Recently, Yves Guillemot of Ubisoft announced that Watch_Dogs would be the last M-rated game coming to the Wii U because “Wii U owners don’t buy Assassin’s Creed games.” Now, many Wii U owners have taken to Twitter, showing that they had bought AC3, AC4, or both, and had awaited a new one to come this year. Needless to say, many Wii U owners feel left out and treated as inferior…again. Rayman Legends was pushed back and made non-exclusive, yet it sold the best on Wii U. Many Wii U owners state that the Assassin’s Creed games ported to Wii U were not done well; so why buy a game that isn’t done well? Zombi U “didn’t sell well,” at around 700,000 copies sold, but Rayman Legends on PS3/Xbox 360 sold poorly on the platforms and yet they decided it was worth it to bring the game to Xbox One and PS4.
On top of all this, Guillemot has stated that there are Wii U games “sitting on the shelves,” waiting for the install base to grow. This is especially funny – and, quite frankly, an idiotic statement – because the install base for the Wii U is still more than the Xbox One. Ubisoft seems to continue to contradict itself and, in the process, upset a lot of Wii U gamers. Now, I’m part of this group: I can’t stand when a company lies directly to me, treating me like I’m stupid. I’m an advocate of integrity. If you don’t want to make a game for a system due to financial reasons, or maybe even personal reasons, then just say that. I’m not a fan of the typical PR statements that seem to saturate the gaming industry.
That being said, we cannot act childish about the issue. At the end of the day, they are just video games, and these are companies trying to make money. It’s very easy to start taking things personally, as well; I know this first hand. However, instead of raging on Twitter, or ranting in the NeoGAF forums, there is another way to show developers like Ubisoft that there are plenty of Wii U owners who will buy quality games.
What is this mystery method? The wallet. If you, the consumer, buy a product, you tell the ones who created it that you were interested enough to give them money for it. So, if a company makes a terrible game or port, show them how you feel by not buying the game. I’m almost certain most informed gamers understand this concept. But here is the tough part: if a game is good, then buy it.
This sounds simple enough, but where it gets tricky is when a company pulls shenanigans, like the Rayman Legends ordeal. The game itself is quite fantastic, but Ubisoft gave a figurative “screw you” to the Wii U owners that had been looking forward to it when it was pushed back and lost the “exclusive” title for the console. I’m completely convinced the game sold so poorly on the Wii U because of this; the game is a perfect fit for the console, and it is a stellar piece of software that every Wii U owner should have. But can the gamers swallow pride and buy a game that is worth buying? The same thing happened with the surprisingly good NFS: Most Wanted U.
If the wallet is where the power is, then we have to be careful not to be vindictive or show hostility at the same time. Yes, be angry, but watch words and actions. We can show companies like Ubisoft what gamers are all about. So, we don’t want mature games? We don’t buy games other than the first party titles? Here’s our chance to show these developers – or at least, debunk this argument – what we want as gamers who own a Wii U. Bayonetta 2 comes out soon: let’s show how successful the game cane be financially. Sonic Boom is on the way, too: if it’s your type of game, then support Big Red Button and remind other developers that we’re still here and want good games. If Watch_Dogs or Project Cars actually come to the Wii U, and they’re worth our time, let our wallets do the talking (of course, if we want them), even if the developers themselves have no faith in Wii U gamers.
If there’s one thing you take away from this article, please let it be this: your wallet is where the power is, in regards to these companies. Don’t let your mouth or actions further chase away current developers, and possibly future ones, but rather, be informed and don’t be above buying a good game, regardless of who made it. This is the ultimate “payback,” if you will, as it will prove to the developers that regardless of console, we are first and foremost gamers.
~Michael
The Nintendo Objective 