EA Frustrated with Weak Wii Sales

[Valigarmander]

EA Frustrated with Weak Wii Sales

Three years into the Wii's lifespan, we're starting to see some signs of slowing sales. This is bound to be unpopular with third-party developers, and EA CEO John Riccitiello expressed frustration at a recent investors call, reports GamesIndustry.biz. "To be honest with you, I think the Wii platform has been a little weaker than we had certainly anticipated," he said. "And there is no lack of frustration to be doing that at precisely the time where we have the strongest third-party share."

He also says the company needs "more beats in the year than they get out of a first-party slate - to be able to have the Wii software platform perform as well as they would like." He recommends Nintendo partner with third-parties, and says his company is "reaching out to Nintendo to find ways to partner to push third-party software harder." Whether Nintendo will partner with EA outright, or any other third-parties, remains to be seen. But Riccitiello has a point that doing so might be mutually beneficial, so hopefully Nintendo is at least listening to the idea.

That might be a good idea. It might keep Nintendo buoyant if they branched out a bit more.

[Metal Man]

Nintendo is an arrogant being. It won't start picking up 3rd party stuff again until they're once again near death.

[CaptHayfever]

Nintendo: Highly innovative, especially on the Revolution. It's not always top-shelf stuff, but they do try different things.
EA: Sitting on their complacent, exclusive-license derrieres with their normally top-selling sports franchises.

Gee, I wonder if there's a disconnect between the average Nintendo gamer & the average EA gamer?

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Metal Mario]

Up until recently, the Wii has been outselling bottled water, chocolate, and condoms. You just can't please some people.

[Cosmonautical]

Maybe if EA didn't suck so much ass these days, there wouldn't be a problem.

It'd sure as hell help if any companies beside Nintendo and Sega really took the Wii's gamers seriously. The core audience that still follow Nintendo are a big influence on the casual crowd, and no I don't have stats to borrow anywhere but it makes sense, and if they start generating buzz around a title it is bound to pick up a bit of interest outside of those who follow game publications. For that to happen for EA, they need to start generating compelling, original content. But yeah, of course they'll just drop some **** with a Madden tag on it or whatever, and expect it to sell like hotcakes. EA has been taking a loss for awhile now, and it ain't the most successful system on the market's fault.

[NintendoNut]

I think the topic title ought to be: EA lay off 1,500 workers, take out frustration on Nintendo

[Robotazy]

Maybe if the Wii ports of Madden were any good.


Though, EA has been making some good games recently. I'd love more people to see the wii as a serious console though.

I mean, obviously Microsoft and Sony do. Look at what they're doing.

[CodenameV]

Don't get me wrong, I love the Wii. But it doesn't look like it's trying hard enough to stay afloat. Xbox and PS3 keep adding new features and new additions to the ever-expanding number of things you can do with that one box. The Wii? Last time I checked, you can A) look at your photos, B) surf the web, C)Buy old games, or D)Play games that you bought for the console. I mean, Xbox just got connected to FB, Twitter, and Live FM internet radio. You still can't watch a movie on a wii. So, Wii, we know you can be an amazing console. Live up to your potential for greatness. Because if you don't act fast, Project NATAL and the magic-wand of PS3ness will take away your only hooks. Well, besides nintendo games, but you know what I mean.

[Robotazy]

But, you have a computer for all that extra stuff.

[Jesus]

EA has been weak in sales not because of the wii, but because you can only buy so many Madden titles before it gets too old. Sports games are lagging more and more in sales and that was a flaw in EA's business moves.

[CaptHayfever]

^It's not that sports games are struggling; it's that pro-licensed sports games are struggling. Coincidentally, guess which company makes the overwhelming majority of pro-licensed sports games, including at least one league's exclusive license?
So it's not even that people aren't interested in pro-licensed games anymore; it's that the company making them is screwing them up.

In other words, you had your cause & effect reversed: Sports games are lagging in sales because of EA's actions, not the other way around.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Panfan]

maybe if they didn't make the wii games as "family friendly" (and not as good) they'd profit a little bit more. Madden 07 was good on the Wii. New versions not so much.

except tiger woods. they're doing a ****ing great job with tiger woods.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Originally Posted by Aquatic Mine

But, you have a computer for all that extra stuff.

Why don't people understand this is a bad way to look at innovation. "Oh but you already have that somewhere else" isn't good enough for me.

By your logic, we don't even need video game consoles at all. We have a "computer for all that extra stuff."

[Deku Trii]

Originally Posted by I REALLY HATE POKEMON!

Why don't people understand this is a bad way to look at innovation. "Oh but you already have that somewhere else" isn't good enough for me.

By your logic, we don't even need video game consoles at all. We have a "computer for all that extra stuff."

Accessing Facebook on your 360 doesn't seem much like innovation to me. I'd call it a useless feature that might appeal to the novelty of doing something one way that you would usually do another way. If you're on Live, you're almost certainly near a computer, which is a superior interface for Facebook usage.

[Eagle Eye]

Maybe if you didn't piss off your main Madden fans by making the game cartoony and taking out a lot of the core elements of gameplay and presentation just to make it "family friendly", you wouldn't be having this problem.

Madden 2007 on the Wii did awesome, wonder why? Because it was innovative, made an awesome use of the controls, and kept the core elements of modes like franchise (one of te most popular) and didn't completely rip it apart. Madden 08 comes in, and the only thing it does well is online play, Franchise mode becomes jack ****, and you can't even do small things like create a player. Madden 09 comes, some controls are fixed, but for the most part it's 08 on roids, then you release artwork about Madden 10 for the Wii, making it cartoony and pushing out the last core of Madden Wii fans you had.


