Rayman Legends And Splinter Cell Blacklist Both Sold Less Than Expected, Says Ubisoft

Shame. Poor Ubi. Can't win 'em all.

Bet they're rethinking whether it was a good idea to spend money on the ports and go multiplatform, instead of keeping it exclusive to the Wii U at a better time frame.

Here you go ubi, this is for making Rayman Legends multiplatform!

Blacklist was more expensive on WiiU than other consoles when I looked around. Legends was delayed almost a year and quite a few were boycotting it.

I've still not picked Legends up but I'll pick it up in the new year. I've already seen it £20 some places.

Well this is what you get when you tell us you're going to release Rayman on Wii U and then change your mind and delay the game. But Blacklist wasn't that interesting mechanically anyway. Just seemed like Blacklist with some bells and whistles added on.

@dumedum Bet on that for sure! Not that perhaps will be a sold out game, though! However certainly it would be doind SO MUCH BETTER. You cant understimate the many fans that turn the back on the game for going multi neither, I guess.

About SplinterCell, is a shame it's doing so poorly... considering that even the Wii U version seems to be the perfect fit for it, although some glitches issues did have an effect in its review performance. But do believe it will be selling a couple more on Wii U as soon the console begins to sell more & Splinter will be cheaper. Seems like a good pace started to take place!

Its a shame, blacklist prob best game on wii u at mo.

Ubisoft sure seems to set unrealistic goals for itself. Almost everything they develop is an AAA title, and then they wonder why the bucks don't flood in every time.

Here's a thought - develop a wide range of titles on a wide range of budgets for a wide range of gamers, and they wouldn't be publishing a new statement to their shareholders every other day about how their products "fail to meet expectations."

I'll be getting Rayman Legends. Even if it does not sell well its an amazing title.

Looks like the gamers have dropped support for you Ubisoft. How does that karma taste?

I'm picking up Blacklist tonight, Ubi.

Well, I bought both at launch and very happy with them.

Are they surprised at this? They released Rayman Legends late and during a time when high end games were being released so yeah, Obvious for this game to get over looked by a lot of people. As for splinter cell, not putting in offline co-op? yeah, again expected.

Guys seriously stop being b**chy about Ubisoft. The delay and mulltiplatform thing was annoying when it happened but surely the fact that they brought out an amazing game which truly demonstrates the new features of the Wii U is more important. Not only that but the delay led to a great deal of new content which would have either been paid DLC or never have existed in the first place. This frontier mentality towards third parties is really not going to acheive anything except further distance third parties from Nintendo consoles.
Anyway Rayman Legends was the first thing I bought for the Wii U which wasn't preowned (besides Indie and VC) so I'm not to blame this time...

There is no way Rayman Legends would have done better as an exclusive in February. There is not a single example of a third party game selling well, and for Legends it had the extra obstacle of being the exact same genre as the one game Wii U owners bought more than any other in NSMBU. Do you think Ubisoft are looking at Blacklists Wii U sales and still thinking Legends as an exclusive would have been a success? The Wii U version only outsold the others in the UK in week 1, then dropped off the chart while the 360 and PS3 versions have stuck around since. We'll find out about North America tomorrow.

I just bought Blacklist second hand for 30 euro on Wii U.

That's crappy, blacklist was great.

I didn't understand why they've had to delay the release for that. They could've released Wii U version in February, then for Microsoft and Sony consoles later...

Rayman legends is such a good game but it got released on the busiest time of the year! No wonder it didn't sell that well

If there are 50 million Xbox owners, 46 million PS3 owners, and 4 million Wii U owners, then the Wii U makes up 4% of consoles.

Splinter Cell Blacklist sold 300000, 10000 on the Wii U- 3.33% of sales. It isn't the Wii U's fault for the game sales- it sold about the same ratio on all consoles. I would argue that in the stealth/sandbox/shooter genre Ubisoft has Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed (a yearly title), Far Cry, and Watchdogs (eventually). Ubisoft is cannibalising it's own sales with similar games, let alone competing with Arkham, GTA, Deus Ex etc...

Also on that note, I wondered if the clash of Assassin's Creed 4 with Watchdogs made Ubi split the titles apart?

As for Rayman, it was released a week before Disney Infinity. Plus it isn't as marvellous as everyone makes out.

No poopiedoodlecacapoopsiedoodoopoop, Rayman probably would have sold a lot more in Feb than actually releasing it when they did.

Splinter Cell should have been a much better port for the money they were asking for it.. (the 360 and PS3 versions were not great performance wise either which is why it probably didn't do very well).

I do like to support third parties and I've bought four ubisoft games, I'm not buying anymore.

Yeah sure just give up on them just like what happened to ZombiU, I understand making Triple A titles is extremely expensive but cmon ya have to spend money for a while before your really make the money. Why not make another 3D Rayman platforming title? Or some more games people have been asking for for years like Beyond Good and Evil 2?

