Capcom has expressed its disappointment with the Wii’s increasing inability to appeal to traditional gamers, blaming it for poor sales of some of its recent titles.
The admission comes by way of an interview with Capcom France’s director general Antoine Seux, who expresses his disappoint at the pathetic sales of the latest Resident Evil title, which sold only 16,000 copies in the territory.
You also released other strong franchises, like Monster Hunter and Resident Evil on the Wii, or Bionic Commando. How did they do?
[…]
With Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, all in all the numbers weren’t too bad, but we won’t lie, they were inferior to what we had hoped for.
After three weeks we have a total of 16,000 units sold. We feel like there is a clear problem with that game’s style on the Wii, where clearly gamers have moved on to something else.
Only two years ago, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles was a very big success on the Wii, but Wii customers have moved to games with a wider audience. It’s a disappointment.
[…]
We are far from the “classical” target of today’s Wii.
[…]
Two years ago, we still had gamers on the Wii, people loyal to Nintendo who – it seems – have deserted this console in favor of the new generation.
Capcom is said to be focusing its future efforts on the PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms.
Nintendo itself has repeatedly acknowledged that its game line-up has fallen apart, and it is painfully obvious to most observers that “serious” games have been the most affected, with the bulk of the console’s dwindling top sellers coming from the “casual” camp.
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Im thinking of RE5 at the moment but I dunno what to say...
Wii is already dead!
nintendo should have focused on pimping out the N64. it was the best console of its time and could be the best console today if the focus stuck with it.
how can that system be dead when the sales still top the xbox and ps3. maybe its the zombies thats losing its popularity. also everyone knows the wiis main target is non-gamers. m rated games dont really do so well on that system.
Sales of console don't mean people are playing it. Check out the sales of the games and you will see why Capcom says this. Also, M rated games aren't the only ones that don't "do well." Almost all games on the wii sell miserably.
lolwut? @7:41 N64 the best console of its time? looks like somebody never got to play the ps1
I'm playing my Wii, my PC, and my 360. Capcom is talking out of its wide ass.
Just a reminder, you personally being an exception does not disprove Capcom's hypothesis. Statistically third party Wii games (especially those aimed at the "core") do not do as well as expected, and in many cases simply do poorly. It could mean any number of things, but Capcom believes that it's a sign of gamers migrating, don't know if that's actually the case, but at least it's something I've been hearing for quite some time. The Wii's already sparse selection seems to be gearing towards 1st party, exercise/sports sims, and shovelware.
I'm glad for the gems I have on mine (<3 Muramasa), but I can't say I do much with it now except "wow" visitors.
How can it be the zombies when l4d2 sold 2 Million In 2 Weeks excluding steam sales and RE:5 best selling single release in capcom history.Clearly its not the zombies its the wii ask any third party developer.
13:57 07/01/2010
i believe this is way late, but the 64 had games that define 3d gameing, and STILL hold up today.
it missed alot of rpgs, sadly, but that want the n64 strong point, that was the ps1's.
n64 had the ability to have 3d, not look like blocky pixlated shit. not saying any ps1 games weren't good, but compare the look.
and before we go further, having non midi music is a plus to almost all, but can you say zelda sounded bad?
and were there any games on the ps1 aside from rpgs, that defined games, as a THIS IS HOW ITS DONE even years later? even today?
personal tastes aside, n64 kicked ps1's ass, but ps1 had cheaper deveopment, and medium.
if it wasn't for that flaw N made with sony, hard core would be Nintendo, and real arcade feel would be xbox
It's not gamers that have left the wii, it's the wii who left gamers. Developers went all half assed on it with crappy ports and shitty games, the fact that they even considered the umbrella chronicles as a show of core gamers it's laughable. Of course no one's going to give a shit about your game if it sucks, they could have made a half-baked port of RE5 and it would have taken in a lot of cash, but instad the cheaped out and made on-rail shooters.
The wii is looped in a vicious cycle, developers don't make "serious" games- Gamers don't buy them-Developers don't see the need to improve on them.
I'm glad to see one sensible post.Some asshat went on about the Conduit;which I most say was very disappointing;as proof that the gamer has abandon the wii.No sir that was not a game worth 50 bucks.It didn't sell because it wasn't appeasing or strongly advertise to the wii's average demographic.And ports can't due.Though RE5 would have did great,that and deep space 2 would help a lot,but even then they have to be around initial release (no more than 3 months after) and calls for extra to convince people to buy it again.BUT Capcom France?Yeah they don't have much say on this.Wii games in europ-...excuse me,Games in Europe aren't to widely excepted unless like a friend of my says "it's FIFA" or Winning Eleven.
