Latest Assassin's Creed Announcement Continues Doubts Over Wii U Inclusion

@DiscoGentleman I think Assassin's Creed will at least last this generation of consoles. Too popular to die within the next few years, I wouldn't be surprised if AC's huge sales are keeping Rocksmith afloat.

No please no excuse of low sales
All the world knows how beloved 3ds dont have AC even with stellar sales

@ThomasBW84 You said next gen only, PS4, Xbox One and PS4. Just thought I should have pointed that out!

I am not sure of what the quality of game this will be though. about one year after the release of AC IV, they are coming with AC V... I just have the feeling that this is going to be massively rushed and short or a copy/paste mess.

Coming to "PS4, XBox One and PS4" <--- Its coming to PS4 TWICE! What the actual f*ck Ubisoft! (jk)

Third party publishers are failing to realize that with very few third party games coming to Wii U, there's a void that needs to be filled and they won't be fighting for shelf space and consumer mindshare. That said, I think at this point the best bet for third parties are Wii U exclusives, because the architecture is significantly different from the xboxes and play stations, whose architectures are largely parallel.

@ikki5 they probably have been working on it for years, it's not just one team.

I would be very surprised if ubisoft released it on the wii u, it doesn't make sense from a financial standpoint. Though I'd be unhappy I'd watch dogs was cancelled.

@P184 They port it to Wii U first then re-port it to PS4 because they hate the Wii U.

according to news sites, its also not coming to ps3/360

Completely dissapointing. Nintendo a generation behind again.

@P184 @Fazermint xD but I'm pretty sure they are making a Wii U exlusive, delaying it, improving it and then porting it to only PS4

This was expected really.

Ahh not a big fan

4 was awesome so this is a letdown. Then again I would rather just one big pirate game and the filthy streets of Paris don't seem so appealing.

Not a surprise really following the Watchdogs announcement (which I think is a cancellation on the quiet). So no not surprised that there will be no more AC.
This is a shame as I really like the games having bought both ACIII and Black Flag for WiiU and never played the series before on any other system.
What annoys me though is like the reviewer said the Just Dance series which was great fun in the first couple on Wii but now is just a money grab continues. Reminds me of the guitar hero franchise.

I don't think the install base is going to help Wii U unless it gets huge and even then, Nintendo games would still sell much better than anyone else's. The install base nearly doubled and sales of Ubi's games have nearly halved on Wii U. It's a shame Nintendo think the solution to this problem is more 3DS games.

It sucks but AC is a joke of a series, anyway.

to be expected but AC games suck anyway.. when MK8 and smash and x and bayonetta come out no one will even remember AC games lol!

Assassin's Creed has a small following on WiiU - maybe too small to justify AC:U on WiiU (though the acronym would fit).

@Ninhau If that's the case, then there's not much reason to expect it on WiiU either.

As a huge AC fan I'll be moderately disappointed that Ubisoft will be ignoring my favorite system. Especially since it's perfectly capable of handling anything they throw on it and they're simply ignoring it for monetary reasons. I've bought literally every Assassin's Creed game thus far, but I don't make enough money to go out and buy a PS4 to play the newest one.

Pre-Alpha Footage warning: Meaning it's not going to be as pretty by Holiday 2014.

Jesus, another one!

I don't think its as disappointing that Wii U isn't getting Unity as it not getting Comet - the code name for the PS3/Xbox360 AC game. I know WIii U has better hardware specs than those 7 year old systems.

And how dos this entire article get written about Ubisofts Wii U support w/o any mention of Ubis Watch_Dogs getting delayed on Wii U while 5 other versions come out simultaneously? Ubi isn't really trying all that hard w/ Wii U, don't let them fool you.

It's hard to say any 1 game can make or break a system - I don't care about exclusives Titanfall or inFamous 2nd Son not being on Wii U exactly b/c they are exclusives - but Batman, now maybe AC, Destiny, MGS, W_D getting delayed, Tomb Raider, Thief, Far Cry 4, Dragon Age (though that's EA so I suppose it doesn't count, same for Madden 2015) when EVERY big talked about multplat game doesn't come out on your system, I see that as a problem.

And we still don't have a date for SSB, so it's not like 1st party support is carrying the load. Wii U looks more and more like the Ouya every day, except 3x more expensive.

Whens E3?

@rjejr Did... you really just compare the Wii U's situation to the OUYA???? You just said: "Wii U looks more and more like the Ouya every day, except 3x more expensive" BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! You're hilarious!!! BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!

@Blast

In terms of third party support yes, the Wii U looks like its going to end up with as much third party support as the OUYA (which means none at all for either one)

@Blast - "Did... you really just compare the Wii U's situation to the OUYA????"

Yes, yes I did.

Ouya before release - lots of promises on Kicksarter of great games.
Wii U before release - unprecedented partnership w/ EA

Looks the same to me.

EA then:
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/nintendo-ea-backs-wii-u/03379
EA now:
http://kotaku.com/ea-has-no-games-in-development-for-nintendos-wii-u-507588994

@rjejr and @ferthepoet ... The Ouya's situation is bad cuz FOR MANY REASONS. The Wii U's situation is different cuz many 3rd party ports on the Wii U are pretty freaking bad. Some are really good but some are REALLY bad. Don't try to overgeneralize the situation.

@Blast

"The Ouya's situation is bad cuz FOR MANY REASONS. The Wii U's situation is different cuz many 3rd party ports on the Wii U are pretty freaking bad. Some are really good but some are REALLY bad. Don't try to overgeneralize the situation."