Rayman would have sold better in February than when it did release. I'm going to buy it still but probably in the spring now. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact.

Sad thing is that they are not taking into account the real factors and they are blaming it on the ones that could be or not.

Raymond Legends is a fantastic game and at the sametime is reasonably priced (I am talking digital), but £55 for Splinter Cell, come on. You would have to have more money than sense.

@Peach64 I agree on the Rayman front but BL Wii U was the worst version technically, was missing local co-op and was the most expensive to boot. Announcing Blackflags lack of DLC on Wii U the same day they showcased it has also insured the Wii U version will also sell worst than it could have.

@Peach64 That's an opinion I can respect but disagree with, is true that there is no guarantee it would have sell better has a exclusive but is about 80% more sure that their loses would not has been has bad also rayman legend on wiiu was the only versionthat was in the top 40 for more time than the other versions in UK.

Both games in my eyes are some of them best game on Wii U,both of the games uses the gamepad in different and unique ways and it's a shame to see both theses titles not reaching their sales targets as in my eyes, Assassin's Creed is getting stale.

"Splinter Cell Blacklist has shifted just 300,000 units, of which just 10,000 were for the Wii U."

They'll be citing this when they cancel W_D on the Wii U next year.

I'll eventually get Rayman Legends. Every bit I've played of it so far has been fantastic, but I know it, unlike Mario, will go down in price.

Splinter Cell got very little advertising and was late to market (i.e. the hype train had passed) and Rayman Legends is NOT a $60 game experience. I picked Rayman Legends up for $40 this weekend at Gamestop.

Legends in a fantastic game, my favourite on the U so far, haven't played splinter cell. But I will pick it up eventually, hopefully this year

@Banker-Style the problem is that ubisoft did nit advertised those versions has such in hope Nintendo will do it for them and Nintendo has little willingness to advertise third party games that don't even advertise their own producers.

The rayman legends fiasco easily cost them at least 50,000 less wiiu version just from people angry for the delay.

@MrGawain There are almost 80 million PS3 and Xbox 360 owners each, nearly 160 million combined. Wii U's install base is about 2.5% of that.

I think rayman legends would of sold better during the wii u game drought in jan and feb, cause there wasn't alot of exclusives back then

I just hope ubi realises this is part of the times we live in. Nothing to do with what console its on or even how good the game is.It simply boils down to logic. Splintercell and rayman are great games,but the branding is no way as strong as gta.assassins creed,fifa etc,that and the fact people just dont have the money to buy every single triple a release nowadays is the ONLY reason for the poor sales.

Its a shame because Legends is a great game!

It really is a kick in the butt for making Legends multiplat. I'll be buying it on Amazon when the price goes down to around 40$.

I wonder how Rayman Legends did here in the U.S. I don't about the U.K. but it here it was temporarily marked down on the Wii U to 39.99 and hit the top 100 in VG.

@Emblem

I was all ready to buy the Wii U version of Blacklist until they announced the omission of local co-op. Would've been a first day purchase.

I did not buy Splinter cell because its lack of co op offline

Rayman is not a popular franchisr. This is no shock. And Splinter Cell is no longer a main stream genre. Not to mention it was buggy and slow load times.

Splinter Cell is just not worth $60, plain and simple.

Insert generic BS comment about how Ubisoft would've sold millions if they released Rayman half a year earlier, exclusively on Wii U. Because Wonderful 101 sold so well.

Anyway, Ancel just can't catch a break, huh =/ I hope Ubisoft still made some money off Legends because I'd hate to see the franchise die. Don't really care about Splinter Cell.

@Peach64
Based on Vgchartz and Mediacrate info the Wii U version is still the front runner in total sales (although by a slim margin; and that does not include digital sales of any platform). I think they wasted more money advertising the game, delaying it a few weeks before release, and then porting it to three other platforms then they would have by just keeping it an exclusive (if the game started out as a multiplatform title that would have been another story). However, I feel what really got them in the end was the release timing; if they had released a good two to three months before GTA V and Pokemon I feel that they would have had a better chance.

Splinter Cell on the other hand is not the type of game that will do well on a Nintendo system (based on my opinion and personal observations) until there is a steady install base (Assassins Creed and potentially Watch_Dogs also falls under this catagory). I feel Ubisoft should have waited longer (until the install base grew a bit more) before making these types of games for Wii U.

I just wonder what their expectations were for Rayman on the Wii U and on other platforms. Surely the Wii U version did as well as could be expected and would have justified its development costs. 300,000 copies to 3.5M Wii Us seems like good business. When they first started development, they knew the Wii U would only have a few million install base by February so surely the game was built under that kind of budget. If delaying, porting and distributing it as a multiplat cost them money, they got what they deserved.

there is truth to this aricle when it comes to splinter cell but not rayman. don't really care for SC but first, weren't both origins and legends cheap to make? and i've said it before, if they'd released it 6 months earlier, it would sell beter than it already did on the wii u as that's when he software drought was at its worst.

