Jools Watsham, co-founder of Renegade Kid and new mobile studio Atooi, recently wrote an article on Gamasutra discussing his decision to partake in the mobile gaming space, promoting his new game Totes the Goat, and why that game didn’t make it onto Nintendo platforms like previous titles he’s worked on.
He goes into great detail on what it’s like working in the environment, but the most notable is his description on why Nintendo didn’t make the cut for his new IP this time around:
“For many years I have been 100% dedicated to developing games for Nintendo handhelds. Sure, some of our games have also been ported to other platforms. But, they were all originally made for Nintendo platforms. Part of the reason for this when we started Renegade Kid was that it was a logistically sensible thing to do, considering my experience with the SNES and N64 prior to the release of the Nintendo DS. The other portion of my reasoning was my love for Nintendo, and my love for Nintendo handhelds. I love them, you see!”
“What has changed? Well, my love for Nintendo hasn’t changed. But, the market isn’t quite as healthy as it once was for us. I think it began with the launch of Moon Chronicles for the 3DS in May 2014, and was cemented with the release of Xeodrifter for the 3DS in December 2014. Naturally, everyone has their own opinion regarding creative works, so I accept that not everyone will agree with mine. From my perspective, Moon Chronicles and Xeodrifter are both great quality games that were released into a healthy market – a combination for success, right?”
“Neither game has sold very well, unfortunately. This is not based on my perception of what I think is a good number of units to sell. It is based on the revenue needed to fund a team of four with reasonable salaries and no office space overhead – basic return on investment (ROI). Sure, there are 100 reasons why these games may have not sold more, but the inescapable reality is that the tremendous effort required to create those games versus the reward did not add up in the end. It wasn’t for lack of trying on our part. It wasn’t for lack of support from Nintendo, either. It just didn’t work out.”
There are tons of fans for Xeodrifter, Moon Chronicles, and the newly released remake of Dementium: The Ward on 3DS, so it’s interesting to see that the sales just weren’t up to par to warrant another title coming to 3DS and/or Wii U this time around, given the marketing and word-of-mouth involved within the gaming space regarding Renegade Kid IP.
The installed base is undoubtedly much larger on mobile with virtually everyone having a phone with them, but with its oversaturation of banal titles, games like Totes the Goat and plenty of others that would benefit being on a dedicated gaming system with tangible buttons ultimately get buried until someone stumbles upon it through an ad in yet another unrelated disposable app.
This week’s Wii U eShop charts are as follows:
Software
1. Xenoblade Chronicles X
2. Super Mario Maker
3. Zelda: Wind Waker HD
4. Super Mario World
5. Zelda: Ocarina of Time
6. Super Mario 64
7. FAST Racing Neo
8. Super Mario Bros. 3
9. Metroid Fusion
10. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
11. Super Mario Bros.
12. Pikmin 3
13. Mario Golf
14. Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
15. Child of Light
16. Never Alone
17. Octodad: Dadliest Catch
18. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
19. Paper Mario
20. Don’t Starve: Giant Edition
Videos
1. Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash – Smash the Competition Trailer
2. Yoshi’s Woolly World Adventure Guide Episode 1
3. Super Smash Bros. Cloud Storms Into Battle
4. Play Nintendo Introduction Video
5. Xenoblade Chronicles X Survival Guide: Mining Your Own Business
6. Yoshi’s Woolly World Adventure Guide Episode 3
7. Yoshi’s Woolly World Adventure Guide Episode 2
8. Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash – Team up with amiibo Trailer
9. Star Fox Zero | Introducing Star Fox
10. Splatoon | Inkredible New Stages and Gear
11. Xenoblade Chronicles X Survive Trailer
12. Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash – A Vacation From the Sprixie Kingdom
13. Great Games to Buy with eShop Cards
14. Nintendo Minute – Super Mario Maker SUP-tember Fav levels 1
15. Typoman Trailer
16. The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy’s Grand Adventure Trailer
17. amiibo Holiday Trailer
18. New Super Mario Bros. U Video
19. FAST Racing Neo Trailer
20. Xenoblade Chronicles X Survival Guide: Large Skell Combat
Source: Wii U eShop
Earlier today, Radiohammer landed on the North American 3DS eShop. You can watch 50 minutes of footage from the game below.
Update: GamesBeat’s report has been updated. The author made an error, and actually meant amiibo. So to clarify: over 11 million amiibo have been sold in just the United States (not worldwide).
We have an extra piece of information stemming from this month’s NPD report. Nintendo has confirmed that sales of the Wii U have surpassed 11 million units. Now, even though the news comes as part of the November NPD results (which are US-focused), that figure should be worldwide.
NPD Group has released a listing of the top ten best-selling games in the U.S. for the month of November 2015. The results can be found below.
1. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
2. Fallout 4 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
3. Star Wars: Battlefront (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
4. Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
5. NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
6. FIFA 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
7. Need For Speed (PS4, Xbox One)
8. Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One)
9. Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
10. Just Dance 2016 (Wii, Wii U, 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3)
TIME has published a new interview with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. Reggie chatted about mobile (including Miitomo), My Nintendo, plus amiibo’s success and how it’s reflective of where the company is heading in terms of leveraging IP.
Head past the break for a roundup of the various comments. You can also check out TIME’s article here.
Amazon has a notable discount on Rodea: The Sky Soldier for 3DS. It’s currently going for roughly $26, which is $14 off from the initial $40 asking price. Place an order here
if interested.
Looking to save on a game guide? Well, Amazon
currently has a discount code that can be used to save 25 percent off any one book sold and shipped by the retailer. Enter “25OFFBOOK” at checkout under the “Gift cards & promotional codes” area in order to participate.
There are a variety of gaming guides you can use here, like the one for Xenoblade Chronicles X
or Yo-Kai Watch
. Of course, you can use it on any other book as well!
Petit Novel series – Harvest December made its way to the 3DS eShop today. Take a look at some footage of the download below.
