It is somewhat of a self fulfilling prophecy, when EA released Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U, they followed it by announcing a Mass Effect Trilogy, just one of many dumb moves that sabotages their own sales. On top of making ME3 on Wii U full priced, while the 360/PS3/PC versions were noticeably cheaper
But how successful have third party games really been on Nintendo home consoles? Even before MS or even Sony entered the picture? From the top of my head, i would guess Street Fighter 2 on the SNES and Mortal Kombat II did really well, and later Just Dance franchise on the Wii are most likely the most successful third party games. What about those Sonic and Mario Olympic games? Were they by SEGA? I know they sold good
Its obviously a demographics "problem", Super Metroid is one of the finest games ever made, and yet that game never really sold all that well, so its not just that people buying Nintendo consoles preferred Nintendo games, they obviously prefer specific types of games
I would love to see a top 10 (or 20) best selling third party games on Nintendo home consoles list.
Not to have a go at you here, but I reject this "Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games" line, often repeated on here, around the Internet and by the most extreme of Nintendo fanboys who don't seem to realise that this is very self-defeating. If you own a Sony console for your Uncharteds, LBPs and Killzones, you still have the support of other parties - I never hear their fans say "I bought this for Sony's games". Why SHOULDN'T Nintendo fans aspire to, and expect cross-platform games? I recognise that this wasn't possible with the Wii, but with the Wii U, it has all the tools and capabilities in the way that the Dreamcast & PS2 could get games from the more powerful GameCube and XBox. The Wii U is in the same position. It is noticeable steps above the PS360 consoles, and it positions itself at the Dreamcast & PS2 end of the 8th Gen scale, while the PS4 and Microsoft's 8th Gen console are at the GameCube & XBox end. Watch Dogs should serve as an encouraging sign, and the perhaps the next COD game (Wii U is with the 8th Gen consoles there). We also know that 8th Gen engines are designed with scalability in mind, so if the Wii U doesn't get cross-platform games in future, it's fuck all to do with a lack of power; it'll be because those houses didn't want their games there. Battlefield 4 not being there is a blow, for sure. Ditto Madden and GTA V (although I personally don't care for GTA V, I am aware that many would love to play it). It's time that the myths about Nintendo fans not buying 'third party games', and there 'not being a market for certain genres' on their consoles was confronted and killed with fire and holy water once and for all.
We already know about the Dance, Party and Health & Fitness games. Others such as Sonic, Lego and Disney games often do very well on Nintendo consoles. But it doesn't end there.
Dragon Quest IX sold about 6 million copies on the DS. Previous re-releases in the DQ series sold over a million on the DS, too. More than VIII on the PS2. Chrono Trigger sold a few million copies on the SNES, and that was without a release on European shores - When it released on the DS in 2008, it was a million-seller once again. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles eclipsed that 7-figure mark on the GameCube - More than Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance and LOZ: Four Swords Adventures combined, by the way. There hasn't been a flagship entry in the Final Fantasy series on Nintendo consoles since the 6th one on the SNES.(RPG/Action Adventures)
Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 are a couple of million-sellers on the Wii. Pro Evolution does better than EA's Fifa because of bullshit like
this and
this. Let me remind you that this is one of many EA parasitical practices. Unfortunately, Konami, too, were caught doing the same
here. My point here is that there IS a market for these games, and anybody who still believes that Nintendo and Nintendo fans should bear the cross for this at this point is fucking dumb. (Sports)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was a million-seller on the DS, more than on the PSP, yet Rockstar's silence is very deafening on Nintendo consoles. GTA V was 'considered' for it with the PC. Not even a late port of Red Dead Redemption, or something of note on the table. Only in the games industry can million-sellers mean 'no market'. (Open World)
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2009 All-Play, EA Playground, and even Rockstar's Table Tennis are a few more million-sellers. We know about EA's 'unprecedented partnership', and I mentioned Rockstar above. (More Sports)
COD games on the Wii were million-sellers - this is a remarkable achievement, given that the definitive versions of the 7th Gen games were elsewhere, and that the XBox 360 was the primary platform for that series. The incentive to buy COD:BlOps2 isn't there, as it misses significant DLC. It is completely wrong and improper to blame Nintendo fans for buying a different version, or ignoring this one when these features are guaranteed elsewhere. The numbers are also higher than Vanquish (for me, this was the Best Shooter of the 7th Generation), which was NOT a million seller on either PS360 console. (Shooters)
Epic Mickey 2 sold better on the Wii than PS360 combined, and has a higher sale-user base ratio on the Wii U than both the PS360 consoles. It should've been Wii or Wii U exclusive. I think you know what happened after that... Although from different developers, it makes the non-inclusion of the Wii U for the Castle Of Illusion remake even more bizarre - It would be in Sega's interests to put it there before the others. (Platform Games)
Need For Speed: Underground 1 & 2 were million-sellers on the GameCube, which is actually an impressive sale-user base ratio. NFS: Carbon was a million seller on the Wii, too. People can knee-jerk all they want about the NFS: Most Wanted Wii U sales, but it's a fact that it wasn't released on a level playing field, and at one point, Wii U owners didn't know it was coming at all, then they were told to buy the game in the hope that they MIGHT be supported with its DLC. (Racing Games)
Soul Calibur 2 was a million-seller on the GameCube, more successful than on the XBox, and with a higher sale-user base ratio than it and the PS2. Again, very impressive, and further still, more than Soul Calibur 5 on PS360 consoles combined. No ports for this series, and time will tell whether the next entry will be realised on the Wii U - You can guarantee that it will exist on Microsoft's 8th Gen console, although it has a history of doing worse there than on Nintendo consoles. (Fighting Games)
More people bought Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (at this point, a two-year old game) for that platform than PS360 owners bought Bayonetta. Yet Nintendo fans are wondering why Capcom couldn't bring RE6 or something more to the table for the Wii U at launch, but they will be able to enjoy the sequel to the best game on the PS360 consoles exclusively. What's clear here is that PS360 extremists didn't care for Bayonetta - they were more angry at the idea of Nintendo fans having something exclusive from somewhere other than Nintendo themselves after years of being spoiled rotten, at the idea that they could have anything, ever, at all.
That's before mentioning that Tomb Raider 2013 was one of a number of titles not announced on the WiiU during the launch window to be labelled a 'failure' or 'disappointment'. Or that Sonic & All Stars Racing: Transformed on the Wii U has the highest sale-user base ratio of all the versions - It was the first 'third party' game to top the Wii U charts; unit sales have been just as good as the other versions, and they are still improving, too. Or that Frozenbyte said they were very happy with the numbers for Trine 2: Director's Cut - they weren't happy with the numbers with the PS360 numbers; an outstanding achievement on a system with a smaller user base. So, there is a market for multiple genres on Nintendo consoles. There always has been, and these bullshit excuses just don't wash. All the fans ask is that they get the same game with the same content, and that the job is done well. Ideally, it would be released on a level playing field, too (i.e., on the same day as the rest) - So far, NONE of the Wii U's cross-platform games have been able to tick all of those boxes.
There's a case which says porting games to the Wii U would've helped these parties as well as the sales of the console - people buying one would have the reassurance that other houses are committed to supporting it, and in turn want to invest in that version. It's also a reality that many games across numerous genres underperform or don't sell on other consoles, but I don't see them making the same conditional statements or beating them with the same stick. So-called 'third parties' need to realise that they can't carry on the way they have been, and that relationships are two-way streets. However, instead of trying to meet Nintendo and Nintendo fans, they don't even step on the bridge (collectively, not all).
