Just Cause 2 Developer Says Wii U Dev Kits Are "Collecting Dust"

[StewShearerOld]

Just Cause 2 Developer Says Wii U Dev Kits Are "Collecting Dust"

Avalanche Studios is reluctant to commit resources to the Wii U until its user base expands.

Though some <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/115097-Pachter-Predicts-Poor-Third-Party-Support-for-Wii-U>have already predicted that it will fail in the attempt, Nintendo has made third party support for the Wii U a priority since the console's announcement. In step with this objective, its launch library featured several ports and enhanced versions of prominent multiplatform titles, while the future holds the promise of exclusives <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/119574-Bayonetta-2-Coming-Exclusively-to-Wii-U>like Bayonetta 2. Nonetheless, hurdles are already appearing and leaving some developers wary about developing for the Wii U.

Some problems stems from the technical limitations of the console's hardware. DICE, the studio behind the Battlefield franchise, recently revealed the Wii U won't be able to <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123835-DICE-Says-Tests-on-Wii-U-Not-Too-Promising>run its Frostbite 3 engine, which is likely to serve as the base of many of publisher Electronic Art's future games. This issue isn't insurmountable. Many multiplatform games originating on the PS3 and Xbox 360 saw ports to the technically inferior Wii with downgraded visuals. That said, it's not the only issue the Wii U is contending with.

Perhaps more threatening for Nintendo's third party efforts, are the Wii U's <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121778-Wii-U-Sales-Forecast-Cut>lackluster sales. Avalanche Studios, the developer behind Just Cause 2, for instance, has recently indicated that the Wii U's user base isn't large enough for them to invest in development for the console. "We actually had some development kits that just collected dust," said Avalanche founder, Christofer Sundberg. " It's a bit sad, because we wanted to do something. I think it is a cool platform, but right now it's not just up to us. We want the game to reach as many as possible." Sundberg's criticism wasn't just reserved for the Wii U. He expressed disappointment in Nintendo itself, whom he labeled as being difficult to communicate with. "Nintendo have from our point of view has always been difficult to reach. You never quite know who to contact."

It's not uncommon for consoles to suffer through slow periods in their early lives. The PS3 worked through several years of sluggish sales until a more developed library of games and significant <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/79005-PS3-Sales-Boosted-by-Price-Cut-Wii-Scarcity>price cuts helped to drive up sales. That said, the Wii U's challenge is perhaps even greater. With the PS4 and Xbox 360 successor both on the horizon, the Wii U, already selling less than expected, may soon find itself in competition with new entities whose allure may draw consumer focus even further from the console. Considering some consumers <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123659-Nintendo-Urges-Wii-Owners-to-Please-Please-Upgrade>don't even realize the Wii U is a different machine from the Wii, Nintendo might be in for more trouble than it expected.

Source: <a href=http://www.pressfire.no/spesialer/gdc-13/6919/-Utviklermaskinene-stvet-bare-ned>Pressfire via <a href=www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=555162>NeoGaf


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[Gearhead mk2]

Its user base will increase once games start coming out for it! Not making games will keep the user base low.

DOH I GOT NINJA'D. But at least we know it's common sense. The problem with the Wii-U right now is not enough good exclusives, and it won't get any good exclusives unless people start making games for it.

 

[FFP2]

Once Q4 is over I'm pretty sure the Wii U sales would have increased dramatically. They seem to be releasing a shitload of stuff just in time for the holidays.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Once Q4 is over I'm pretty sure the Wii U sales would have increased dramatically. They seem to be releasing a shitload of stuff just in time for the holidays.

And during that time, nobody other than Nintendo is going to be developing for the WiiU, creating that wonderful gap in competition that will let the PS4 and Xbox/Durango/Infinity go uncontested.

 

[IanDavis]

And with it not being able to run the upcoming EA titles, I think we can call it now: the WiiU is obsolete as far as third party support goes. Then again, the last Nintendo console to have good third-party support might have been the N64.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

They need to come out with some good third party games, then more people will get it. Bayonetta 2... yeah, I can't say much on that without getting three or so more infractions.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Because it's not like Ubisoft, Capcom, Disney, Activision et al aren't currently working on Wii U games. Nope, no siree.

Just like how the 3DS had all of those developers on board at E3 2010, only for most of them to quietly pull support prior to launch?

Yeah, I'm not falling for that line twice.

 

[Something Amyss]

Its user base will increase once games start coming out for it! Not making games will keep the user base low.

Yeah, this is kind of circular logic, innit?

