Trent Oster, the controversial developer who was rather scathing towards Nintendo in a series of Tweets has further clarified his opinions on Nintendo. Oster claims that he fails to see how Nintendo’s forthcoming Wii U console will be the revolution in gaming that Nintendo hopes and prays it will be. However, Oster admits that he didn’t originally get the idea behind Wii when it was first unveiled.
When the Wii first launched, I didn’t understand it. I thought it was just a gimmick. After playing with it I could see the mass appeal, but I was afraid it would be treated like a toy by the family purchasers, where they would buy the Wii bundle with Wii Sports and never buy another game. I think for a lot of the family purchases this was true and a huge number of the Wii units only ever sold one or two games. The initial third party titles didn’t do a great job with the controller implementation and I think that really hurt the perception of third party titles on the Wii as a whole. The end result was a platform where the perception was only Nintendo could make money.
For the Wii U, I once again don’t get it. I’m having a hard time seeing how a tablet controller & console system is going to be revolutionary. I could be wrong, but I think the gaming world has changed irrevocably and there are now two fronts: Triple A console titles which resemble blockbuster movies and freemium/app store titles which are closer to television. The triple “A” titles cost a ton to develop and there is a market for the best of the breed, with the major brands doing huge numbers but many titles not even breaking even.
The freemium/app space has everything from “assware” (my pet name for poor quality freemium titles), up to what I would compare to HBO television titles, which are high production quality and well executed games which sell in the $10-$30 price point. The PC platform bridges both models, which makes it an interesting target to develop for. To me, the Wii U doesn’t fit into either model and I see a lot of difficulty for it on either front. The app store/freemium model has redefined consumer pricing expectations, making consumers much less likely to invest $60 in a title without playing it first. The triple “A” model focuses on delivering the experience you expect at the agreed upon price, which is going to be hard to sell conceptually with a new platform like the Wii U. I wish Nintendo the best and I hope they can hit big with a major success.”
Really?
Good, the way he goes about saying this doesn’t make me wanna punch him.
I thought the same. He’s actually being mature and not closed-minded.
whats with the huge space after the last paragraph?
on topic: he fucked up big time if he ever joins Nintendo. No signs of respect at all and very childish the way he came across. I had baldur’s gate from a bargain bin and it was rubbish and very short.
Youre likely talking about Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance.
Bullshit. Like another poster said, you’re probably talking about Dark Alliance, which was crap and not even worthy to be called a Baldur’s Gate game. I can guarantee BG is still one of the best out there.
im reading reading them i read the last sentance and he seems like a tad less of an ass
I see his point, but it might just have the same fortune as the wii
first the doubt, then it sells like crazy.
idiot!
This guy is dumb with a capital C.
Cdumb.
Haha
This make me question how many people actually read the article. He’s expressing his opinion and even thinks there’s the chance me may be wrong. How is that dumb?
When you daily visit this site, there is always, always, ALWAYS “analysts” saying how much the Wii U and Nintendo sucks, specially patcher, so it should come as no surprise no one is even going to read that, specially if the title pretty much says that this guy don’t know what he’s talking about, after reading this, this guy, unlike patcher, have something called Respect of Opinions and Logic, so this guy gets a thump up from me.
I know that feeling bro
He said
The freemium/app space has everything from “assware” (my pet name for poor quality freemium titles),
Did he just call baldurs gate assware? I def think so!
irony at its best
I don’t think he was an ass at all. He stated his opinions and wasn’t even a bit of jerk about it. I don’t agree with him 100%, but I can see where he’s coming from.
Why is it hard to find understanding people like you on this site?
talking to yourself i see?
no idiot, all anons have same avatar.
suuuuuuure. I believe you ;)
Lol at not knowing the truth.
We all know the truth that I TALK TO MY SELF!
Different avatars! Sorry
Kid
It’s really not that hard to throw in a random email and copy “Anonymous” into the Name bar.
“After playing with it I could see the mass appeal, but I was afraid it would be treated like a toy by the family purchasers, where they would buy the Wii bundle with Wii Sports and never buy another game. I think for a lot of the family purchases this was true and a huge number of the Wii units only ever sold one or two games.”
Here’s the funny thing about this belief. NPD had the Wii’s attach rate at 7.7 by the end of 2011. The PS3 had 8.something and the 360 9.1. Meaning the highest and lowest were separated by just 1.4 games. This is not even close to a huge gap.
Where that gets interesting is when you have people like this guy making statements like those above. If a huge chunk of Wii owners only buy one or two games, then that means that there has to be another chunk of Wii owners buying 20-30 games each to make up for those that don’t to go give you that 7.7 attach rate…
That means that if we also take the assumption that the 360 and the PS3 have their attach rates because all of the hardcore gamers who own those consoles buy “lots” of games, then the smaller dedicated Wii userbase is more active with their purchases than the main 360/PS3 audience.
So basically, if you want to believe that the Wii audience mostly only buys 1 or 2 games, then you have to believe that there’s a dedicated core far surpassing the buying habits of any other consoles gamers.
man this was a good read! +1
Not to mention, even if the Wii has an attach rate lower than its rivals; because it has sold more consoles, its overall game sales would in fact be higher.
Not to mention, even if the Wii has an attach rate lower than its rivals, because it has sold more consoles, its overall game sales would in fact be higher.
Wow, I’m sorry for the double post
Good call on this one :)
This actually makes a lot of sense!
And it also applies to me as I have about 30 games for my Wii xD (interestingly way more than I ever had for a console)
And I have to add to this that most likely a large amount of PS360 players is just kids buying all CoD games and other shooters. Actually, let me correct myself. Many PS360 players are casual gamers who are only buying games like CoD and maybe Fifa. Not that many games and not that much playtime.
