Nintendo moneyhatting 3rd party exclusives for Wii U?

"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."

Now we're talking.

Oh. It's on like Donkey Kong now.

EDIT: Although by 'investing,' they are most likely referring to software promotion campaigns, hardware bundles, and the like, since nothing in that post really indicates them buying software exclusivity at all.

It's good to hear this from Ninty.Let's hope the WiiU does well next gen.

Oh. It's on like Donkey Kong now.charizard1605

Nintendo bout to throw down :shock:

Perhaps Nintendo is attempting to forge a stronger relationship with 3rd parties, but who knows to what degree they tried with the Gamecube and the Wii. Contrary to the use of the cartridge with the N64, the primary reason for the lack of support was most likely Nintendo's abuse of 3rd party developers. It's been a long time since those days, so I don't quite understand why developers are still shying away from Nintendo even when they have been as successful as they've been with the Wii. But perhaps Nintendo was still difficult to work with in the recent past. They did have bad relations as recent as the Gamecube, as they cheated their business partner, Panasonic.

What's really troubling is recent behavior from NoA. If NoA wont even authorize the release of complete, localized games like Xenoblade then how serious is their American branch really going to be in terms of promoting titles that aren't standard Nintendo fare?

I was happy with the Wii because of the exclusives, i always used my PS3 for multiplats, however it's going to be interesting if this is about to change.

nintendo is not messing around i guess

No matter what Nintendo does, it will always be bashed and criticized to an extreme level in SW. At least Sony and MS are less hated.lordlors

Perhaps Nintendo is attempting to forge a stronger relationship with 3rd parties, but who knows to what degree they tried with the Gamecube and the Wii. Contrary to the use of the cartridge with the N64, the primary reason for the lack of support was most likely Nintendo's abuse of 3rd party developers. It's been a long time since those days, so I don't quite understand why developers are still shying away from Nintendo even when they have been as successful as they've been with the Wii. But perhaps Nintendo was still difficult to work with in the recent past. They did have bad relations as recent as the Gamecube, as they cheated their business partner, Panasonic.

What's really troubling is recent behavior from NoA. If NoA wont even authorize the release of complete, localized games like Xenoblade then how serious is their American branch really going to be in terms of promoting titles that aren't standard Nintendo fare?

hakanakumono

1. Repeat manufacture starts from X thousand units.
Say your game is more popular than you expected (or you were a little too "safe" with first run numbers). If you decide to manufacture more copies, Nintendo says you must start with X thousand (the X is secret because of NDA). Other hardware manufacturers start at 100. There's a massive risk involved for smaller publishers, in particular, here.

2. Manufacture turnaround time is 3-4 weeks.
In the case of DS games, it takes Nintendo 3-4 weeks to manufacture a second run of carts. Other hardware manufacturers have a one week turnaround. When your game is selling like hot cakes, you can understand the need to get extra units out quickly. Nintendo, apparently, doesn't.

3. Manufacturing costs have to be paid 100% upfront
Other hardware manufacturers are not mentioned here, but the example is given that "let's say it costs 1000 yen per unit to manufacture" (actual cost depends on cart size), and if a game is expected to be a big hit and sell 1 million units, that's 1 billion yen that has to be paid upfront. That's a ridiculous amount and causes a bit of a headache as far as company capital goes. He suggests reducing it to 1/3 upfront payment, to ease the problem.

4. Nintendo could try to help with TV advertising
Right now, Nintendo is sponsoring a lot of TV shows via advertising. It would be a good opportunity for Nintendo to sub-let advertising, at a reasonable price to third parties during these programmes.

Oh. It's on like Donkey Kong now.

EDIT: Although by 'investing,' they are most likely referring to software promotion campaigns, hardware bundles, and the like, since nothing in that post really indicates them buying software exclusivity at all.

charizard1605

This is addressing their stockholders specifically, basically telling them not to bail out and to keep investing in them, i'd expect nothing less than that answer. We haven't heard anything concrete, so I wouldn't hold your breath until something (anything) is official

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Perhaps Nintendo is attempting to forge a stronger relationship with 3rd parties, but who knows to what degree they tried with the Gamecube and the Wii. Contrary to the use of the cartridge with the N64, the primary reason for the lack of support was most likely Nintendo's abuse of 3rd party developers. It's been a long time since those days, so I don't quite understand why developers are still shying away from Nintendo even when they have been as successful as they've been with the Wii. But perhaps Nintendo was still difficult to work with in the recent past. They did have bad relations as recent as the Gamecube, as they cheated their business partner, Panasonic.