It's too bad Ubisoft games aren't selling that well. Though I completely skipped Origins, I did pick up Legends for the Wii U and had a friend do the same. We also both picked up ZombiU at launch for the Wii U. Despite Ubi going multiplatform I still support them for making great games and supporting Nintendo though developers like EA will choose to snub Nintendo. Hopefully with the great reviews Legends is getting it will have better sells this holiday season.

Should have just gone exclusive like Sonic is right now with Lost Worlds. Rayman would have sold more earlier & it's style is much inline with what Nintendo gamers traditionally like. That's what SEGA has come to find out with Sonic.

@CaviarMeths

I may have been on the conservative side with my estimate, but I doubt there are that many owners- consoles sold yes, but there is quite a few people who have owned more than one Xbox 360 or PS3 due to lifetime failure.

My point still stands that percentage wise, the attach rate of the game to the Wii U isn't under the average of the other two.

They're not exactly big names in gaming anymore.
That said I do wonder how different the WiiU's first year would have played out if Rayman had been there to prop it up. Their fortunes may well have been intertwined, but we'll never know for sure.
I just want them to make Red Steel 3 :]

@Nintenjoe64

I believe you are looking at the wrong numbers (Splinter Cell sold around 300,000 with only 10,000 coming from the Wii U version). Based on VGchartz (which is not the most accurate source considering they get their data by sampling certain retailers and it does not yet cover digital sales, but it is the only global source I have right now) the Wii U version of the game sold around 90,000 which is more than the Xbox 360 and PS3 and PSV versions of the game, but it is still generally poor. Also, despite selling around half a million copies Ubisoft stated that ZombiU did not break even, which makes me believe Ubisoft was really banking on the Wii U to take off like Wii and PS2 (which was not a good business move, because the Wii and PS2 where the exception and not the rule); they seem to be making the same mistake however with other next-gen systems.

@rjejr They should learn how to port games properly then, generally it's not a smooth ride playing Ubisoft games.

The fact that they stated that they had problems with the Wii U hardware after numerous devs came out and said that it was incredibly easy to develop for, that doesn't fill me with confidence regarding Ubisoft.

@RickyNGmr Good point - when people buy a Wii U for Mario Kart and other big titles, Splinter Cell for $20 or $30 would be tempting for many. It would be cheaper than the CoD titles on Wii U, and people will be less likely to have Splinter Cell on other consoles.

PS is it just me or does Splinter Cell sound like a TMNT prison game?

@sonicfan1373 I think I made up that 300,000. I thought that is what it sold on Wii U back in September but when I went back to check it was just a higher percentage of Wii U copies sold being reported.

I don't know what to believe about their ZombiU losses. The only thing about the game that seemed expensive was the CGI trailers we saw leading up to its release. I dread to think what kinds of losses next gen games will make if Ubi can't profit from a half million selling launch title.

"Rayman Legends was infamously stripped of its Wii U exclusivity and pushed back to a time of year which was crowded with other releases"

UHh this was the predicted outcome from a LOT of us here... If they would have released it as a timed exclusive for Wii U in Feb it would have sold A LOT more.... But because they chose to release it among a busy release schedule, I ended up renting it, which I'm glad I did, it was pretty mediocre.

Interestingly enough, Blacklist and Rayman Legends were heavily discounted on Amazon UK, they've since gone back up to pretty much full price now.

@element187 I agree with you on everything apart from the "mediocre" part, If it was released when it was supposed to then it would have sold a lot more as back in Feb as the Wii U had about as much choice as a Welsh fish and chip shop.. Rayman Legends really would have stood out..

Splintercell is not worth $60

@Dogpigfish That I can agree with... WTH is up with publishers pumping so much money into franchises that are really not that special anymore.... Splinter Cell was a fantastic title back on the original xBox, but just pumping better visuals into a worn out franchise isn't going to make it sell any better, its only going to increase the cost of development... graphics are a mere novelty and are not a requirement for an enjoyable experience... but for some reason Ubisoft still thinks graphics matter.

They could have saved a lot of money they would have just reused the majority of the assets from the previous title and built a game that looked like its predecessor.

@element187 $60 and Unbisoft still expect you to pay for DLC that's already on the disc.

Bummer. Ubisoft might make smaller, download-only releases for these franchises now...

Why they made another Rayman game shortly after Origins I do not so since that game sold pretty poorly anyway.

Both games deserve more attention than they have already. My guess is the consumer simply has a tight budget. it's been a big year for games between both the quality indie and AAA titles. Only so much people can do.

I would have bought Rayman Legends a long time ago but since it released late, my priorities went to Wonderful 101 and Pokemon X&Y. Rayman Legends is an amazing game but It will have to wait till I have some extra time and income before I will purchase the game.

