Nintendo Was "Fine" With Platinum Releasing The Wonderful 101 Remaster On Other Platforms

I'm fine with more people getting to play this wonderful game!

I feel perfectly fine, it does not hurt me in any way.
The more people can play this, the better.
Thanks for asking.

Now Astral Chain

@SheldonRandoms - Now only if they do it with Zelda, am I right fellahs?

Real talk, though; I am really curious what Nintendo is getting out of this as they still own the IP with Platinum. Obviously they're not going to go out willy-nilly like this unless there is some ulterior motive or gamble they're taking on this.

@Paraka
Nintendo probably isn't approaching this as a zero sum game, where they have to get something tangible out of this agreement. More likely they just have a really good relationship with P*, and all that goodwill is pooling over into a generous decision like allowing Wonderful 101 to go multi-platform so long as Platinum foots the bill.

I would speculate that Nintendo doesn't have a lot of interest in Wonderful 101 to begin with since it sold so poorly, and that the extra exposure of this kickstarter could end up providing a boost in software sales for the Switch despite some people choosing PS4 or Steam.

Like Kamiya said, Astral Chain is a different case; Nintendo would probably say no to Platinum taking the IP elsewhere. Astral Chain is far from a system seller, but the game has already sold well, and therefore brings with it heightened consumer interest in the entire Switch ecosystem by remaining exclusive.

It’s great Nintendo and Platinum came to this agreement. Doubting they will let go of Astral Chain or Bayonetta 2/3 so easy.

I don't think they ever cared for this game; to them, this is whatever.

@Hagemaru @Ulysses - I think you guys give businesses way too much credit. Nintendo is likely seeing something we don't, in terms of potential gain from this.

But I believe a little bit of this is true though; Nintendo probably didn't see much to gain from the franchise to port it (or saw a port just further down the line). So they do not see this agreement too risky for their own company.

Mind you Nintendo has so much of similar blunders; Ever Oasis, Codename STEAM, Odama... Yet this is the first time we have seen such a move from Nintendo, so this being goodwill, gotta be more to it than that.

Oh, so Nintendo still owns the IP then? If so, then this is really cool.

More Bayonetta on PC down the line would be amazing. Just a matter of what SEGA wants to do after Bayo3

SEGA was really happy how Bayo1 did on PC.

AS was always a pipe dream. Nintendo would want to get more out of that investment - and that makes sense.

I like their response on the VGC interview better with regards to Nintendo letting Platinum do their thing with W101. In terms of who actually owns the IP now, Platinum still can't say. So basically we can't assume Platinum "acquired" the IP like on the other NLife article. If I were to guess, the IP was just licensed so to speak (though free of charge) to Platinum to get crowdfunded

@Paraka I wouldn't say those games were blunders but really underrated IMO. STEAM was very unique but overly complicated. I had fun, still. Ever Oasis was more fun for what it's worth. But yeah those games didn't really resonate with a lot of people.

I think it's better for gamers/consumers for games to be on more platforms. Exclusivity is good for companies, not for us.

That said a console that has few to no exclusives struggles against one with many high quality exclusives. Which is something Microsoft is probably learning with how badly it was trounced by Sony this gen.

@Zyph - Well, financial blunders, as you said, didn't resonate with the community at large.

Which kind of sucks, STEAM was an absolute gem. Robo Lincoln cannot be contested. It's a shame FE became so huge both that and Advance Wars will be taking a backseat for a time.

It's nice that Nintendo is letting Wonderful 101 go free for everyone. Now if only Platinum Games would be nice enough to give gamers the non-Nintendo Platinum games (Madworld, Vanquish, Infinite Space, etc.) that would be great also.

Makes me wonder if Nintendo will allow developers to port other 1st-party published commercial failures to other platforms (i.e. Sushi Strikers, Codename STEAM, Devil's Third, etc)...

@westman98
Sushi Strikers will completely unplayable on PS4 / Xbox One since the game emphasized on touch screen or motion control.

@retro_player_22 I find it funny you included Madworld on that list when the only console that one came out on was the Wii. I get what you mean, but to lead off with that one in the least was funny.

@Paraka I'd love to see them do something with the Code Name S.T.E.A.M. IP. Perhaps a port, perhap a sequel.

@Anti-Matter
Yeah, that's very true. I suppose the controls could be overhauled; otherwise, the experience would be awful.

Maybe a mobile port could work?

Ultimately Nintendo is a business, and makes business decisions. There's probably something else to this we either don't see or know about. And maybe (probably) never will.

