Nintendo Won't Let Developers Share WiiWare Sales Numbers

[The Wooster]

Nintendo Won't Let Developers Share WiiWare Sales Numbers

When it comes to WiiWare sale numbers, it appears Nintendo likes its developers like it likes its protagonists; silent.

Last week, because nothing "new year party" like a set of graphs, Icon Games Entertainment posted a summary of its self-publishing sales numbers [http://www.icongames.com/icons-self-publishing-numbers-so-far/]. The list contained sales figures for its games on iOS, PSN and the Wiiware service. Shortly after, Nintendo contacted the company and asked it to take the WiiWare sales numbers down. [http://www.icongames.com/nintendo-digital-sales-data-secrecy/]

The request was apparently due to Nintendo policy, which prohibits independent developers from revealing sales numbers. A policy Richard Hill-Whittall, owner and director of Icon Games, takes some umbrage with.

"As to why [Nintendo requested the numbers be taken down], I can't really be sure - are they scared to reveal how their online services perform or do they just dislike developers being able to run effective businesses?" he wrote on Icon's official blog [http://www.icongames.com/nintendo-digital-sales-data-secrecy/]. "It is a tricky one - and incredibly unfair and damaging to indie developers publishing on Nintendo stores."

"I don't believe Nintendo are necessary alone in this policy, but I believe they are by far the most draconian in enforcing it. I have seen many different reports from developers for games on XBLA, PSN, Steam and so on with details of sales figures, but never anything for a Nintendo store."

Hill-Whittall argues that without concrete sales figures, small developers will find it difficult to acquire funding from financial institutions and develop effective development and release strategies. He also criticized Nintendo policies that prevent developers from altering the price of their titles, running promotions or releasing demos. Features that both Sony and Microsoft offer on their respective indie marketplaces.

"Essentially Nintendo's policy does its best to prevent often vulnerable indie studios from building and running stable businesses," he writes. "It projects all of the risk back to the developer, stops them gaining access to funding to help grow their business and essentially makes self-publishing on Nintendo platforms a huge gamble."


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[the spud]

Nintendo, Y U do this? Your online store is already somewhat lacking not counting the virtual console, so it wouldn't hurt to give your developers some insurance.

 

[Micalas]

So why not just NOT develop for the Wii? Leave Nintendo in it's dial-up worthy online infrastructure. I was unaware they even had an indie market...

 

[chiefohara]

Stupid policy and its going to bite them in the arse.

Back in the stoneage the Nes competed with the superior mega drive solely because of the games released on it.

The Dreamcast and Jaguar failed horribly, and one of the reasons they failed was because of a lack of solid games to support them.

Annoying developers and giving them feck all incentive to work for your console is a very very stupid business move because in the long run its titles that keep people interested, not consoles.

 

[bjj hero]

Douchebaggery from Nintendo? Never saw that coming.

Nintendo appear to be allergic to the internet. Most of its policies towards it seem really backwards like they wish the internet didnt exist.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Just keep chasing away all forms of third parties, Nintendo. Sony, Microsoft, and Steam are happy to take them in.

 

[Woodsey]

Nintendo are shit with third parties? Who'd'a thunk it!

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Well, it's not like WiiWare had games worth a shit to begin with. It was mostly just extended shovelware and shitty ports. Regardless, it's a stupid fucking policy that keeps biting them in the ass. Fucking your third party developers and not giving them any reason to work on your console was what lead to the utter downfall of the Wii and GameCube.

 

[Idocreating]

I don't get why online distribution platforms do this. What is so bad about letting sales figures out? Surely your stockholders would like to know that information.

 

[BrotherRool]

Props for the picture

 

[MercurySteam]

At first I couldn't understand why there was a picture of The Silence up there but then I saw this:

silent

Seriously John? You couldn't find anything better to put up there? Not perhaps even that pic of Nintendo abusing Sega from the ZP review of The Conduit (which actually relates quite well to the screwing over of third parties by Nintendo in this article).

OT: The only real reason I can see for Nintendo wanting to do this is to intentionally screw over indie devs. Probably because they'd be embarrassed if some indie games turn out to have sold better than some Wii games. I dunno, it's all that really makes sense.

 

[ShakerSilver]

Anyone else notice "Silence I kill you" in the tabs? Apparently Achmed works with Nintendo.

OT: Seems a bit odd, considering they want to attract more third party developers with the WiiU. If they keep up this policy they might not get as many developers making games for their new console.

 

[Xanthious]

Oh Nintendo the sooner you realize the hardware market has passed you by and go the way of Sega the better off everyone will be. . . .

The reality of it is if Nintendo wouldn't have caught lightning in a bottle like they did with the Wii Nintendo was skipping very merrily down the same path as Sega. The plus side to this is I firmly believe that the Wii's success is only prolonging the inevitable as Nintendo still has no clue how to compete in the video game industry of today.

The really sad thing about Nintendo is they still have yet to evolve past the SNES days and if anything I'd argue they've actually regressed since then. The SNES was the last Nintendo console that wasn't a handheld that I would consider worth owning.

 

[tthor]

I don't get why online distribution platforms do this. What is so bad about letting sales figures out? Surely your stockholders would like to know that information.

Not if you're doing shitty; if your online distribution platform is shitty and 0 people use it, than NOT letting your stockholders know is your best move

 

[Idocreating]

I don't get why online distribution platforms do this. What is so bad about letting sales figures out? Surely your stockholders would like to know that information.

Not if you're doing shitty; if your online distribution platform is shitty and 0 people use it, than NOT letting your stockholders know is your best move

Except people will make the assumption that the sales figures are shit like you have just now.

Steam does the same thing, they hide actual sales numbers and they're not factored into many sales figures of games. And I'm pretty sure a LOT of games are sold through Steam, especially over the last month with those wacky sales.

 

[8bitlove2a03]

For some reason, this doesn't surprise me at all. Nintendo does everything they can to run themselves into the ground, why wouldn't they attempt to take everyone who associates with them down too?