Wii owners certainly can't complain about the number of third-party games available for the console. As MTV's Stephen Totilo puts it, where there was once a game drought for Nintendo systems (specifically in the N64 and GameCube eras), there's now a flood. What Wii owners can complain about, however, is that a lot of these Wii games are nothing but shovelware. But, how do these games end up on the popular console? And, is it even ultimately a bad thing that they do?
Totilo recently delved into these questions, talking to Destineer's CEO Paul Rinde. You might remember Destineer as the company that published John Deere: Harvest in the Heartland, as well as from today's earlier announcement about an Iron Chef video game. What you might not have noticed, though, is that a division of Destineer known as Bold Games was responsible for all six of the $20 Wii games released this week in North America.
When it comes to how and why this happened, it's a case of simple economics. Rinde was in Europe when he found out that Data Design Interactive was looking for a company to publish its games in America, a role that Destineer eventually filled. Rinde garnered interest for these games from retailers, and sure enough, six DDI games ended up on the shelf for the week of 12/31. Because Wiis have been selling like hotcakes and it's still early in the console's life cycle, retailers like to have a large selection of Wii games available for their customers. As Rinde puts it, "There has not been a Wii title we've offered them that they've not agreed to support so far."
While it's hard to argue with his logic from a business standpoint, as gamers, we tend have different priorities. These priorities don't involve making money from our games, but rather, playing and enjoying them. We can't say for a fact that all the Destineer games released for the Wii this week were absolute crap, but considering that DDI is the same company that developed Ninjabread Man, we don't have high hopes. Even if games like these are selling to the public, low-quality games only create consumer distrust for third parties, ultimately hurting sales for the good games out there.
But, who's to blame for games like these? Is it the consumers who are lazy and uninformed, the retailers who agree to put them on the shelves, or the publishers who fund this shovelware in the first place? Or, maybe we should be asking instead who these games end up hurting. In a worst-case scenario, that would be the third-party publishers who create quality games that consumers pass over because of the third-party stigma. This is bad because it, in turn, affects you, the gamer craving for these types of games to be made.
So, what is the point that we're getting at? It's simple enough: put the shovel down, publishers. We know that won't make it stop, but all the same, we felt it needed to be said.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-03-2008 @ 11:00PM
grp110nyr said...
If 3rd Party Dev's only realized that they have to produce good games ala those of the PS2. Why not create a FPS like Socom for the Wii (I know this is a Sony property but copy cat the idea). Why not create FPS games like Black for the Wii. It can be done. People argue that the Wii is a Cube X2 or equal to the Xbox so produce somthing close to the games that scored high on these systems. Believe me they will sell. Wasn't their a recent article about the high dev costs for next gen systems. I am not sure but I doubt Wii dev costs rank up with the PS3 or 360. The Wii has a bevy of family games now it is time to cash in on the teen / slightly older group looking for action based games rather than playing Jenga on the Wii. I wish I had the know how and money to build a Wii game. I would cash in on a Battlefront2 / Socom type game that we are thirsting for. By the way don't get me wrong other good action games can be made other than FPS games.
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1-03-2008 @ 11:19PM
Alisha Karabinus said...
Actually, a lot of the games that Data Design Interactive were putting out originated as PS2 titles. In fact, because the PS2 was so popular, it had tons of crap, just as it did good games.
As for third party developers producing good stuff, I expect they'll get better with time. As it is, a full half of the top ten games by metascore are NOT first-party titles, and there'll be more to come. Shovelware is certainly an issue, but the point is... aping the PS2 is pretty much exactly what's going on. That's what happens with popular consoles owned by pretty much everyone (like the PS2).
1-03-2008 @ 11:13PM
Tristan said...
I mean they will probably make tons of profit, most important for companies is to maintain a balance of making profit and pleasing people, and capitalizing on market trends, were just not in the mainstream trend no more :(
Regardless, Kawasaki Bikes is probably a hot game cause it has Kawasaki in the title!
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1-04-2008 @ 12:18AM
vidGuy said...