@westman98 I'd love to see Codename STEAM get a second chance, but it would still be entirely Nintendo exclusive more than likely. Unlike Platinum, Intelligence Systems is a secondary Nintendo developer, being created by and only ever working with Nintendo.

If they plan a sequel for the Switch, having the original on other platforms would be a great advert for both the new game and the console itself. All those new W101 fans on PC and PS4 will need to buy a Switch to play the sequel.

@Anti-Matter I play it with traditional controls as it is now. Such a shame they overpriced the game, it’s really a gem.

@westman98 @Klunk23
It was developed not only by Intelligent but also Nintendo EPD. There's zero chance of seeing it on other platforms sadly. That's not even mentioning the fact that you can use Marth, Ike, Robin, and Lucina's amiibo to obtain them as fully playable characters and FE is Nintendo's IP so yeah. Not happening I'm afraid. Here's gameplay though, would love a Switch port or a Codename Steam 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqi9z940Bs

Shouldnt they wait for the ps5 if it's coming out later this year?

@Klunk23 @JR150
I forgot about that lol. You are right, Codename STEAM is definitely not leaving Nintendo hardware.

Kinda sad at how badly that game sold - it was the closest thing the 3DS had to a Valkyria Chronicles.

I really like how the vast majority of the people who commented are very mature and okay with a game originally only for Nintendo being allowed to be ported to other consoles. When Horizon Zero Dawn was announced to be ported to PC even though it's been out a few years, a lot of people were incredibly upset on Push Square as if the company betrayed them personally. I can sort of understand the fear of losing exclusivity to the competition if you are Microsoft fan right now, but both Sony and Nintendo have plenty of exclusives and it's better for gamers as a whole if we don't need to own every console to play the best games on our platforms of choice.

With the rumors of Sony loosening its death grip on some of their 2nd party exclusives (horizon zero dawn and the last of us), we might slowly be ushering in an age of limited exclusivity. I totally understand holding onto the evergreen 'system sellers', particularly first party IPs, but realistically, after a year or two, many of these properties offer limited value by remaining exclusive. I think a lot of it will have to do with how those games sell as test cases.

Nintendo has to weigh the benefit of keeping something like bayonetta 2 (as a random example) exclusive, against the very tidy profit they'd make by opening it to PC and Playstation.

I kind of appears that Nintendo still told them something like:
"If you want to publish this game on other platforms, you have to publish it yourself."

Which is understandable, when it's a co-developed title.

Someone like SEGA stamping their logo on the game, and cutting out a royalty slice of lord know's how much, on top of Sony's 30% platform holder's charge?

Nintendo wouldn't stand for that.
And, they obviously wouldn't have expected demand for the game to be this incredible!

@AnnoyingFrenzy I list it like that cause that's the order I actually got to play them. Madworld was the first Platinum Games title I bought for any system really.

Going multi-platform with this title just feels so weird that Nintendo would be so cool about it. It makes me wonder what Nintendo asked for in return.

@T7Hokage017 Its a Wii U hidden gem. But Its very much a PLATINUM game. Either you hate it or you love it. I my self love it for the unique gameplay and funny jokes and story. It takes a looong time to master though. So get ready for a hours og raging. 😁😂

@VGScrapbook Horizon Zero Dawn is a different situation I think. It's one of their best sellers, along with GOW and Uncharted. Kinda the face of PS4.

That would be like losing a Mario, Zelda or Animal Crossing to other systems. And I wouldn't want that, because in the end, exclusives are still very important for various reasons.

@Heavyarms55 Exclusivity is exceptionally good for consumers, a unique library is THE reason to own a console (not friends, graphics, controller, apps, etc) and that itself drives competition. As a gamer, you should never speak out against 1st and 2nd party exclusives (3rd party exclusives are a different, concerning matter).

Microsoft has been moving to becoming a 3rd party publisher since 2015; they stopped making exclusives, they introduced yet another subscription model to fool their consumers into a 'value', they stopped reporting numbers and changed focus to 'player count', they aren't launching the Series X with ANY exclusive content whatsoever, they're moving to a cloud format entirely... The very company many are praising for 'sharing' exclusives is only doing it to remain relevant because they are simply outmatched by the competition. Best case scenario? They extend Xbox Live to Sony and Nintendo and finish their 3rd party transition. The Series line will be their last hardware line.

@Nintyfan speak for yourself.

