Insomniac "Not Working" on the Wii U

[StewShearerOld]

Insomniac "Not Working" on the Wii U

Insomniac CEO Ted Price is excited about next generation consoles but doesn't consider the Wii U one of them.

Nintendo's suffered a few setbacks in its efforts to bring third party developers to the Wii U. While it boasts support from companies like Ubisoft and Disney, there have been an increasing number of studios indicating that they're going to pass on developing for the console. Just Cause 2-developer Avalanche Studios recently said its Wii U dev kits were <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123851-Just-Cause-2-Developer-Says-Wii-U-Dev-Kits-Are-Collecting-Dust>"collecting dust." Similarly, Battlefield-makers DICE have said its new Frostbite 3 engine <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123835-DICE-Says-Tests-on-Wii-U-Not-Too-Promising>likely won't run on the Wii U, potentially limiting future releases from the developer and publisher Electronic Arts.

Now, Insomniac Games founder and CEO Ted Price has said the company is currently foregoing Wii U development. "We're not working on games for it," said Price, answering a fan inquiry during a Reddit Q and A session. Price expressed greater interest in next generation consoles. "When it comes to PS4 I'm excited that they seem to lowering barriers for independent developers. It's cool to see almost weekly announcements from Sony explaining how they're opening things up for indies. And of course I'm very excited to see what Microsoft announces soon." Price didn't count the Wii U in the category of next generation consoles. "Wii U is something I'd consider more current gen."

It's worth noting that Insomniac, the studio behind Resistance, Ratchet & Clank and the upcoming game Fuse, is only one company. That said, Price's comments highlight a problem Nintendo could potentially face more of in the future. With Wii U sales <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123514-Iwata-Admits-Nintendo-Didnt-Try-Hard-Enough-To-Make-Wii-U-Success>lower than expected and its user base still relatively small, developers might opt to forego development for the console. This may not be a live or die problem for Nintendo, which has often been able to rely on its stable of first-party games for success. That said, it could prove an obstruction to the company's efforts to court third party developers and expand the Wii U's beyond fans of its core franchises.

Source: Reddit


Permalink

 

[nodlimax]

Well this is unexpected.... *trying to keep a straight face*

Seriously, I can't stop laughing about how stupid Nintendo has been with the development of the WiiU(NoGoodHardware)...

 

[BrotherRool]

Well this is unexpected.... *trying to keep a straight face*

Seriously, I can't stop laughing about how stupid Nintendo has been with the development of the WiiU(NoGoodHardware)...

It's not quite that time yet, the 3DS was looking pretty stupid in it's first year and Nintendo managed to push through. At there worst case scenario they've still got the Zelda/Mario/Metroid millions who are going to go for them no matter what and that can make the platform hard to ignore

...but by the end of the year I'll be laughing too The 3DS didn't have the competition. We're still waiting on Sony telling us the PS4 will cost $1 bajillion and MS are ready to announce that you now have an optional $20/day 'service', where after paying they'll show you some ads and then maybe let you get to the start screen of your game ...but barring complete failure I can't see the Wii U keeping pace

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

Has Insomniac made anything for the XBox either? I thought they were almost exclusively Sony anyway. I expect I'm wrong, since that would kind of negate the point of the article, but I honestly can't think of anything Insomniac has made for a console that is not of the PlayStation brand.

 

[Raggedstar]

Has Insomniac made anything for the XBox either? I thought they were almost exclusively Sony anyway. I expect I'm wrong, since that would kind of negate the point of the article, but I honestly can't think of anything Insomniac has made for a console that is not of the PlayStation brand.

Fuse is being made with an EA partnership, and I think is going to be on the 360 too. Though I think they also have a division within the company that works on mobile games too? But ya, mostly Sony and I agree with your thoughts ("We won't work with WiiU" says developer who's 90% of games are with Sony platforms).

 

[weirdee]

still think this is a pretty chicken and egg thing here

i don't really know where sony's bar is, we only have the words of others to go on

 

[fix-the-spade]

Has Insomniac made anything for the XBox either?

Besides Fuse and a Flash game, nope. In almost twenty years Insomniac have all but exclusively worked on Playstation titles.

Which makes me wonder why this is news, it's like Naughty Dog or 343 announcing they won't be making Nintendo compatible titles. Did Sony put them up to this? Hey not-quite first party studio, spread some FUD about a competitor for us please.