The cycle of more systems-sells more games-sells more systems will only help Nintendo and I don't really see it hurting consumers much. I'd venture to say that only about 10-20% of games that are released on ANY console are worth playing/purchasing, so the larger the base the more we get that are worth our money.
The more interesting thing here is not 'the popular console gets the crap' but the 'casual effect'. When we have casual, Pop-Cap type games dominating a console that sells this so-called shovelware to a large chunk of the consumer base, we have a potential for the console to become dominated by the low-end games. That is really the threat... not that there will be lots of shovelware, but that games like Mario, Zelda, and third-party sleeper hits will be completely in the minority.
For my take, I don't really see it happening. Already we can see a distinct difference between casual and traditional/hardcore gamer attach rates. Most casual gamers won't be buying more than one or two games a year. Hopefully the hardcores' buying habits outweigh that.
You also must remember that "simple economics" would suggest that it is possible for consumers to be satisfied with low-quality/budget games. Far from creating a "distrust for third parties", new and casual gamers may applaud the flood of games that they can enjoy for $20. The going-rate of $50 per game likely seems steep to new gamers who already invested $250+ in a console. Hell, I'll throw a $10 at nearly any semi-interesting game I find in the bargain bin.
Your worst-case scenario is unlikely because we would generally not expect the consumer who spends $20 on Ninjabread Man to be the same who pre-ordered Medal of Honor Heroes 2 or enjoys the oft-edited Manhunt 2. If you want to blame something, blame capitalism, which provides a product or service for every need.
Casuals need cheap games. They'll get it. There's no chance that casual, budget games will appease the hardcore, and therefore there will always be demand for traditional, hardcore franchise. And thus, there will always be money in that, too, ensuring us all the games we desire.
So calm down, Chicken Little, the sky is not falling.
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1-04-2008 @ 1:15AM
Candace Savino said...
I do agree that the budget issue must be taken into account, and yes, the worst-case scenario that I mentioned is not the likely end. As Alisha stated above, the PS2 had tons of shovelware and look how successful it was. But still, there's a reason why casuals buy Nintendo brand games over budget and non-budget third-party games. It's because they trust the brand. Even us, the more knowledgeable gamers, know which third-party brands to trust and which to be weary of. For the casual consumer, though, it's usually more simple, so things might fit in a broader vein of Nintendo = good, third party = bad.
While I don't think shovelware will affect other third-party sales to the degree of "the sky falling," I really do believe that they are damaging to the consumer's psyche. I'm so knee-deep in the gaming community, though, that perhaps I just underestimate the casual gamer.
But yes, the fact that these specific examples mentioned are budget games means something. What I found interesting is that, if you happened to read Totilo's article, Rinde was so against classifying his games as "budget games." Perhaps he finds a stigma in the word "budget," yet I think it's hard to argue that $20 Wii games are anything but. He even said, "The strategy for us is to not go head to head from a price-point with the larger publishers that are able to spend significantly more marketing dollars to get the word out." Which is funny, because that's exactly what they're doing.
1-04-2008 @ 8:00AM
vidGuy said...
Thanks for the interesting reply and thought provoking article!
1-05-2008 @ 2:54AM
Candace Savino said...
Same to you! (On the reply, not the article, obviously :P)
1-04-2008 @ 1:15AM
samfish said...
They have a very disreputable business plan knowing full well that the games they're releasing are substandard. Like Tristan said, you have to find a balance between making a profit and not sacrificing game quality. That publishers and developers like DDI don't seem to give a damn is very sad.
I work in the creative field doing graphic design, so I understand that sometimes developers have really little choice but to put out crap that they'd never want to put on their resume, usually because of someone above you interfering with your craft. I certainly have done projects that I'm ashamed of!
So in that regard, I can sympathize with some "shovelware" developers. But DDI in particular doesn't seem to even give a shit. Such a terrible shame, too, because they had potential for a kick ass franchise in Ninjabread man and they simply decided to shit all over it, rather than take the time to make it into something meaningful.
They could at least make the best of what they can, even if they're on a show string budget. It's not impossible to make a game on the cheap but still have it be enjoyable. Hell, I played Catz 2 ad I actually really like it...it's Adventure mode, at least. As soon as I see it for $30, I'm buying it.
