Will 3rd party companies slowly abandon the PS360 and go Wii?

This might come as a surprise to many, but I have a feeling there will be a sea change within the coming months regarding 3rd party support. But most of the big titles are announced for the PS3/360... for now, yes that's true, but at some point, 3rd party companies will have to accommodate Wii owners and release some of their bigger blockbusters.

And what will be the turning point? Well, its all in the numbers. Right now, the Wii is trouncing the competition in nearly every region in the world... we all know the numbers by now so I won't repeat them, but I will say that the Wii will likely outsell the 360 and PS3 combined in most regions, and in Japan's case, it will probably outsell both by 4-to-1.

But TDLlama, we don't play sales. We all know that's rubbish... we play sales when it suits us.

So it was obvious that 3rd party developers were caught with their pants down and had to release something just to make themselves known among the Wii owners... but many developers still have their pants down around their knees and they still have money to make on the PS3/360 before the Wii domination really sets in.

Now we won't see the shift this year, but 2009 will see a Nintendo 3rd party Renaissance of sorts and in 2010-11, we might see some major exclusives change hands. We've heard the Kingdom Hearts 3 rumors, but we can we see Final Fantasy XIV as a Wii exclusive? Dragon Quest X? Maybe even Guitar Hero V? Even... shockingly... the next Grand Theft Auto game? Stranger things have happened. So maybe a Wii exclusive GTA or Guitar Hero game might be as likely as getting struck by lightning and winning the lottery, but if Rockstar doesn't release a GTA game on the Wii, they will miss a huge opportunity and Nintendo could theoretically throw some money at Activision and force them to make Guitar Hero V a Wii exclusive.

And while established franchises are less likely to be switching over to the Wii in huge numbers, new IPs will flock to the Wii in droves. Why spend millions of dollars and over 3 years in development when you can make a Wii game that costs less to make in less time? Companies are more willing to experiment with new franchises than their more established ones. And they won't be just casual games... companies will invest in so-called "bridge" games and "hardcore" games in a variety of genres, perhaps even shooters, RPGs and fighting games.

There's a good chance the Wii will sell 100 million units over its lifespan and a majority of those will not own a 360 or PS3... so you can't leave over 50 million people out, right?

While everything I said above sounds fanboyish and ludicrous, it could happen if the Wii blows out the two HD consoles. The Gamecube was pretty much abandoned after the first few years and the Nintendo 64 caused a 3rd party exodus so why not the PS360?

It's an interesting thought, but one I think has almost no merit.

The Wii, will get more support for sure, but I think the sales will eventually slow down. Even if they didn't, and the Wii became the NEW PS2, I don't think it will. You see prices will come down, and that is when the Wii will start losing sales.

It's fanbase is a very widespread demographic, and you don't have to put too much effort when making games on it to make a decent seller.
Besides that, 3rd parties are kind of being scared away when they see how their potential product will do vs. Nintendo's games.

The PC has a marketshare larger than the PS3, 360, and Wii combined. Its entirely possible that many developers choose to completely ignore a platform despite many millions of users. The userbase isnt the only reason that developers choose to make the game for said platform.

If anything i wouldn't be surprised if the Wii continues to get ignored. Companies often try to push the graphical boundaries of other titles in an attempt to make their game more competative. Companies can do this by exploiting the still young hardware that hasn't been completely tapped. Thats not the case with the Wii. Most game companies cant compete graphically considering how well understood and "old" its hardware is. The best way to stand out as a Wii title is in unique gameplay or visuals. Neither of the two are well suited for PS3/360 multiplats and this day and age of FPS popularity.

It's an interesting thought, but one I think has almost no merit.

The Wii, will get more support for sure, but I think the sales will eventually slow down. Even if they didn't, and the Wii became the NEW PS2, I don't think it will. You see prices will come down, and that is when the Wii will start losing sales.

It's fanbase is a very widespread demographic, and you don't have to put too much effort when making games on it to make a decent seller.
Besides that, 3rd parties are kind of being scared away when they see how their potential product will do vs. Nintendo's games.

SolidTy

Some interesting points, but Wii demand is still high after almost 2 years and there are no signs of it slowing down... but that accounts for 2008 only, so post-holiday season could se a dropoff.