 

[thesilentman]

Make the damned games, then we'll talk. What is it with all this FUD about the Wii U? Why do people keep comparing it to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 NOW? I have no idea. All I want are the games. Then people can see the power of the Wii U.

(Note- Silent is not a Nintendo shill. He arrived at this conclusion using pure logic. Good day.)

 

[Atmos Duality]

Its user base will increase once games start coming out for it! Not making games will keep the user base low.

Yeah, this is kind of circular logic, innit?

It fits though, similar to a Network Good where popularity is a metric that drives demand.

If you have a larger userbase, more companies are willing to invest in that platform, which draws more users which draws more games, etc until the demand is satisfied.

 

[FFP2]

And during that time, nobody other than Nintendo is going to be developing for the WiiU, creating that wonderful gap in competition that will let the PS4 and Xbox/Durango/Infinity go uncontested.

Wait, people buy Nintendo consoles for the games that aren't first party? Not being sarcastic, I genuinely thought that the only reason people bought their consoles were for Zelda and stuff.

 

[hazabaza1]

-Wii U has no games
-Nobody buys it
-Devs don't want to sell on something nobody has
-Wii U continues to have no games.

This may very well change later on but for the love of fuck, guys, have good launch titles please.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Wait, people buy Nintendo consoles for the games that aren't first party? Not being sarcastic, I genuinely thought that the only reason people bought their consoles were for Zelda and stuff.

It might be, based on how the WiiU has performed in the absence of those.
On the other hand, the WiiU has the absence of...well, everything else save Monster Hunter and ports of older titles.

The results speak louder than I ever could.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Because it's not like Ubisoft, Capcom, Disney, Activision et al aren't currently working on Wii U games. Nope, no siree.

OT: It's slightly disingenous to say that the Wii U won't be able to run Frostbite 3, given that all DICE said was that they did a few preliminary tests, and that the console is already running similar engines like Cryengine 3 just fine.

And maybe I'm being optimistic, but I think Sony and Microsoft have just as much to worry about, going into a holiday season when their main competitor is likely to be releasing 3D Mario, Mario Kart and Smash Bros. If those games don't sell systems, then nothing will...

I also find it funny how Avalanche claims Nintendo hard to communicate with...despite other, far SMALLER studios (like ALL those damn Kickstarter studios) having ZERO trouble getting ahold of them. My conclusion: the people at Avalanche are too lazy to pick up a phone or compose an e-mail.

I also wonder why people keep trying to act like the PS4 or the Nextbox will do any better. Judging by history their first years will be just as slow and mediocre, if not worse depending on pricing.

 

[FFP2]

It might be, based on how the WiiU has performed in the absence of those.
On the other hand, the WiiU has the absence of...well, everything else save Monster Hunter and ports of older titles.

The results speak louder than I ever could.

And really crappy ports at that. At least they refused to let EA use Origin on the U.

I would rather wait until some of their first party stuff gets released and see how much it boosts the hardware sales.

I think that every console has had a rough launch. Except the Wii. That shit had Oprah promoting it.

 

[Atmos Duality]

And really crappy ports at that. At least they refused to let EA use Origin on the U.

I would rather wait until some of their first party stuff gets released and see how much it boosts the hardware sales.

I think that every console has had a rough launch. Except the Wii. That shit had Oprah promoting it.

Yeah, the first-party blitz will give the WiiU some value, enough to keep Nintendo from falling (they endured through the shittastic 3DS launch) but barring the utter implosion of the Infinity PS4 and PC market, Nintendo isn't returning to the dominant position they were in during the roaring days of the Wii.

And so we return to the status quo that you already stated: Nintendo's fanclub titles.
It's kinda sad, because I used to really like most of those games.

(Tangentially: On the 3DS, A Link to the Past 2 is probably going to be my last Zelda purchase, and after that the portable Smash Bros game. Unless someone else starts making good portable games that don't require a proper 3D camera, that's probably all the 3DS games I'm looking at, period.)

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Nintendo is 8 years late to the party. How the fuck could they think that releasing Wii U was a good idea?

 

[dragongit]

I can agree that I hardly find any reason to pick up a Wii U at this time. No Zelda Windwaker HD or Mario title is enough to drop down the 300-400 bucks to invest in the console. I literally haven't played a Wii game in nearly 2 years. That's almost long enough to declare legally dead. Not that the Wii had much life left in it anyway. As it stands, I'm saving my money for a PS4 for it's exclusives/ multiplatform titles, and maybe looking to upgrade my PC in a few years. It's doing alright, but I'm hoping the price of a Titan equivalent will drop down to say... 300 bucks down the line.