@Blast

I don't even really know what the OUYA situation is but I know that at this point the odds of Wii U getting a port of a major multiplatform release not named Skylanders, Disney Infitnity, Lego Something or Just Dance are barely better than those of the OUYA

I'm just starting AC4 that I bought for Seventeen Quid, and it is good FOR THE MONEY. Not really worth £50. I bought AC3 at launch and was deeply disappointed with it- it isn't half the game that Arkham City or Darksiders 2 was. The fact AC3 was the debut of the AC series on the Wii U hasn't done Ubisoft any favours- it was badly designed and had a very dull story and very dull dialogue. The biggest problem with the series is that for an open world game, it expects you to follow the ideal path, and if you don't it makes you play it over again and again.

AC4 will be worth playing through until MK8, but in general I find Ubisoft games a little hollow and underwhelming.

Ubisoft has finally fled Wii U. Nintendo are to be blamed for this, no one else.

@Blast @ferthepoet - For the record, I've always tried to use the words "currently" or "now" when comparing the Wii U and Ouya. I know the Wii U will get better starting May 30th, but thats a long time away. Even some of the budget download games Wii U was supposed to get in March and April seem to have been delayed. W/ DCKTF almost a month behind us the Wii U just seems to be much more of a dust collector than Wii ever was 1 1/2 years into it's life. The Ouya was filled w/ promise that never panned out, the Wii U currently has nothing going on in the way of big game news. What's going to be the Wii U's "Game of the Month" for March? For April? (OK, probably Child of Light for April, not bad for spring, but not what people buy a $300 console for either. And it still not coming out until April 30th,the very last day of April.)

For the time being it seems like a fair comparison to me.

if Ubisoft stops supporting Nintendo then they won't have any third partys but Sega, come on Nintendo what went wrong?

its a pretty terrible position the wii u is in. since donkey kong nothing of any worth mentioning has released and wont be until mario kart, and then what? smash bros some time later in the year? then what? bayonetta sometime near christmas or later? nintendos got money in the bank, if people dont want to willingly put their games on the wii u maybe nintendo should pay them too just so we didnt buy a expensive brick for most of the year, its so bad that ive started playing funky barn... FUNKY BARN FOR CHRIST SAKE!!

every week i check the eshop to see whats new, one new mediocre chess game this week, whats next week? snakes and ladders?

@DiscoGentleman The quality of the AC games is still very high. AC4 has over 80% on Metacritic, which is pretty damn good.

Ubi can do an AC game every year because they have three of them in staggered, parallel development. We've just had AC5 announced, but AC6 and AC7 are also in development.

There's always the risk of making games which feel too similar, but AC4 was essentially a pirate game, not an assassin game, so Ubi clearly haven't run out of ideas yet.

Another one already ? Ugh...

First party titles and good indie games. That's what I expect from the Wiiu and that's what we are getting.

I´m 25% into AC4 on Wii U right now and sadly there are serious framedrops especially when you try to board enemy ships, this game is struggling on 3 cores at 1.2GHz, games like these are best on high end PC. It's nice game but Wii U obviously isn't capable enough to run it smoothly.

I'm pretty sure its not coming to the Wii U. Maybe they'll release Watch Dogs on the platform around the time the next one comes out lol? Idk the entire situation sucks for Nintendo and those that want to play 3rd party games on their platform.
@FullbringIchigo
Sonic Lost World bombed and I bet Sonic Boom will do the same.

Won't buy it anyways, games with planned DLC suck!!!!!

as long as Rayman games keep appearing on wii u then I am satisfied

I doubt anyone will be surprised by this.

Nintendo made their bed, now they are the ones lying in it...

You know what, it has nothing to do with "lacking features" or being "inferior ports". People don't buy them on Wii U REGARDLESS. I know everyone likes to use that excuse, but that's all it is- an excuse. So I don't blame 3rd parties for cutting support. In fact, I'm surpised it lasted as long as it did.

@datamonkey

Nintendo made this bed? I don't think so. Nintendo isn't the one responsible for 3rd party sales.

@ThomasBW84 yea, i say the same, next gen is now the current gen...

Well...you know what? I don't care. Of course the fact that third parties are skipping the Wii U is a problem, but I couldn't care less for the next Assassin's Creed. They're basically just doing the same thing over and over again as long as it sells, and I've had enough.

So what generation is the Wii U considered then? I mean I know it's not as graphically powered as PS4 or X1 but it is technically part of this "next" generation. The Wii wasn't even in HD when PS3 and X360 were, yet no one had any problem including them in the same generation. Just dosen't make sense to me. Regardless of hardware specs, the Wii U is part of the "next gen" consoles whether people like it or not.

It is never a good thing when a game is not coming to the Wii U. But in all honesty I'm not bothered about the assassin's creed games anyway, so no harm done here.

I have only just completed AC3 and I got that a week after launch day, it was Ok, but I found it boring to be honest and just forced myself through it for the sake of it, I haven't even picked up AC4 yet.

I am looking forward to watch_dogs though, so I hope that doesn't get canned.

I don't believe 3rd parties try with nintendo as much as they make out, they dip their toe in and then tell everyone they supported the console.

I don't wan't AC5, I don't wan't just dance, just give me a rayman and Zombi U sequel and I would be ecstatic, hell, you can even scrap watch_dogs ubi soft.

Wuddya say, deal ?

