onipex said:
Quality games ( core and casual) with good marketing have sold better in most cases ( from the numbers I have seen) than the shovelware and popular/hyped games sell very well on the Wii. Take RE:UC , RE4, or GH for example.
I mean it doesn't take much thought or time to realize that the sonic and mario game sold better than the petz games, because of the two big IPs in the title and the game being fun to play ( to those that like mini games). You don't see the really crappy mini games or music games made by third parties selling like that game or GH on the Wii.
Just look at the teirs of software sales on the Wii. And people can correct me if I'm wrong.
Super mega hit (5 million+)
- Nintendo IP
- high quality
Big hit (1 million-5 million)
- high value established IP
- high quality
Hit (500K-1million)
- questionable quality
- established IP (including IPs known outside of gaming)
moderate sales (200K-500K)
- random quality
- some established IP
Low sales (less than 200K)
- random quality
- no previous IP
So most devs/publishers are capable of putting out games in the moderate sales to Hit range on the Wii. Now notice in those categories that quality isn't a high determining factor of success. Sure it helps, I mean it can't hurt, but when allocating resources your best guys can definitely be better utilized elsewhere.
So why would EA ever put something like Mirror's Edge or Dead Space on the Wii? It doesn't make sense for them to do that until it's become a known IP. Like what has happened with Skate, Rock Band, and Guitar Hero.
Is there a single new IP from a 3rd party that has LAUNCHED on the Wii and achieved more than 1 million in sales?
I can name dozens on the PS360.
So what will happen is you'll have the best designers working on new IP for the HD consoles to establish new franchises. Those IP will then be ported/sequeled onto both the HD consoles and an inferior version on the Wii.
Until the Wii has a hardcore userbase that can launch new IPs, you won't have the best designers working on Wii games, and therefore the Wii will always play second fiddle to the HD Consoles when it comes to 3rd party core games.
So to test my hypothesis we'll see what games like The Conduit, Deadly Creatures and Mad World do. If they bomb... then my theory is correct. If one or more breaks out and becomes a million-unit franchise, then expect to see a lot more core games launching on the Wii.