While 3rd parties are still hesitant to face Nintendo head-on, there are a number of genres that Nintendo don't usually dabble in (shooters, RPGs, traditional fighters) and a number of companies can take advantage of that. Imagine if Final Fantasy XIV was released on the Wii... the Japanese market alone would send sales through the roof.

When the PS3 was not selling as well and has the Wii a number of companies like EA and Capcom. Said they were going to take some of their team which were working on PS3 games to have them work on Wii games. Now what happening is that we are not seeing these moves yet, But as Capcom said it no company expected the Wii to do good. A great 3rd game takes 2 to 3 years to make. So what you see now may be nothing compared to what we will see on the Wii next year. Case in point even though it going to be targeted at younger crowd Value has even expressed the fact they want to do a Wii game. This is something you would never have expected them to say. When you count in the fact they did not even want to do a PS3 game.

Nah... PS360 will stay the same and Wii's will get better.m_machine024

most likely

Nah... PS360 will stay the same and Wii's will get better.m_machine024

Good point great time to get into gaming. So many gaming formats seem to be doing so good.

Nah... PS360 will stay the same and Wii's will get better.m_machine024

That does seem like the more likely outcome this gen, but most of us agree that 3rd party Wii support will increase... how much it goes up remains to be seen.

You're going a bit too far ahead of yourself comparing the PS3/360 to the N64, when that just simply isn't the case. Furthermore I'll tell you why things wont change, something which you've stated very well in your own post:

"So it was obvious that 3rd party developers were caught with their pants down and had to release something just to make themselves known among the Wii owners..."

Why? Why would Capcom toss out Resident Evil 6, or whatever big-budget RE spin off they work out next, on a console that doesn't have the userbase to be able to recognize a good game when they see it? I think it's well stated that the vast majority of gamers on the PS3/360 are very much different than that of the Wii.

Why would EA make BioWare work on a game a Wii game? Or rather, why did Ready At Dawn say they weren't going to do anymore games on the Wii? Just thinking of developers who work exclusively on the PS3/360, or the development teams that are geared towards those consoles, alone makes me think that in the end, although the Wii might sell a lot, it still wont recieve big budget games.

Except that with a few exceptions, most third party games don't sell much better than they did on GC. Just because a system has higher install base, doesn't mean a devs games are sure to sell better on it. (several games ported from GC to PS2 sold worse on PS2, and many cult classics on PS2 with 100 million potential buyers have bombed horribly) Devs will continue to put games on 360 and PS3 that appeal to that base. Increased third party support for Wii just means more ultra crappy shareware gimmick games meant to sell to grandma and Aunt Hilda.Iszk

I don't know who wrote this, i meant to say NINTENDO Wii?????MOAR LIEK NINTENDO Pii!!!!!!!1!!!1

The PC has a marketshare larger than the PS3, 360, and Wii combined. Its entirely possible that many developers choose to completely ignore a platform despite many millions of users. The userbase isnt the only reason that developers choose to make the game for said platform.

If anything i wouldn't be surprised if the Wii continues to get ignored. Companies often try to push the graphical boundaries of other titles in an attempt to make their game more competative. Companies can do this by exploiting the still young hardware that hasn't been completely tapped. Thats not the case with the Wii. Most game companies cant compete graphically considering how well understood and "old" its hardware is. The best way to stand out as a Wii title is in unique gameplay or visuals. Neither of the two are well suited for PS3/360 multiplats and this day and age of FPS popularity.

XaosII

Actaully, if you notice the number of titles shared between the 360 and PC, and who can forget with PS3 fans cramming in our faces, the 360, and to a lesser extent the PS3 will be fine, when a game is coded for the 360 it easily ports to the PC, making it easy to take advantage of that market

The Wii is a neat toy, but lets not forget where third party companies are still making thier money, on the 360, ask Rockstar

[QUOTE="XaosII"]

The PC has a marketshare larger than the PS3, 360, and Wii combined. Its entirely possible that many developers choose to completely ignore a platform despite many millions of users. The userbase isnt the only reason that developers choose to make the game for said platform.