What's really troubling is recent behavior from NoA. If NoA wont even authorize the release of complete, localized games like Xenoblade then how serious is their American branch really going to be in terms of promoting titles that aren't standard Nintendo fare?

shinrabanshou

1. Repeat manufacture starts from X thousand units.
Say your game is more popular than you expected (or you were a little too "safe" with first run numbers). If you decide to manufacture more copies, Nintendo says you must start with X thousand (the X is secret because of NDA). Other hardware manufacturers start at 100. There's a massive risk involved for smaller publishers, in particular, here.

2. Manufacture turnaround time is 3-4 weeks.
In the case of DS games, it takes Nintendo 3-4 weeks to manufacture a second run of carts. Other hardware manufacturers have a one week turnaround. When your game is selling like hot cakes, you can understand the need to get extra units out quickly. Nintendo, apparently, doesn't.

3. Manufacturing costs have to be paid 100% upfront
Other hardware manufacturers are not mentioned here, but the example is given that "let's say it costs 1000 yen per unit to manufacture" (actual cost depends on cart size), and if a game is expected to be a big hit and sell 1 million units, that's 1 billion yen that has to be paid upfront. That's a ridiculous amount and causes a bit of a headache as far as company capital goes. He suggests reducing it to 1/3 upfront payment, to ease the problem.

4. Nintendo could try to help with TV advertising
Right now, Nintendo is sponsoring a lot of TV shows via advertising. It would be a good opportunity for Nintendo to sub-let advertising, at a reasonable price to third parties during these programmes.

I wasn't aware that these policies were in place. These are the same type of policies that developers considered unfair in the SNES era. No wonder devs still aren't going to Nintendo; they haven't really changed.

oh this will be good. :D

I was happy with the Wii because of the exclusives, i always used my PS3 for multiplats, however it's going to be interesting if this is about to change.

madsnakehhh

Perhaps Nintendo is attempting to forge a stronger relationship with 3rd parties, but who knows to what degree they tried with the Gamecube and the Wii. Contrary to the use of the cartridge with the N64, the primary reason for the lack of support was most likely Nintendo's abuse of 3rd party developers. It's been a long time since those days, so I don't quite understand why developers are still shying away from Nintendo even when they have been as successful as they've been with the Wii. But perhaps Nintendo was still difficult to work with in the recent past. They did have bad relations as recent as the Gamecube, as they cheated their business partner, Panasonic.

What's really troubling is recent behavior from NoA. If NoA wont even authorize the release of complete, localized games like Xenoblade then how serious is their American branch really going to be in terms of promoting titles that aren't standard Nintendo fare?

I don't really think this is anything new, though -- Nintendo regularly partners with 3rd party devs to make exclusives. Just off of my head in 2010, I can think of Good Feel (Kirby's Epic Yarn), Treasure (Sin and Punishment), Arika (Endless Ocean), Team Ninja (Metroid: Other M), etc.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Perhaps Nintendo is attempting to forge a stronger relationship with 3rd parties, but who knows to what degree they tried with the Gamecube and the Wii. Contrary to the use of the cartridge with the N64, the primary reason for the lack of support was most likely Nintendo's abuse of 3rd party developers. It's been a long time since those days, so I don't quite understand why developers are still shying away from Nintendo even when they have been as successful as they've been with the Wii. But perhaps Nintendo was still difficult to work with in the recent past. They did have bad relations as recent as the Gamecube, as they cheated their business partner, Panasonic.

What's really troubling is recent behavior from NoA. If NoA wont even authorize the release of complete, localized games like Xenoblade then how serious is their American branch really going to be in terms of promoting titles that aren't standard Nintendo fare?

InfinityMugen

What situation in particular are you talking about?

I was happy with the Wii because of the exclusives, i always used my PS3 for multiplats, however it's going to be interesting if this is about to change.

madsnakehhh

I really think that situation is overplayed. Nintendo helped with the marketing of Dragon Quest 9, and Monster Hunter Tri, so they're willing to promote games that aren't theirs. InfinityMugen

[QUOTE="InfinityMugen"][QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Perhaps Nintendo is attempting to forge a stronger relationship with 3rd parties, but who knows to what degree they tried with the Gamecube and the Wii. Contrary to the use of the cartridge with the N64, the primary reason for the lack of support was most likely Nintendo's abuse of 3rd party developers. It's been a long time since those days, so I don't quite understand why developers are still shying away from Nintendo even when they have been as successful as they've been with the Wii. But perhaps Nintendo was still difficult to work with in the recent past. They did have bad relations as recent as the Gamecube, as they cheated their business partner, Panasonic.