I'm not usually a big graphics person, but when you end up with a game looking like this:


You've clearly lost your ****ing mind.

Originally Posted by Jesus

EA has been weak in sales not because of the wii, but because you can only buy so many Madden titles before it gets too old. Sports games are lagging more and more in sales and that was a flaw in EA's business moves.

Thing is, Madden 10 on PS3 and 360 is a really a HUGE step above the last two titles they've put out, both graphics wise and gameplay wise. They've spent a lot of time making those two titles pretty damn good. Then they go and drop a hot steaming pile of **** game on the Wii, it's pathetic. The controls are absolutely abysmal compared to the 2007 version.

[Loot]

Originally Posted by what a girly pdn

maybe if they didn't make the wii games as "family friendly" (and not as good) they'd profit a little bit more. Madden 07 was good on the Wii. New versions not so much.

I love how when Mad World came out, news articles started attacking Nintendo for being "not so family friendly".

(Except love means had an aneurysm over the sheer idiocy.)

[Cosmonautical]

Originally Posted by I REALLY HATE POKEMON!

Why don't people understand this is a bad way to look at innovation. "Oh but you already have that somewhere else" isn't good enough for me.

By your logic, we don't even need video game consoles at all. We have a "computer for all that extra stuff."

I know the features on your console aren't totally useless, but no one has wifi without a computer, save maybe college students under their campus's coverage. It'd be a huge waste of money. The PC is a better PC than the game system. The game systems are better geared towards games.

People like me don't give a crap about Facebook and Twitter. I have real hobbies, certainly better than trying to pretend I'm maintaining a diary on a site that's really just a social advertisement.

[Metal Mario]

Originally Posted by CodenameV

Don't get me wrong, I love the Wii. But it doesn't look like it's trying hard enough to stay afloat. Xbox and PS3 keep adding new features and new additions to the ever-expanding number of things you can do with that one box. The Wii? Last time I checked, you can A) look at your photos, B) surf the web, C)Buy old games, or D)Play games that you bought for the console. I mean, Xbox just got connected to FB, Twitter, and Live FM internet radio. You still can't watch a movie on a wii. So, Wii, we know you can be an amazing console. Live up to your potential for greatness. Because if you don't act fast, Project NATAL and the magic-wand of PS3ness will take away your only hooks. Well, besides nintendo games, but you know what I mean.

Yeah, and then the console will cost $700 upon launch and it won't sell for months and months, just like the PS3 did. And I don't know if the majority of Nintendo gamers really want their console to be able to play DVDs, surf the web, download MP3s, and cook french fries, but I know I don't give a crap. I just want something I can play my Mario on. That's all I've ever wanted. I don't need all this newfangled bull**** that comes with the lamentable mainstreaming of video games towards the market of football jocks, grandmas, and middle-aged businessmen.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

Originally Posted by Deku Trii

Accessing Facebook on your 360 doesn't seem much like innovation to me. I'd call it a useless feature that might appeal to the novelty of doing something one way that you would usually do another way. If you're on Live, you're almost certainly near a computer, which is a superior interface for Facebook usage.

I agree that particular feature is not on the edge of innovation, but some systems have internet radio features, like the PSP. Though I've never used it, I think highly of the idea.

Originally Posted by The Bureau

I know the features on your console aren't totally useless, but no one has wifi without a computer, save maybe college students under their campus's coverage. It'd be a huge waste of money. The PC is a better PC than the game system. The game systems are better geared towards games.

My friend has no computer, well, unless you count his PS3. Which he uses as a computer with his wifi. And he is a hardcore gamer.

Are we who use video game consoles as computers really that small a minority..?

Originally Posted by The Bureau

People like me don't give a crap about Facebook and Twitter. I have real hobbies, certainly better than trying to pretend I'm maintaining a diary on a site that's really just a social advertisement.

I find it tedious, and douchie (that's how they spell it in M&B) to use Facebook or Twitter. No offense to anyone who uses it but I don't want any part of it.

^ Maybe not french fries, but come on, I think internet is now pretty much a standard on all consoles, portable and home. And I think watching a damn movie on a system shouldn't be too much of a stretch either, but at least the internet, man.

[Robotazy]

Originally Posted by I REALLY HATE POKEMON!

Why don't people understand this is a bad way to look at innovation. "Oh but you already have that somewhere else" isn't good enough for me.

By your logic, we don't even need video game consoles at all. We have a "computer for all that extra stuff."

Now, maybe you'd have an argument for this if we didn't have laptops and phones for this.

People can already do this whenever and whereever, so the point of doing alot of this on a console is actually going backwards.

Also, There is a difference between consoles and PCs in respect to video games.

Originally Posted by I REALLY HATE POKEMON!

My friend has no computer, well, unless you count his PS3. Which he uses as a computer with his wifi. And he is a hardcore gamer.

Are we who use video game consoles as computers really that small a minority..?

Well, I'm not saying a console isn't allowed to have these things, but with the distinct lack of being able to do things like save pictures, write documents, or many of the things a computer has, it seems more of a pointless venture.

^ Maybe not french fries, but come on, I think internet is now pretty much a standard on all consoles, portable and home. And I think watching a damn movie on a system shouldn't be too much of a stretch either, but at least the internet, man.

Not all consoles need this, and I'd rather it not become a dealbreaker, because it's NOT what consoles are for.