Nintendo ZombiU Wasn't Profitable, not even close, no sequel planned

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Wow... That is big news.

I do understand why they're refusing to make more games. Companies don't make these games out of charity. Nintendo has also been very blase about third party developers on rpg's like Xenoblade Chronicles. I know I bring this up as an example a lot, but this game was a sleeper that has HUGE demand over here. They still refuse to make more copies even though this is screaming: "console buyer." Because they don't believe it will work well in the long run. Hell, they treated The World Ends With You better and that was a DS GAME for god sakes.

I know Nintendo has worked better being the lesser console graphics wise in the past. But things have changed, where it dominated in the 80's and 90's for the reason it had very little competition and 90% of the market, but times have changed. People have changed on what they like/need. The Internet is one of the biggest changes in human history especially with social communication. A lot of people want to be able to talk to their friends or have better graphics than what Nintendo offers. In a world with gaming consoles constantly changing and features constantly being added on...

Nintendo has steadily been static with very few changes. This is really starting to hurt them more than anything, not including the fact that you remove the factor of all the party games vs. the actual games offered on the Wii.

There have been a few, No More Heroes being a huge one, that have made the game a console buyer. But that's not enough. The games you make aren't enough if you constantly keep on making ones. And I've heard the old ones are leaving soon. Metroid I've heard has one last game left before it's done. That's a game that has been around since the beginning of the series. Castlevania is now multi-platform and would easily survive if Nintendo went under, so is Mega Man. Rare and Square have left, two companies who were brilliant on what they do.

They need to realize that the Internet is something they need to use to their advantage. Sony has used it to make Lets Plays be recorded on your system and posted online along with a massive social network and lets not forget their PSN Plus which is probably one of the best ideas ever made even if MS made it first, they made gigantic strides on making it better. MS was the one who started LAN parties, matchmaking and other online activities that made the system flourish. I heard that 90% of the fans of Call of Duty just buy the games to play the multiplayer. Don't quote me on that.

What has Nintendo done with the Internet? The DS has great Wifi system and trading, great... What about the consoles? They haven't done anything except make games available to download and maybe the Mii system and a few online play games. This REALLY hurts your system selling when most people, not all like to do online socialization.

They also really need to go and A: Remove region lock, which I've heard they're still doing. B: Go to Indie developers with hat in hand and ask for help in making games. The Last of Us shows that you can make SPECTACULAR exclusive games that will sell well in most circumstances. Granted, Zombie U was probably one of those fantastic games, but it wasn't enough to make it a system buyer, because people see other games that are coming out.

Finally, they REALLY, REALLY, REALLY need to improve their marketing. Their showing at E3 was downright humiliating. When Sony and MS are coming out with a console the same year, they need to make their product sparkle to the point where despite their competition, they can still sell their console this holiday season and maybe worry about the competition, but not enough for them to be left in the dust.

Even with MS's severe problems with the One, they still beat Nintendo's E3. That is just sad, the fact that all the games they showcased this year at E3 aren't even coming out this year is worse for them this holiday season when these two consoles come out and the war really begins between the three. Even though maybe the One will be the worse, U will be close behind.

It's amazing and sad how far Nintendo has fallen from being king of the consoles at it's first breaths of life. I don't see them celebrating 30 or 35 years, sadly. At least in the U.S.

 

that's not really surprising to me. the game seems pretty mediocre if the demo is a good representation of it. the wii u gamepad features are actually pretty clever, they were a good idea. it does a good job in creating an atmosphere and it genuinely scared me quite a few times, so i think survival horror fans might like this, i on the other hand find it too intense for me, lol. but the lack of plot and character development is VERY off-putting to me, as well as the fact that it takes WAAAY too long to kill anything. you're going to be wacking at the same zombie for quite a while before it dies. the game does scary well, but i don't think the actual gameplay is that fun.

also, isn't survival horror a very niche interest? so it wouldn't be that surprising if it didn't sell well.