If anything i wouldn't be surprised if the Wii continues to get ignored. Companies often try to push the graphical boundaries of other titles in an attempt to make their game more competative. Companies can do this by exploiting the still young hardware that hasn't been completely tapped. Thats not the case with the Wii. Most game companies cant compete graphically considering how well understood and "old" its hardware is. The best way to stand out as a Wii title is in unique gameplay or visuals. Neither of the two are well suited for PS3/360 multiplats and this day and age of FPS popularity.

crispytheone88

Actaully, if you notice the number of titles shared between the 360 and PC, and who can forget with PS3 fans cramming in our faces, the 360, and to a lesser extent the PS3 will be fine, when a game is coded for the 360 it easily ports to the PC, making it easy to take advantage of that market

The Wii is a neat toy, but lets not forget where third party companies are still making thier money, on the 360, ask Rockstar

and you know why ?

what would happened if they would release re5 on the wii and not the 360 or ps3

what would happened if gta4 was a wii title and not on the 360 or ps3 ?

the only reason why 3rt party dont make money on the wii is course they dont release there big titles on it ! and you ask why ??

do you really believe if they release one of those crappy ports or low end graphic games on the 360 or ps3 it would sell better ?

wake up my friend

You're going a bit too far ahead of yourself comparing the PS3/360 to the N64, when that just simply isn't the case. Furthermore I'll tell you why things wont change, something which you've stated very well in your own post:

"So it was obvious that 3rd party developers were caught with their pants down and had to release something just to make themselves known among the Wii owners..."

Why? Why would Capcom toss out Resident Evil 6, or whatever big-budget RE spin off they work out next, on a console that doesn't have the userbase to be able to recognize a good game when they see it? I think it's well stated that the vast majority of gamers on the PS3/360 are very much different than that of the Wii.

Why would EA make BioWare work on a game a Wii game? Or rather, why did Ready At Dawn say they weren't going to do anymore games on the Wii? Just thinking of developers who work exclusively on the PS3/360, or the development teams that are geared towards those consoles, alone makes me think that in the end, although the Wii might sell a lot, it still wont recieve big budget games.

elbow2k

Why would Capcom stick anything on the Wii is a suprise to me! C'mon now RE4, RE:UC sold a million plus each! Thats not enough of a reason to create a new RE for the Wii? Hmmmm... Sky Crawlers looks awesome BTW. There is also 2 games to be revealed by Capcom at E3 for the Wii.

Yes the Wii market and PS3/Xbox market are differant! Adults play the Wii while kids claming to be adults play the PS360! 3rd party also outsells 1st party games everywhere but Japan on the Wii.

EA are bringing out titles for the Wii! Theres several in development. Ready at dawn? Who......?? I'm sorry but exclusive means exclusive as in you make for one system! PS360 is 2 systems and not actually exclusive! EA dont make exclusives they make rehashes.

Big Budgets games dont mean it will be success! The Wii can do low budget games and still have a cracking game like No More Heroes (it sucked IMO) and then you can have big budget games like Red Steel which had like 10 million spent upon it and failed in many peoples opinions. Unlike the PS360 the Wii doesnt need a collosal ammount of money to create something of excellence.

[QUOTE="crispytheone88"][QUOTE="XaosII"]

The PC has a marketshare larger than the PS3, 360, and Wii combined. Its entirely possible that many developers choose to completely ignore a platform despite many millions of users. The userbase isnt the only reason that developers choose to make the game for said platform.

If anything i wouldn't be surprised if the Wii continues to get ignored. Companies often try to push the graphical boundaries of other titles in an attempt to make their game more competative. Companies can do this by exploiting the still young hardware that hasn't been completely tapped. Thats not the case with the Wii. Most game companies cant compete graphically considering how well understood and "old" its hardware is. The best way to stand out as a Wii title is in unique gameplay or visuals. Neither of the two are well suited for PS3/360 multiplats and this day and age of FPS popularity.

fishfake

Actaully, if you notice the number of titles shared between the 360 and PC, and who can forget with PS3 fans cramming in our faces, the 360, and to a lesser extent the PS3 will be fine, when a game is coded for the 360 it easily ports to the PC, making it easy to take advantage of that market

The Wii is a neat toy, but lets not forget where third party companies are still making thier money, on the 360, ask Rockstar

and you know why ?

what would happened if they would release re5 on the wii and not the 360 or ps3

what would happened if gta4 was a wii title and not on the 360 or ps3 ?

the only reason why 3rt party dont make money on the wii is course they dont release there big titles on it ! and you ask why ??

do you really believe if they release one of those crappy ports or low end graphic games on the 360 or ps3 it would sell better ?

wake up my friend

The Wii dont need trash from R*! We have shovel-ware coming out our eyeballs already, No point in wanting more.

