Nintendo offering 'insane incentives' for devs to publish on Wii U's eShop

[garyopa]

'A much bigger revenue cut' than PSN, XBLA



Seems that a source 'working for a European developer' told website Wii U Daily that Nintendo is taking digital downloads seriously this time.

According to a report on Wii U Daily, which cites an "unnamed European developer", Nintendo will offer bigger revenue cuts on digital downloads for the Wii U than other gaming platform providers.

"They're offering insane incentives for publishers to sell retail games as downloads on the console," the source explained. "You'd be stupid not to take advantage of it and go retail box-only."

According to the same source, Nintendo has learned from mistakes made on WiiWare and wants to build a new platform that is perfect for indie developers.

"The new platform is perfect for indie devs, it's a whole different ball game than WiiWare. They've learned a lot from that mess," he said.

"It's just a much bigger revenue cut that you'd get selling it on any other platform at the moment, plus promotions on the online store. If they [Nintendo] pull it off and it gains traction, it'll press the other guys [Microsoft and Sony] to give more of the revenue to the publishers.

It's very good for us who make games. You'll be making a lot more per unit sold digitally than at retail with the Wii U. And from day one."

Just as with the 3DS, Nintendo plans to make full boxed games available as downloads day-and-date with the retail versions. First party games are confirmed, but the option is also open to third parties.

Apparently, that same source previously informed on the "Wii U Achievements", something that was later confirmed by Nintendo.

NEWS SOURCE #1: Nintendo offering insane incentives to publish on Wii-U eShop (via) WiiUDaily
NEWS SOURCE #2: Nintendo encouraging eShop support with insane incentives report (via) CVG

Our thanks to 'Gauss' for this news item!

[tech3475]

I wonder why DD hasn't yet ended the UK state side language barrier.

i.e. a game (typically japanese) may have a US release but still take months/years/never to come over here because of various issues e.g. EU language translations, I'm surprised DD hasn't been used as a way to bypass this.

It also prevents the low stock issue like with TOV where at one point I know units were £60+ second hand but then got a £20 DD release.

Don't get me wrong, I like retail where possible but I think it's an opportunity especially on region locked consoles.

[billysastard]

I wonder why DD hasn't yet ended the UK state side language barrier.

i.e. a game (typically japanese) may have a US release but still take months/years/never to come over here because of various issues e.g. EU language translations, I'm surprised DD hasn't been used as a way to bypass this.

It also prevents the low stock issue like with TOV where at one point I know units were £60+ second hand but then got a £20 DD release.

Don't get me wrong, I like retail where possible but I think it's an opportunity especially on region locked consoles.

lol tov still goes for that much because of its rairaty, the dd one like any download is valueless so it has had absolutely no difference to the price of the physical copy.

dd wont solve region issues, firstly the stores are still region locked or at least account locked and whats the point in buying a game that you cant read or understand, localisation will still take just as long and sales would be lower as the 30% of gamers who arent online could never get it same with those like me who simply refuse to pay for content we dont own.

[msanchez]

You know I might not be the biggest fan of their games/systems, but I've always thought nintendo has the most business sense, actually, they have more business sense than the other 2 put together (in ms' case at least when speaking of the gaming consoles side of business). This will probably help small devs skip having to deal with the likes of EA, Activision, Ubi, etc... bunch of damn crooks they are. It's about time for devs to be making the $$$.

...30% of gamers who arent online could never get it same with those like me who simply refuse to pay for content we dont own.

Well thanks to sony I'm a cynic as well, but I still buy stuff online. Always get the humble bundles, though that is more to show support for the cause, I frequently buy apps in google play, and I'm not against dropping <$10 in Steam... basically, my cynicism is exclusive to sony.

PS: not sure I would trust ms either.

[tech3475]

lol tov still goes for that much because of its rairaty, the dd one like any download is valueless so it has had absolutely no difference to the price of the physical copy.

dd wont solve region issues, firstly the stores are still region locked or at least account locked and whats the point in buying a game that you cant read or understand, localisation will still take just as long and sales would be lower as the 30% of gamers who arent online could never get it same with those like me who simply refuse to pay for content we dont own.

1. I was talking about games which had a us release, so no additional translation is required even if it does mean a few mistakes eg. It says colors not colours. Obviously on the uk store.
2. Some people just want to play games, not investments.
3. Im only talking as an option before a retail release, so for example, a game comes out on the uk dd store on day 1 but a retail release comes months later with the rest of the eu.

[billysastard]

Well thanks to sony I'm a cynic as well, but I still buy stuff online. Always get the humble bundles, though that is more to show support for the cause, I frequently buy apps in google play, and I'm not against dropping <$10 in Steam... basically, my cynicism is exclusive to sony.

