Beamdog founder explains why the Wii is a toy instead of a console, says first experience working with Nintendo will ensure they won't work together again.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is headed for iPads and PCs, but don't expect the Overhaul Games revival of the BioWare role-playing game to hit the Wii U anytime soon.
When asked on Twitter about the possibility of a Wii U version given the system's iPad-like touch-screen controller, founder of Overhaul parent company Beamdog Trent Oster didn't dance around the subject.
"We don't do Nintendo development," Oster said. "Our previous experience with Nintendo was enough to ensure there will not be another."
Last year, Beamdog released a port of the BioWare action game MDK2 for WiiWare. In a follow-up post, Oster explained what about that experience soured him on working with Nintendo again.
"My problems with Nintendo are: requiring 6,000 unit sales before payment, a certification process that took us 9 months, and a 40MB limit," Oster said.
Oster went on to call the Wii a toy instead of a console, citing the system's low attach rate. "You buy a Wii, Wii sports and never buy another game," Oster said. "Bad for devs."
Due out this summer, Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition runs on an updated version of the Infinity Engine and will include the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion pack. In addition, Overhaul Games is adding never-before-seen content to the game, including a "new adventure" and party member.
Brendan Sinclair has been a games journalist since 1999. His tastes are eclectic, though he has a definite affinity for games with arcade roots. He's Canadian, but has also been at home in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco.
For all the people bashing Baldur's Gate, you've been mislead. Beamdog didnt develop the game. It was made by Bioware back in the late 90's and was an outstanding game. One of the best rpgs of its time. This beamdog made the "enhanced edition" which is a remake of the classic game.
Well, truth be told, the best software sellers on Nintendo platforms are nintendo developers. If you're a third party developer, you will always have a disadvantage. This dude is probably venting - though somewhat immaturely - about that.
All he's talking about is his experience with the Wii console. Message to dev: The Wii U is NOT the Wii. Perhaps reconsider your reasons.
1 Like In all fairness the Wii was a very gimmicky console in the same light as kinnect and PS Move, the only difference was that good games were actually created for it.
Also I feel the Wii store was crap at best, but this dev has not even considered Wii U store before looking. 3D cinemas are a gimmick and probs wont last forever but look at the money they rake in.
1 Like So True. And regarding people asking about X360 and PS3 ; as a developer myself , I can tell these two consoles have really good and developer friendly options, Microsoft a bit more than Sony's SDK. A developer needs good documentation, a large code-base, and friendly community for developing games. Most consoles have failed when they don't provide these. Nintendo needs to understand this is no longer a "Trial and Error" time , and developers want a SDK that helps port the game between platforms based on similar, if not the same approach, not re-inventing the wheel every time you develop for a different platform.
Oh, and for those who don't understand what I'm talking about... Carry on with your fanboyism :)
The fact they won`t develop on Wii-U because of an experience of a unpopular re-port of a Wii-ware game is stupid. The Wii`s online store was pretty garbage especially with the 40 mb limit, but the Wii-U doesn`t have that. Its dumb to keep grudges, especially since Nintendo has really improved their online experience.
@FPS1337 Why deal with the dictatorship of Nintendo if you don't have to? People seem to forget that Nintendo used to be the bully on the block back when the NES was the most popular system. Those old ways still hold true to some extent.
Does that make X-Box 360 and Playstation 3 toys as well since the Wii U is on par with them?
1 Like @TyrantT316 ...and that's what makes the Wii U a joke. How are you going to release a console that is supposed to be the start of the new generation, and it is simply "on par" with the previous generations? It simply doesn't make sense. Eventually, when the next Playstation and the next XBOX comes out, the Wii U will look like something belonging to the last generation of consoles. I don't know...it just seems Nintendo keeps on coming late. And when Nintendo does enter the game, they come up short.
2 Like Toy - An object, esp. a gadget or machine, regarded as providing amusement for an adult: "in 1914 the car was still a rich man's toy".
Every console and game is a toy. Why are people trying to pretend that the Xbox and PS3 aren't toys? And why are people using the term in a pejorative sense?
the wii was kinda like a fad every soccer mom wanted one every kindergarden teacher wanted one now the wii u i doubt the same thing will happen
the same thing is going to happen again no devlopers will have straight up ports to wii u only the dumbed down versions of games
requiring 6,000 unit sales before payment, a certification process that took us 9 months
So your game re-port sucked and you say it Nintendo falt? ya when i see Baldur's Gate on the wii i say "wow have played that like in forever" So i took out my old copys and played them, Nintendo does ninch games. Which if you like them. There some of the best games. But if your not then....
1 Like The original NES was marketed as a toy, BY Nintendo themselves, and look how that turned out.
kiddie console. or toy. it's more of a toy, he's right. either way, nintendo hasnt been good since the n64.
@JudgeSim The WiiU is good, and very young. Too many people are too quick to judge something they have obviously not picked up and played...
@JudgeSim Their handhelds have been consistently good though, despite somewhat aged hardware they've always had very solid libraries, even the 3ds despite its rocky start.
