Since the WiiU launched in the US on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, lots of people are paying attention though it won't get the same attention as say a new iPhone or iPad launch. Still, it's a big deal in the games industry and a very big deal for Nintendo. To that end, AdAge spoke to a bunch of analysts on the subject, and I was one.
The Wii U launches with 23 games, and while Nintendo franchise and kid-friendly games such as "Mario" and "Nintendo Land" figure prominently, Nintendo is offering more M-rated games for the first time. Titles such as "Assassin's Creed III," "Call of Duty: Black Ops II," "Batman Arkham City" and even an original first-person shooter called "ZombiU" from Ubisoft lend plenty of violence and gore to the launch title lineup. "That tells you that they want those hardcore gamers too," said Jeremy Miller, analyst with DFC Intelligence. "They're saying we're not just a kids and family platform."Later the reporter for AdAge asked me about software pricing, which is a big issue for the WiiU:
"Part of the problem is that while $60 may be worth the same or less than $50 in 1997, or even $50 in 2004, people don't care about that. They just know there are a lot of other options for gaming that are a lot cheaper," Mr. Miller said, referring to the influx of casual gaming on tablets and smartphones since the original Wii launch.
Posts