PS: not sure I would trust ms either.

well to be fair buying the humble bundle is like much of pc download games in that you can pay and download then burn so you have a physical copy even if not retail, whats more once you have the game the chance are high that its pretty much yours forever, i know i can still run pc titles from the 80's but with console games of this most recent generation once the server is gone at least if you have a real copy you can still play it whenever and wherever you want as long as hardware exists or there is emulation within the limitations of never being able to play boyond what was on the disc when you bought it (no patches, dlc etc).

[MadonnaProject]

Proof in the pudding. Look at third party publishers on the wii, pathetic failures. Nintendo is only giving them incentives to reel them in initially.

[Diztructor]

Proof in the pudding. Look at third party publishers on the wii, pathetic failures. Nintendo is only giving them incentives to reel them in initially.

ohh dont say that, billy will start crying

[billysastard]

ohh dont say that, billy will start crying

(i'd better not point out that with far lower development costs even all that horrible wii shovelware managed to be profitable even if it should have died and burned in hell)

[msanchez]

Proof in the pudding. Look at third party publishers on the wii, pathetic failures. Nintendo is only giving them incentives to reel them in initially.

While we are all in agreement that wii 3rd party titles are... what's the word I'm looking for... well they are just simply horrible, that is not nintendo's fault. If publishers weren't trying to cash in on every stupid idea nintendo has that makes them money, then they wouldn't be in such a predicament. I honestly believe a lot of people that buy nintendo's games do so based on name, so slide a Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, etc in the title and you've got a winner in the sales department.

[Diztructor]

While we are all in agreement that wii 3rd party titles are... what's the word I'm looking for... well they are just simply horrible, that is not nintendo's fault. If publishers weren't trying to cash in on every stupid idea nintendo has that makes them money, then they wouldn't be in such a predicament. I honestly believe a lot of people that buy nintendo's games do so based on name, so slide a Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, etc in the title and you've got a winner in the sales department.

well you could blame nintndo for these games on the wii, for forcing motion controllers as a primary controller, theres only so many ways you could use it, therfore every game being the same thing over n over.

what happens is, nintendo release a system and make it a gimmick so it sells millions making them the money, nintendo dont really make that many games other than the usual mario/zelda/pikmin games and dont care if it dosnt sell that many, because theyll bundle it with the console in a different colour.

if nintendo offered the motion controlls as optional im very sure devs would have released better games other than motion controll games, like we see on the 360/ps3.

[msanchez]

well you could blame nintndo for these games on the wii, for forcing motion controllers as a primary controller, theres only so many ways you could use it, therfore every game being the same thing over n over.

what happens is, nintendo release a system and make it a gimmick so it sells millions making them the money, nintendo dont really make that many games other than the usual mario/zelda/pikmin games and dont care if it dosnt sell that many, because theyll bundle it with the console in a different colour.

if nintendo offered the motion controlls as optional im very sure devs would have released better games other than motion controll games, like we see on the 360/ps3.

If nintendo offered the motion controls as an option we wouldn't have move or kinect right now. Though the reasons why elude me, nintendo quite simply know how to sell stuff, and you just need to understand that you and your hate for nintendo are a minority among the vast gamut of video gamers. Though I don't hate them, I won't be caught playing most ninty games other than Zelda, or Metroid (only ones that come to mind), but I know I am the odd guy in that respect.

In any case, even if nintendo wanted them to use motion controls it still falls on devs for their crappy implementations. Look at Donkey Kong for the wii, that game has basically no motion controls, aside from the slaming the ground which is mapped to an up and down shake, so why couldn't other developers use controls such as those?

Blame nintendo all you want, but the fact is that they hold themselves to the same rules that they would hold other developers and they do well, so why can't other devs do the same? If you challenge me to a one handed push-up competition and you do more one handed push-ups than me, then it's not your fault I lost... unless being better can be considered a fault.

[billysastard]

I won't be caught playing most ninty games other than Zelda, or Metroid (only ones that come to mind),

maybe you should try the often overlooked game disaster (also called day of crisis), you might enjoy it.

[msanchez]

maybe you should try the often overlooked game disaster (also called day of crisis), you might enjoy it.

I meant first party ninty games, well even more than first party I mean the usual suspects, as in Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, etc. I'm actually playing Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes on the wii right now didn't have the chance to play it before. After that I'm probably going to play Skies of Arcadia... if I can find a copy. I had to go to a few different places to find Twin Snakes, so SoA I imagine will have to be bought online.

... what? I never had a gamecube, and only just got a wii, so I gotta start with cube games (not to mention I stand to get them pretty cheap)

[billysastard]

I meant first party ninty games, well even more than first party I mean the usual suspects, as in Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, etc. I'm actually playing Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes on the wii right now didn't have the chance to play it before. After that I'm probably going to play Skies of Arcadia... if I can find a copy. I had to go to a few different places to find Twin Snakes, so SoA I imagine will have to be bought online.

... what? I never had a gamecube, and only just got a wii, so I gotta start with cube games (not to mention I stand to get them pretty cheap)

i had to buy soa online because it wasnt available over here but as far as i know disaster was a first party title and a new ip that was made for the wii.