I guess many publishers are now on hiatus when it comes to Wii U. They wait and see if Smash bros. and Mario Kart will boost the sales and if that happens they will hop onboard again. The install base of PS3 and X360 combined is over 160 million and current gen Sony/Xbone about 10 million. They just don't need the 6 million Wii U gamers now :/

And yet there is no Direct coming. At this point we have only three confirmed retail games coming this year (MK, SSB and Bayo). I'm sure that they will be great and I'm glad I own a Wii U, but getting only 4 games a year on your system (including DK) isn't exactly what you would expect.

I hope Nintendo is ready to blow us away at E3.

well ubisoft left great, i really dont care no more assassins creed games are not the same no more its sad to see that.

@Heiki
Three confirmed retail game from Nintendo? Or all together? Cause there's MUCH more than 3 games altogether coming. If you're referring to Nintendo, ok then. But might I remind you that last year at this point in time, we only had 2 games confirmed retail from Nintendo for the year (W101 and Pikmin 3). And look at how many we ended up with. Just saying. Have faith. There isn't a year that's gone by that I haven't been satisfied with the releases. Don't think that's gonna change any time soon.

I'd be massively pissed if we don't get one of them. But hey, Who are we, certainly not people that DO want to buy Games such As AC on our Damn WiiU's.
I find the AC games are great on wiiu because of off screen Play.
And would look pretty silly seeing xbox and ps getting all these AC games and look at wiiu so many titles Down the line (AC 6, 7, 8 etc.) And it just Stopping at 4?!
Unless they release AC 1, 2, brotherhood and revelations for WiiU for a collectors Edition then the new titles EVENTUALLY maybe then it wouldn't be That big A deal.

@ikki5 They did say they spent 3 years making it.

Not getting at least one of the new titles would be disappointing. I picked up AC4 recently on a whim as my first AC game to see what the big deal was and I'm really impressed so far. I would love to continue getting more AC games for my WiiU. (But not AC3 as I hear that it is the bad egg of the franchise's main series, regardless of what console it is on.)

@Heiki You forgot Hyrule Warriors.

Sucks for AC fans I suppose. I'm not an AC fan. If I wanted to I could play the titles on my PC.

I played the first on my 360 years ago, and it was incredibly boring, stupid game.

I wish Ubisoft would make a REAL Prince of Persia game.

This is really bad news. Until recently we at least had both Warner Bros and Ubisoft supporting the console and bringing some varied retail releases from Western studios to the system. Sure we were missing out on a lot but there was at least an influx of multiplatform titles.
Now with the absence of Arkham Knight and AC:U the Wii U's allies have given up.

On the flip side it really does seem like Watch_Dogs is being delayed because they want to take full advantage of the console's unique features. If they released it alongside the other versions it would not have been given full attention and would be an inferior port. I'm happy to pre-order this as soon as we get a release date!

This is ridiculous, that's just an excuse for Ubisoft to not make games for Nintendo.

@electrolite77

No. Nintendo have published plenty of fresh titles recently, like SM3DW, Pikmin 3, Nintendoland etc. Of course they tend to recycle stuff too much at times, like the New Super Mario Bros-series, but it's not like the AC-series, where practically just the city changes. Even the same dodgy controls stay.

At this pace, the only holiday game it would be released during holidays for Wii U is Smash Bros, and that if it doesn't get delayed till 2015 and we get NES Remix 3 instead.... We all know that Nintendo consoles are to play Nintendo games, not for 3rd Party stuff, but this is getting ridiculous! I enjoyed AC: IV so much! It was a great improvement over AC: III! Waiting 3 or 4 months between 1st party titles and no worthy releases (meaning 3rd party stuff) in between is just not acceptable to me anymore. Just the fact that we don't even have the latest Metal Gear Solid game is a serious concern that not even their closest Nintendo Japanese partners care on bringing their games on Wii U. Like if Snake in Smash never happened!!! Woah, this is bad . Let's see how it goes with MK8...

@electrolite77

Then they are following everyone's example, not only Nintendo. Activision with COD, Sega with Sonic, EA with Madden, Capcom with Street Fighter, the list goes on and on.

So I might not be able to walk like a truck looking cool looking at how realistic my coat looks in the wind while navigating obscure menus and working around the slow button presses in realistic truck environments?

Wake me up when smash bros ain't happening...

@Heiki @JaxonH I really can't think of many retail game a heading to Wii u this year at all. As mentioned ssb, bayonetta 2 and mk8 are the 'biggies' but only one of them appeals to me and I love my Wii u. This time last year there were loads of franchises still backing it, splinter cell, deus ex, cod, watch dogs( I hope we still get this one but I've lost all faith now),batman, Mario 3d, fifa the list is actually starting to depress me.........I've started to get more Wii games I missed stocked up to plug gaps I know will be long. I havnt bought dk:tf yet because I like to keep at least one game I want on the shelf for future.....this is getting hard to do now!!! Somebody PLEASE prove me wrong , but I can't think of any more =(

Guess it's back to PC for me then.

@JaxonH
Yes they are.

They made console that isnt selling well and they have not provide an environment for these games to thrive. 3rd party exclusives aren't even selling well on the system. I understand there's been some situations where DLC wasn't brought over but that is small in the grand scheme of things when you consider most gamers dont want to play vastly inferior multiplats, have aninferior online experience, and that it takes more resources to port a game over to the console and offer off screen play, etc.

The Wii U was built as a 1st party box and that's what it is now. That's not necessarily a bad thing though since it seems that 1st and 2nd party games is why most Wii U owners initially invested in the hardware.