@Meaty-cheeky Same for me, but Legends is $40 now

I was ready to buy Rayman day one in February. Yet, I've still have to pick up a copy due to the delay. A lot more games have taken priority over it while February was quite barren.
Waiting for it to hit bargain bin price now as the coming months will be expensive enough as it is.
They brought it upon themselves if you ask me.

@citizenerased I think your missing the point about the lack of blockbusters in February. Especially for Wii U. I was very excited to buy it and then after delay I bought other games instead. Not just for Wii U. Anyway many more people would have bought it. Unlike me, others were absolutely desperate for a new Wii U game and would have bought it. That game caters to people that love Nintendo games. We all grew up on Nintendo platformers in the 90's. Easy sell. Don't compare to the profits of w101 that is a harder sell to Legends. Can't wait to buy both of these games actually.

I knew that going multiplatform would backfire on them. Hopefully they learn their lesson for the next game.

Didnt they say that Rayman sold bet on the WiiU ? I dont get Ubisoft news anymore, thats a bit too much "back and forth" for me.

@FJOJR I actually do not expect high sales volume for Sonic on Wii U. I don't see Nintendo fans here feeling enthusiastic about it. They says things like "Mario Galaxy Clones" and "One of the garbage released this month."

Splinter Cell is one of the best games this year too. It's a shame so many Wii U owners ignored it. 10,000 copies???? THIS IS WHY THERE IS NO 3RD PARTY SUPPORT on Wii U!!!!

I've done my part, I own several of the AAA 3rd part releases, I even bought Arkham City & Mass Effect 3 just to experience them again on Wii U but you can't candy coat these numbers folks. Nintendo system owners overwhelmingly buy Nintendo 1st/2nd party exclusives and VERY LITTLE else. History has proven this time & time again since N64.

I'm fine with this personally because I own the "other" consoles as well but stop putting the blame on the 3rd parties when Nintendo fans are the ones to blame themselves for the lack of 3rd party title purchases.

I dunno. 10,000 is a lot of copies too for a port. It's half a million dollars. And it probably didn't include the downloads. There is a very big difference in install bases. And still despite the install bases, Legends sold more on Wii U, so Ubisoft can be satisfied with Wii U overall.

I had Legends pre-ordered last winter. Immediately canceled after the delay. Last week I saw Legends for $40, which means I could've had it for $34 with my employee discount. Didn't even think about buying it though. (Need that money for other games, now.)

That's the harsh reality of such a delay. Make us wait 8 months and it doesn't seem too hard to wait a few more for it to show up in the bargain bin... When romantic aspirations are established and then allowed to die, consumers are much harder to woo a second time. Wouldn't be surprised if Watch Dogs meets the same fate.

Anyway, I always thought the Wii U should've been released as soon as possible with a Vita version over the Summer. Finally, release for 360/PS3 during the holiday season alongside maybe some new DLC.

Ubisoft is just a large corporation making games with the intent to make a profit. Ubisoft could of build a good relationship with WiiU fan base, did us a solid by delivering us a game we desperately needed back in February. But, instead got greedy and expect us to bend over. I'm going to boycott Rayman Legend till there a price drop or I can find a cheap secondhand copy. I'd rather support Platinum Games, Monolith Soft, 5th Cell and Nintendo. These are the guys that will make games worth buying on the WiiU, expect nothing but lame half donkey port from Ubisoft going forward with some keys features missing when compared to other consoles.
_{Watch the profanity please — TBD}

I only really liked the first Splinter Cell and Pandora Tomorrow, not surprised this new "splinter cell" sold less than expected. Stripping out offline co-op for the WiiU version couldnt have helped...that was the only interesting draw for me but nope. They should really anticipate the same for AC4, both of these series are overstaying their welcome. They really just feel like uninspired games with a "fit the mold" mentality now.

As for Legends, well I bought it new on release....but it wasnt that great of a platformer. Most of the levels werent very challenging and just felt like set pieces we were allowed to walk through. The musical levels had great music but they dont even hold a candle to the most basic of endless runner games, the first 7 levels of Bit.Trip.Runner2 had more challenge.

If 3rd parties want to support Nintendo, they're going to have to make actual good games. Not these season-pass games that are stripped of features, ported to WiiU, and then when you do play the game it's the same re-processed junk we already played in part1 and part2 of the same friggin' annualized series.

Look at all these comments making excuses for why they didn't buy 3rd party games on Wii U!!!! THIS IS WHAT I'm TALKING ABOUT!!! You guys are the first ones to blame the software companies instead of blaming yourselves for not buying great 3rd party games. STOP!!!! JUST STOP!!!
Boycotting companies on a platform which is on life support for 3rd parties is the DUMBEST thing in the world!!! Well you'll show them won't you?? I won't buy any of their games unless their used or aftermarket.. BOY you TELL EM!!! That'll DEFINITELY win over 3rd party support!!

