Bobby Kotick on Wii U "Somewhat Disappointed"

During the company's latest earnings call, Kotick was asked about the future of the money-printing Skylanders franchise, specifically about the breakdown of install bases between the existing consoles. He replied "we were somewhat disappointed with the launch of the Wii U. We're concerned about the install base for 6-11 year-olds".
Considering publishers are usually coy when making public statements about platform holders, that's a surprisingly blunt assessment of the console, albeit one that must be supported by numbers or...he wouldn't have said it.

from kotatsu

I know it really due to lack of nintendo games but is that all this console will be waiting for 1st party releases??? Oh wait that was the original wii. What is the point in buying it. If the COD juggernaut can not sell the millions it moves on other platforms whats up with that?

Exactly why would 3rd party companies like a machine, that no one buys 3rd party games for?

@DaMisterChief: Just waiting for first party releases is all Nintendo consoles have been for a long time.

I'm not sure that anybody should really be surprised that Black Ops II didn't sell nearly as well on Wii U as it did on the other consoles considering that it came out on the other consoles before the Wii U was released, meaning that everybody who really wanted it had already bought the game on those other platforms. And given how focused on the multiplayer experience both the developers and fans of the Call of Duty franchise are, the people who buy the game were already going to be set on getting the game on the console on which they're already a part of the multiplayer ecosystem.

Let's face it: If they were already playing Call of Duty, even if they bought a Wii U, they weren't going to buy Call of Duty on the Wii U.

The point in buying a Wii U is for playing games that take advantage of the hardware and provide a unique and fun experience on it. Now, it just so happens that a lot of said games are first-party releases from Nintendo (which makes sense, really). However, games like ZombiU have shown that third-party developers can create games that accomplish such a task, but whether or not it's worth it to the makers of these kinds of games to have a best-selling game (or at least a critical hit) that sells exclusively on only one platform is a question that has been hovering over Nintendo consoles for a good long while now.

@ahgunsillyo said:

I'm not sure that anybody should really be surprised that Black Ops II didn't sell nearly as well on Wii U as it did on the other consoles considering that it came out on the other consoles before the Wii U was released, meaning that everybody who really wanted it had already bought the game on those other platforms. And given how focused on the multiplayer experience both the developers and fans of the Call of Duty franchise are, the people who buy the game were already going to be set on getting the game on the console on which they're already a part of the multiplayer ecosystem.

Let's face it: If they were already playing Call of Duty, even if they bought a Wii U, they weren't going to buy Call of Duty on the Wii U.

The point in buying a Wii U is for playing games that take advantage of the hardware and provide a unique and fun experience on it. Now, it just so happens that a lot of said games are first-party releases from Nintendo (which makes sense, really). However, games like ZombiU have shown that third-party developers can create games that accomplish such a task, but whether or not it's worth it to the makers of these kinds of games to have a best-selling game (or at least a critical hit) that sells exclusively on only one platform is a question that has been hovering over Nintendo consoles for a good long while now.

Yup, this. 3rd parties got bitten when they budgeted for a Wii exclusive, then didn't see a return in sales. So naturally they're hesitent to make Wii U exclusives that may not sell (and they won't sell as much, since the install base is low atm)

"we were somewhat disappointed with the launch of the Wii U. We're concerned about the install base for 6-11 year-olds".
 
So the xbox 360 has more 6-11 year old players than the Wii U?
 
Actually, yeah, it probably does.

@Slaegar said:

"we were somewhat disappointed with the launch of the Wii U. We're concerned about the install base for 6-11 year-olds". So the xbox 360 has more 6-11 year old players than the Wii U? Actually, yeah, it probably does.

With 7 years of time on the market, there's no doubt. WiiU is too late to the current-gen, and too early for the next. It's a first-party box again.

I don't care what his opinion on the system is. I still think the Wii U is a good system, but it feels more like a current gen system than it does next gen.

@DaMisterChief said:

fromkotatsu

Kotaku, damn it!

@Video_Game_King said:

@DaMisterChief said:

from kotatsu

Kotaku, damn it!

I actually think kotatsu is way funnier.

His honesty seems like a breath of fresh air.

*waits for all the anti-CoD bandwagon jumpers to all buy Wii U's in an effort to spite The Kotick*

@Toxin066 said:

His honesty seems like a breath of fresh air.

Yeah. Kotick talking money is the new poetry.