Fanboys, fanboys everywhere. If you can't recognize that Nintendo is the most gimmicky system out there, then you are truly blinded by fanboyism. Dude was being extreme by calling it a toy and not a console, but he believes it isn't for the type of game he likes to produce. The art and style of a game has always been important, Nintendo doesn't have the graphical capability of the others on the market. Doesn't mean some of their games can't be called good looking, but they are crayon drawings in comparisson to the works of art on the PS, Xbox, and PC. Nintendo has some great franchises, I don't play a single one but I know they review very well and people love them. This is one guy's opinion, try not to show your butthurt too much.
the Xbox and PS3 don't look anywhere near as good as a PC does.. the 360 launch titles looked on par with the old xbox titles a system needs time to mature and you can call me a fanboy all you want but I own all 3 consoles ditched the wii that wasn't for me at all.. but I always end up back on my pc over the consoles and why is that? not because of the graphics I couldn't give a crap about graphics if the gameplay is strong but the more diverse library of games space sims, shooters, rpg, rts, mmo's that is where the future lies in diversity now the wii U has something and a way to play games that breaks the standard mould which is good to me it gives me a reason to look at the games on it. the PS4 or next box might have great graphics but how much can they truly push the limits of the visuals without a PC price tag?? and IF they can how many more businesses are going to go bankrupt due to flopped sales because the tweens spit out the dummy when the game doesn't look like the last AAA title released last week this year along a huge number of companies have gone bust due to the pricetag of producing current gen graphics??
the PS3 and 360 for example program there games to use the CPU almost exclusively with little regard for the GPU, take the same approach with the wiiU and it will flop completely put a little time into getting the GPU doing the job a GPU should and you will see it can more than match the 360 or out pace it, the PS3 I think for all the shouting about a PS4 is not even close to reaching its potential as no one apart from first party devs want to learn how to code it properly.
1 Like @Crimson_Erskine You don't actually have any evidence, or arguments to actually back up what you're saying.
"Gimmicky System" - Why? you can't just leave us hanging with an empty argument.
"Art and Style of a game ... doesn't have the graphical capabilities" - The WiiU has par, and even over the graphics capabilities of the major current gen consoles. Nintendo also is a master of art styles, and proves that it doesn't have to look 'realistic' to be a beautiful and breathtaking game.
"Crayon Drawings" - You may see the art style in this way, however this is just some of the games on the WiiU, usually the Nintendo made ones, you are totally forgetting about all the third party games on the market.
"Fanboys, fanboys everywhere" -Are you sure you aren't the fanboy in this article? Using an overused, unfunny internet meme to try to put down another console?
The reason that the employees didn't put the game onto a Nintendo device is "says first experience working with Nintendo will ensure they won't work together again."
Nintendo were really terrible to their third party developers back in the time of the NES and SNES, and because of this a lot of groups are not producing their titles for the system.
Yes it doesn't have the graphical capability to display Overhaul's slightly-modified legacy titles.
1 Like @Crimson_Erskine "Dude" wasn't being extreme at all. He was being a moron by implying that the Playstation and Xbox aren't toys too, when they are.
Damn, I would have thought that the gamepad would be best to play it on. Also being able to play it away from the tv. A mistake I think but what do I know.
The industry needs Nintendo in whatever state they are in. What do you want? 1 System? That would suck.
And incidentally Nintendo has been working on improving their eShop and some of his complaints about the Nintendo store are no longer issues
http://gbatemp.net/threads/eshop-policies-revealed-no-minimum-sales-threashold.304554/
http://www.zeldainformer.com/news/comments/trine-2-developer-heaps-praise-on-nintendos-eshop
Except he's full of crap on the attach rate:
Wii - 8.37
PlayStation 3 - 8.88
Xbox 360 - 9.95
http://www.vgchartz.com/analysis/platform_totals/Tie-Ratio/Global/
@ggregd I am very very very skeptical of that number... I did not check the link, but I would wonder where they get their statistics from? And on the download front no way is Wii keeping up with Xbox Live. Most game sales stat trackers dont account for online sales, and small game shops, used games, etc... Thats why amazon and Valve really make any statistic based game sales numbers irreverent. But on a real world comparison - I dont know anyone who owns 1/10th as many Wii games as PS3 or Xbox games in their collection.... But even if that number is accurate (which i doubt it is), of those Wii games, 90% are Nintendo first party games, maybe a few fitness/dance games and Monster Hunter. For a third party developer, Wii SUCKED. Its a fact.
Nintendo sold more software on the Wii then either the 360 or ps3. Check total software sales.
@tarv4973 @ggregd Again, I do not think those are accurate numbers. They measure mostly Walmarts and stuff. Not amazon or many other retailers where I think Wii would be beaten badly. And are a ton of crap $20 shovelware Wii games selling at Walmart? Sure. But not good 3rd party titles. Its a FACT that they also count Wii Sports in their sales numbers (it was on the top ten selling games of the week every time when Giantbomb used to read the game sales statistics), a bundled game that became the best selling game of all time. So if you account for Wii Sports not being in there, and the fact that Nintendo games are the ones selling well, NOT third party games. (Which come out on both platforms and PC many times so the Wii sales numbers cant hold a candle to that!) This guys point is that third party games like Zack and Wiki, or Madworld, or No More Heroes sold like crap on the Wii. And the attatchment rate really is NOT as good. A few specific Nintendo first party games did REALLY well. But the statistics on this are very skewed because of what sales they actually monitor, and what games are being monitored (Wii Sports). I do not think an avid gamer trading in a game and buying a new one at Gamestop is counted. (Could be wrong on Gamestop, but I do not think they are counted by NPD?)
The Snes was a great console, but have never rated Nintendo since.
As for his personal issues, I totally get where he's coming from there. It's so frustrating being a hard working developer, dedicating years of your life to making a game only to have some fat cats tie you up in red tape and try to con you out of your rightful earnings.
That said, my friends had a very similar experience with Sony.
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