@AdanVC

The only MGS game we've ever seen on a Nintendo console since the NES was the Twin Snakes on the Gamecube. It's not like the games always come to Nintendo consoles. They never did come to Nintendo consoles. Why is it all of a sudden a problem now...

Another relevant article. Thanks, NL!

@MAN1AC not me dude , and not a majority of the rest I would think.
Yes it's true people want the Nintendo games but you would struggle to find anyone who bought the Wii u JUST for 1st party games and didn't want 3rd party games at all.
Not only that but since all the pre release banter from Nintendo was geared around real gamers not casuals and an amazing virtual console selection which has proven false, was what convinced many people to buy. I don't think many will be happy with the outcome if it continues to drop more 3rd party support!

Correct me if i'm wrong but isn't the current install base for the XBox One roughly similar to the Wii U numbers?

I don't feel like that I'm missing anything really.

@JaxonH
You forgot Game and Wario and Lego City undercover

@ULTRA-64
What we know of thus far of 2014:

Wii Fit U
DKC Tropical Freeze
Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros 4
Watch Dogs
Bayonetta 2
Monolith Soft's X
Hyrule Warriors
Fast Racing Neo (eShop I know, but this will be retail quality like F-Zero)
Project Cars
Sonic Boom

And games not confirmed but that we can expect:

Yoshi's Yarn (I'd be AMAZED if this game doesn't release this year)
Unannounced exclusive debuting in ONM next issue (possibly Devils Third?)
*Surprise E3 announcements (and you best believe there will be- Zelda U Nov?)

Almost every game on that list is worth buying. And not just worth buying, but most of them are going to be GoTY contenders. That's the trade off- less games, but they're way better. Multiply 10 amazing games per year by 6 years on the market (and the above average year in 2013 for 3rd party games- I bought over 32 Wii U games last year), and you're looking at about 75 top-notch games in the library by the time the gen is over. Physical retail only- not counting VC, indies or digital releases like Wii Sports Club. That's pretty good if you ask me. My Gamecube shelf only has 35 games on it. My Wii shelf only has 40 games on it, and I own pretty much every game even remotely worth owning for both those consoles. 75 is sounding twice as good as the previous generations to me.

I've owned a PS4 since November, and you know what I've had to play since then? A port of Tomb Raider. Oh, and now I've got a demo of MGS coming that is reported can be beaten in less than 10 minutes, and Infamous (which looks decent, I'll report back after I play it). And.... that's it. What do I have to look forward to that's worth buying this year on PS4? Well, there's Batman Arkham Knight, Assassin's Creed Unity (both of which aren't coming til 4th quarter), and.... um.... well..... you know what, I'm glad I own a Wii U. Cause at least I have the games listed above to look forward to this year. Games that will undoubtedly top the annual AC game.

I really enjoy the Assasins' Creed games, only got into the brand with AC3 and my Wii U purchase, then ACIV (which I might add is superb).
The sheer amount of detail and craft is wonderful, they really work hard to conjure a sense of time and place with atmosphere.
Naturally, I am pretty disappointed with the Wii U missing out. However, I do not in any way blame Ubisoft. They have tried pretty hard to foster a profitable relationship with Nintendo fans, more so than any other 3rd party. They gave the Wii U an amazing version of ACIV, which wasn't just a broken, lazy port. I appreciate that level of respect.

Fact is, they can't afford to keep doing that. The Wii U is about to be left in the dust in terms of raw power, which Ubisoft excels in exploiting from anyone's hardware.

I love Paris as well, so this announcement secured a PS4 purchase from me later in the year.
Still, I'll most likely be playing my Wii U and 3DS far more.
Nintendo should actually thank Ubisoft for being so supportive throughout such a rough ride. I want their software to return to Nintendo hardware in the future.
Bravo guys.

This really shouldn't surprise anybody. I love my Wii U but I have it only so I can play Nintendo first-party software. The Assassin's Creed series got its start on the PS3 and 360 - that's where the fan base is for these titles. I'm sure III and Black Flag on Wii U sold a fraction of what they sold on Sony and Microsoft's consoles, so who can blame Ubisoft for not investing time and resources into a product that hardly anybody will buy? The fact that the PS4 surpassed the Wii U in total sales in a matter of weeks is not something that is lost on developers and publishers.

I'm not trying to be mean here, but if you really want these third-party experiences and you're limiting yourself to just a Wii U you're kind of out of luck. There's nothing wrong with supporting more than one home console.

@Diddy_kong totally agreed man. I do think Nintendo is suffering a crisis of confidence, but by supporting other consoles and 3rd party's, fans will actually be doing Nintendo a service in terms of direction.
Co-operation would be a wonderful thing in the videogame industry. Sharing information increases product variety, quality and success.

@ThomasBW84 Oh it's ok, people make mistakes (i always do!)

Sadly, news like this is why I no longer have a Wii U I need more then Nintendo games on my Nintendo systems, and with all the great games going to X1 and PS4. Nintendo, wtf has happened to you guys?

Well allow me to be one of the first to say screw you Ubisoft. I'm DONE supporting your games. Why don't you get a set of BALLS and just come out and say what everyone already knows...watch dogs is cancelled for Wiiu.

And while I'm on the topic, please let's hear from some of these "armchair quarterbacks" on this site who think they are such experts as to why everything wrong with the wiiu is Nintendo's fault..