The problem is that the wii is aiming most of the games (if not ALL the games) for "casual" gamers, who dont deserve to be called gamers. They develop a console with lot of potential, but instead of exploting that potencial they waste it with childish games or making games extremely easy, making what could be a great controller into a easy no-skill-required (taking in mind skill doesnt involves playing a game where the controls mess up a lot) to attract new people (AKA lit kids or grown up without coordination to play real games or too old so they never tried one before so tehy would never do, and maybe they shouldnt :P )
It's not a the wii, it's the company behind it that caused that. There are plenty of good games out there for it, but the problem is that nintendo allows and even promotes the participation of third party developers that are barely qualified to create games, if a company makes big money from casual gaming it's quite obvious the rest will follow suit, thus jumping on the bandwagon of un-expensive and gimmicky bullshit that turns big profits.
The wii had some games that could very well work on other platforms, but instead of seeing how accessible the machine was all companies saw was a cheap development process that could turn a simple maraca game into a multibillion hit, then they all tried to do the same and we ended up with the puddle of shit the wii has sunk into, and no other publisher will put out any game that breaks off the gimmicky pattern for two reasons;
1-It'll be hyped like fuck precisely because it moves away from the rest of the games.
2- It'll be facing heavier criticism because of the aforementioned hype.
The wii has become the "safe" and comfortable console for developers, it's hardly a matter of casual gamers vs hardcore gamers, it's about casual developers not taking chances, or big ones simply using the wii as a gold mine to fund their bigger titles.
Your argument has some merit, but one thing is definitely not true: the Wii is _not_ a safe console for third parties.
Sure, there's a lot of shovelware (just like on PS2! the most popular console always gets the puddle of shit), but most of them aren't profitable at all, no matter how cheap they were made (even a cheap budget game costs maybe 300k dollars just to produce).
Nintendo does not allow everyone to develop - they do have criteria for licensed developers, and they happen to be pretty much the same as Sony or Microsoft.
The problem is the gold mine greed attitude. Nintendo made some really good "unusual" games for non-gamers (or gamers with an open mind) such as Wii Fit. Those were great.
However, third parties (publishers especially, not developers) smelled gold, some actually struck gold with shit, and how they all jump on the bandwagon.
But don't worry, it's just a matter of time till that bubble bursts. And then what's left is the good games - no matter if casual/non-gamer/hardcore (each of those can be QUALITY games) - that will remain.
The term safe was in quotation marks as to denote slight sarcasm, it's not that the wii is safe for third parties, it's just the safest for any developer. It basically comes down to developers being lazy and unoriginal to make a quick buck off of the wii's large consumer base, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
But that in itself is a problem like you said, it's only a matter of time before the gimmicky bullshit reaches critical mass and developers find themselves in need of fresh ideas or decent ports, we may be reaching that turning point this year.
Well, we in America just have to wait until March 30, when MH3 comes out and sells half a million copies. Let's see how one of Japan's most successful titles will do up here on a console pretty much everyone has. The psp one didnt do as well here than it did in Japan, but the Wii one looks totally kick ass. Can't wait to ride that sandship, fighting off a Shen Moran.
It's a cycle that the 'hardcore' gamers also perpetuate since how many 'casuals' are likely to pirate 'serious' attempts. When you have truly good games like House of the Dead: Overkill selling 400,000 copiesm but over 800,000 copies are pirated, that tells companies that you could make a great game. But if people are just going to pirate it, there's no reason to try to produce anything that takes effort when the 'casual' market is more than willing to pay for a tenth of the effort. (Look at Peggle)
But didn't the Wii leave gamers because gamers left the GameCube? Hardware wise it was better than the PS2 and the waggle shit hadn't started yet.
The wii had gamers...?
here's a thought Nintendo STOP FUCKING ALOWING PARTY GAMES!!!!!!
100% agreement
It doesn't matter if you have a bigger user base when most of your games are either for children or crappy party games.
Look at their new line up. Nintendo will hold on for dear life with Constant Mario games until they can release their Wii and DS successors. Right now, their only chance is another smash hit like SSBB.
Something tells me Sony will get it right with the PSP2, so the "DS2" will have a run for it's money, and the "Wii2" will probably still be inferior to the other consoles.
Don't forget online and download content for games. Jesus Christ, do you know how much money they'd make on Super Smash Bros. DLC alone?
And don't forget their screwy regulations with third party developers.
Aaaaaand the lack of new IPs is horrendous. What's that? Another Metroid game? Oh boy, I love Metroid games! Nomomomomomomom! Mmmmmm, tastes just like the last one I played!
Really, like the last one you played?
Funny, i can't remember any former Metroid games that was made by Team Ninja.
Really, like the last one you played?
Funny, i can't remember any former Metroid game that was made by Team Ninja.
Really, like the last one you played?
Funny, i can't remember any former Metroid game that was made by Team Ninja.
And stop selling useless gadgets to play even more ridiculous party games...
The balance board is NOT fat friendly!
