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Ubisoft responds to lineup criticsm, dumps all over its good games photo

An Ubisoft rep has responded to criticism that its Wii lineup contains nothing for "normal" gamers by essentially saying that nobody cares about their best games, so screw it.

Looking at the current UK games sales for Wii Wii Sales Link, there are not that many traditional games in the top 30. Trends are changing and not everyone wants a new action game, FPS game or epic RPG, sales of the Wii proves that the majority want something different.

Parents who are buying a console for their children do not really care about Prince of Persia, Rainbow Six or Far Cry on the box, they want games that are going to be good for their children and not get them in the local newspaper. Why else would games like Brain Training/Wii Fit/Mario Party sell in the millions if people wanted hardcore games?

... Ubisoft have always been aimed at the more mature market (Look at our back catalogue) and in the last few years have started venturing into the casual gaming market. This is because that market now exists, thanks to the rise in popularity of the Wii and DS.

This makes me angry, not so much because of "omg casual games are killing us," but because Ubisoft is being very blinkered. I still think appealing so strongly to the casual market will bite some people in the end, because casual gamers don't buy a lot of software. Sure, they go crazy for fads like Brain Training, but that doesn't mean Dr. Ubisoft's Brainy Adventure is going to sell just as well. Most people bought the Wii because it had Wii Sports in the box, and most likely won't need that many new games. If I recall correctly, the Xbox 360 sells a very high amount of software, because traditional gamers buy many games.

Saying that the casual market only "now" exists thanks to the Wii and DS is ludicrous. Casual gamers have been around since gaming first started, and they play more than "me-too" attempts at mass-marketed crap. Also, I didn't realize only so-called "casual" games sold these days. I'll pass the memo to Rockstar.


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66 comments | showing # 51 to 66

lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/31/2008 23:54
lubczyk
Kill Switch, a game with a far better shooting mechanic than GTA IV was made on the PS2.

Gran Turismo, a game with far better driving physics than GTA IV was made on the PSX.

Don't be that crap that games like GTA IV and Metal Gear Solid 4 aren't possible on the Wii, because they certainly are. It's just that Publishers and developers are too stupid and lazy to realize this.

The Wii will dominate this generation and Take-Two, Konami, and Ubisoft will be begging to put Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid and Assassins Creed on the Wii.

Wii can make beautiful graphics at 60 Frames Per Second, Just look at Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros. Brawl.
BenHaskett's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 02:33
BenHaskett
@ lubczyk:

I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but most of what you're saying sounds like a satire of an extreme Nintendo fanboy. I swear I'm not trying to be a douche here, but some of your statements are just not logical or completely false. For starters, the Wii is not neccesarily more powerful than the Xbox, much less several times more powerful. It slightly exceeds its power in some areas, but falls short in others. If you'd like, I'll point you in the direction of some articles that break down the two systems' specs. As far as big publishers not putting time and effort into their games, I agree with Myxzptlk; it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

About your question aimed at me specifically, all I can tell you is that in fact, it is different. It's marketed differently. This is why Metroid Prime 3 was advertised in the absurd manner that it was.

I think I'm being misleading however, let me clear something up: I'm not in support of what Ubi is doing. The problem is that the shit they're putting out is working for them right now.

@ Novakaine:

I admit that I don't know much about development costs and whatnot, but when it comes to a game like Petz Dogz 2 on the Wii, with is a game that looks like it was made on the cheap and was not advertised at all, selling 260K copies in the US at $50 a pop doesn't seem like any chump change. Likewise with Petz Catz 2 & Horsez 2 selling 210K and 90K respectively in the US. Where did you hear that they were losing money on them?

I don't anyone thinking I like this though - I fucking hate it.
Orionsaint's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 04:28
Orionsaint
Here's my 2 cents. Casual gamers and parents don't have the love and passion for games. That we gamers have for a video game. To them its a fun little diversion to be forgotten about after a week or so. To us a game can mean a work of art. We dive deep into ours games. We also have an appreciation for the work that goes into making a game.