What would happen if RE5 went to Wii? loads people would be happy. I dont expect RE5 to be released upon the Wii but i expect some spin off of some kind! I hope the next one does not dissapoint me in the same way number 4.

nope. the wii will certainly get more 3rd party support (and hopefully better quality titles from them too) but abandon the other 2? i cant see it for a few reasons

1) 3rd parties dont make exclusives anymore really so they have 2 choices with a project. either support the Wii (thriving and growing), PS2 (growth stalled and game sales declining) and PSP ( user base growing but very low software sales) OR support the PS3 (growing in sales and game sales), 360 (growing in sales and game sales) and PC (nobody has a clue what the PC is up to...not even the PC....its that far out on the cutting edge :P). depending on the title, the PC, 360 and PS3 route is still a perfectly feasible route to take and can lead to massive profits..even with the added complexity and higher production costs. for devs to outright abandon the other platforms, it would need to outsell the PS3, 360 and PC combined in terms fo consoles and software sold. thats not going to happen.

2) the wii doesent suit everything, just like the traditional console doesent suit everything. some projects just wouldnt be feasible on the wii....like soul caliber 4 which would be rubbish with the wiimote.

3) markets: shooters sell on the 360, PC and to a lesser extent the PS3. despite the wii beiong better for shooters compared to the other consoles (PC is best at shooters of course), shooters are not selling to well on the wii (though that could be because most of them are trash....just a thought :P). this is still a grey area mind since devs havent really tested the waters with the wii and genres like shooters or big RPGs and such like.

as far as the wii is concerned, i think alot of big devs are going to stick to their guns. capcom will release RE5 on PS3 and 360 as planned...dont bet on a wii version. GTA4 on wii will not happen, nor will the sequal. Epic will not touch the wii with a barge pole....they dispise the thing. chances are we wont see a game from crytek on the wii, even so they have dev kits. ubisofts best wont be going near the wii either....there now working on the new POP for the other platforms. i dont think any of that will change to be honest. i do think we will see an improvement from the big 3rd party publishers whos devisions are working on the wii...but we wont be getting their A game so to speak.

however, its the smaller 3rd party devs that i think will really bring the level up. companies like frontier games with games like lost winds. i think ninty should start focusing more on these kinds of devs. the wii is a perfect conduit for their creativity and ideas and it could lead to ninty getting their next rare, so to speak. i think thats where alot of wiis 3rd party strength will come from.

Or rather, why did Ready At Dawn say they weren't going to do anymore games on the Wii?

elbow2k

Urrm..what. They said they aren't making any more PSP titles and are now developing EXCLUSIVELY for Wii.

[QUOTE="crispytheone88"][QUOTE="XaosII"]

The PC has a marketshare larger than the PS3, 360, and Wii combined. Its entirely possible that many developers choose to completely ignore a platform despite many millions of users. The userbase isnt the only reason that developers choose to make the game for said platform.

If anything i wouldn't be surprised if the Wii continues to get ignored. Companies often try to push the graphical boundaries of other titles in an attempt to make their game more competative. Companies can do this by exploiting the still young hardware that hasn't been completely tapped. Thats not the case with the Wii. Most game companies cant compete graphically considering how well understood and "old" its hardware is. The best way to stand out as a Wii title is in unique gameplay or visuals. Neither of the two are well suited for PS3/360 multiplats and this day and age of FPS popularity.

fishfake

Actaully, if you notice the number of titles shared between the 360 and PC, and who can forget with PS3 fans cramming in our faces, the 360, and to a lesser extent the PS3 will be fine, when a game is coded for the 360 it easily ports to the PC, making it easy to take advantage of that market

The Wii is a neat toy, but lets not forget where third party companies are still making thier money, on the 360, ask Rockstar

and you know why ?

what would happened if they would release re5 on the wii and not the 360 or ps3

what would happened if gta4 was a wii title and not on the 360 or ps3 ?

the only reason why 3rt party dont make money on the wii is course they dont release there big titles on it ! and you ask why ??

do you really believe if they release one of those crappy ports or low end graphic games on the 360 or ps3 it would sell better ?

wake up my friend

I am awake, and looking at dust covered Wii sitting under my TV. I do like it, but it does not get played nearly as often as the 360, by me or my kids

Resident Evil was relesed on the Wii

GTA is selling very very well on the 360 and PS3, does the biggest entertainment event in history mean anything, how about the second biggest in history, Halo 3

The reason they realese those crappy games on the Wii and not the 360 or Ps3 is because the majority of gamers who own those systems know better, and the mom buying a game for her kids, or the instructor buying games for the nursing home, have no idea, Wii is the master casual console

There is no reason to invest the money to code a specific game for one platform, when the majority of titles sold for it are geared towards children, and the elderly, M rated games sell, and sell alot on PS3 and 360

The PC has a marketshare larger than the PS3, 360, and Wii combined. Its entirely possible that many developers choose to completely ignore a platform despite many millions of users. The userbase isnt the only reason that developers choose to make the game for said platform.

