Software developers worried about the Wii, hesitant to make games

With shortages possibly running into early 2008, it would appear that the Wii is a clear-cut success in the current generation of consoles. So why are software companies so nervous to develop games for Nintendo's white wonder?

IGN reports on a recent article from The Nikkei Business Daily. After speaking to a number of software houses on the future of the Wii, The Business Daily reveals that several developers, preferring to stay anonymous, expressed concerns over the longevity of the system, and were hesitant to develop games in the event of the Wii's popularity dropping suddenly.

Several houses perceive the motion-sensing Wii as a fad, and believe its success to be ending shortly. This could possibly be in response to the Wii's sales in Japan, which The Nikkei Business Daily reports are at their lowest point since late last year. Several developers also blamed Nintendo for their hesitancy, claiming that the company puts third-party developers at a disadvantage while ensuring the success of first-party titles. It remains to be seen if any of this Wii fear is justifiable, although a lack of third-party confidence is never a good sign for a console manufacturer.

Reader Comments (164)

dude you should try buying games from third parties not just Nintendo games. You talk about nintendo fanboys and then you mention metroid prime, wii sports, zelda and waiting for Mario galaxy.

I think they problem here is people just buy nintendo games and nothing else, exactly what you are talking about.

I wonder why the DS is doing so well, even when it was considered a fad. Could it be that maybe developers realized that people want original games that use the system to it's full advantage and people don't want downgraded ports from the PlayStation Portable?

The same should apply to the Wii.

The one thing that got me was the comment about Nintendo making sure only their games succeed. Wasnt there a bunch of stories on here before from developers saying they basically were kept in the dark when it came to the online portion,yet Mario Strikers and all that went online?

I'm just wondering that's all.

@Ska Oreo

ummm, you're an idiot. Things that were fads are still around, it's just that no one wants them once the fad is over. however, in your defense, you're right, it's not a fad currently, but this article is asking the question of whether it will become one. read much? I didn't think so.

I can't wait for Wii Teletubbies and Wii bridge so i can play a hand with my grandma

@rokerovakero
I only mentioned those games (although I did mention RedSteel) because those were the only ones I thought were good. I rent games through Gamefly, so I have at least checked out most of the ones available that are made for ages 15 and up (not interested in Cooking Mama, for example). please, tell me what game is worth buying for the Wii other than Zelda and Metroid Prime? Note that I said 'buy', I find most games worth renting.

I rented, enjoyed and completed Super Paper Mario but I wouldn't play it again, so it's not a buy (and it's not 3rd party). I rented RE4 and I first played it on GC but I find the PS2 version superior to all of them. Seriously, there is a severe shortage of good stuff if you are not 12years old or younger.

again, none of this is an attack on the Wii fans, so take one step towards the chill.

boosh.

At the end of the day which console has the highest attach rate? The 360 so that's what developers are going to develope for.

The difference between a 360 owner and a Wii/PS3 owner is that almost every month there's a must buy game for the system...

I for one am only looking forward to saying 'I told you so'...

The Wii is still suffering from growing pains much as the DS was in it's first year. Of course Nintendo games are going to outsell most third-party titles, since Nintendo is the only one who's putting 100% into their efforts. The first year of the Wii's life has been a mixed bag, as developers rushed to put something out given the system's unexpected success.

When they see lukewarm sales of their PS2 ports and minigame collections, they become a bit more hesitant about the Wii. If they would take the time to make games on par with Nintendo's offerings, they would undoubtably see vastly improved sales.

That being said, they tide has started to shift and developers are finally starting to get it. In fact, the majority of games I'm looking forward to are third-party titles. Guitar Hero III, Metal of Honor Heroes 2, Zack & Wiki, RE:UC, No More Heroes, King's Story, Tales of Symphonia, etc.

@Vejadu

let's analyze that list a bit:

Guitar Hero III: multi-platform

Metal of Honor Heroes 2: multi-platform

Zack & Wiki: umm, ok yeh whatever

RE:UC: rail shooter... yawn

No More Heroes: this looks quirky and possibly cool
but Killer 7 wasn't very good

King's Story: this one I don't know about

Tales of Symphonia: crap unless you're a fan of the Tales series

the 3rd party support for the Wii is looking alot like the 3rd party support for the GC and we all know how that turned out.

I find it amusing when a nintendo fanboy says 360/PS3 gamers play only for the "graphics". Why don't you try playing on one of the halo3/resistance servers and get pwned 100+ times and say that again. Trust me when I say no one is playing for just the "graphics"

Devs er pubs (are there any indapendant devs left?) are "anomalously hesitant" about both the PS3 and WII the WII might be a fad the PS3 might be a bomb, this is news?

Software developers worried about the Wii, hesitant to make games

Reader Comments (164)

Posted: Oct 11th 2007 8:16PM (Unverified) said

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Posted: Oct 11th 2007 8:11PM captaincthulhu said

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Posted: Oct 11th 2007 8:35PM captaincthulhu said

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Posted: Oct 11th 2007 11:38PM PlatinumSkeet said

Posted: Oct 11th 2007 11:38PM PlatinumSkeet said

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Posted: Oct 12th 2007 10:31AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Oct 13th 2007 2:21PM captaincthulhu said

Posted: Oct 14th 2007 2:43AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Nov 9th 2007 2:35PM ZippyDSMlee said

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