As a gamer you should speak out against exclusives. I am glad more people want (former) exclusives on more platforms.
I really don’t know why people feel like some games should stay exclusive as if its hurting them.
Some guys would rather have a game gather dust on a old console rather then have it available for millions of people on other platforms just because “it does not feel right”

Let the fanboying be gone for once and always.
Let the big 3 have a battle for consumer by focusing on hardware, software, special features (PS Now, Xbox Gamepass, kinect etc.
Why can other company’s be called out for exclusive things but Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo can’t.

You say that a unique library is what drives a console. Is that why the gamecube and the wii u were not so succesful consoles?

But I guess we are on a Nintendo fan site so asking for Astral Chain on a other platform gets you downvoted, asking for Persona 5 is not going to that though.

@Nintyfan A game being on more than one platform has no negative effects on the consumer and the only benefit is the distant, indirect benefit that the exclusive titles push console sales and encourage further games on the console.

But if a game is on more than one platform, that just means more people have the opportunity to enjoy it, and that's a good thing.

I think this is mostly Nintendo washing it's hands of W101. It was a b-tier game that was given tons of promotion given the lack of other games on WiiU. It failed to become a real success, and not just because of WiiU's low install base. It's an awkward, experimental game that's cool in a niche way, but not really with large appeal. The controls were, honestly, terrible. I'm curious to see how they remedy the "very-Wii-centric" control system for other platforms. Even the GamePad was a poor experience to play on. It really needed Wiimotes. It's a cool "world" but the game itself was very flawed.

More importantly, Nintendo has refocused as a brand IP company first and foremost. W101 failed to materialize into a merchandiser brand for them with little spinoff potential. They didn't even bother throwing it in Smash for promotion. I think they're just not interested in W101/Wonder Red brand potential and thus don't care. They want brands, franchises, and IP - not individual games. If W101 can't become a brand franchise, it's not very valuable to current Nintendo.

@NerdyBoutKirby - My friend, I am simply happy with just a port by this point. Solid game series.

But some Emblem got all popular and everyone wants only that.

@Paraka The difference here might just be that Platinum asked, while the devs of those games didn't? Plus, half of those were internally developed, not by a third party.

Nintendo didn't care. It didn't sell much on Wii u, because the Wii u didn't sell. If it doesn't sell, Nintendo don't cares. A shame, isn't it?

@link3710 - But Nintendo can still say "okay" as they have that level of control entirely.

@BrintaPap - Gatekeeping. But why only Astral Chain and not make Mario and Splatoon on other consoles? Why should Nintendo make their own exclusives? Why can't GamePass be multiplatform?

What's the line drawn and why?

Exclusives build competition, competition is healthy for games. Sony wouldn't consider another Uncharted if they knew Zelda would sell their console on the fact they have the best tech specs.

The Switch has a unique place in the market with its portability. ANY game releasing on the Switch is fundamentally satisfying a different consumer want than the same game being released on the PS4. I think Nintendo has carved out a space where, in some ways, they aren't competing with Sony and MS. Inaba joked about God of War getting a multi-platform release, but I can now imagine a world where Sony drops a GoW ports on the Switch, makes money off sales of it, and doesn't see that as diluting the series' platform exclusivity.

I genuinely believe the Switch has now become something else.

@Paraka maybe for games/ company's not for gamers. So year long discussions about exclusive games

@BrintaPap - People like Uncharted, it likely wouldn't been a thing if Zelda was there on a Sony console, that's one less series. And one can argue others like them were spurned to creation because of it, Spyro, Crash, Medieval... All were created to answer being the "Not-tendo" alternative. That happened because of competition.

Are you saying more games are bad for gamers?

The port of exclusive Wii U/Switch games to other platforms, we've seen it before.
With Devil's Third (Wii U) and Octopath Traveler (Switch).

Now Nintendo loosend their grip on another rather unsuccessful Wii U / Switch couple:
The Wonderful 101 (Wii U) and DAEMON X MACHINA (Switch).

It's just that Nintendo takes their worst performing games, and gives the original devs the freedom to do better (or at least get some more popularity) elsewhere.

@SKTTR
Devil's Third, Octopath Traveler, and Daemon X Machina are on PC because they aren't owned by Nintendo.

The Wonderful 101 is owned by Nintendo, but they let Platinum port the games to other platforms because of how unsuccessful it was, even by Wii U standards.

@Paraka nope I did not say that, I was talking about games being exclusive.

Do not put words in my mouth please.

@BrintaPap - but that's exactly what you said.

Exclusives breeds more games for more markets. That's more games, thats exactly what you said.

@Paraka I was refering to this.

Are you saying more games are bad for gamers?

My answer to that is a nope.