I don't think shovelware is going to kill the videogame industry like some naysayers like to whine about. Videogames are far to established at this point to just go away. I mean, the PS2 took shovelware like a champ and it's still standing. It could kill the Wii this early on, though.
Sadly, I don't think companies like DDI even give a damn about that, even though it effects their long term profit.
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1-04-2008 @ 1:18AM
Fiefdom said...
"Is it the consumers who are lazy and uninformed"
A consumer is not lazy just because he or she maintained his or her distance from the gaming market until this generation. I'm sure most anybody here remembers what it was like choosing games when they got their first console (baffled, especially without the guidance of a more knowledgeable individual), and anybody whose parents did not play game themselves are apt to recall how clueless they may have initially been in finding agreeable titles. Making such a statement is like suggesting a man who finds himself crash landed in a tropical rain forest is at fault for not being aware of which types of mushrooms are poisonous.
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1-04-2008 @ 1:37AM
Candace Savino said...
I have to disagree with you slightly, just because of how easy and available information is to get these days from the internet. I'm not saying that they should pore over tons of reviews in order to figure out what game is best for them, like many of us probably do, but it would only take a few seconds to find out superficially whether a game is good or bad. If a man who crash landed in a rain forest had access to the internet, it'd be relatively easy for him to figure out what foods he could eat and what ones he couldn't.
As for parents, I don't fault them because while it's their money, their enjoyment comes from giving a game and not playing it.
Still, anyone who is "uninformed" can easily become informed (via the internet), they just choose not to for whatever reason (they don't have enough time, they don't care enough, etc.) In that sense, they can be considered "lazy;" I didn't mean the term as pejoratively as you interpreted it. The point I was trying to make was that, these games would not be made if people weren't buying them, and people wouldn't be buying them if they knew the games were crap.
1-04-2008 @ 8:40AM
Rocketboy said...
Candice, what you have to realize is that not everyone buying the games are the end users. I would bet that the majority of the infamous batch of 6 were purchased by people as gifts by well wishing people.
1-04-2008 @ 1:41AM
Adam said...
Um, where is the Nintendo sea of quality in all this? It'ssupposed to actually act as a filter for the atrocious garbage the Wii is getting. Why even bother having it if you just liscence anything and everything for your console? I blame Nintendo for this, as they have a choice what can or can't appear on their console; they just choose not to enforce it
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1-04-2008 @ 1:48AM
Candace Savino said...
Nintendo doesn't do the seal of quality anymore.
Here's how it works, per Rinde: "“They, privately or offline or whatever you want to call it, will have conversations with publishers where there’s no gatekeeper there, so to speak. They do look at the quality and they do watch quality. There just isn’t an official concept-through-approval system like they used to [have] and that Microsoft and Sony currently have in place.”"
1-04-2008 @ 5:51AM
Christopher said...
"This is bad because it, in turn, effects you..."
No, it affects me. It has an effect on me, but it certainly does not effect me.
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1-04-2008 @ 7:43AM
gorecki said...
'Budget' is spot on for these games: the only reason they sell is because of their price. People aren't assessing quality when they are buying them, they are thinking about their bank balance. It therefore follows that the only reason that people aren't playing the better quality games is because they are too expensive. The only way budget concious people will ever end up playing better quality games is if the better games are cheaper.
Shovelware is a reaction to better quality games being too expensive. Sure the higher development costs of better games need to be recouped, but this can be achieved by selling more copies of a game, and low attach rates and bargain titles show there is a market for games which the quality games aren't reaching.
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1-04-2008 @ 8:13AM
vidGuy said...
That isn't necessarily true. Just as I wouldn't automatically buy an Escalade if it was the same price as a four-door coupe, casual gamers may not buy a Metroid Prime or Medal of Honor if they are budget price. The challenge is making more hardcore games and franchises appeal to these new gamers without watering them down for the hardcore. Price is certainly an issue, but content matters too.