If anything i wouldn't be surprised if the Wii continues to get ignored. Companies often try to push the graphical boundaries of other titles in an attempt to make their game more competative. Companies can do this by exploiting the still young hardware that hasn't been completely tapped. Thats not the case with the Wii. Most game companies cant compete graphically considering how well understood and "old" its hardware is. The best way to stand out as a Wii title is in unique gameplay or visuals. Neither of the two are well suited for PS3/360 multiplats and this day and age of FPS popularity.

XaosII

Nah... PS360 will stay the same and Wii's will get better.m_machine024

i agree. i see 3rd party going more multiplat but shifting to more emphasis on the wii versions than what we've seen so far.

Except that with a few exceptions, most third party games don't sell much better than they did on GC. Just because a system has higher install base, doesn't mean a devs games are sure to sell better on it. (several games ported from GC to PS2 sold worse on PS2, and many cult classics on PS2 with 100 million potential buyers have bombed horribly) Devs will continue to put games on 360 and PS3 that appeal to that base. Increased third party support for Wii just means more ultra crappy shareware gimmick games meant to sell to grandma and Aunt Hilda.Iszk

but doesn't that make sense because with few exceptions most 3rd party for the wii have sucked?

[QUOTE="elbow2k"]

You're going a bit too far ahead of yourself comparing the PS3/360 to the N64, when that just simply isn't the case. Furthermore I'll tell you why things wont change, something which you've stated very well in your own post:

"So it was obvious that 3rd party developers were caught with their pants down and had to release something just to make themselves known among the Wii owners..."

Why? Why would Capcom toss out Resident Evil 6, or whatever big-budget RE spin off they work out next, on a console that doesn't have the userbase to be able to recognize a good game when they see it? I think it's well stated that the vast majority of gamers on the PS3/360 are very much different than that of the Wii.

Why would EA make BioWare work on a game a Wii game? Or rather, why did Ready At Dawn say they weren't going to do anymore games on the Wii? Just thinking of developers who work exclusively on the PS3/360, or the development teams that are geared towards those consoles, alone makes me think that in the end, although the Wii might sell a lot, it still wont recieve big budget games.

Dibdibdobdobo

Why would Capcom stick anything on the Wii is a suprise to me! C'mon now RE4, RE:UC sold a million plus each! Thats not enough of a reason to create a new RE for the Wii? Hmmmm... Sky Crawlers looks awesome BTW. There is also 2 games to be revealed by Capcom at E3 for the Wii.

Yes the Wii market and PS3/Xbox market are differant! Adults play the Wii while kids claming to be adults play the PS360! 3rd party also outsells 1st party games everywhere but Japan on the Wii.

EA are bringing out titles for the Wii! Theres several in development. Ready at dawn? Who......?? I'm sorry but exclusive means exclusive as in you make for one system! PS360 is 2 systems and not actually exclusive! EA dont make exclusives they make rehashes.

Big Budgets games dont mean it will be success! The Wii can do low budget games and still have a cracking game like No More Heroes (it sucked IMO) and then you can have big budget games like Red Steel which had like 10 million spent upon it and failed in many peoples opinions. Unlike the PS360 the Wii doesnt need a collosal ammount of money to create something of excellence.

This is really to the guy you quoted, when did ready at dawn say they are not making anymore Wii games?

I am awake, and looking at dust covered Wii sitting under my TV. I do like it, but it does not get played nearly as often as the 360, by me or my kids

I reccomend cleaning your house. If your console is dirty that probaly means your house aswell!

Resident Evil was relesed on the Wii

RE:UC was released upon the Wii and RE4 is a port

GTA is selling very very well on the 360 and PS3, does the biggest entertainment event in history mean anything, how about the second biggest in history, Halo 3

Mario Galaxy sold well, Mario and Sonic at the olympics, Mario Kart, Wii fit... Oh and no its not the biggest event in history of gaming! nintendogs was.