Last generation, developers cried and moaned that wii was too weak, so they made a wiiu which is leaps and bounds better than wii, and better than ps3/xbox 360 as it should be. It's not as powerful as PS4 or Xbox One obviously, but here is the thing..IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE.
If nintnedo came out with a system as powerful as them tomorrow, do you think anything would be different? Do you honestly think so? Developers would simply find another lame excuse as to why they don't support it. Gamers would still find fault with it and go back to their "mature" titles, and it would be the same as it is today.

I'm not an idiot that thinks Nintendo is innocent, but overwhelmingly it gets flak for things that are not it's fault. It's not nintendos job to market 3rd party games. And it's not Nintendo wiiu owners fault that we are not paying full price for watered down ports, rehashes of old games, half-@#$ incomplete games...that is the PUBLISHERS fault.

Why buy mass effect 3 for full price when the same price on other systems gets a trilogy? why pay full price for games like assassins creed 4, batman arkham origins, injustice gods among us, or splinter cell when they don't even include all features from other systems? I do not EVER buy DLC or play online multiplayer but even I see that ripping people off does not endear them to you.

One of the greatest strengths of Nintendo is that they DONT nickel and dime you with everything like "the other two" consoles out there. But when developers want to milk fans for every penny and Nintendo does not want that, it's Nintendo's fault?

I have zero complaints about being a wiiu owner, and I have no plans to upgrade my ps3 or (heaven forbid) 360 to their next gen as nothing appeals to me, I have a huge backlog on wii, wiiu, and ps3, and not the least bit impressed by ps4 or xbox one and their requirements. But to continue to blame Nintendo for not "making a more pleasant atmosphere" for 3rd party games is just plain stupid. What are they supposed to do?

Let 3rd parties go, I am sick and tired of half !@#$ ports anyway. If you are going to make an effort, I'll try it and if I like it I'll buy it. And stop the lame excuses about "our games don't sell on wiiu"

I think Watchdogs might have a better chance on Wii U than AC as it's a new IP as opposed to a game series that started out on the 360 & PS3.
That's providing Watchdogs still coming to the Wii U.

@AJSjedi I'm not sure what exactly you are banging on about. But you seem agitated.

I'm happy playing Nintendo games. They are the best in the business. Far better than 99% of any 3rd party titles.
However- diversity is greatly important to extending a console's use and relevance to its owners. Third parties provide that.

If it's not Nintendo who needs to make changes in this regard, who's responsibility is it exactly? Do you blame the fans?

@HappyMaskedGuy

I do not blame fans for not buying poor 3rd party titles. And you are correct, what Nintendo lacks in quantity they make up for a million times over in quality. I'd rather play Mario 3d, or donkey kong any day rather than assassins creed # 74 or call of duty #256, or madden 37th year in a row.

Admittedly, I enjoy games other than Nintendo games, I play some call of duty games, a big fan of uncharted, gears of war, MLB the show, etc As much as I love Nintendo games, I love others too. But what I am pissed about is lame excuses from 3rd party developers and so called "fan experts" who think everything is nintendos fault.

I'm not too concerned. It's been in development for 3 years. We weren't gonna get get this game unless Wii U was selling like hotcakes, even more than PS4.

@HappyMaskedGuy

It's partly 3rd parties to blame, and partly the reality of the situation that the majority of Nintendo fans aren't interested in those games. I know people use the "well it didn't have the DLC, or the framerate dipped a bit" or whatever to justify why the games didn't sell well, but the fact is that has nothing to do with it. The fact is, there are about a quarter million Wii U owners who are interested in those games, but that's it. It's not anyone's "fault" per se, it's just that the demand isn't there. Sometimes, the reality of the situation doesn't mean someone is to blame. It's just how it is.

Nintendo is not perfect. There's a number of things people can legitimately lay at their feet blame-wise. But with regard to 3rd party games, no. They did their job. They brought AAA to the table in 2013, something that hadn't been done since the 16-bit era (and back then, AAA wasn't what it was today). Over 2 dozen AAA games were ported to Wii U it's first year. Nintendo did its' job. But there comes a point where it is out of Nintendo's control, and it's up to the consumer to support those games in order for that support to continue. That didn't happen.

Does that mean it's the consumer's fault? Well, no. You can't blame someone for their preferences. So again, it comes down to the fact that no one is to blame here- it's just the reality of the situation. And that reality is, despite the outcry for AAA on Nintendo platforms, demand isn't big enough to support it. As a result, it will never happen.

We got a 1 year trial run of AAA on Wii U in 2013- something I've NEVER seen happen in the last 20 years. But it didn't pan out, because demand isn't large enough. 100-200k sales per game isn't enough to justify AAA existence on Nintendo platforms. It's just the way it is. No one is to blame here.

I'm not surprised the PS4/XB1 game isn't coming to Wii U, but it'd be pretty much garbage if the other version doesn't. But anyway...

What if Beyond Good & Evil 2 was announced as a Wii U exclusive? Using the GamePad as a camera to look around the world and snap pictures? That'd be awesome.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

I recently bought a Wii U and was thinking of dropping money on AC 3 + 4...but if the rest of the series will skip Nintendo, I'm not interested in jumping into AC. It's your move Ubisoft!