These comments are just ridiculous!!

Ubi you got what you deserved. I told you that your company would pay the price for screwing nintendo fan and you reaped what your sowed..I don't pity you...

@Dreamcaster-X Facepalm! Ubi has to learn not to screw us nintendo fans

@WiiU4Life By boycotting the ONLY Major 3rd party company supporting the platform right now????

I think you'll find it's Ubisoft who will last laugh when they just stop releasing games for Wii U next year and after they leave WB will probably be the next to go. WOW you guys win!!! You drove away all those pesky 3rd party companies!!! You showed them right?? YOU WIN!!!

@dumedum Half a million? It's actually 6 million if they sold all at $60 a pop but it was discounted severely 1 week after it's release but lets just say they sold all at $60. 6 million minus development costs, minus shipping to retailers, minus server cost for the multiplayer aspect & what do you think Ubi is left with? NOTHING!!! They lost money on Splinter Cell. Companies are out there to make money not lose it believe it or not.

The only thing I still do not understand with Ubi was delaying the Wii U version of Rayman Legends when it was done. They should have released the Wii U on time, then released the ports once they were done. I understand them going multi-platform, just not this.

Ha UbiSoft got what they deserve, had they released Rayman Legends back in February 2013 when it was still fresh and new as the Wii U exclusive like it was suppose to be, this would had never happen. So now everyone is buying Grand Theft Auto V, Pokemon X & Y, Pikmin 3 instead of Rayman Legends. Kinda sad too considering the developers work so hard to finish the game only to had UbiSoft ruin it. I got the game already but I'm not sure if everyone else did, all the people I know that got PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U now are either playing games like Grand Theft Auto V, Wonderful 101, and Pikmin 3 or are waiting for games like Super Mario 3D World, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghost, and Sonic Lost World.

@Vyse It's because Microsoft won't allow games on their platform if it gets released earlier on another platform. Ubi's hands were forced after choosing to go multi platform with the title. It probably would have sold a few thousand more copies on Wii U back in February but compared to the potential sales on the 360 with a MUCH MUCH larger install base it was probably the right financial decision even though it perturbed many Nintendo owners.

It really is a shame because Rayman is a FANTASTIC game. I recently picked it up during Amazon's current 39.99 deal and don't regret it. Like a lot of fans I failed to buy it initially out of protest and that movement seems to have really hurt the title, but hey, we all knew the price would come down.

Splinter Cell's sales bring into further question whether the current model of AAA games is sustainable. I, for one, wouldn't miss it.

@Dreamcaster-X
I see. That's a really unfair policy, wish all the third party developers would take a stand against that, just based on principle.

@sleepinglion
That seems to happen with all big third party games on all systems. That is why I wait a bit, because the price almost always goes down in the not too distant future.

@Vyse Yeah, it's a crappy bully policy that the big kid (Microsoft) enforces to "protect" it's platform. Unfortunately the 360 controlled such a large part of the North American market that nobody wanted to go against them but had all the companies stood up, they would have backed down.
Things are looking different this gen where they may be more willing to play nice. = )

NICE Avatar BTW!!!

@Turbo857 me too, was really interested until no co op was announced. I won't buy inferior ports and neither will allot of smart gamers. I just got rayman for around £20 and it's brilliant but I won't buy blacklist unless they ad cop op......final!!!!

If anyone here is actually not buying Rayman because they're upset and want to "send a message," they're being very foolish. The only message you're sending is that they shouldn't make any more Rayman games. BUY THIS GAME, PEOPLE.

Hopefully it will get a boost this holiday and after. I know the first couple weeks are the most important, but they shouldn't count it out yet. There really are a lot of people that just had too much to get at this time of year.

@Dreamcaster-X
Yeah, things will hopefully go better for those kind of things next gen, Microsoft seems to have been humbled a bit. Right back at ya regarding the avatar. Skies of Arcadia is my favorite JRPG.

@DerpSandwich

I got it. Got the Zelda bundle when it came out. Then got Mario Bros., Rayman, and Pikmin 3 with Target's buy 2 get 1 free sale.

@DerpSandwich Nobody's not buying because of anger. We just don't care enough to plunk down top dollar. Many of us probably remember finding Origins for $30 a month after release.

Not to mention, it's a good game, but so was Origins and many of us bought it cheap and hardly played it... Some, I'm sure after they delayed Legends...

@ACK I've seen a good chunk of people that were claiming to "boycot" Ubisoft or some nonsense. But the money point is definitely a good one; I very rarely buy games at full price, myself. It's hard to when you know the price is going to drop.

@Vyse Dang, you're set for a good while! XD

Legends didn't sell enough? I wonder if the delay had anything to do with it, Ubisoft.