To me the Wii and casual gaming is a step backwards in video games. It's like going back to the Atari caveman days. When most games were considered fluff. A slight distraction if you will. Simple games for simple minded people. We've come far from a lot of old video game stigmas, but the Wii takes us right back into games are for children. meh!
BenHaskett's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 05:17
BenHaskett
@ oriansaint:

What, you mean the Wii itself? The Wii isn't a step backwards, just most of it's software. Most of the games developed by Nintendo or Capcom are top-notch. There's even a few from Atlus, one from Ubi, and from Activision as well. Don't let its avalanche of shitty software let you think that the whole thing is a pile of shit. The Wii is the only console I own and I've never been short on compelling and entertaining software.

And just like a few other people, I think you're confusing "casual" with "poorly made". Casual is mostly a marketing word that publishers throw out when they don't have a very compelling and/or well-made product.
zardoz's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 08:38
zardoz
But wait a minute, I bought the N64 back i the day, it was sooooooooo more powerful than the PS1 which wasn't even a proper 3D console. But I distinctly remember loving all the third party support on my PS1 NOT my more powerful N64. Developers had no problems getting round the technical limitations of the PS1 when they wanted to, MGS on the PS1 remains one of the best executed games to work well within a console's limitations and still not look or feel like a compromise.

The argument that the Wii is a cheap, technically limited piece of hardware therefore it should not expect quality third party support is a redundant one. Technical limitations simply give any decent designer a different focus, it doesn't and shouldn't mean compromise and it definitely doesn't mean fucking Babyz. I'm amazed that some people are actually trying to defend Ubisoft here, perhaps you are doing it just to play devil's advocate, if so fair enough, but good luck to anyone seriously trying to defend shitty games, because that's all this argument is about - no console has to have shitty games, there is absolutely no justification, Ubisoft may try and use smoke and mirrors to move this argument in to a different arena but in truth it boils down to the same old argument. Developers cannot justify shit games, let alone shit games for the world's most popular console.
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 11:31
lubczyk
@Zardoz

Exactly. Power doesn't matter. Marketshare does. CEOs at game companies don't care about sytem power, just marketshare. It's all about numbers.

@luzer7072

You still haven't answered how the Wii's situation is different from the PS1 or the PS2? Tons of kiddy games were released on those systems and bought by tons of casuals.

Why will the Wii not succeed when the PS1 and PS2 succeeded?
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 11:35
lubczyk
@All

The Wii has proven that most consumers (Japanese, Americans, and Europeans) don't care about High-Definition, Hard-Drives, or system power when it comes to games.

The PS1 and PS2 have proven that those things don't matter. Good games and revolutionary games can be made on much less powerful systems.

Example: Metal Gear Solid on the PS1 and Grand Theft Auto III on the PS2.

Thw Wii will win and it will, eventually, get all the big games.

The Xbox 360 and PS3 will not have a big enough userbase to sustain the industry.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 12:25
Mxyzptlk
@ lubczyk: Seriously dude, either you're absolutely high or you've got a major set of fanboy blinders on. I honestly can't tell if you're serious or not. I don't doubt that the Wii will probably finish first this generation. But developers and publishers are going to want to push the most powerful technology for future installments of major franchises. The best the Wii is going to get is series spin-offs or watered down ports. Core gamers (the ones who keep supporting those major franchises) are going to flock to the biggest and shiniest versions of the games. The average consumer who only owns a Wii are going to be looking for different gaming experiences that only the Wii can deliver, things like Wii Sports and Boom Blox rather than a new GTA with waggle.
Zaxo3636's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 12:34
Zaxo3636
Thats right, Jim Sterling, pass the memo to Rockstar...and Bungie, Konami, Capcom, Nintendo, 2K, Namco, Bioware, Bethesda. You know, to name a few. Single player is here to stay. End of story.
BenHaskett's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 13:22
BenHaskett
@ lubczyk:

It's different because its customers are different. You're obviously a core gamer, and I can identify with you there. But I'd argue that quite a few Wii owners stopped buying games after WiiSports. For example, the office where I work; I know about twelve people with Wiis, and seven of them never bought a game for it. Hell, one lady had her kids set up the Wii for her, and she thought that WiiSports was built into the box and that the slot on the front was a DVD drive. Admittedly, all the owners I'm referring to aren't gamers; most are middle-aged parents or just old people who don't play games. But this is a large portion of the Wii's audience. If Wii owners were all hardcore gamers, Super Mario Galaxy propbably would have sold 27 million copies.