@AJSjedi No, the blame doesn't lie squarely at Nintendo's door, you are definately right.
I do believe that Nintendo is, in comparison, a far more respectable company than Sony or MS. I love that they stick to their guns on issues like online play (massively over-rated, I'm a local multiplayer kind of guy), their DLC philosophy is also better.
I feel that the Wii may have made Nintendo too cautious for their own good. It's success may have harmed internal creativity (it must be said, they never take any risks nowadays) and the Wii U is reaping the harvest from it. Nintendo needs to inject a bit more soul, a bit more danger into their concepts.
I will however, always stand by them as a company. They are the best, and will outlive all.
I don't mind smaller sales, but I want more emotional, artistic games which I know they are capable of achieving. If just for the fans, teasing something of the next Zelda for example, wouldn't hurt them.

@JaxonH very balanced, very true.

@rylo151 yes totally agree, Ninty should pay to keep the 3rd party games flowing their way. Do what it takes till there is more Wii U adopters

In other news, more games aren't coming to the Wii u

How about just letting us know when something actually is coming to Wii u instead of constantly telling us about all these games we aren't getting

@HappyMaskedGuy
I agree with you 100% on two things you said, Nintendo is far more respectable as a company than sony, and light years ahead of Microsoft.
Also I miss the days of local multiplayer, their was magic to be had staying up all night with three buddies talking smack and playing goldeneye 007 and Mario kart (Nintendo 64 days I mean)

And I also feel I'd rather have a select few quality games a year versus the milking that goes on with (for example) the music / dance games, maddens, assassins creed or call of duty - although there are SOME games in those series I enjoy. COD Ghosts was awesome, I got the wiiu version and never looked back

@swampertdude

AMEN

@MAN1AC
I'm just curious what you feel Nintendo can do to help the "environment" of third party games?

For anyone wondering regarding the AC 3DS title. They were working on it, but cancelled it, and instead took the ideas and concepts of the game and expanded it further for AC Revelations.

@AJSjedi The best gaming memories I have consist of Goldeneye, Mario Kart 64, Turok: Rage Wars, Mario Party 2 (bumper balls), Quake 2, Diddy Kong Racing and Conkers Bad Fur Day... And many many more! All local multiplayer CLASSICS. Guaranteed gold.

N64 days reign supreme for me, always will

I will however stick my neck out and say I really enjoy Assasins Creed games. They remind me of those golden n64 days for some reason. All about atmosphere I suppose

How disappointing. Nintendo is falling behind once again. I sure hope this is the last of generations we'll have to deal with this nonsense. It nerves me because I really want to see Nintendo succeed. I do hope they've finally understood their error and release more attractive hardware and software in the future. Don't get me wrong though. I do have a Wii U and games for it. It would just be asking too much to expect the same from others as well. People need more incentives to upgrade their old Nintendo consoles, which is understandable, and I know Nintendo can offer those incentives.

@rdxgeno
As I said in an earlier post why would they release a new console? Who would buy it? Who would support it? It would be the exact same as now. And honestly, if their were three identical consoles out there, how many people would chose a Nintendo one.

@HappyMaskedGuy Nintendo needs change as well. Everything is becoming more and more watered down with each iteration. NES games are preferrable because there is a point to playing / failing / improving which doesn't exist in the modern games (And I really don't like the NES).

@electrolite77
Well, let's hash it out then....Why do you feel Nintendo is nickel and diming you?

Me, I don't see microtransactions, every game having on disc DLC that we pay to unlock (cough cough mass effect) or paying for online services, or having to be "gold" to do anything with your console...

So let's hear you point of view, it sounds like you have been a gamer as long as I have (since the late 70's when I was old enough to have an Atari joystick in my hand)

@unrandomsam
true, I miss the days of actually achieving something to unlock in a game, not having to pay for it....

sorry to the members if I'm mass posting today...VERY slow at work at the moment and I enjoy the banter back and forth

@AJSjedi No it's ok, lol. I didn't mean to infer that. I never proposed that they would release a new console at this point (I would dislike that, in fact). I'm just saying that the Wii U is stuck in this unfortunate situation due to poor decisions, and that annoys me lol. I'm just venting some steam here about it. I know sales will be a lot better for the console in the future. It'll take some time though.

And I couldn't possibly care less. Assassins Creed is as bad a CoD, a pathetic cash cow for idiots that like to buy the same game again and again and again and again and again. No Watchdogs would disappoint me, no Assassins Creed is fine by me.

Be rather sad if we don't see the AC game coming to PS3 / 360 also come to Wii U. But I can understand why the PS4 / Xbox One game later on this year won't be coming to Wii U.

Has anyone else noticed how Ubi-Soft games don't hold value at all?
If Watchdogs does come to Wii U it will be £15.00 in the bargain bins within three months. It's happened with ever Ubi-Soft game that's been released on the Wii U.

@Ryo_Hazuki-san Is it bad to love both AC and Mario Kart? I do

@AJWolfTill According to the creative director the development of the Wii U version has been paused. More here...
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-06-why-watch-dogs-was-delayed

@rdxgeno
I am venting steam as well, no worries! I just feel like Nintendo always gets the shaft. I too think the wiiu will eventually improve though. But honestly their is a "stigma" that Nintendo is only for Nintendo games. But IF 3rd parties put effort into supporting wiiu, gamers would buy them. I really think had wiiu sold like hotcakes, EA, Ubisoft, and others would be "gracing" us with their games more often.

@electrolite77 - I don't know much about the Saturn, except at the time I talked a friend of mine into buying 1 instead of a Playstation b/c I wanted to play Virtua Cop and Nights into Dreams. I bought a Playstation about a year later for Parasite Eve and FFVII.