@Vyse Yeah I kept hearing rumors that Sega was sitting on HD ports of Skies & Shenmue but was waiting for the right time to release them. I got excited after Jet Grind got it's HD update but still nothing. Maybe one day....

@ACK Yeah, I don't think there's anything wrong with waiting a few weeks or a month to get it half off. The companies build that into their sales projections but boycotting completely does nothing for Wii U as a viable platform. If the Wii U were setting atop the market then it would be a different story but when you're at the bottom it's a pointless endeavor.

I think boycotting is a strong word, although it sums up what a lot of people have done(me included) you have to remember that for most people waiting for a game to be cheap or buying secondhand is "the norm". For me, i have probably enough games to last me my whole life so i don't ever really need to buy on day one. The reason i do buy full price is because it's a game or genre i want to support. Games companies do need to create good will as far as gamers are concerned and they did the opposite with this decision causing a lot of people to downgrade Legends from day one status. If we don't get another, so be it, but hopefully the Wii U sales they did get will give them an idea of what could've been, shame we'll never be able to fully measure the effects of their decision. I still believe that any company that is brave enough to make a Wii U exclusive game that gets good reviews will be rewarded

that's a damn shame they are both awesome for the Wii U indeed!

Tis a shame. I'm hoping to pick up Legends this Christmas.

I'm not sure those numbers are accurate. VGChartz (I know it's not always accurate either) puts Splinter Cell Blacklist at about 900,000 copies sold on consoles, with 20,000 sold on the Wii U.

This is why Wii U needs more marketing towards mature audiences.

Maybe next time when you delay/release it you should make sure it doesn't coincide with the release of GTAV, to be shortly followed by 2 entirely new consoles and a crap ton of games that come with them. As much as I love them, 2D platformers are never at the top of people's lists if they have to prioritize.

Would it have sold better if it was released for WiiU back in Feb/March? Probably not, but they cannot honestly say that this kind of delay was a good strategy.

Splinter Cell was a rushed and buggy/glitchy game. why on earth would anybody spend $60 on a crappy product. now after fixing some of the 20+ bugs it's playable.

so that's Ubi's fault for trying to sell a product before it was finished.

as for Rayman. I would have bought it if it had come out in Feb. as of now I didn't because of games like W101, LZWW, so it became a secondary priority.

Ubi should have released Rayman on Wii U first then the other systems but Microsoft didn't want the game to be released earlier so Ubi caved.

Ubi has only itself to blame really

Reasons:
1.Too many great games released, and most peeps have better game than Legends to buy [Don't misunderstand me, Legends is epic!]
2.You delayed it and made it multiplatform.

I have a theory why Blacklist sold so bad on Wii U at least in the UK the Advert only mentioned the PS3 and 360 versions didn't even show the Wii U logo.

well thats really a shame since rayman legends is totally awesome, even better than origins.

This goes to show which platforms have which kinds of audience. The "hardcore" gritty stealth shooter game sells the most on 360/PS3 and the side-scrolling platformer sells the most on Nintendo's system. Was killing the buzz for Rayman by breaking exclusivity and delaying really worth it, Ubisoft?

I'm sure they'll sell more copies come the holiday season.

I am not at all surprised. Splinter Cell, and really all the Clancy properties have been in something of an identity crisis for a long time which has since diluted the branding. Even then, Clancy games have mostly been known for a slower pace and emphasis on authenticity. Their first rounds of games this gen, the GRAWs and Rainbow Six Vegas', definitely pushed for more action but as the generation progressed the games became more action and arcade oriented with games like HAWX, Future Soldier, and Conviction. This definitely alienated many of the brand's original fans and likely didn't gain it many new fans since the action shooter genre is fairly full as it is. Splinter Cell in particular has seen a lot of changes this gen starting with the double agent gameplay in Double Agent, the more action heavy focus in Conviction, and basically a reboot with Blacklist. Layer on top of that its proximity to other major titles on all platforms and the omission of local co-op on the Wii U and it was easy to predict Blacklist not selling great.

As for Rayman, I don't think it was ever a major property to begin with. Sure its seen some critical acclaim as the series developed but I don't recal ever noticing any kind of anticipation for upcoming Rayman titles. Rayman Origins caught some critical attention for its unique style, great gameplay, and return to 2D platforming but it wasn't enough to garner much attention outside of enthusiasts and critics. Legends was more established but it still was never going to sell massive numbers. Add on top of that the goodwill that ubisoft destroyed in a lot of gamers by delaying it and releasing so near other major releases and a game that already wasn't going to sell much now sells even less.

Personally, I think this had the potential to be the first Wii U million seller from a third party back in February and would have stopped some of the third party's from bailing on the Wii U. I knew countless people who were holding off on the system until this very game due to it being exclusive and how amazing the demo's were. At least the Wii U version is the best seller but I can't help but think that someone at UbiSoft got ripped a new one after seeing these crap sales and after investing in the additional ports destroying their reputation with the Nintendo community. It's a shame really and just shows that sometimes, there are serious merits to remaining Nintendo exclusive. Just look at games like Epic Mickey, De Blob, House of the Dead Overkill, Resident Evil Chronicles Series, etc. All games that did better as Nintendo exclusives and in some cases were destroyed after going multiplatform in sequels.