@TooWalrus said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@DaMisterChief said:

from kotatsu

Kotaku, damn it!

I actually think kotatsu is way funnier.

Aren't kotatsu's those heated blankets that attach to tables?

Where are you people getting this shit about Call of Duty? Did you even read the story or even that specific quote that's right there in the OP? He's specifically talking about Skylander sales on Wii U, which makes perfect sense given that the advertising push behind Skylanders Giants has revolved primarily around selling the Wii, Wii U and 3DS versions.

@ImmortalSaiyan said:

@TooWalrus said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@DaMisterChief said:

from kotatsu

Kotaku, damn it!

I actually think kotatsu is way funnier.

Aren't kotatsu's those heated blankets that attach to tables?

Coverage full of hot air that you only really need once in a while? Sounds spot on.

@MoleyUK said:

@ImmortalSaiyan said:

@TooWalrus said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@DaMisterChief said:

from kotatsu

Kotaku, damn it!

I actually think kotatsu is way funnier.

Aren't kotatsu's those heated blankets that attach to tables?

Coverage full of hot air that you only really need once in a while? Sounds spot on.

@Slaegar said:

"we were somewhat disappointed with the launch of the Wii U. We're concerned about the install base for 6-11 year-olds". So the xbox 360 has more 6-11 year old players than the Wii U? Actually, yeah, it probably does.

With 7 years of time on the market, there's no doubt. WiiU is too late to the current-gen, and too early for the next. It's a first-party box again.

@TooWalrus said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@DaMisterChief said:

from kotatsu

Kotaku, damn it!

I actually think kotatsu is way funnier.

Agreed. I like how this is a thing now.

If hes referring to skylanders, I think he may be spot on for now. The Wii was very popular with youngsters, even early on, but i'm not sure the Wii U is yet. It's very new, after all.

@Daveyo520 said:

It is Nintendo's Dreamcast

dreamcast had good games...

@Toxin066 said:

His honesty seems like a breath of fresh air.

I know the cool kids like to get on the Kotick hate train, but if they actually consider what his job is (ie. optimizing revenue and profits, not game design) he's pretty good at what he does. As such, he's going to tell investors what's what, and that is that it probably isn't worth their (Activision) investment to pursue heavy WiiU development. I don't like that being the current state of game development, but when these companies have to answer to shareholders, that's what happens.

@Daveyo520 said:

@Alekss And it kicked Sega out of the console market.

If you think the Wii U and the Dreamcast are in any way comparable, you need to stop talking because you obviously don't know what you're talking about.

@TooWalrus said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@DaMisterChief said:

from kotatsu

Kotaku, damn it!

I actually think kotatsu is way funnier.

nanako wants her new kotatsu you guys

@iAmJohn said:

@Daveyo520 said:

@Alekss And it kicked Sega out of the console market.

If you think the Wii U and the Dreamcast are in any way comparable, you need to stop talking because you obviously don't know what you're talking about.

Dreamcast had better games

@Daveyo520 said:

@iAmJohn They both play video games, that is one way you can compare them. They are also both things. They are both from Japan. They exist. There are tons of ways you can compare them.

Cute, but you're ignoring the point that the situation Nintendo is in with the Wii U is in no way comparable to the situation Sega was in with the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast was a last-ditch effort to save the company that, even though the Dreamcast did well for its short lifetime, could have only succeeded if it did PS2 numbers. Nintendo is in no way in that situation, and to suggest that they are is completely disingenuous.

@Alekss said:

Dreamcast had better games

This I cannot argue with, nor will I ever be able to.

@TooWalrus said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@DaMisterChief said:

from kotatsu

Kotaku, damn it!

I actually think kotatsu is way funnier.

Seiken Den Kotatsu

@iAmJohn: Can it be their Saturn then?

@Daveyo520 said:

@iAmJohn: Can it be their Saturn then?

It's already sold more than the Saturn did tho. :(

Well, in America at least.

@iAmJohn: I am sure it also does 3D graphics better.

@Daveyo520 said:

@iAmJohn: Can it be their Saturn then?

Hell no. There's not as much ill will between the American and Japanese branches of Nintendo as there was for Sega.

The WiiU will get better games in the future, but will most likely be overshadowed by the PS4 or the Xbox420 when they come out this year/early next.

@Video_Game_King: And to think that Sega was founded by Americans.