Developers Are More Interested In Old Gen Consoles Than Wii U

March 4, 2013 - 10:30pm

Game Developers Conference's 2013 State Of The Industry survey revealed that the number of developers currently working on Wii U titles is nearly one third of those working on either of the at-the-end-of-their-lifetimes current gen consoles.

Only 4.6% of surveyed developers indicated that they are working on games for Nintendo’s recently released Wii U. For comparison, 13.2% confirmed working on Xbox 360 games and 13% stated that they are working on PlayStation 3.

PlayStation 3 successor, the PlayStation 4 has already been revealed and the Xbox 360 successor is expected to be announced in April; so it is normal to expect developers to move on. The fact that one of each eight developers is still working on games for them is a testament to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3’s market strength.

Unfortunately, that can’t be said for Nintendo’s Wii U that was released in November 2012 and seems to be losing more developers’ support with each passing day.

As for the near future, 6.4% of surveyed developers intend to make their next game for Wii U while 14% plan to target Xbox 360 and 12.4% for PlayStation 3.

Comments

Since most of the development

Since most of the development made on near death consoles is mostly shovelware, I don't see how this is bad for the wii U. Also devs want money no matter what, the xbox360 and the ps3 have much more user base than the wii U, and developing for a new console is developing for a smaller audience. Happens every time.

I do.

It seems bad from a 3rd party perspective because Wii U is Nintendo's "next gen" bargain box & there is still more in development for the end of life consoles. ALL of the other development, that 85% +, is for the new bargain boxes from Micro$hit & Phony.

Nintendo does this to

Nintendo does this to themselves. The WiiU, controller asside, is last gen hardware. Why would any developer be excited to develop for the same hardware specs they've been developing on for years now (360, PS3)? If they want to get more developer support, then they should have brought more to the table than a controller, which is interesting, but not enough to get more developers on board for the WiiU. Just my opinion. With that said, I'm not a die hard Nintendo fan, but there were games on the Wii and Gamecube that I really enjoyed. I also own a PS3 and 360, so I'm not a fanboy at all. But man....like I said...they do this to themselves. Heck, I believe the N64 (a great console) had far more developer support than both the Gamecube and Wii.

The wii u is at least 4/5

The wii u is at least 4/5 times faster than the 360 and ps3. The wii u also uses completely different hardware. Check the internet if you dont believe me. Nintendo are aware that the next consoles from Sony and Microshaft will be at least 8 times 6/8 times faster than the Wii U but they are about creating fun interactive games. It may sound like im a fan boy but im not. For graphics you cant beat the pc and trust me when I say the ps4 and 720 wont either. The real issue is greed. Developer's want an instant return and learning new hardware takes time. Primary example EA who rush out games filled with bugs then release patch after patch for an incomplete game. Then they charge you ridiculous money for the dlc.

Did you just make up those numbers?

WiiU is 4 to 5 times faster than 360 or PS3? The new consoles are 6 to 8 times faster again? So you are claiming that the new consoles will in effect be 24 to 40 times faster than the current gen? Your numbers are completely wrong, performance specs for the new consoles aren' t out yet - but they absolutely will not be 24 to 40 times faster, just as the WiiU is not 4 to 5 times faster than either the 360 or PS3. You're correct about the new consoles not keeping up with even current gen PCs though, and about the greed factor, rushed games and DLC wallet raping, but your numbers are pure fantasy.

I've double checked and your

I've double checked and your right. I got my numbers wrong. However, numbers aside the Wii U is more powerful than the ps3 and 360. The PS4 and 720 will be more powerful again but it terms of by how much is difficult to find out.

I too am a PC gamer & A+

I too am a PC gamer & A+ Certified technician. So yes...you i completely agree with what you said about PCs. I also, see what you're saying about the WiiU. I'm not disagreeing, just adding. Anywho, yes, Nintendo does have a certain target audience. Now, considering that Crysis 3 was planned and developed for it (although canned in the end), I kind of got a feeling that MAYBE they wanted to pull in a little of the FPS crowd (i would say hardcore gamer crowd, but it's just so cliche lol). Losing developer support could hurt that aspect of it. That's not to say that the WiiU won't be successful. Just that...I would like to see the WiiU compete on that front. I think it would be really interesting.

Well third party dev's might

Well third party dev's might not like having to deal with old gen hardware for a Nintendo product, but you have to understand Nintendo re-vamps all its 1st Party games, like Metroid or Zelda, and of course the Mario games, and that's how they stay in business. Simple as that. I am just curious why Nintendo and EA weren't talking to each other.

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