@Dreamcaster-X

I agree with you Dreamcaster X, boycotting Ubisoft is such a dumb idea. Ubisoft is one of the few major third party's that is supporting Wii U. If Nintendo gamers want to boycott some one they should boycott EA.

I will not buy an EA game on my PC nor Xbox 360 until they support Wii U again!

The way I look at it, these games will be on the eShop for a long time. Maybe if Ubisoft drops the price of ZombiU, AC3, Just Dance 4, etc. older titles on the eShop in the next year, those titles could eventually end up making profit.

They're all good games, IMO. I think making their games budget priced(in due time) could benefit them in the long run.

Same thing goes for any of the titles released on the eShop. Tekken Tag 2, Orochi Hyper, etc. should do the same once more 8th gen games show up. $30-40 is better than $0.

Not surprised Legends sold less after the delay.People probably boycotted it because of that.See,if it wasn't delayed,it could have probably sold more.

This isnt surprising.
Ubi has devalued a lot of their IPs due to dropping the price on them so quickly. Its like they see the numbers and go into panic mode.Hopefully they get a boost during Black Friday and the holidays.

Major Wii U support is gone though. Anyone hoping for them to put another big IP on the console is fooling themselves.

They have already shown with other games if you just wait a very short amount of time you can get it for £10. (And ruined it for other lesser known devs).

TBH, I was going to buy Rayman Legends back in February. I'm not "boycotting". I genuinely can't get around to getting it right now.

I usually spend my money, then budget so I can afford things later in the year. Since it didn't come out earlier, my budget is set on other priorities now, especially since I'm unemployed.

They seem to be emulating THQ but are just not as far down the road.

So, If Ubisoft went with making the it a WiiU exclusive, Legends WOULD have sold; I guess there was an audience...

That's a shame...I can't speak for Blacklist, but Legends is probably the best Wii U game I have right now. I hope this doesn't discourage Ubisoft from making more games like it.

It is a shame. I have really enjoyed Splinter Cell Blacklist.

Hey Ubisoft...

That's too bad. I bought Rayman for 360. Great game, but I have been a little busy playing GTA5, DOA5 Ultimate, and Ducktales. Those 3 games are what I'm playing the most at the moment. I need to get back to Legends. :/

I planned to get Legends with W101, but I swapped it with The Puppeteer as that one looked great and it was only $40. I will get it later.

About Blacklist, it is not my kind of game, but I would have had an excuse to get it if it had local co op, as my bro likes those games to play with me. We got Chronicles of Mystara, and Final Fight 3 instead.

I said back in February that delaying Rayman Legends until August/September was a bad idea, given that Saints Row 4 and GTA V were being released. Companies like Ubisoft will never learn.

There still isn't much of a good reason as to why they couldn't have just released the Wii U version of Rayman Legends first, and the other ports a little later when they were ready. All they did was anger some Wii U owners into actually boycotting it altogether, and as for myself, I only bought the Vita version, whereas I might have double dipped (bought both the Wii U and Vita versions) had they been spaced apart by a few months.

Splinter Cell Blacklist is a game that's not only had features removed on Wii U, it's also been made quite hard to get hold of for a lot of people (such as the Best Buy exclusivity situation in the US), plus it's part of a series that even long term fans are getting a little tired of. I can see the same thing possibly happening with Assassin's Creed 4....it'll sell poorly on Wii U (not helped by having no DLC) but even on the other formats it won't be a major success.

Now that Watch Dogs is delayed on all formats, Ubisoft could be in for a very rough time this Xmas.

I don't know how unique my position is, but if Rayman Legends would have came out for Wii U when it was supposed to, I would have bought it. But now I don't know if I'll ever get it. If I do, it'll probably be for a different system because games get permanent price drops faster on other systems, it seems.

@Emblem
The Wii U version of Blacklist is the best. Yes it's missing local co-op (though it didn't bother me as I'd never play it) and the load times are horrendous; but it makes up for it with the GamePad gadget/weapon selection and better visuals (no screen tearing unlike on the PS3/360). After playing the Wii U version I just couldn't go back to the old PS3 one.

Rayman would have sold a lot more in February. It serves Ubisoft right for delaying it to go multiplatform, as the cost of porting probably wasn't even recovered from the 360/PS3 sales. The next to do this will be Deus Ex, delayed to go multiplat and probably won't sell well at all on 360/PS3.

To anyone saying "this is what happens from delaying Rayman", just stop. That has nothing to do with it. NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. At least by going multiplatform Ubisoft learned that a console with install base of 3 million can outsell 2 consoles with install base of 75 million. Unfortunately, that still wasn't very much, just a "tallest midget in the room" scenario.

