Capcom's at it again. Following on from one representative's negative comments and the subsequent backtracking from Capcom Europe, director of communications Chris Kramer has talked about how hard it is to sell a game on the Wii. Never fear, though. He has a solution.
"If you're not Nintendo, it does seem harder to make money on the Wii today compared to the PS3 and the Xbox 360," he explains. "It's a very tough market to crack and is ever-shifting ... Third-party publishers are having a hard time determining who the Wii audience is. You can no longer say it is solely casual gamers or that only E-rated games own the space."
Capcom's answer is simple. It plans to publish less Wii games, but make sure that all those games are top quality: "In 2010, you won't see as many Wii games from Capcom, but the ones we release will be much larger, event-size games. I also expect to see the market dominated more and more by Nintendo releases with fewer games from the major third parties, like EA, Activision, and Ubisoft."
An interesting approach, and we'll have to wait and see how it works. So far, the Wii market has proven especially resistant to non-Nintendo products. At least ones that aren't absolute garbage.
Third-Party Publishers React To Deflating Wii Bubble [Gamasutra]
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Contest:
11:00 AM on 01.09.2010 | 
Next stop, Phoenix Wright on Wii.
SSFIV
Lost Planet 2
Dead Rising 2
Dark Void
Final Fight Double Impact
RE5 Alternative
RE PSP
Okamiden DS
This is where all the manpower is going, that isn't being used on Wii. Nothing wrong with that.
Of course they are, you idiot. There is no "one" Wii audience, one that you can watch, point at, and say "That is the Wii's audience, right there. We gotta cater to them and only them, and say FUCK OFF to everyone else" There's not one, but several; find one, make a game for that audience, make sure it's of good quality, then look at the others and determine if you either want to cater to them in that first game, make another game specifically for that audience, or ignore them for now and decide on your direction as a developer/publisher.
Capcom's answer is simple. It plans to publish less Wii games, but make sure that all those games are top quality: "In 2010, you won't see as many Wii games from Capcom, but the ones we release will be much larger, event-size games."
Thank you! Finally! Concentrate on fewer products, yet focus on making those products the best they can be. Choose your marketing strategies wisely, ask people in the market what they want and what they think of your products, actually listen to them, and then make and publish games to their desires. If they think something's crappy about your new game, ask them what they'd like better and do that.
@Fanatism: And how do you know that? Have you looked in a crystal ball lately? Or have you hopped into your time machine and gone to see the future?
If sales of Phoenix Wright Wii are bad, it won't help Wii owners if Capcom do pack up shop (again, they still tried and would be justified to do so), so I suggest you buy and support it. As cool as that series is, I hope it finds a home on Wii, and gives Capcom the Wii hit they can cling to.
I don't think Nintendo wants to resort to making their cores a bunch of whores that way, but at the same time, their core gamers aren't very bright either.
If its not Nintendo, they don't want it.
Third parties don't have this luxury, so beyond the knowlegeable hardcore gamers, those who buy a Wii game may more likely opt for 'the one with Mario in it'.
There's little chance of beating that mentality, but I really believe that if Wii had demo disc/online demos and a hard drive, things would be different for third parties on Wii. Unfortunately, Nintendo has done nothing to support such action, so a third party developer exodus was inevitable.
Honestly, how much would it have really costed, even as an extra? Perhap it was left out, because it made Wii look worse than usual.
Developers can work within Wii limits, but only so much until dreaming can be done and painted on it, until limits are reached or it just looks awful. Again, if devs are going to make a small game, 360 and PS3 are better options because of XNA/PSN and what their console tech can offer. Cheap as chips, HD, with hard drive access, free demos and online functions, and Sony and MS who work with them to sort that all out, not ignore them like Nintendo mostly do.
I know what I'd choose, were I a game developer.
Like for example you got Capcom VS Tatsunoko coming out in mere weeks, yet I see no advertisement for it what-so-ever. Yet I see tons of Dark Void ads, and its a shit game getting bad reviews. So how about you take your marketing money and put some of it on the Wii side of things? Its not rocket science here, your only hurting yourself by not properly advertise your Wii games!
I mean, people keep fucking saying shit like "Only Nintendo games sell well on Nintendo systems" but does anyone bother to think why that actually IS? It's because Nintendo actually gives half a fuck about the quality of their games, which is more than I can say for 90% of the developers of "core" games for the Wii.
I have an idea, maybe if these companies I don't know... advertised a bit more I won't have to LOOK for the games they are making. And it seems PEICanada7 is also thinking the same.
Hmm, I need to get a scan of my Intelivision ad I have somewhere were Mattel was comparing the power of their protect to the Atari 2600 saying it was able to but out more color or some shit... Heh, kinda fits in this day and age still. Sad.
