There are a lot of different ideas floating around about how Nintendo can improve Wii U sales and capture the public's imagination, but it looks as if Ubisoft has come up with a unique approach — giving the console to heads of state.
French President François Hollande paid a visit to Japan last month, where he met with several different French companies with offices in the country. One of those was publisher Ubisoft, which presented Hollande with a Wii U console and copies of Just Dance 4, Assassin's Creed III and Rabbids Land.
While this was clearly a gesture on Ubisoft's part to impress the French president with its software, perhaps by making Hollande a fan of Nintendo's hardware the company may inadvertently cause a resurgence of interest in the Wii U in France? Hopeful thinking perhaps, but keep an eye on Hollande's next speech in the French Parliament — it could involve a reference to him busting moves in Just Dance or slaying Redcoats in Assassin's Creed III.
[source dualshockers.com]
Comments 50
This.... is different.... I wouldn't be surprised if Hollande just dumped it or gave it away.
François Hollande: "What, No local co op? I'll stick to my PS3 thanks..."
@XavandSo at the very least he would give it to his kids. This is another French coup for Nintendo following the 3DS in the Louvre (which I had a chance to experience and it was phenomenal).
stick with your ps3 with a ton of bug unfinished game
Support of any kind for the Wii U is great news, so it's nice to know that Ubisoft is still on board even if it's just somewhat.
If it was a Japanese Wii U, he's going to have region lock issues in France.
@Cohort It's the opposite, no local co-op, i'll stick with Nintendo then.
I don't even know what consoles you bought but surely not Nintendo ones or you woudn't even dare to say that.
I understand the whole Great Britain vs. France thing and how ya'all poke fun at each other... but you've been waiting for an excuse to use that picture of Mr.Hollande for a while now haven't you?
It will sit in a closet unused, I bet.
That's a great gesture of Ubisoft, really. Shows they're still backing the Wii U, after all. I wish Ubi games sell on the console, for everyone's sake. And Japan-France relationship must be doing great, at least videogame wise, lol.
Anyone remembers when Miyamoto was knighted "Chevalier de L'ordre des Arts et Lettres" by the former French cabinet?
@Araknie First google sarcasm.. Secondly why would he stick with Nintendo because the game has a missing a feature? It doesn't make sense, surely the GamePad features would be more of a reason to stick with the Nintendo version? Oh, and i'll give you the benefit of the doubt over the additional childish comments..
For the record I'm excited about the Wii U version, the GamePad features look awesome!
Why is Ubi insulting the president by gifting him a child's toy? Surely the PRESIDENT would rather receive something with a little more class, say a vase or a painting.
@LunaticPandora Most gamers are adults nowadays, and a major part of the population plays some sort of video or computer games at least occasionally. In the US, the Wii has sold 40 million in a country of 120 million households. In France, Wii has sold 6 million in a country of 25 million households. They're not (just) kids' toys.
@ajcismo What are you talking about? The french make that face all the time
@Mahe All consoles (and video games as a whole) are primarily marketed towards kids though.
@LunaticPandora thats true, but adults are like kids, look at my father, he's nearly 50, and he plays Plants Vs Zombies, Mario Kart wii And Mario Bros U
@LunaticPandora I'm sure the President of France receives enough vases and paintings already. Ubisoft is a French company that makes videogames, not vases or paintings. So they gifted their president with some of their latest games along with a machine to play them. The fact that the machine is a Wii U says volumes about how the console still plays a pivotal role in Ubisoft strategy for the time being. I think Ubisoft is counting on good software sales on Wii U this coming holiday season. Everyone, just buy a Ubi game this Christmas, because as far as 3rd party on Wii U goes, Ubi is surely a keeper and one of the few. I'm keen on Watch Dogs, myself.
@LunaticPandora Err... no? Where do you live? Do you watch primarily Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon on TV?
@LunaticPandora @LunaticPandora Explain Rated games, M rated games, and T rated games then.
@LunaticPandora @LunaticPandora Were you asleep this whole time? If you were, you sir missed a lot.
@Mahe @Mahe Shh, shh, shh.. he watches NickToons, Disney (the one for kids ), and Cartoon Network is plain awesome .______.
@LunaticPandora Maybe because they are a game company?
@LunaticPandora
BS!
If you aren't in connection with your "inner child" though, speak for yourselfs.
Why is there a battle in the commets guys were not ign
Must be a slow news day, who cares?
The PlayStation is marketed towards 20+, but seeing as Nintendo said themselves, thay are making Toys for kids. And everyone one know's PlayStation rules EU.
Is it a Japanese Wii U, or a PAL Wii U?
@Samurai_Goroh That's a beautiful picture of a beautiful event. They deserved it. Too bad they technically aren't officially 'Sir's for that...
@banacheck Come oooooon, Playstation is marketed for 13yr olds, if you recorded the chat feature from a multiplayer game of COD, you could use it as a dog whistle..
"Come oooooon, Playstation is marketed for 13yr olds, if you recorded the chat feature from a multiplayer game of COD, then you could use it as a dog whistle.."