So how does this justify shittly third part support? It doesn't, but do you really need me to tell you that? It sucks, the shit the Wii is getting, but the makeup of the Wii's audience is one that judges the quality of games by their cover. And that method is strong enough that Ubi can put out shitty, low-cost game and still turn a profit duping newbies. A lot of parents would buy Ubi's shitty games for their little girl.

Mor eimportantly though, it's different because it's not the same. The Wii is not the PS2, and you can't expect the same results all the time. the market changes. Everyone knows that.

But hey, don't Ubi's shitty games updet you too much. You're a Wii owner, right? Well, enjoy it. There's plenty of great software available. If you'd like, I'll make you a list. Especially in my case, since I didn't own a PS2 last gen, I'm finding a lot to like in Okami, Bully, and Resident Evil 4 (Ada's missions).
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 13:49
lubczyk
@luzer7072

That's false and you know it. The PS2 sold over 100 million units yet it's top games have sold less.

The PS2 has sold 100 million units yet it's top selling game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas only sold 17.12 million units. WWhy haven't the other 80 something million bought that game? Maybe, because they aren't hardcore?

Why did 360s top game, Halo 3, sell only 7.87 million units when the Xbox 360 has an install base of over 18 million? Maybe because not all of the Xbox 360's userbase is Hardcore?


For such a big game, Halo 3, it was bought by less than half of the Xbox 360s userbase.

I guess the Xbox 360 and PS3 aren't hardcore either by your definition.

Your argument fails!!!
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 14:12
lubczyk
BTW: The Wii sold more software than the 360 even thought the Wii was in its first year and the Xbox 360 was in its second.

Actually, the Wii has the highest software sales in its 18 months:

http://kotaku.com/5010214/nintendo-wii-has-highest-software-sales-for-first-18-months

The Wii moves software, software that is AAA and hardcore.
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 14:14
lubczyk
Ubisoft, you have 6 months to turn the situation on the Wii around. You should have been givign the Wii your best games since DAy 1.
01DragonFly's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 21:54
01DragonFly
ubi started good with rayman and red Steel , they a not AAA games but they are good for a start in a new system with new control . But this new games are just an insult for the consumers and i hope that they lost more money in this fiscal year lol
BenHaskett's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 22:04
BenHaskett
@ lubczyk:

My arguement fails? Didn't you just agree with me? Clearly, all of the consoles don't sell to hardcore gamers alone, but many casual players and others as well.

Whatever man, I don't have the persistence to go back and forth with you anymore. You're just looking at two completely different things, and you seem dumbfounded that they're both different.
lubczyk's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/01/2008 22:29
lubczyk
I'm pointing out that by judging by game sales, core gamers make up a minority of the popular consoles like PS1, SNES, PS2, and now Wii.

The Wii will have lots of hardcore gamers, outnumbering that of the PS3 and Xbox 360 due to its massive install base.

If only 10% of the Wii's userbase is hardcore, then when the console reaches 100 million, 10 million people will be hardcore gamers.

Look at the sales of Capcom hardcore Wii games:

http://vgchartz.com/games/index.php?name=&console=Wii&developer=&publisher=62&genre=&keyword=&order=Sales

Are you telling me that 1.60 million Wii casual owners bought Resident Evil 4: Wii Editiion - A hardcore Third Party game? No, those are the hardcores, and their numbers are only going to grow. Not so for the 360 or PS3. 360 and PS3 sales have slowed to a crawl not GTA IV or Metal Gear Solid 4 or Gears of War 2 are going to change that.
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