As long as Capcom has been in the business it's a bit surprising that they not only took them this long to realize this, but they're also coming out with statement like "okay, now we're serious!".
How long Holmes? Honestly. Patience can only last so long.
There is simply no excuse for this. You've got a console with small development cost and largest userbase. You should be channeling all those resources that the ps3/360 get straight to wii. No excuses about hardcores, or attach rates or target audience etc. When you can't sell a product... guess what. There's something wrong with your fucking product! (Looking at you dead rising ctyd)
@Gen
That's not neccesarily true, Gen. Third party games not selling on Wii, isn't simply because of are all crap, as many of them don't even get passed the selection stage in a store. Like I said before, going up against Mario is like going up against Mickey Mouse. Remember its the casuals who buy less games that need such swaying.
You fail to realise the problem is Nintendo, and they are not gods, just men. While gameplay is king, why is it so wrong to want, both good graphics and good gameplay? Its not, and this can be done (Uncharted 2, Shadow Complex) on better systems with ease. I feel that Nintendo hide behind such excuses, in order to further their own agenda of ignoring improving their own graphics. Its easy to say such things at the top.
No one is above criticism or below praise, remember that.
So, by your logic, TRS, Capcom should put more money into Wii development, over games with online play, that are popular and guaranteed to sell, to please a Wii crowd that didn't buy their previous product and aren't sure what they want. Lol. Yeah, good luck with that thinking, son.
Risk = reward. The risk of Wii games not selling and being returned, is too great compared to a potentially smaller sales return at the other end. Zack and Wiki, Okami sold poorly, despite being reasonably good, so I can understand Capcom not wanting to venture too far, back into an unsure Wii market. Staying on the edge is enough, beyond leaving it altogether.
None of you can honestly say, Capcom haven't made an effort, as Zack and Wiki was one of the best uses of the Wii controller. When that failed I feel that Capcom were unsure why, and may have opted to scale back, for easier games like the light gun stuff, that were popular in Wii's early life (a mistake, perhaps?). Tatsunoko VS Capcom was not going to be released in the west, yet fans wanted and got it, like Phoenix Wright before it.
Just because you don't always get your own way, doesn't mean no or less effort is made.
Now Nintendo is gearing up to release Mario, Metroid, Zelda, and Pikmin all within the next year. If they're all crying about how hard it was to make money on the Wii thus far, its not going to get any easier now with Nintendo's big guns all coming out this year. They just have to step up the advertising, because the average mainstream consumer only finds out about new games from seeing them on TV. They don't visit video game site and they don't pre-order game. So if you don't advertise to them, than you loose that sale. It's as simple as that!
Dude, don't get silly. Your thinking, that we say what we say, out of hate is ridiculous, because you fail to acknowledge the obvious. Are you seriously saying we can't criticise Wii, just because its popular? Were you listening at all, to the root of why Capcom feel the way they do? If Wii was managing to sell everyones games, as well as Nintendo's games and consoles, everyone would be happy, but its not so. Feel free to prove otherwise.
Bias?? Where did that come from? I'm just going by the facts of what has happened so far to Capcom. The french Capcom rep was brave enough to speak his mind, on what many wanted to say on the subject, but are too scared to. Again, feel free to think everything is rosy with Wii, and bury your head in the sand..
I've criticised MS, Sony and Nintendo etc, plenty of times when needed. This is just another day of that.
Let me explain it to you kiddo.
They have taken NO risks thus far.
Ports, rail shooters, 1 or 2 niche games from a genre that we haven't seen in years?
I'm not gonna settle for mediocrity. Which is why they're "risky test games" aren't selling worth shit.
Biggest userbase that is starving for games. Cheap development. They take this and output a rail shooter and spyborgs this year?LoL you're adorable if you think this is the quality risky games they are making.
Everyone understands business. What capcom doesn't understand though, is you reap what you sow. You make a lowbudget port, it's not gonna sell. Sorry.
This year, Nintendo is releasing (presumably) 3 of their biggest franchises. (Zelda,Mario,Metroid) All I can say is I hope the 3rd parties are smart and release their games nowhere near these.
So when are we going to expect MH Tri and Tatsunoko Vs Capcom ports onto systems with decent online so they're actually worth buying? As excited as I am for these games, I doubt I'll end up buying either because the online component is one of the most important parts to me, and I don't want to buy another fightstick for the Wii for one single game.
The ironic part of your little rant, like all Nintendo fanboy rants at comments like this, is simple.
"You make a lowbudget port, it's not gonna sell. Sorry"
Let me get this straight for you. THIS is where they HAVE been successful. The railshooter franchise on Wii has been one of their bigger successes. Okami did better on Wii than PS2. And RE4 still stands as one of the highest sales marks a third party can achieve on Wii next to Call of Duty, Cranival Games, and Guitar Hero.