It calls everyone fat, no matter how underweight you are. It called a 70 pound 11 year old who was about 4'6", fat
Eh, their Wii gamers are probably in the hospital still in shoulder and arm slings with casts on for injuries from playing the Wii. Just give them time they will be back.
These quotes come from Capcom of France. FRANCE. France doe snot speak for the whole Capcom organization.
Also, maybe gamers don't want ANOTHER light gun game on Wii, maybe they'd like a REAL Resident Evil.
So the French begin to spout utter nonsense to the whole world. Seems it was a long time of peace. Too long for them. Time for another invasion by a certain country. Or the Alliance Of The Willing.
Why such strong tittle fails? I don't get it...
People normally buy the console if they know a game they like is coming, I would understand the low sales if those where new franchises instead of well knew ones.
It's not a strong title when people are expecting another true Resident Evil (Biohazard) game. Not another generic on-rail shooter for the Wii. Especially since this is the 5th on-rail shooter released in less than 2 years already, 6 if you count Link's Crossbow Training, not sure if there's more.
Dead Space Extraction
House of the Dead 2 & 3
House of the Dead: Overkill
Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
Furthermore this is just a comment from a director in Capcom France, where they don't even develop any games there, they just publish them. He even makes a ridiculous comparison with Resident Evil 4, which doesn't even remotely relate in gameplay with the Darkside Chronicles. If he had compared it with Umbrella Chronicles, then he might have some merit, but instead he just made a comment without any knowledge of the products he's selling.
Well....maybe it had gotten better slaes IF THEY HAD MADE A TRADITIONAL, FREE-ROAMING RESIDENT EVIL GAME!
I dunno, like RE4 or even older Resident Evil games. But noooooo, theey had to release a cheap cash-in for the Wii, just like many other companies.
Fuck this game.
They release an on-rails game with a quality nowhere near as good as traditional resident evils, and now they are surprised noone bought it?
Capcom, you silly guys.
Pretty much this. Everyone's quick to blame the Wii, but the truth is no one even tries. Why should anyone be surprised if shit games don't sell?
Yeah, because The Conduit is one of the most sold games EVER!
....what's that? Only sold 360,000 copies?
Huh.... How strange...
They may have gotten better sales if they had, you know, RELEASED A RESIDENT EVIL GAME WITH TRADITIONAL GAMEPLAY INSTEAD OF THIS BLASPHEMY.
Before darkside chronicles was anounced there was a rumour that a game based on RE2 was in the works.
Many hoped it was a remake for the ps3/360 but instead we got a crappy wii rail shooter.
No wonder it bombed. A RE2 remake it high on RE fans wish lists. If the inferior original can get a remake and also be ported to the DS why can't the much loved sequel get the same treatment.
Seriously, fuck you capcom for that BS deicison, I'm glad that half arsed rail shooter bombed.
The only reason I haven't sold my wii yet is because of the virtual console. IMO all of the awesome old-school games that the wii offers more than makes up for the lack of any good wii games. As long as they keep adding more great games to the virtual console then I won't regret ever buying a wii.
You people are just butthurt Wii doesn't cater to hardcore gamers.
nobody plays on the wii for more than five minutes..
people play on it for the first month and then realize that their parents should have bought them a PS3 or Xbox 360
When has the Wii been aimed at anything but casual gamers? That was it's entire selling point.
Not only that, it has practically cornered the market for casual gamers. That was the business brilliance about the Wii that traditional gamers are missing. The Wii might not end up making the gobs of money that the PS3 and X-Box might (even though those are sold damn near at a loss), it will lack the aggressive competition that the PS3 and X-Box experience.
not only that, most of their games sucked, the fews that are actually good are remakes or sequels of old old old OLD games. I hate how the meaning of GAMERS got destroyed since the wii... casual gamers are anything but gamers.
You are absolutely correct. The Wii is targeted more for people who actually have lives, are not narcissistic, and enjoy playing well with others.
i agree with you completely. i being a female with a life, play the wii 2-3 times a week (although that will change when super mario galaxy 2 comes out) versus my boyfriend who devotes anywhere from 5-12 hours a day between warcraft on his pc and his ps3 games. of course he has no life outside of sitting at home with me when it is my turn to spend time with him.
Wii tried to appeal to casual gamers with it's motion controls and things like the Wii Fit. It'd obvious that such an imago would scare off more traditional gamers.
I agree, there are way too many party games on the Wii. The only good ones are Mario Party and Rayman Raving Rabbids.
So capcom france is wondering why their half-assed rail shooters aren't selling, yet the one RE game that did sell on the wii was a port of a traditional RE game?
O capcom, u so krazy.
Also, you all better buy Tatsunoko vs Capcom, we need more wii games like THAT.
Aye Aye on that
needed more games like The Conduit, too.
Its sales leave much to be desired.