I do know the Dreamcast sold about 10mil, and it was only sold in the US for about 1 1/2 years (where the Wii U is now) before they announced its end. Though it was out in Japan a year earlier. The Wii U should pass that w/ MK8 this summer, but I do worry about SSB helping Wii U sales since it is getting a 3DS release and most people who want it will buy a Wii U when MK8 comes out. Though who knows, maybe a Christmas Zelda miracle.

I just want some games. Mario Sports Mix 2 w/ baseball, football and soccer (to make up for the lack of EA games) would be nice. Mario Super Sluggers is very under appreciated.

@electrolite77
Well at least you made some valid points, and I'm sorry you feel taken advantage of. But here in the US it was not that bad, and many of the points you listed did not affect us. Hey at least you got Doshin the giant for gamecube, I had to buy a special disc just to play it.

I agree about the selection of virtual console games being horrible MOST of the time, their are literally hundreds of great games they could have on there right now. But as far as the cloud based system, or what happened when your wii got stolen... Nintendo is behind on that, yes, but I think it makes sense that they would be as they have nowhere near the online community members that other consoles have. It would probably cost way more than it's worth.

Look at it this way, I have owned FIVE xbox 360s...not because I wanted to, because they kept dying on me. Whereas my wii got dropped, hit, went through two hurricanes, and it still works perfectly. Frankly, Nintendo hardware is usually super reliable.

Thank you for sharing your points, and again sorry it was that bad in the UK. But for a US gamer who didn't experience most of those issues I can understand you opinion just not share it.

@electrolite77
I forgot to mention I also do agree Nintendo is "dropping the ball" when it comes to their franchises...Metroid, star fox, f-zero (which I never made a big deal about but I digress), excitebike (not offshoots), eternal darkness, sports games without Mario, EVEN WII SPORTS...all great franchises that should have a new game being made NOW or some news of one at least.. or actually games people want to play on virtual console, MORE nes/snes/n64 classics...I wish they churned those out more often

@anyonecomparingWiiUtoDreamcast
Those sales were for a three year span, as far as I know, the Wii U has been out for a bit under a year and a half. Considering Wii U more or less ahead of the DC, that's not a fair comparison. I'm not saying Wii U is selling well, just that you're wrong.

Wii u is missing nothing by not having assasins creed except it just continues the 3rd party trend of them giving Nintendo half donkey games that they done even want on their system. Ubisoft is a mediocre dev that releases buggy games over and over. Nintendo will just keep bringing up the shinren and retro caliber studios to make great games for them instead.
_{Please watch the profanity — TBD}

@Heiki Also Lego hobbit/ transformers dark spark/ amazing Spider-Man two that's with dates we also have a good number without. Also ubi is bringing child of light and wb is bringing black gate hd

I'm kinda burned out on the creed games, and that's despite black flag being phenomenal.

TOTALLY OFF TOPIC QUESTION:
How come when I use my Ipad to view this site.... some of the news aren't visible, yet I can see them on my computer? Just wondering..... not really mad or whatever just wondering

@electrolite77 But why do you still read news on a Nintendo site then?

Almost every comment that i've seen from you, has whining on it. If you're so unhappy with your Nintendo systems, why do you still have them? Why do you keep reading news and updates about Nintendo consoles? Do you just like to bash Nintendo because they don't give Australians the same treatment as they do with the 10x more valuable markets?

Anyways, I don't care about AC, so this is no big issue to me.

I just hope we get some decent games this year, the whole indie-friendly-eshop drama not only gets boring with indie games or developers that ask gamers for money, but they still delay games and bring next to nothing spectacular to the eshop. Lucky me, there's still a few Wii U games that I'd like to get and some Wii games I really want to play. But it is frustrating to see such a few releases confirmed.

Hello Kitty Kruisers will save the Wii U! Insert sarcasm here

Meh. Wii U and 3DS for my Nintendo and indie games, PS4 for any other game that happen to intrest me. I'd only pick up AS a few years down the line when its in the bargin bin and I have nothing else to play. The franchise is getting a little dull. It still amazes me though that people thought 3rd parties were magically gonna develop games for nintendo again. You want them to support the system? support them with their current games on the market and show them theirs a demand there

@pukka-pie Sorry, but I couldnt disagree more- the AC games are far better in terms of the work and imagination invested than COD games. If you haven't already, give AC IV a play, I couldnt imagine why you wouldnt enjoy it. It has flaws, but it has far more heart and soul than any CoD game Iv ever played, with some of the most gorgeous visuals Iv witnessed on Wii U, or any console for that matter.
I do not consider myself a moron or idiot in any sense, sir

Sales of AC4 on Wii U sealed the deal on not getting the next one. It sold even worse then AC3 on Wii U.

I didn't buy AC4 because I bought AC3 and felt burned by Ubisoft. AC3 wasn't worth $60. It was great for the first handful of hours but then became monotonous and repetitive quickly.... So no, I won't buy AC4 until it's $20 or less.

If it's not on PS360, then I doubt it will be a game designed to run on Wii U's level of power. If your a developer talking in terms of power, than I don't think they are talking about Wii U.

Can't say I didn't see this coming. The install base of Wii U owners of this game is so small I can hardly ever find an online match anymore. No one to blame but Nintendo's marketing (or lack there of) strategy to children.

@element187 i hear ya i didn't buy ac4 due to 3 on the wiiu being my first and it being the only game thus far to freeze my wii u not only once but multiple times. skreeeew that. i loved me some rayman tho.

