Wii Audience "Only Trust Big Nintendo Brands"
Lightning Fish Games CEO laments Wii's shovelware culture.
Lightning Fish Games CEO Simon Prytherch has said that the Wii is suffering from a market and sales issue this year. The cause is largely the amount of “sub-standard software” that has “over-saturated the product.”
Speaking to GamesIndustry, Prytherch concluded that customers burned by buying naff third party games has created a culture where the audience will "only trust big Nintendo brands".
“I don't think you can ever write Nintendo off, but the Wii market - from a third party software developer and publisher perspective - is over-saturated with product,” he said, before announcing that his company is “moving on” to other platforms - namely, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
If you’re at a loss to remember who Lightning Fish Games is, we don’t blame you. A newly formed company, its first and only title is NewU with Ubisoft - a fitness game on the Wii released in September 2009. Seems ironic really.
But Prytherch isn’t giving up on the casual market, stating that he sees potential in motion-controlled games for Natal and Sony’s wand controller in 2010. “They'll have a huge impact once people start designing specifically for those controllers. The first-person shooters and driving games - they've already got a really good controller that people are really happy with as a hardcore audience.”
Perhaps Lightning Fish Games can get a fitness or party game out on Natal before a hundred others do the same and over-saturate that market too. Do you think the Wii comments are valid? Do you have a Wii and only use it for first-party titles? Speak out in the comments below.
Speaking to GamesIndustry, Prytherch concluded that customers burned by buying naff third party games has created a culture where the audience will "only trust big Nintendo brands".
“I don't think you can ever write Nintendo off, but the Wii market - from a third party software developer and publisher perspective - is over-saturated with product,” he said, before announcing that his company is “moving on” to other platforms - namely, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
If you’re at a loss to remember who Lightning Fish Games is, we don’t blame you. A newly formed company, its first and only title is NewU with Ubisoft - a fitness game on the Wii released in September 2009. Seems ironic really.
But Prytherch isn’t giving up on the casual market, stating that he sees potential in motion-controlled games for Natal and Sony’s wand controller in 2010. “They'll have a huge impact once people start designing specifically for those controllers. The first-person shooters and driving games - they've already got a really good controller that people are really happy with as a hardcore audience.”
Perhaps Lightning Fish Games can get a fitness or party game out on Natal before a hundred others do the same and over-saturate that market too. Do you think the Wii comments are valid? Do you have a Wii and only use it for first-party titles? Speak out in the comments below.
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Comments
Bruno 1 Dec 2009 12:35
1/6
I agree - I have Wii but now only get the big Ninty titles or series I trust, like House of the Dead or No More Heroes (when it comes out). Theres sooo much rubbish released for Wii every week, like, ahem, Wii Fit imitation games. People aren't willing to take chances with new titles.
goomba 1 Dec 2009 13:31
2/6
So they want to move their shovelware to oversaturate the 360 and ps3 with the same rubbish and create the same problem for them?
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realvictory 1 Dec 2009 13:35
3/6
Firstly, it's not just the Wii that is saturated with "naff" games. All consoles have a large number of them. I don't quite understand what people expect - is it all to do with peoples' expectations of the controller?
Secondly, Nintendo has shown that there is potential for success on the Wii. I personally don't believe you can blame Nintendo for third parties making low-quality games - or even a large number of "budget" games, when you take into consideration the fact that people are wary of spending a lot of money on game titles they've never heard of.
But based on these factors, Nintendo still need to (desperately) continue finding new ways to use the controller (which will probably be kept a secret until the PS3 and XBox 360 motion control stuff is released).
Secondly, Nintendo has shown that there is potential for success on the Wii. I personally don't believe you can blame Nintendo for third parties making low-quality games - or even a large number of "budget" games, when you take into consideration the fact that people are wary of spending a lot of money on game titles they've never heard of.
But based on these factors, Nintendo still need to (desperately) continue finding new ways to use the controller (which will probably be kept a secret until the PS3 and XBox 360 motion control stuff is released).
Tamikaze 1 Dec 2009 14:23
4/6
If i'm not mistaken, don't people buy a Nintendo console to buy Nintendo games?
Travis 2 Dec 2009 01:42
5/6
All it takes is some research when you're deciding whether to get a new third-party title or not. I remember for Deadly Creatures, I initially gave it the cold shoulder because it sounded too gimmicky. After perusing the website, however, I saw that they were doing a good job on the game, and it was worth my money. If more companies coughed up info and gameplay footage before release, they only have themselves to blame if their game is too crappy to sell.
Joji 2 Dec 2009 10:57
6/6
These casual games are going to have a harder time on 360/PS3, where the competition is more talented, best looking and audience more clued up on games. I feel it will force more of them to buck up their ideas, as WIi has let them push out cheap complacent product. And if they aren't going to do so, they might as well stay on Wii.
With hard drives available, optionable demos and online play much better, the bar is going to be raised significantly. Only then will Nintendo wake up and smell the coffee, that Wii could have been doing all this, if only they had better spec and much more faith.
I think that the majority of creative software, in the Natal and PS3motion are still going to come from japan.
With hard drives available, optionable demos and online play much better, the bar is going to be raised significantly. Only then will Nintendo wake up and smell the coffee, that Wii could have been doing all this, if only they had better spec and much more faith.
I think that the majority of creative software, in the Natal and PS3motion are still going to come from japan.