 

So, I'm not going to hit on all the points you made, but I think a huge part of the problem is how insulated Nintendo's thinking is. They don't really take much feedback and criticism from outside sources to improve their hardware, instead they work on it purely internally. It's problematic. It means they are out of otuch with their fanbase and with the general consumer. I don't even think the kid-friendly image Nintendo has is an issue any more. It's just how unapologetically stubborn they are. They release this console, and expect people to like it, and don't understand why people don't. Personally, I like the Wii U. It seems like a great console. It's just not up-to-par in terms of functionality that the PS3 and 4 have.

 

It's also a problem when you don't bring in fresh blood. Shigeru Miyamotou is considered a gaming god, he has been around since 1980 making ideas for Nintendo. But that still doesn't mean that new ideas and new blood shouldn't brought in. Hence my suggestion on third party developers. They do need to listen to the customers, and the customers need to stop attacking people who want to make suggestions and complain about Nintendo right now. Someone posted a video about Nintendo's problems and I commented on how I don't really enjoy the games anymore and the Wii became a paperweight. I got hate mail for weeks afterwards before I finally deleted it.

There's always going to be rabid fanboys, but not enough to keep a system going. It has happened a lot in the past, it will happen again.

 

According to Mark Cerny (from Sony) he said you shouldn't listen to your costumers, they will tell you what was great a month ago in other game, and your game will be out two years after being old from the begining, you should just make new things and test if it appeals after!

The problem over nintendo is that both nintendo and its fans are in a comfortable position of making the same games for ever.. so if they both like it, is not a problem, even though I don't.

 

I didn't figure it to be a complete blow out. I expected it to not be profitable but not that bad. People don't really buy M games for a Nintendo Platform. It is just rarely done. Most people haven't gotten the WiiU yet either do to the lack of really good Nintendo games that are on the system. 3rd party is nice and all but that isn't what people buy Nintendo consoles for. Sorry to Ubi, if I had the WiiU I would get ZombiU. I planned to too but you know how money is.

 

guys, have you even tried the game? i played the demo and watched some of the trailers. the game screams mediocrity, so the fact that it didn't sell well might be on Ubisoft and not on Nintendo. even the trailers make this game look pretty lame. i mean, i know it's no secret that the Wii U sales are pretty down, but this game doesn't seem that good. though, i could be wrong about that since i didn't play the full game. so it would be nice if someone who actually did weighed in.

 

It's a pretty bad game guys. It had potential, but it was seriously awful. Bad controls, bad gameplay, bad everything. Not a great way to kick off a new console.

 

Though Zombie U might not be that good. (Never played it myself...)

The lackluster E3 for Nintendo this year shows an underlying problem, not including in 2011 they lost 900 million in a year. A huge number even for a powerhouse like Nintendo.

They're driving off third party developers and throwing the same **** out at us. Yes, there's original games, No More Heroes, Xenoblade, those two were fantastic. But compare that to Sony and Microsoft. Halo, Heavy Rain, The Last of Us, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Portal, I could name hundreds more that are made by third parties. You can't keep on throwing out the same **** and expect results.

This reminds me of the N64 era when they drove off Square by refusing to make cd's for Final Fantasy VII, remember how that worked out? When Nintendo dominated, when I was a little kid, Nintendo was the **** to own. There was hundreds of games to choose from, if you didn't like a genre, fine, pick another game from the system that fits your needs. there's hundreds of those games out there to choose from. It's not that way anymore for Nintendo.

There's still people who feel it's what it was 20 years ago, but the numbers are dwindling each generation. I saw today how thrilled someone was that they finally came out with a remake of Earthbound though that has been BEGGED for ever since I would say the Gamecube, not including Mother 3 which never touched U.S. soil. In a decade from now, or 20 years, do you honestly think you'd be as thrilled if they came out with say, Super Smash Bros. 9 remake? Mario Party 9 remake? Even if Nintendo exists? Do you see people begging for a remake of Pokemon, I mean, a mass amount, not a few people here and there.

It's two factors: The games are the same that they have been for decades with few new ones. Sony notice, doesn't depend on The Last of Us, or Final Fantasy, or any other one game that is going to be a sequel of it at some point, MS doesn't, well, though Halo is debatable. Nintendo however is bringing back again and again, a game that has the same formula since 25 years ago. They drive off the new blood with their standards, and the old blood is getting really old and worn out.

 

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Even though it might not be so good If I had a Wii U I would probably buy it if not only to diversify my game collection