Game prices could probably come down some, say to $40-$45, but even then, some games may not sell enough extra copies to be able to recoup the development costs of some games. This concept is called elasticity in economics. What the industry needs, IMO, is a more regular price-drop schedule. A game could be at $50/$60 for a year, then drop to $20/$30 for a year, then $5-$15. Armed with this knowledge, gamers could decide what to buy based on their ability to wait for games and their wallets. It would also allow casuals an opportunity to enjoy some stellar games before they are too old.
1-04-2008 @ 8:43AM
Rocketboy said...
Also, if price and not ignorance was the only problem, you could just go to your local used games store, and do your shopping there.
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1-04-2008 @ 10:07AM
Patrick said...
Along the lines of what Amaron11 said... The 3rd parties complain that there's no room for them to make money on the Wii because of the many successful flagship titles and then point to the failure of existing 3rd party games as proof. Well, until one of those 3rd parties takes the console seriously enough to develop a really good game for it, that's going to continue to be the case. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy: if 3rd parties continue to use the Wii as a dumping ground, then yeah, obviously those sales are going to look like crap compared to a game like Mario Galaxy, which was actually developed with a lot of care and skill, and -- hold onto yer grandmas -- is actually fun to play! So far, it seems like there are only a handful of 3rd party titles that seem to fit the bill (e.g., GH3, Zak & Wiki, etc.). Make me a desirable game and I will buy it. Until then, I'll stick with Metroid, Galaxy, Twilight Princess, and Guitar Hero.
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1-04-2008 @ 11:25AM
James said...
I think the "casual" and "budget" markets on the Wii have become a catch-22 of sorts.
"What should we fund/develop? Well, casual/budget titles sell really well, let's make more of those!" So the casual supply expands.
'What console should I buy? The Wii has a ton of casual/budget titles, which is what I want." So the market for casual games on Wii expands.
And on it goes -- more casual Wii gamers means more casual Wii games means more casual Wii gamers ad infinitum. How did we get here?
* The Wii's lower "horsepower" lends itself to running casual games
* Less powerful hardware also lowers development costs, which attracts casual developers
* The pack-in (*flagship*) game for the system was the casual Wii Sports -- do NOT underestimate the impact this had in attracting casual gamers
* Nobody expected the Wii to do as well as it did, so developers didn't want to risk putting a lot of Wii titles in the pipeline before launch. After the Christmas boom of '06, everybody jumped on the bandwagon. Casual games have a comparatively short development cycle, and therefore we got a flood of them before the late-coming "hardcore" titles were finished cooking.
I think that last bullet bears repeating: everybody gets shovelware, but when a console is an unexpected success, the newly-minted shovelware (which by definition does not take long to develop) crosses the finish line before the quality titles finish lacing their proverbial boots.
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1-04-2008 @ 12:06PM
FantomRedux said...
Shovelware is the main reason I've only ever bought 6 games for my Wii since I got mine shortly after launch. Only 3 of those were 1st party (Zelda, Metroid and Play). The other 3 were Red Steel and both RE games, simply because I know Capcom are very good developers and I played Red Steel on my friends Wii. I haven't got Galaxy yet as I'm waiting for my next wage, but when I see that something like Ninjabread Man is "number 1" on GAME's in-store Wii chart rather than Metroid or Mario Galaxy, it goves you an idea of what people will buy, which kind of saddens me because people will pay £30 for Ninjabread Man rather than £40 for Mario when Mario is every penny on the extra £10 and then some, and NBM is just a baked pile of shit.
Just my 2p
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1-04-2008 @ 8:55PM
Service_Games said...
Publishers are out to make money. Retail stores are out to make money. Both will take all the shovelware you can give 'em as long as they sell. It's up the consumer to do the research before buying a game, IMO.
SG
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1-05-2008 @ 11:37AM
amaron11 said...
Until some developers let go of the idea that the Wii is substandard in all facets, the games from third parties are only going to be substandard at best.
There is no reason the Wii cannot have a GTA game.
There is no reason the Wii can't have a true Final Fantasy game.
There is no reason the Wii can't have a real Resident Evil game.
A FPS on the Wii? Metroid Prime 3 showed the controls can be done.
The developers are the roadblock. They want to only develop for the PS3 and 360, but then complain that the game costs too much to make and they aren't making a profit.
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