The reason they realese those crappy games on the Wii and not the 360 or Ps3 is because the majority of gamers who own those systems know better, and the mom buying a game for her kids, or the instructor buying games for the nursing home, have no idea, Wii is the master casual console

I'm 23 and been playing games for over 18 years. I know better than to buy shovelware/Rockstar/ crap games! hell im not even a mother! nor am i elderly. Hey im old enough to buy 18+ games like GTA4 but instead chose the route of not playing rehashes of last gens games. GTA4 is casual, COD4 is casual, R6V:2 is casual and pants, GT5 is a Demo. Oh noooez the casual fib dont work no longer. I enjoy something which feels fresh! PS360 are still lacking from Carbon copy syndrome of yesteryears games.

There is no reason to invest the money to code a specific game for one platform, when the majority of titles sold for it are geared towards children, and the elderly, M rated games sell, and sell alot on PS3 and 360

Thats due to little kids thinking "OMG iz a 19 yr owd game Itz gut Blood in iz, itz mus Be kewl" instead of thinking "game looks cool but i wonder how it controls" and "OMGz itz gut a shutgun /wocket launcher combo weapon" instead of "Meh a shotgun on a shooting game, How orignal" and finally "I IZ to Ardkorn to kollect starz i wanna collect Skullz" . having a M rating dont mean a game is good! having good controls does though.

You proved you was a fake as you mentioned *M* rated games instead of fun games!

Pure hyperbole in my opinion, When games like GTA4, MGS4, HALO3, Oblivion, COD4 are selling Millions over the space of such a short time, i doubt devs are going to basically take a step back with the engines they are using.

Also jumping a franchise over to a system that has no previous sales figures for major franchises that are proven to sell well to the PS3/360/PC demographic is crazy talk.

What will happen at the absolute worst is, Wii versions will be planned, and they will either be stripped down PS3/360/PC versions of major games, or the 360/PS3/PC versions will be highed res'd higher texture detailed versions.

If anything like FF goes Wii exclusive ill never forgive Square or Nintendo, because it will be a total step back in my opinion, its never going to happen though.

The Wii is popular. Very, very popular. It outsold both the PS3 and the 360 because it's half the price of those consoles and because of its innovative control system. However, this success is unlikely to last very long because seriously, the Wii has very little appeal as a next gen gaming system.

Gamers now-a-days are getting more and more selective. Forums of new games are now strewn with complaints of how "not" open-ended the game is, how it doesn't feel as real as that "other" game and how repetitive it is. Gamers want to be dazzled. They've seen Crysis, Assassin's Creed, GTA IV, MGS 4. Their expectations are at an all time high. Even very good games are now severely criticized for very minor flaws. At a time like this, the Wii simply can't support the enormous scale of the games both the game industry and the gamers are eyeing.

The Wii is fun. Even a PS3/360 fanboy can't deny that. But almost all of the big new titles, games that are defining gaming today and setting standards for tomorrow, can't possibly be run on a Wii. The Wii is not like the PS2. It's very weak in terms of sheer power. Games for the Wii will definitely continue to pour out, no doubt about that. But developers "abandoning" PS360 in favor of the Wii is a very unlikely scenario.

Here's an interesting point to ponder. Many of the people who bought a Wii when it came out will buy a PS3/360 in 2008/09 when these consoles get cheaper (which they definitely will). Let's face it, no hardcore gamer can resist the temptation of playing DMC4, Fable 2, FFXIII, God of war 3, Gears of war 2, Gran Tourismo 5, RE5, Halo 3, MGS 4, Alone in the dark, Bioshock, Killzone 2, Ninja Gaiden 2 and so many more titles there already are and many more scheduled to come. However, few (yes there will be some) PS360 owners will buy a Wii in 2008/09. So as you can see, the sales of PS360 (particularly the PS3) will continue well into 2010 and beyond. Game developers (including 3rd party companies) always flock to wherever the gamer puts his money. And for now, we all know where the money will be a year from now.

The Wii is popular. Very, very popular. It outsold both the PS3 and the 360 because it's half the price of those consoles and because of its innovative control system. However, this success is unlikely to last very long because seriously, the Wii has very little appeal as a next gen gaming system.