 

[Korten12]

Has Insomniac made anything for the XBox either?

Besides Fuse and a Flash game, nope. In almost twenty years Insomniac have all but exclusively worked on Playstation titles.

Which makes me wonder why this is news, it's like Naughty Dog or 343 announcing they won't be making Nintendo compatible titles. Did Sony put them up to this? Hey not-quite first party studio, spread some FUD about a competitor for us please.

I think the problem is that, now outside maybe one franchise, Insomniac is going fully third party and willing to work with more then just Sony. Considering I believe they want to make more Fuse games, meaning you would probably expect it to hit Wii U, but now it is doubtable.

 

[BrotherRool]

Has Insomniac made anything for the XBox either? I thought they were almost exclusively Sony anyway. I expect I'm wrong, since that would kind of negate the point of the article, but I honestly can't think of anything Insomniac has made for a console that is not of the PlayStation brand.

They stopped doing Sony exclusives and parted ways. Now they're developing for Microsoft and Sony with plans to make PC games. So it's news because a developer was actively looking to go multiplatform and decided the Wii U wasn't worth their time.

It's not news in the respect that lots of Nintendo fans are going to be disappointed. (Which is a shame because Ratchett & Clank rocks)

 

[rasputin0009]

The Wii U is 2 years too late. I'm sure it'd be more exciting then. And if they didn't call it the Wii U. Man, Captain Hindsight needs to visit the Nintendo headquarters.

 

[Vivi22]

Does anyone really consider the Wii-U next gen?

I recall a guy on this site making a thread weeks ago trying to convince people the Wii U was a next-gen console. Not surprisingly his reasoning had more holes than a spaghetti strainer and he convinced absolutely no one.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Does anyone really consider the Wii-U next gen?

Die-hard Nintendo fans I think consider it next gen. Frankly it feels like a console that's finally catching up to this gen. I mean the system is about as much an upgrade as the smaller versions of the 360 and PS3 were. I would say that I wish Nintendo would bring their A game back to the console party, but I think they lost it somewhere between the Gamecube and Wii.

 

[Scribblesense]

Does anyone really consider the Wii-U next gen?

If people consider the Wii to be in the same generation as 360/PS3, and not in the PS2/GCN/Xbox generation, there's no reason why Wii U shouldn't be considered the same generation as PS4/Nextbox.

I think it's a bit ridiculous that devs aren't supporting the Wii U because it's not "next-gen", anyhow. The belief that you aren't moving forward if you're creating a game on a platform with weaker specs just doesn't hold up; it's not the size, it's how you use it, etc.

I'm not going to argue that their time is better spent supporting the Wii U than a platform on which they can fully achieve the vision for their game, but I would argue that thinking laterally is just as beneficial as thinking vertically. The Wii U has just as many opportunities for great games as the PS4/Nextbox if they'd only give it a chance.

 

[Korten12]

So... Where is Jeffers to glorify Nintendo and try to smite the Insomniac heathens? :/

 

[Eri]

Does anyone really consider the Wii-U next gen?

The Wii U has just as many opportunities for great games as the PS4/Nextbox if they'd only give it a chance.

No it doesn't. By definition, older hardware imposes greater limitations. Graphics, AI, all less on the U.

 

[WarpZone]

No it doesn't. By definition, older hardware imposes greater limitations. Graphics, AI, all less on the U.

By definition, the PS4 is older hardware. (Than a similarly-priced PC, priced when the PS4 actually launches.)

 

[Parakeettheprawn]

Has Insomniac made anything for the XBox either? I thought they were almost exclusively Sony anyway. I expect I'm wrong, since that would kind of negate the point of the article, but I honestly can't think of anything Insomniac has made for a console that is not of the PlayStation brand.

FUSE

FUSE

and

FUSE

That's all they've made for the Xbox 360, and it isn't even released yet. That said, I still wish they'd consider PC gaming since the 360 is basically a budget PC in a console shell.

 

[Mr. Omega]

A company that has spent the majority of it's career making Sony exclusives and is making it's first ever third party game published by EA is not making a game for a Nintendo system?

I'm shocked. So shocked. I just can't believe it.

Spoiler: DO YOU SEE HOW SHOCKED I AM?