

[QUOTE="waitaseck"][QUOTE="BrunoBRS"] I thought they were pretty good. Minish Cap is one of my favorite games.BrunoBRS

Those cause too much confusion in the Zelda timeline. G-dorf11

I didn't say I didn't want it. I'm just sayin', chances are it'll make the timeline more confusing.

and i say it only makes said timeline confusing because fans keep insisting on cramming every zelda game into it, rather than realizing most games have nothing to do with the rest (most notably the capcom ones).BrunoBRS

Anomuna just said at E3 that he doesn't worry about a timeline and that he sees each game as a reimagining of all the other games independent from each other.

Honestly though I just want Nintendo games for the Wii U. I have zero expectations from the thrid party

"The Lack of Software was extreme only in Japan"... WHAT? Has this guy seen what Japan gets and the titles that are left out overseas? If Japan has a lack in software then there may as well be no software overseas because Japan gts all the cool games (Kimi No Yusha, Dragongal, Earth Seeker "looking at you")nini200

I am not a business man so I apologize up front if my question is an ignorant one, but didn't Nintendo crush Sony and Microsoft in sales with the Wii without a huge amount of 3rd party support? I do not understand why Nintendo seems to be so concerned with what 3rd party developers and video game media think about how they do business.

I like Nintendo and I like their products. I hope I do not see them altered in some ridiculous attempt to please other people.

Euaggelistes

This will benifit Nintendo and the third parties. They'll do well together.

I guess we should be expecting more Nintendo character cameos in the the 3rd party games like Samus and Ridley in Dead or Alive Dimensions or Yoshi in Metal Gear 3DS. :Pmagiciandude

If the game doesn't sell on the Wii U, there's no point in putting those games on it. Most developers know that CERTAIN kinds of games are almost always guaranteed to sell better on the other systems, but putting it on a Nintendo system is a much larger risk. TheLordMagnus

[QUOTE="TheLordMagnus"]If the game doesn't sell on the Wii U, there's no point in putting those games on it. Most developers know that CERTAIN kinds of games are almost always guaranteed to sell better on the other systems, but putting it on a Nintendo system is a much larger risk. Haziqonfire

Except I doubt we will see many wiiu features. Expect a lot of third party games with menus and maps on your controller. Don't expect much else.

That's a good thing. Teach the 3rd party developers how to work with the Wii U and that Tablet controller. The Wii U has possiblities. Glad Nintendo is actively mentoring the 3rd parties.

Good job Nintendo. Maybe UbiSofts "Killer Freaks from outer Space" can actually be a great launch title.

If all third parties do is port games from current generation system, then forget it. I am not going to buy Wii U for Ninja Gaiden, Darksiders, Tekken, or Assassins Creed when I can play those games on a system I already own. I highly doubt that the controller specific functions for multiplats will truly take advantage of the Wii U. Developers are not going to make one version superior to the others. Nintendo talks a big game, but we shall see next year if the company will live up to its word.

This is good to hear from Ninty. At least this time third part devs may have more success on the WiiU.

Except I doubt we will see many wiiu features. Expect a lot of third party games with menus and maps on your controller. Don't expect much else.

goblaa

On the Wii we never really saw top tier development teams working on the hardware. It's different this time because the top tier developers are working on the Wii U version, along side the other platforms.

I think they'll still be able to do creative things on the platform. The stuff in Darksiders II for example sounds neat and interesting.

[QUOTE="magiciandude"]I guess we should be expecting more Nintendo character cameos in the the 3rd party games like Samus and Ridley in Dead or Alive Dimensions or Yoshi in Metal Gear 3DS. :PBrunoBRS

Call me old hat but I'm presonally against giving Nintendo franchises over to 3rd parties. The only good collaboration was between Sega and Nintendo for F-Zero GX but aside from that 3rd parties tend to mix-up Nintendo games. Star Fox Assault was a mediocre game and it was made by Namco and Metroid: Other M (co-developed by Kemco), while not a bad game, is not exactly up to "Metroid quality". I hope Mario and Zelda will still be developed by Nintendo themselves and not by 3rd parties. But I do understand why they want to collaborate (they need more man power).

[QUOTE="nameless12345"]

Call me old hat but I'm presonally against giving Nintendo franchises over to 3rd parties. The only good collaboration was between Sega and Nintendo for F-Zero GX but aside from that 3rd parties tend to mix-up Nintendo games. Star Fox Assault was a mediocre game and it was made by Namco and Metroid: Other M (co-developed by Kemco), while not a bad game, is not exactly up to "Metroid quality". I hope Mario and Zelda will still be developed by Nintendo themselves and not by 3rd parties. But I do understand why they want to collaborate (they need more man power).

wiifan001

Retro isn't 3rd party :?

