Today marks the 3rd year since the Wii U was released to the masses. Yikes — time really does fly!
The Wii U’s entrance into the industry was quite timely seeing that it marked the start of the 8th generation of home systems, and Nintendo’s late but still remarkable entrance into the HD era of gaming. Prior to its release, there was a lot of hype surrounding the system. Third-parties expressed great interest in developing for it, and Nintendo themselves were promising to bring an even greater experience than that of the successful Wii. Without a doubt, this left fans buzzing with excitement straight up until the midnight launch. Indeed, with all the good fortune pushing it out of the gate, surely this marked the start of something amazing, no?
Well, it really has been 3 years since then. It’s been 3 long, strenuous, surprising, exhausting, monotonous, volatile and somehow exhilarating years.
“IT BEGAN WITH A THUD IN THE NIGHT“
While the Wii U may have had the masses riled up in excitement upon its release, it didn’t take very long for the situation to begin to deteriorate. The system’s launch selection was solid, yet nothing really screamed “Must Play!” In addition to this, a number of titles that Nintendo expected to have ready at launch or shortly after were delayed. This led to an almost immediate revolt from the community, with many naysayers crawling out of the woodwork to begin the chants of doom and gloom; something that continues to actively plague the console and its userbase up until this very day.
Nintendo saw to soothe worries of the system’s early adopters by releasing a Nintendo Direct right after the turn of the new year (2013). This presentation is still one of the best that the company ever produced, simply because it made so many big announcements. It reignited the winds in the Wii U’s figurative sails; signaling that there was much to come to the system. However, the effects lasted only but a short time.
As the year continued to progress, third-parties began to cast the system aside. Many developers came out speaking ill of the console, but the real fiasco lied with the likes of EA and Ubisoft. E3 2011 was the primary reveal of the console, and it was there that EA announced their “unprecedented partnership” with Nintendo. Then-CEO John Riccitiello proposed so many ideas of EA’s IPs coming to the system. In the end, all we got was 4 games: 2 underwhelming ports, and 2 late gems. And let’s not forget the cherry on top: some wonderful words from one of the head employees talking about the system.
Third-parties blasted away from the Wii U early on its life which fueled its poor adoption rates.
Turning to Ubisoft, while they weren’t as guilty as EA — they still managed to politely smack the faces of Wii U owners everywhere. Rayman Legends was originally a Wii U exclusive title that was meant to show off the capabilities of the GamePad. While it was supposed to be a launch title, it was held back until February of 2013 for extra polishing. 2 weeks before the new release date, the company then announced that the completed Wii U version would be held back by a whopping 7 months so it could simultaneously release alongside the new 360, PS3 and PC versions of the game. As a result, the Wii U’s sales slammed to the floor due to the lack of titles early in the year.
The two performances from these companies left Wii U owners feeling beaten and betrayed. While Nintendo has a long history of sour run-ins with third-party developers, this was by far the worst it has ever been; and this has been the root of the Wii U’s biggest problem.
“ALONE WE STAND, ALONE WE FIGHT“
With third-parties abandoning the system even before it turned 1, this left Nintendo in a very uncomfortable position. Seeing that the company took so long to get into HD development, their teams were still trying to get a grasp for the new field. This is why so many titles were delayed. Of course, Nintendo couldn’t have foreseen the fallout of third-party support, thus leaving them to carry the system all on their own.
Battered and bruised, the Wii U continued to pull on throughout 2013 — straight up until the launch of its actual competitors. The PS4 and XBOX One pushed the Wii U even further into a corner, with both consoles boasting strong sales. As 2014 rolled in, things continued to fall squarely into Nintendo’s lap. With that said, it’s also where we really saw the first true sign of an uptick. With the launch of titles like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. along with a wide variety of other Nintendo-made titles and secured third-party exclusives, the system was finally able to stand on its own two feet. That trend has now continued into this year with titles like Splatoon and Super Mario Maker helping to the keep the system’s head above water.
Nintendo has tried their best to pump out amazing titles for the system — and they’ve done just so.
Indeed, Nintendo needs to be commended. The Wii U’s situation was dire from the start, and yet, they prevailed. From the massive marketing campaigns of Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon, to the various Nintendo Directs and total embrace of independent developers; they’ve been pushing the system as hard as they can, trying their best to keep their fans entertained. As a result, the Wii U has become a very controversial success for the company; it marks the sign that Nintendo is willing to take huge steps to keep their ship afloat, and also, serves to be a valuable lesson as they continue their venture in this twisted industry.
“YESTERDAY’S MISTAKE, TOMORROW’S LESSON“
The Wii U isn’t included in most major discussions these days. If it is, it’s usually just brought up to throw more shade at Nintendo. A lot of non-Nintendo gamers either diss it, or simply don’t even know what it is. Even so, for most owners, it’s proven to be the source of hours upon hours of amazing, memorable, and downright exhilarating gaming experiences that cannot be replicated anywhere else.
It may not have the number of sales of the PlayStation 4 or even the XBOX One, or any kind of love from third-party developers, but what it does have is a library of amazing games that are some of the highest-rated ever.
This system marked the beginning of a new world for Nintendo. It marked the beginning of exploring new avenues with exclusive partnerships with third-party companies, a personal connection with indie developers, and introducing their beloved franchises into the era of high-definition. But more importantly, the Wii U can be marked as the stepping stone to what could be Nintendo’s next big success.
Nothing is known about the NX, but whatever it is, let’s hope it can take the Wii U’s missteps and right them.
Little is known about the NX. No, scratch that — nothing is known. It’s been brought up 1,001 times, and all of that with Nintendo only supplying vague comments to describe what it is. Despite all the mystery, one thing is for sure — the Wii U will definitely serve as a reminder of what not to do. As great as the system is, it’s plagued with a name that’s all too similar to its predecessor, and a design that sets it too far apart from everything else. With these factors in mind, Nintendo can craft a system that remedies all of that and then some. But, you know, who knows? It’s Nintendo.
In the end, one thing is for certain: it’s been 3 long, strenuous, surprising, exhausting, monotonous, volatile and somehow exhilarating years — and you know what? They’ve been grand.
Written by Rahming
Akia — “The Prince” — Rahming is a young writer that’s been gaming from since he was a kid. The first ever video game he played was Mario Kart 64 and his love for Nintendo has grown ever since.