So your assumption that their original content is what is successful and the cheap ports aren't is hilarious since the exact opposite is true. And like predicted in one of my messages above, you've fallen back on the old crutch of "well if they would MARKET."
Just admit this much is true, finding out what sells great on Wii is really difficult. Nintendo themselves haven't figured it out otherwise they wouldn't have made Metroid Prime Trilogy or Excitebots. So when a company says "look, we don't know what works but we're going to keep trying," turn down the "fucking idiot" knob on your brain box. Hell, considering your statement, YOU don't even know what's successful on the Wii.
casual gamers may be casual but they still know one party game is all they really need.
TRS, you are a fucking brainless douche, sir. Its not your millions of yen that being spent on game development per annum. Because you don't see the balance sheets, you cut yourself off from the reality of money spent, and that Capcom have taken risks on Wii, like or hate the results. Oh, how sweet it is to be a gamer like you, and sit on the sidelines, eating selective memory cakes.
I'm sure even PSP is a better dev option than Wii, for Capcom, that's why its getting a new RE game on it, and Wii isn't. The possibility of a port might be there later though. But question that for a moment, why is PSP getting a new RE game, and not Wii?
not that buying new is bad but with this economy isn't it a little erogant to assume that people are willing to pay $50 for a rail shooter with very limited replay.
As a steam user I can get all of the great games from two years ago for at least $20 *exsept COD4 *
now I am not against buying wii games but when I know that that the quality and gameplay is worse than somthing I can pick up for $20.
I understand Capcom but after getting RE4 at lanch for $20 witch was the best lanch game, I am confused on how they let their quality go down in RE:DC and charge people $50 for the BS
Capcom is taking things too slow; Monster Hunter Tri has been out for 2 years in japan.
I really thought capcom was great in the 8bit wars but know they are yesterday's news
Awesome. I appreciate the effort from capcom, although it is terribly lack luster compared to their effort on other platforms with half installbase.
"So when a company says "look, we don't know what works but we're going to keep trying," turn down the "fucking idiot" knob on your brain box."
Again, I appreciate their effort. Next time you read someone offering constructive criticism smash your face into a keyboard next time you simply don't understand it. Retard.
@cowboy
I'd love to take a look at the balance sheet. Ya know what they will say? Making games on wii is cheaper. Wii install base is massive. What about that is so hard for you to wrap your fragmented mind around? Ugh.
And fyi, I don't really have to wait on sidelines for anything. I hardly have time for gaming in general but its easy to get swept up in the politics of it.
And yes psp is gettin a re and wii isn't. Why is wii getting an ace attorney and psp isn't? or any other games for that matter? Oh how delicious it must be to eat random stupid facts cake. Mmmmm. No no.. it's ok.. you go ahead and eat it all up.
The PS3 and 360 don't try to cater to a certain audience. That would involve them alienating the dozens of kinds of gamers that play games. The PS3 and 360 promote their machine's capabilities, the VARIED libraries of games, and support the third party devs.Nintendo on the other hand is alienating the fans that it gained in exchange for family gaming experiences. The Wii itself is a decent piece of machinery but it's major problem is that Nintendo it self is concentrating on getting money from the pockets from grandpa and grandma, the overweight, and younger gamer, and the casual gamer. The major problem with going after this particular market is that these people mostly likely won't buy the next Nintendo console that comes out. Casual games don't buy too many games for their console. Casual gamers don't upgrade consoles. And Nintendo is going to learn that the hard way.
There are great games on the Wii sure, but for a third party dev to go up against Wii Fit, or Wii Play is like a being the one legged man in an ass kicking contest. Your not built for the competition, your not really relevant in what the company is trying to promote, and it's going to be very hard to be successful. And even if you have a past reputation of ass kickery (keeping with the ass kicking contest analogy for a bit), you show up and try and do a good job, Nintendo's team is shows up with steel toed boots. This isn't about Nintendo's inability to make good games anymore. This is about making money off of an untapped and risky market to them.
Nintendo sure did abandon the fans! I mean they only brought out multiple entries in just about every series they've ever had in just the last few years, including a couple of series that hadn't had an entry in over a decade! And all of them are fantastic! Oh lordy they've spurned us all.
Jesus Christ.
Once again, you place all your weight on an all too easy crutch. Wii is cheaper to develop for, has a larger install base, and as such is the sure money maker. Want to enlighten third party developers of this? I'm sure their own numbers, some of which not even NPD is privy to since it just guesses for roughly 40% of the US game buying market, means fuck all compared to your brilliant observation. Except for one thing...