Had Rayman stayed exclusive, it would have appeared the game just didn't sell on Wii U- but by being multiplat at least the blame lies all around, not JUST Nintendo. Now they can't single the Wii U out if they make a sequel to Legends, because it actually sold more than the others, even though its sales were still abysmal.

Splinter Cell Blacklist was a phenomenal game too. And dare I say the best version was on the Wii U, even without local co-op. Yet it didn't sell much on any console. 10,000 is REALLY low for Wii U sales, but I believe the attach rate is actually higher, which shows promise for when the install base finally grows.

I blame the popularization of games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. There are dozens and dozens and dozens of millions of people who own gaming consoles, who aren't actually what one would consider a "gamer". They don't know what any game is except the largely advertised mega-budget franchises, like CoD and GTA. They buy those games, then claim "it's the best game in the world!" because they've never played anything better. A PBJ is great, until you finally taste a steak dinner. And these people have never seen or heard of beef in their lives.

Therein lies the problem. Tens of millions of "gamers" only know and buy super-hyped mega-budget pop-games, and everything else just falls on deaf ears, even Splinter Cell. They don't know how good it is- if they did, they'd buy it.

These are the same people who bought a Wii then sold it because they thought there was nothing but shovelware. They're uninformed. A REAL gamer knows about Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, knows about Zelda Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, knows about Metroid Prime Trilogy and Other M, knows about NSMB Wii, about Xenoblade, and Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, about Monster Hunter Tri, about Resident Evil 4. A REAL gamer knows great games, while the uninformed "pop-gamer" knows nothing but the corporate mega-budget releases.

I wasnt pleased with legends delay. Multiplatform never bothered me but i already had my fall lineupp planned. Ubisofts lost sale went to capcom and their stelllar mh3u release. Maybe in january ill pick it up but if its cheaper secondhand ubisoft still wont technically get the sale. Its a shame because legends was the reason i day oned my wii u.

Yeah Ubisoft messed up with Rayman. It could have actually sold really well back in February. Gamers have a fairly tight budget and can't afford to get every single game over the holidays. Games like GTA V, Pokemon X/Y, Super Mario 3D World, etc., are higher priority, especially when many are also buying a 3DS, PS4, or XB1.

I don't expect Sonic Lost World or Mario & Sonic to do much better. Same goes for Bayonetta 2 this Spring. The only games on Wii U from now through the end of 2014 (that we actually know about) that will do well are Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, DKC Tropical Freeze, and Smash Bros. Games like X, SMT x FE, Yarn Yoshi, and Bayonetta 2 aren't going to sell well, plain and simple.

@JaxonH Pokemon would fall under the same category as CoD and GTA: a mega-budget franchise that is often overhyped (damn people leaking X/Y spoilers...).

_{That wasn't necessary. Please stop — TBD}

I bought em both and couldn't be happier! Both of those games are awesome and being able to play them on the Gamepad only increases their awesomeness!

I wanted to buy Rayman Legends, but I live in South Africa and absolutely nowhere in the country has stock of the Wii U version. Not the actual retailers, not the online stores, nothing. Ubisoft, send some stock over here and you might get a few more sales!

Rayman has never really been a series that has lit the sales charts on fire so I'm not surprised it didn't do great and Ubi shouldn't be either. What is discouraging is SC: Blacklist performing so poorly. It's a great game and brings back a lot of the older elements that made the series awesome, just like the fans asked and what do the idiots do? Boycott because they didn't like Conviction and without even playing the game have the gall to suggest Blacklist is the same thing, when it absolutely is not. These kinds of idiots are hurting the industry more than anybody. People say they want something different than the constant barrage of shooters like CoD and BF and when they get it, don't buy it. I'm sick of hearing the b*tching. Either put your money where your mouth is and buy games like Blacklist and Rayman or stfu.

Well I bought blacklist day 1 and I will definitely be getting rayman! Just not yet.

10'000 units on WiiU. Ouch.

Watch for the next train wreck that will be Scribblenauts Unlimited, currently $5 on Steam and coming to WiiU Europe in December for $85!

/golf clap/

Oh no no no no no no no no! This is bad!
Rayman and Splinter Cell are two of the few games that can be still called GAMES! It's a shame that they have been overshadowed by poopoodoodoopoopsiecacadoggiepoop commercially games like COD or AC...
_{Watch the profanity please — TBD}

@Volke93: Both Splinter Cell and Rayman are decade old franchises and about as 'commercial' and mainstream as it goes. Good games, but no daring innovation.

Regarding Rayman Legends, I guess stabbing Nintendo fans in the back didn't really work out for them after all.

I am glad that Rayman was released on multiple systems and bombed. If it would have bombed as a Nintendo exclusive, the Wii U would have got all the blame.