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3rd party games just ain't selling

"Nintendo's best-seller Wii is so hot it can't stay long enough on retail shelves for consumers, but video-game publishers are still waiting for some of the console's magic to rub off on them.

Early holiday season sales of the top 10 best-selling video games show that, with the exception of Activision's (ATVI - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) Guitar Hero III title, consumers are not buying games for the Wii from other publishers but Nintendo.

The latest sales data will likely fuel concerns that big-name game makers are unlikely to profit from the strong demand for the Wii.

So far, many investors have been looking into the product portfolio of companies such as Electronic Arts (ERTS - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating), Activision, THQ (THQI - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) and Take-Two (TTWO - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) in a bid to understand their game development efforts for the Wii.

But early holiday sales numbers from research firm The NPD Group indicate Wii buyers are not active consumers of video games.

Instead, investors looking to understand how game publishers will fare with their titles may be better off following Microsoft's (MSFT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) Xbox 360.

Four of the top 10 games in November are for the Xbox 360, compared to three for the Wii and two for the PS3. The tie or attach ratio -- that is, the average number of games sold per console -- for the Xbox 360 stands at almost twice that of the Wii.

Sales and Demographics
"Most consumers by the end of the hardware cycle will own a Wii and one of the other systems, either a Xbox 360 or a PlayStation," says Jesse Divnich, an analyst with the online video-games prediction market, The simExchange. "Most video gamers are going to own a Wii because it is cheap, innovative and a fun system, but I expect the Xbox 360 to have the highest tie in ratio for games."

The disconnect between sales of the Wii and games for the console by independent publishers for the system may have to do with the kind of buyers that the Wii is attracting.

Historically, buyers of video-games consoles tended to be a group of largely young, enthusiastic gamers."


This sure could be a massive problem for Nintendo. Could the Wii turn out to be a Gamecube in terms of 3rd party support? Well it isn't just America or Europe gamers not buying games.3rd party games in Japan are also selling poorly...


Chocobo Mystery Dungeon: 30k (30% sell-through)
NiGHTS: 7k (10% sell-through)
SC Legend: 5k (10% sell-through)
WE LOVE GOLF: 4k (10% sell-through)
Shikigami no Shiro III Wii: 500


Opinions as always.

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Written By: Snake

I know that Soul Caliber Legends has received some fairly poor reviews, but for the most part, I think there has to be a new level of quality put into 3rd party titles. We've been saying that for quite some time now, but once a company really starts doing that, hopefully others will follow.

ive been guilty of this. i dont think i've bought any 3rd party games (except for GH3)

When they decide to make something actually worth the $50, people will buy them. Third parties are assuming that since the Wii has a generally "casual" crowd, they are uneducated and will purchase any crap they throw at them. I guess they are wrong. Other than GH3 I have a hard time thinking of another triple A third-party title. Funny how that game sold so well...

hmm,, Nintendo just makes too good of games, its hard to compete I guess

Exactly! If Nintendo is selling SMG, Metroid 3, Mario Strikers, Zelda and SSBB, it is very difficult for third parties to compete. Some games, like Medal of Honor Heroes and the soon to come No More Heroes, show promise. But think of the Wii demographic: very widespread and much more casual, where as 360 owners are more adult and much more hardcore. Give it time...

Well considering those Japanese titles, none of them are all that interesting, so they wouldn't sell well to begin with. But sales like this should only encourage 3rd party developers to try harder to create games that will sell. Unlike the GC, Wii has a bigger share in the market. So it would only be in developers best interest to create games that will sell on Wii.

it's a vicious cycle:
developers/publishers think Wii owners only play casual games so they only release casual games.
Wii owners only get to buy casual games because that's all that's out. publishers/developers see Wii owners buying casual games.
developers/publishers think Wii owners only play casual games so they release casual games.
lather, rinse, repeat

doesn't help the "hardcore" games are just ports or just plain crap

someone needs to step up and produce a quality game for the Wii to break the cycle

Exactly! Thats what i was thinking. They are complaining that they dont sell well beause nintendo is taking up most of the sales. Well it also helps if they stop half-@ssing on all their games. I own 4 nintendo games and 5 thrid party. All of the third party games are great. They also use the excuse how the wiimote is difficult to use. Well Capcom and Atlus made pretty good games (R.E. Umbrella Chronicles and Trauma center New Blood) with the Wiimote. So its the third party's fault that nintendo is outselling them. They need to stop being lazy and start making good gameplay and Graphics.

There difinitely needs to be a bit more coming from 3rd party titles, in terms of work. A lot of them got pretty bad reviews, we just need some good ones out IMO. Not saying they're not good, they just haven't been getting the best of ratings.

i have. 5 to be exact, Rayman, Red Steel, Trauma center, Sonic, and SSX, and got tired of them all, so all i ahve is 1st party

Forget about hardcore or even casual games, just make good games and release good games no matter what genre they are. People get too caught up in placing these games in categories, and the category a game is in doesn't make it good or bad. I just think these publishers think that we'll buy any old thing, and for the most part they're right, because we're waiting months to get good 1st party titles.

Well the reason people get caught up in placing them in categories is because anything for the casual gamers seem to sell really well. But its rare on Wii for a hardcore game to sell well,unless its made by Nintendo, So thats why we are getting crap loads of minigame games.

Maybe now the developers will have to turn out games that aren’t crap.

I don't even want to buy GH3 on Wii!! I'd rather wait till I get an xbox360 and get it for that! I don't know it might be something about the online support!!

When I eventually buy GH3, it will be for 360 also. Just because I have bought Guitar Hero 2 for 360 aswell...

I will buy GH3 for the Wii. I don't have a 360 or PS3, or a PS2, and I most likely never will. It will join my small array of third party games.

I will only by guitar hero 3. There arn't that many good 3rd party games.

Alex has an idea!

Buy a 360! : D

I mean, that's what I did. Get all my hardcore games for my 360 and get those games I want for my Wii. It's a nice balance. : D

YUP!

I could have gotten a PS3.

Meh, next year.