@Jaz007 They were refering to the other AC game coming out on 360/PS3. Which whatever that title is named should come out on Wii u as it will certainly be more then capable of handling it. Honestly I wish ea would release nba live on wii u, I played the updated version and its so much fun.

Assassins Creed = Overrated.

@electrolite77

Well, they all share the same genre, but SM3DW is quite different from Donkey Kong for instance. Also, Nintendoland is nothing like Wii Party U. It's true, that Nintendo have been playing it too safe lately, but it's nothing like the yearly Assassin's Creed.

@Conocotarious While the WiiU is powerful, it is not even close to the PS4 and XBoxOne. Honestly, Nintendo is the one who we should blame. They knew their new system was a generation behind again, but they still released it anyhow. I like our WiiU but a PS4 is my sights this summer for sure.

@electrolite77 Well made points, I recall people actually defending poorly converted 50Hz games when the Wii VC launched (even by some who I think had perhaps never experienced the PAL versions).

I honestly think the 60Hz VC was a response to Mii Verse complaints that Nintendo could no longer avoid.

With Assassin's Creed, 4 was the first I'd played and I got bored before the end, I don’t think it’s a series I'll return to for the moment, though annoying for Wii U owners who do enjoy it.

@electrolite77 AMEN!!!! I recently bought into Sony's culture and what a difference! Nintendo could learn from other companies. We have two games to buy for WiiU the rear of the year, that's it! My Vita will be getting lots of play and I plan to get a PS4 this summer. Sorry Nintendo, your bad service and lack of concern has lost yet another 25 year fanboy.

@JaxonH
Don't bring logic into this! It's not done that way!

@swampertdude
they alreadfy do this. Isn't as often as a major game not coming to Wii U though.
And you know what? It is the right thing to do. Inform the people. The people that think about what console they should by. Making it possible for them to make their decission based upun facts, what games are coming and how the place of an console is in the gaming market is.
I can't find anything problematic about this. Even if it annoys the hardcore Nintendo fans. Who are easily identified when Nintendo is in a rough.

Another third-party game not arriving on Wii U? yawn This isn't surprising anymore.

Watch_Dogs and Child of Light are still on the way

@Legromancer

This isn't the local Walmart here to inform potential customers. This is a fan site for Nintendo fans.

@8bitforever
And waht exactly does all the "extra power" do? Social network feature and options that people don't want.

If I want to watch tv or a movie...guess what, I turn on my tv. What a concept.
If I want to look at facebook, I look at my phone.
I MAY be in the minority here, but I want my video game consoles to do one thing, play video games.

No pirate theme = I'm not even getting it on PS4.
I enjoyed Black Flag on the Wii U when I was exploring and out on the open sea... the gameplay out side of that was just like the rest of the series though so this step back in the series is just stupid. Not interested either way now.

@electrolite77
Anytime, I'm always up for debate and conversation. Besides, you taught me something I never knew (how good we have it here in the US when it comes to nintendo)

This wasn't unexpected, I'll be picking it up for PS4 so it doesn't really matter to me anyway. Though I do hope Nintendo lays the smack down at E3.

Well the Wii U sales are terrible and judging by these comments it's no wonder 3rd parties are abandoning the Wii U. The people who do own the console don't even buy 3rd party games.

@AJSjedi The extra power has nothing to do with anything you mention. It is to make better games. Games with bigger worlds, smarter AI, etc. I saw yesterday that MLB 14 would, for the first time, have 1,000 different crowds models so the crowds look more realistic. This is what the power does. I am simply saying that Nintendo keeps bringing out underpowered systems and for what? They are not going to make it out of this generation if they can't improve their situation, no matter how much money they have. People will not buy another console from them after the WiiU. The truth hurts but it is the truth. We need to stop complaining about the developers because I don't blame them. If they want to stay in business then they have to make games for the system that will bring them a profit. Nintendo isn't capable anymore, time to move on.

@mastersworddude
so we SHOULD purchase inferior versions at full price?

@8bitforever
That's your opinion and you are entitled to it, I respect your view..I just firmly disagree that nintendo isn't "capable" anymore. Look at Super Mario 3D World and Donkey Kong, seem like very capable games. If they don't do it for you, sell your wiiu and move on. Nobody is stopping you.
For me and a lot of other gamers, we want the alternative to the same old song and dance with sony or microsoft.
For now I'll stick with wiiu and my ps3, I see no reason to get anything more than that. NOTHING out right now has me wanting another next gen system. And despite PLENTY of people on this website who disagree with FACTS, Wiiu is a next generation console.

I have to admit, I have never bought an Assassin's Creed game for any platform, and don't have much desire to buy any in the future.

I've played some on friend's consoles and seen videos, but it just doesn't appeal to me. So far the only Ubisoft game I bought for Wii U was Zombie U...and that's a decent game but the graphics look really rushed.

I'm just not losing sleep over Ubisoft dropping third party support for Wii U.

Also, reading through the comments, it sounds like we have a few "viral marketing" guys here pretending to be gamers.

While I don't care either way on this issue (I personally believe that AC is potentially the most overrated series in gaming today), it's annoying to see yet another developer give Nintendo the cold shoulder.

Over saturation. People got tired of Madden. People got tired of COD. People will tire of AC, I know I have. They will continue to sell because people will by it for the name on the box. I always thought the games felt like work. I played through 100% of the original but could only get into about half of the second. Although the last two look cool.

They do this to us Nintendo fans and I will never buy a Ubisoft game again for me or my daughter.

_{Profanity is not necessary here -Lz}