WiiWare development is a strange beast, with typical sales numbers falling far short of those on XBLA and PSN – which considering the number of Wiis out there is a little disconcerting.
A recent article on gamesindustry.biz made for interesting reading. So far Nintendo’s efforts to promote the Wii’s online capabilities have been somewhat limited, with analyst Michael Pachter recently estimating that as few as 20 per cent of Wii owners – in contrast with up to 80 per cent of PS3 users – had ever connected to the internet.
It is clear that Nintendo needs to do more to promote WiiWare to its users, as well as encourage the simple act of connecting the console to the internet, according to independent WiiWare developers.
“We feel that Nintendo is not doing enough to promote the service at all,” said Jag Jaeger, VP of Las Vegas-based studio JV Games, whose WiiWare releases have included Pong Toss and Incoming! “We feel that the vast majority of Wii owners have absolutely no idea that they can even connect to the internet.”
Nintendo itself also recently launched the ‘Ambassador’ scheme, which gives users 500 points for every person they help to connect to the internet through the Wii.
The company has also just launched a three-week long TV campaign (in the UK), focused around Wii and DSi internet connectivity.
This support for the service is exactly what has been lacking up until now, according to some studios.
“Nintendo, in my opinion, could do more to keep the WiiWare and DSiWare stores in customer’s minds,” said Nic Watt, CEO and creative director of Sydney, Australia-based studio Nnooo – creators of WiiWare’s myNotebook and Pop.
“It is great that every new customer knows about and uses these services when they first connect their Wiis or DS. However, how many continue to frequent those stores? I think it is and should be Nintendo’s responsibility to have a continued marketing presence to maintain people’s awareness about the service.”
In terms of Nintendo support once a developer has actually created a WiiWare title, experiences seem to differ vastly.
“Nintendo’s stance to developers from the start has been: here’s the service, follow our rules, you’re on your own and we’re not getting involved unless you create controversy,” said Jaeger.
“Nintendo could really help by throwing developers a bone. Help create a more even playing field by allowing developers to use Nintendo resources. Even a more fair use of the Nintendo Channel would help. Pokemon will be advertised for months while third party titles get a week usually.”
Developers also have very little notice of when their game will go live on the service…
“We are not notified until almost the last minute when the title will really be released. That by itself makes it hard to plan any promotions,” pointed out Jaeger.
“Basically the product goes onto the service, you get a press release by Nintendo, and you might be on the recommended list, then you are off to fend for yourself.”?
What Next for WiiWare?
In terms of improvements to the service itself, suggestions include a direct WiiWare link (this REALLY is essential, given how hidden away it is at present), a universal payment system for DSiWare and WiiWare, full sized screenshots and new and improved ways to keep customers informed on new products.
Little is really know on sales performance for WiiWare titles, interestingly every WiiWare product Nnooo has released onto WiiWare has recouped development costs within its first six weeks on sale.
Less encourage is the fact that we have talked to a few other developers on WiiWare, and it appears that Nnooo’s sales results are the exception rather than the rule.
Source: gamesindustry.biz
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