@Cohort .... this. I find playstation is mostly 12-19 year olds screaming childish and immature obcenities in player chat.. Nintendo demographic seems to be 3-12, and then 30+ mostly..... With games like PIkmin 3, that have far more depth than any game I have ever played on a dudebrostation or a dudebrobox.
@element187 I'm not not knocking these games but honestly! CoD is basically "playing army" and then you've got World of Tanks?
Yeah, really mature
Oh putain, that title really cracked me out, LMAO.
@ScorpionMG
Heehee.
Anyway, this is awesome.
How many bet he and other country leaders will breakin' it down at peace summit to Rihanna's 'Umbrella'?
Real gamers don't play COD, thats why its on the Wii U, plus the PS3 doesn't have the party chat feature. And isn't COD mainly an Xbox game?
This is actually going to lead to an increasingly better management of wars and whatnot, in that wars are going to be played on multiplayer CoD matches as soon as a true-to-form wartime experience arrives on shelves.
Either that or locking up the two guys leading each nation until one beats the other to death.
@banacheck What? Have you seen YouTube for the past 5 or 6 years? YouTube primarily boomed because of Call of Duty videos, along with other stuff of course.
Also, "thats why its on the Wii U", it's on every console and PC. What the buck kind of comment is that?
"isn't COD mainly an Xbox game?", yes and no. Microsoft have a partnership with Activision to have all the DLC released months before the other consoles. It also sells really well on the 360 because of the ball-less"teens".
@Cohort
hahaha lol... that's too funny
@Araknie
I think he's referring to Splinter Cell Blacklist, which Ubisoft recently announced the Wii U version would be lacking local co-op. I'm pretty sure he was just joking
@element187
Hey you make an interesting point. Nintendo is like our gaming parents. We love them as a child, rebel against them in our teens and early twenties with Playstation and Xbox, then come back in our late twenties and thirties to develop a close relationship, and love them the rest of our lives
@banacheck I'd bet that CoD is probably one of the the biggest sellers on the system and it's a good thing that it doesn't have party chat as otherwise you'd be deafened by the high pitched insults screamed at you... The PS3 and 360 are set up in exactly the same way that horror movies were in the 1980's, 18 certificate (or adult themes) targeted at 12 -15 year olds. Sega even adopted a similar strategy with the Sega Megadrive..
... and this "real gamer" tag is utterly pathetic in all honesty, every time you see this term it generally heads into fanboy territory and is usually a prefix to a stupendously idiotic statement that you would find splashed across twitter or youtube. It's only one step away from "serious" or "hardcore" gamers who really are the s***s
@banacheck
"Real gamers don't play CoD, that's why it's on the Wii U"
Really man? I want you to think about what you just posted, I mean really think about it. Who are you to say who's a "real" gamer and who isn't? That's like a 12 year old who says "Real men don't cry" or "real women only wear dresses". It's ignorant, it's prejudice, and it's wrong.
And as for your implication that CoD is on Wii U because Wii U gamers aren't real gamers: Who the hell are you to say I'm not a "real gamer" simply because I play on a Wii U console? Seriously. Who the hell are you? CoD is on ALL consoles for one. For two, playing CoD or not playing CoD has nothing to do with being a "real" gamer. And third, how ignorant are you to actually think the Wii U isn't for "real gamers"?
You know what a "real" gamer is? Let me educate you. A "real" gamer is a person who loves gaming, and has adopted gaming as his or her hobby. The term is often loosely used to refer to gamers which prefer to play more in-depth games as opposed to simple, surface-deep games. But when you go so far as to imply Wii U games are not in-depth, and are only surface-deep, you're exposing your immaturity, ignorance, and prejudice.
Everyone here on Nintendolife knows Nintendo makes some of the most in-depth gaming experiences in the world. And the Wii U is an extremely unique console, offering gamers experiences they simply cannot find elsewhere in the marketplace. You make like it, you may hate it, but don't be so foolish as to think the console has no merit with regard to in-depth gaming experiences.
umm nintendo does make games for 20+ bayoetta that's going to be ether M rated or T rated and what kid plays that. Just beacuse its E does not mean its for kids.
Umm yeah I would say that's a good idea.
/me cries that the comments section for an article about a government official being gifted a Wii U has turned into an argument about age demographics and "real gamers."
Please don't make me want to leave this site, guys. I don't want to have to get my Nintendo news from a shudders multiplatform gaming site.
have you people seriously forgotten that Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge launched with the Wii U?? still a blood bath full of awsome online... http://youtu.be/Sk0WV0-b7ck
@Cohort I see that at least i'm not the only one that can't really read sarcasm.
I simply must hear to get it, i guess.
@Araknie Actually you were the only one as you were the only person to reply to that post with your little rant because you assumed that someone was saying nasty things about nintendo...
Tell you what... give me your address and I'll send you a box of tissues so that you can dry your eyes...
@feline2 If you saw the twitter backlash regarding the news of Bayonetta 2 being a Wii U exclusive then you wouldn't think that any of those people were 20+
Besides, just because a game has M or 18 on the box doesn't mean that it's not aimed at kids..
@ToastyYogurt Same..
@banacheck The Wii outsold PlayStation 3 in Europe handily, not to mention the DS. PlayStation's popularity isn't guaranteed even in Europe.
Lucky dog...
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