Moffitt – “strong relationships with third-parties”, wants Wii U to be the system “that every developer wants to publish on”, more great games next year
Nearly a year after its launch, Nintendo is still being questioned about third-party support for Wii U.
After all, the company is missing out on key releases – EA confirmed earlier this year that it isn’t coming out with any titles for the system for the time being.
Nintendo doesn’t sound too worried about the third-party situation. Scott Moffitt, executive vice president of sales and marketing, pointed to support from Ubisoft, Disney, SEGA, and Warner Bros. as publishers supporting Wii U while speaking with Forbes. At the same time, he acknowledged that Nintendo must “continue to build the installed base to demonstrate that making games for Wii U is a good investment.”
“We have strong relationships with third parties and have a strong lineup of upcoming games from key partners such as Ubisoft, Disney, SEGA and Warner Bros., among others. We realize that we need to continue to build the installed base to demonstrate that making games for Wii U is a good investment. We’re confident that we have the games necessary—both first- and third-party—to have a strong holiday season and expand the audience for Wii U.”
When Forbes asked if Nintendo doesn’t need to rely on third-party publishers based on their first-party exclusives, Moffitt added:
“We don’t see this as an either-or proposition. Nintendo is in the unique position of being both a hardware manufacturer as well as a software producer. We want Wii U to be the console that every developer wants to publish on. A key way to make that happen is to grow the installed base of Wii U owners, and we know that current Wii U owners are very happy with their purchases. Our great lineup in the second half of the year will create more buyers, and beyond that third-party support is important to attract as diverse an audience as possible.”
Moffitt concluded by saying that 2013 is “just the start of a steady flow of great games coming to Wii U, with lots more to come in 2014.”