What's really troubling is recent behavior from NoA. If NoA wont even authorize the release of complete, localized games like Xenoblade then how serious is their American branch really going to be in terms of promoting titles that aren't standard Nintendo fare?

What situation in particular are you talking about?

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

[QUOTE="InfinityMugen"] I really think that situation is overplayed. Nintendo helped with the marketing of Dragon Quest 9, and Monster Hunter Tri, so they're willing to promote games that aren't theirs. InfinityMugen

What situation in particular are you talking about?

Nintendo literally has a high quality game thrown in front of them and they're refusing to release it. It's already been localized; all they have to do is print it for a system that's continued to struggle with it's console library. And they're refusing to release it. The only thing they can do is profit - and they're refusing to release it.

Nintendo deserves every bit of criticism for the move.

No matter what Nintendo does, it will always be bashed and criticized to an extreme level in SW. lordlors

[QUOTE="InfinityMugen"][QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

What situation in particular are you talking about?

hakanakumono

Nintendo literally has a high quality game thrown in front of them and they're refusing to release it. It's already been localized; all they have to do is print it for a system that's continued to struggle with it's console library. And they're refusing to release it. The only thing they can do is profit - and they're refusing to release it.

Nintendo deserves every bit of criticism for the move.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

[QUOTE="InfinityMugen"] Project Rainfall and NOA.nintendoboy16

Nintendo literally has a high quality game thrown in front of them and they're refusing to release it. It's already been localized; all they have to do is print it for a system that's continued to struggle with it's console library. And they're refusing to release it. The only thing they can do is profit - and they're refusing to release it.

Nintendo deserves every bit of criticism for the move.

There's a difference between criticizing the company and forming a boycott. In all likelyhood, the boycott will do no real damage and may even encourage the behavior.

[QUOTE="nintendoboy16"]

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

Nintendo literally has a high quality game thrown in front of them and they're refusing to release it. It's already been localized; all they have to do is print it for a system that's continued to struggle with it's console library. And they're refusing to release it. The only thing they can do is profit - and they're refusing to release it.

Nintendo deserves every bit of criticism for the move.

hakanakumono

There's a difference between criticizing the company and forming a boycott. In all likelyhood, the boycott will do no real damage and may even encourage the behavior.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

[QUOTE="nintendoboy16"] But is a boycott necessary?

nintendoboy16

There's a difference between criticizing the company and forming a boycott. In all likelyhood, the boycott will do no real damage and may even encourage the behavior.

I think you're overestimating any boycott. "Operation Rainfall" is not directly affiliated with any boycott. A small group involved may boycott Nintendo, but it wont likely have any visible results.

The day Mario doesn't come to America is the day Nintendo doesn't come to America. But if anything, not supporting titles like Xenoblade means we'll get less titles like Xenoblade. That's pretty stupid.

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

[QUOTE="nintendoboy16"] But is a boycott necessary?

nintendoboy16

There's a difference between criticizing the company and forming a boycott. In all likelyhood, the boycott will do no real damage and may even encourage the behavior.

[QUOTE="nintendoboy16"]

[QUOTE="hakanakumono"]

There's a difference between criticizing the company and forming a boycott. In all likelyhood, the boycott will do no real damage and may even encourage the behavior.

93BlackHawk93

[QUOTE="lordlors"]No matter what Nintendo does, it will always be bashed and criticized to an extreme level in SW. nintendoboy16

I haven't seen hate for sonic on this board for awhile, but I seen it on others places on the internet.

I don't think there is a real organized boycott. Just some gamers giving up on Nintendo and not buying another system that doesn't suit thier tastes.

[QUOTE="InfinityMugen"]I really think that situation is overplayed. Nintendo helped with the marketing of Dragon Quest 9, and Monster Hunter Tri, so they're willing to promote games that aren't theirs. shinrabanshou

They haven't really said much to convince me this is more 3rd party friendly, the Wii U's only advantage over the Wii that I can see is that it'll allow more multiplatform titles to go to the Wii U and not just the Xbox 360 and PS3 because of hardware limitations, which is good, but one of the big problems with the Wii was that publishers were releasing exclusives and multiplatforms and they didn't sell very well on the Wii, the system had excellent 1st party game sales but nobody was buying the other games. Nothing they've said has really showed they'll be able remedy this.lamprey263

Cause most of the other games on the Wii were ports, and the majority of the third-party exculisives on the wii were nothig gto buy a system over,

IMO, Nintendo has done all it could to provide a system that third parties actually want to work with on in the WiiU. It's now up to developers to make games that will actually sell on the system.