[QUOTE="wiifan001"][QUOTE="nameless12345"]

Call me old hat but I'm presonally against giving Nintendo franchises over to 3rd parties. The only good collaboration was between Sega and Nintendo for F-Zero GX but aside from that 3rd parties tend to mix-up Nintendo games. Star Fox Assault was a mediocre game and it was made by Namco and Metroid: Other M (co-developed by Kemco), while not a bad game, is not exactly up to "Metroid quality". I hope Mario and Zelda will still be developed by Nintendo themselves and not by 3rd parties. But I do understand why they want to collaborate (they need more man power).

WreckEm711

Retro isn't 3rd party :?

Call me old hat but I'm presonally against giving Nintendo franchises over to 3rd parties. The only good collaboration was between Sega and Nintendo for F-Zero GX but aside from that 3rd parties tend to mix-up Nintendo games. Star Fox Assault was a mediocre game and it was made by Namco and Metroid: Other M (co-developed by Kemco), while not a bad game, is not exactly up to "Metroid quality". I hope Mario and Zelda will still be developed by Nintendo themselves and not by 3rd parties. But I do understand why they want to collaborate (they need more man power).

nameless12345

i dont really see anything wrong with letting other companies develop a different take on Nintendo's franchises as long as the quality is good. I know metroid other m wasnt "nintendo" quality but from what i've heard, its still pretty good and unique. As long as other "helping" other compaines doesnt slow down nintendo's own creation of games, i dont see why other creative minds couldnt try and take an established series in a new, one-shot direction.

also, i dont think Nintendo "collaborating" means its giving mario over to another company or something like that. I think it means that Nintendo will help with technical stuff such as optimizing and maybe throw in a little manpower to flush out the kinks in games and make the experience with the wiiu different than the game would be on the ps3 or 360

well the other meaning is nintendo publishing random third party titles, which is just as good :PBrunoBRS

If all third parties do is port games from current generation system, then forget it. I am not going to buy Wii U for Ninja Gaiden, Darksiders, Tekken, or Assassins Creed when I can play those games on a system I already own. I highly doubt that the controller specific functions for multiplats will truly take advantage of the Wii U. Developers are not going to make one version superior to the others. Nintendo talks a big game, but we shall see next year if the company will live up to its word.

gamenerd15

If all third parties do is port games from current generation system, then forget it. I am not going to buy Wii U for Ninja Gaiden, Darksiders, Tekken, or Assassins Creed when I can play those games on a system I already own. I highly doubt that the controller specific functions for multiplats will truly take advantage of the Wii U. Developers are not going to make one version superior to the others. Nintendo talks a big game, but we shall see next year if the company will live up to its word.

gamenerd15

"We've got the [Aliens: Colonial Marines] engine running on the Wii U, and as far as the console goes, you're going to see textures at a resolution that you haven't seen on [the current] generation,"

So as you can see, developers are already making one version better than the other.

My fear is that no matter how involved nintendo is, third party publishers will always be lazy and take the path of least resistance. I fear that wiiu's first year we'll see great 1st party exclusives, and a back catalog of third party multi-plats from the past 5 years. I expect nearly all ports and I expect most of these games will simply move the menu/hud/map to the controller screen and nothing else. Expect no camera support, no motion support, no innovative or unique touch-screen features, no wiimote support. Just the same game we all played on the PS3/360 years ago with a menu on the controller.

Third parties are not going to put in effort. They never do. Some third parties will "attempt" a unique exclusive game, but they will be "tests". They will be quick games with low budget and low risk. They will review poorly and sell poorly. Third parties will point towards these games as proof that the core market is on PS3/360 and we will end up with another console cycle of high quality nintendo games and ports.

What's worse, I expect nintendo will release its games slower now too. This is nintendo's first time dealing with massive budgets and HD. They might not be totally ready.

The only silver lining here is that future multi-plats will be on the wiiu too...but don't expect anything more than a strait port.

goblaa

I see you read iGN on a regular basis lol

That's the same think they said during the Launch of the GameCube and the Wii and even the 3DS. They are the videogames industry biggest liars.soulreaper-4

Third parties are not going to put in effort. They never do. Some third parties will "attempt" a unique exclusive game, but they will be "tests". They will be quick games with low budget and low risk. They will review poorly and sell poorly. Third parties will point towards these games as proof that the core market is on PS3/360 and we will end up with another console cycle of high quality nintendo games and ports.goblaa

Developers saw the Wii hardware and controller as limiting factors, but they're saying the exact opposite about the Wii U.

And they're right. The Wii U hardware won't be limiting at all, at least for the first couple of years (maybe longer), and the controller can ONLY expand on what devs are used to working with. It has a regular control scheme plus a giant screen that they can do anything with.

Instead of seeing unique "test" games like we saw on the Wii (many of which were pretty good), I think we'll see more normal games with added controller screen functionality at first, then maybe devs will branch out and try more unique stuff that wouldn't be possible without the screen.