Playstation Portable. Worldwide, Playstation Portable has more units sold than Wii, IS actually cheaper to develop for than the Wii, and gosh darn it, obviously there is more money to be made there than the Wii. Except PSP has a similar problem from another direction. People, outside of Japan, are not buying the games. Just like people, outside of Ninty published mainstays, are not buying the Wii games.
So, despite being more expensive to develop for, Capcom can target three platforms at once with PS3/360/PC (and completely crush the fuck out of this install base argument you keep leaning on) and actively target the market most known for buying a wide variety of games (Xbox 360) and get additional sales on the other platforms for cheap porting cost. I mean with 360 alone, let's look at something
top 10 selling 360 third party games according to vgchartz (which is less accurate than NPD but fine)
Modern Warfare 2: 8.53 million
Modern Warfare: 8.10 million
GTAIV: 7.56 million
COD5:WOW: 8.5 million
Assassin's Creed: 4.72 million
Guitar Hero III: 4.34 million
Lego Indiana Jones: 3.50 million
Kung Fu Panda: 3.06 million
Elder Scrolls Oblivion: 2.9 million
Assassin's Creed II: 2.90 million
Mario and Sonic @ Olympics: 7.49 million
Guitar Hero III: 4.37 million
Carnival Games: 3.54 million
Guitar Hero IV: 3.38 million
Lego Star Wars: 3.25 million
Mario and Sonic @ Winter Olympics: 2.67 million
EA Sports Active: 2.49 million
Game Party: 2.17 million
Sonic and the Secret Rings: 2.16 million
Deca Sports: 2.12 million
Now, you can bitch and whine about how developers are stupid for pursuing casual minigame shit but LOOK at what sells. And more importantly, to get 10 third party games on Wii, I had to ignore 18 Nintendo published games...
@TRS: No TRS.
The balance sheet will say, Capcom has spent a lot of money on Wii games and got little return, possibly not covering their Wii devs costs in some cases. That's not good business, if they were to do that too often, so a rethink on Wii would take place.
Excuse my french from earlier, but the cheaper Wii development aspect doesn't matter anymore, because of the XNA/PSN factor, XNA and iPhone with an £/$100 entry for development, FOR ANYONE. Wii cannot match that (its few thousand dollar dev kit and 'established developer' bs biase, which even that weird dude Bob ((of Bob's Game)) was told by Nintendo), even with Wii Ware. Wii install base is massive indeed, BUT ONLY A SMALL HARDCORE FACTION OF IT, BUY GAMES REGULARLY, next to a majority of casuals that don't. Doh! Why can't you see that?
If you think Wii can survive on those low numbers of sales, regardless of developer, you need to push your brain back up your nose, as its clearly not a bogey.
I stopped reading right after this
"Capcom has spent a lot of money on Wii games"
I think you're having a difficult time understanding the severe difference between how much capcom has spent on the other HD consoles and how much it's spent on the wii. I think it's time for to have a nice warm cup "go fuck yourself" as it's clear, the tea simply isn't cutting it.
also, agreeing with sheppy is usually the first red flag that's something is clearly wrong with your thought process. Get that worked out soon sweet heart.
WOW Capcom, you really thought releasing TvsC would sell more on the Wii than on the 360/PS3 ??? who made this decision in your office? You just lost millions of sales and for what reason?
As much as I am feeling bad for not playing TvsC still today, I won't bother to play it because the one thing I love about it is online vs play and thats one thing I know for sure that the Wii doesn't have hardcore TvsC players to feed the need. Better port it to the PS3/360 asap.
Lol. whatever dude. Keep telling yourself whatever you need to. You totally ignored every valid point I just made, but maybe its not your fault that you can't listen, digest and understand, what I've been saying.
I don't know Sheppy at all, but I know someone with a good thinking head on their shoulders by what they write.
Of course, Capcom are going to spend more money, on better HD consoles with hard drives and online play, because that's where the most money is to be earned in the industry. More money spent in a stable, low risk market = more reward. So yes, obviously, despite your chargrin and butt hurt, less is spent on Wii (that's called good business sense). Simple as, tough shit on Wii owners, unfortunately. That's life.
I'll refrain from insulting you, as you are making me laugh enough.
1. Destructoid posts Wii-related news piece.
2. Fanboys from both sides get all up in arms over whether Nintendo is the shittiest company in existence or simply a good company in a really shitty situation.
3. Even dumber fanboys come in and turn it into a topic about how good Wii games should be on their own console because they can't he half assed to buy the console, despite using the exact same argument in other places.
Whatever, I'm just annoyed that Capcom seems to utterly balk at the idea of you know, ADVERTIZING TvsC in any way whatsoever. An example of a clearly good game that looks like it's very fun to play, but will most likely fail because no one cares about it. Later, Capcom will wonder why it's not selling as they throw even more advertizement money into Dark Void, a clearly shitty game that will most likely sell decently anyways.