Gamers now-a-days are getting more and more selective. Forums of new games are now strewn with complaints of how "not" open-ended the game is, how it doesn't feel as real as that "other" game and how repetitive it is. Gamers want to be dazzled. They've seen Crysis, Assassin's Creed, GTA IV, MGS 4. Their expectations are at an all time high. Even very good games are now severely criticized for very minor flaws. At a time like this, the Wii simply can't support the enormous scale of the games both the game industry and the gamers are eyeing.

The Wii is fun. Even a PS3/360 fanboy can't deny that. But almost all of the big new titles, games that are defining gaming today and setting standards for tomorrow, can't possibly be run on a Wii. The Wii is not like the PS2. It's very weak in terms of sheer power. Games for the Wii will definitely continue to pour out, no doubt about that. But developers "abandoning" PS360 in favor of the Wii is a very unlikely scenario.

Here's an interesting point to ponder. Many of the people who bought a Wii when it came out will buy a PS3/360 in 2008/09 when these consoles get cheaper (which they definitely will). Let's face it, no hardcore gamer can resist the temptation of playing DMC4, Fable 2, FFXIII, God of war 3, Gears of war 2, Gran Tourismo 5, RE5, Halo 3, MGS 4, Alone in the dark, Bioshock, Killzone 2, Ninja Gaiden 2 and so many more titles there already are and many more scheduled to come. However, few (yes there will be some) PS360 owners will buy a Wii in 2008/09. So as you can see, the sales of PS360 (particularly the PS3) will continue well into 2010 and beyond. Game developers (including 3rd party companies) always flock to wherever the gamer puts his money. And for now, we all know where the money will be a year from now.

its been a while now that the wii has been selling like crazy and it doesn't seem to stop. while the wii has been selling like crazy, it still hasn't got the full third party support like it should have. only a few exclusives have been announced without much big fanfare, monster hunter 3, fatal frame and most recently tenchu 4.

The nintendo wii is number one and it still doesnt' get the best third party treatment is deserves. Usually when a system is selling well, mostly all of the big and popular franchises go to that system. It makes sense money wise$$$$$. But so far it hasn't happened. We have to wait at E3 to see what its store for all three systems. Sony cant' afford to lose any more exclusives to nintendo, because that would spell the end for the ps3.

The Wii is selling very well, and that success should continue. However, in terms of third party games, big sellers are still few and far between. Guitar Hero has proven very successful, for instance, and some of Capcom's Resident Evil spinoffs have done pretty well at retail, but beyond that, Wii games not produced by Nintendo have only met with modest success at best.

Meanwhile, many third-party 360 and PS3 titles have been able to sell very well, like Call of Duty 4, Grand Theft Auto 4, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and Army of Two, just to throw some names out there. Third party developers see that they can make money on the platform. They'd be foolish to abandon it.

Until third parties can be sure of getting a return on their investment in the Wii, the situation won't change.

It's an interesting thought, but one I think has almost no merit.

The Wii, will get more support for sure, but I think the sales will eventually slow down. Even if they didn't, and the Wii became the NEW PS2, I don't think it will. You see prices will come down, and that is when the Wii will start losing sales.

It's fanbase is a very widespread demographic, and you don't have to put too much effort when making games on it to make a decent seller.
Besides that, 3rd parties are kind of being scared away when they see how their potential product will do vs. Nintendo's games.

SolidTy

You don't think Nintendo can lower the price too? :roll:

possibly, monster hunter fatal frame and tenchu have.

other franchises but isee wii getting better not PS360 getting worse. It all depend on the open mindedness of the developer. For example platinum are willing to put mature games on wii. Capcom is willing to experiment with the wii and so is high voltage. hopfully more will follow suit

All this talk of growing support began one and a half year ago. What have we seen? An explosion of game announcements from 3rd parties. But most important of all, announcements of NEW IPs, and that is something that we'll see even more of from now even with continued growth of hardware/software sales.

What you speculate in terms of the big-name games, i believe is unlikely. Although there may be a scattering of titles in which it may hold true - like Monster Hunter, Tenchu. I think publishers fear alienating their current consumers. So if they do decide to cash in on their big-name franchises, they'd most likely be spin-offs. That isn't to say that they'd be bad though.

All in all, my Wii is going to provide a plethora of new IPs amongst the usual quality Nintendo outings. I'll be looking forward to those niche, and new IP titles.