Quote: Originally Posted by Cap'n_RDM Nice post Strell. I do have a question though. What is the best way to support the WiiU in regards to keeping third parties interested?

Unfortunately, this is a difficult answer. It isn't difficult to come up with the answer, it's just that the content of the answer is an up-hill slog.

Nintendo needs to prove that modern "core" gamers will buy games on the Wii.

When I say "core" I mean the modern, Call of Duty-loving, Madden-playing, Halo-obsessed Dude-Bro. The current 3rd-party development scene is geared toward catering to this specific crowd. And this is exactly the kind of audience that the Wii failed to cater to. There were numerous instances of games ostensibly targeted toward this demographic on the Wii that tanked financially.

With the WiiU, Nintendo needs to get those kinds of games on the system, and then have them shift comparable numbers to the 360 and PS3. That is a fairly hefty challenge. A lot of that crowd is already content with their current gaming setup, and is not likely to shift over to the WiiU.

Nintendo's best bet is to try to cater to "lapsed" gamers. This was a crowd that was initially strong supporters of the Wii. It often consists of young families, parents who grew up playing Nintendo but had abandoned the hobby over time. This crowd is an easy sell for the WiiU, and could help to support sales of more 3rd-party friendly software.

Ultimately, the issue isn't with Nintendo, but with 3rd-party developers and the rut they've driven themselves into. 3rd party development never took off properly on the Wii because no 3rd party developer understood the appeal of the system as well as Nintendo did. They took the wrong lessons from the examples that Nintendo provided and missed the boat.