That is soo true. Perfect example of my little brother and all his friends.
Assware.
what a lame -o
Assware ……. Assware…….
I’m digging this term.
….no pun intended.
It seems that word caught the attention of all readers…interesting
Reading the comments made me laugh, still I get the point of Trent, many Wii users aren’t into Nintendo games and just bought the console for the innovator “move sensor” controller.
Nope. I bought it for Zelda.
I got the system for Zelda and Brawl and I love Nintendo.
I really still think the innovation of the tablet is a second screen. You can finally take simple things, like maps, off of the main screen, especially because they’re only added out of necessity for games. Of cours, you then turn to Metroid which always had a great working map, but I digress…
If people only buy Nintendo titles for the Wii, that’s nobody’s problem.
Finally, I have not got into the “blockbuster” gaming. I think the Zelda “kidnapping” story is always handled well (especially because games like Windwaker really change it up) but making games into a action movie and sequel formula basically makes an excuse for them to take popular cliches and think of less of a story. Or CoD Mod, which of course has you killing civilians or watching them die because it’s “gritty”. No. That’s distasteful.
I hope Nintendo gets into positions of trust with other developers. While Nintendo is successful, they should expand horizons and I think Wii U will help that. Making it simple to develop Wii U games that maybe don’t use any special controls (probably creating a new classic controller to accomodate- just rework the Gamecube controller, really) would make Nintendo more accessible. Not that I want any games that don’t use innovative coontroller, besides Smash Bros.
“Finally, I have not got into the “blockbuster” gaming. I think the Zelda “kidnapping” story is always handled well (especially because games like Windwaker really change it up) but making games into a action movie and sequel formula basically makes an excuse for them to take popular cliches and think of less of a story.”
^ I agree with this wholeheartedly.
While I do realize that there is a place in the market for games that are known as “blockbusters” such as the Resident Evil franchise, Dead Space, Call of Duty, Battlefield, or Bioshock, none of those games can hold my attention for a second in comparison to a game that whisks me away to a fantastic world that you would once think only existed in your own very dreams like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, F-Zero, and Kirby games have going for them (which is their biggest selling point).
I don’t care about realism when it comes to games. In fact, I don’t even want to THINK of the real world when I sit down from a rough day at school or work.
It is that notion that makes me the Nintendo fan that I am today. I can honestly sit down and play games that I would play as a kid (such as Super Mario 64) without feeling as if the experience has passed its age and expired. In the case of Super Mario 64, I can pick-up-and-play that game up to today and still have plenty of fun playing it.
First-party wise, Nintendo is the only company that has games with that nostalgic factor and level of immersion. On the third-party front, one other company that comes to mind is SEGA as they also have that with a good amount of their IPs (Sonic and Phantasy Star come to mind).
No matter how old Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, Sonic, F-Zero, Phantasy Star (especially Online), Star Fox, Pikmin, and more, may get, they still prosper and stand out amongst all other titles within their same genre. I may be an adult now, but if being an “adult” means playing Mature-rated games just to fit in with some freakin’ bromance group, then I’ll stick to playing with the games I know and love and get my money’s worth out of, thank you very much.
Thumbs up for you my friends.
I had a tear in my eye reading this. Same man! Good to see TRUE GAMERS speaking. Nintendo is the king of gaming which is why they survived so many battles and will trump the competion yet again! Pity about the lazy developers who didnt wanna help the Wii. They will feel the wrath of the U
I don’t understand why people can’t see the usefulness of a screen on a controller. Its not intensely revolutionary, its just an idea built from previous ones. The controller is getting shit on even though its your typical controller with a huge touch screen on it. With the Wiimote, I could understand the appeal, but I could also understand why people just want to sit down and play- not flail their arms around everywhere.
i have skyward sword. I never flailed my arms. maybe once or twice but not like a spastic like u see on the tv ads haha
whos that bitch anyway ?
someone important…? no…
OK, then move on… Wii U is going to owns all
+1
Its funny how he implies that consoles should not be considered toys.
Yeah, they are serious business now… Gosh, I want to go back to the time when it wasn’t serious business, and that isn’t even that long ago.
he has some good point I guess. though after about a year into wiiu’s life only then can we make assumptions.
He’s just bitching because his game took 9 months to sell over 6000 copies… I feel sorry for him :(
He kinda seems to be flip-flopping a bit from previous statements. Has he gotton a ton of flames from nintendo fans? Probably should just leave the guy alone. I’m going to buy a wii U and I dont care who else does because me and my son will have fun playing it. When did video game consoles become a religion? Everyones always trying to convert each other and flames the people who “worship” the wrong system LMAO
He sounds like a very arrogant sheltered ass.
Just what we needed: Another arrogant sheltered developer who thinks he knows the world just because he knows high production shows, high production games, and just because he made a game that happened to sell a lot.
The video game scape is far more than what he described.
WHO CARES THIS GUYS ON HIS PERIOD
i did some research on this dude and he never made a single original game, all he made were either remakes or ports. he sounds more like a hater then someone we should actually take seriously. and i think he may be an idiot since he doesnt understand how a tablet could be revolutionary for gaming
The Wii was Revolutionary. The Wii U is Cafe-y.
I have a an Xbox 360 & have 4 games for it. I also have a Wii & have 35 games for it. so this must aply to me too lol
Trent Oster = Michael Pachter. They need to marry each other and butt f**k. Freakin’ pinheads!
Funny as hell!
He apparently didn’t see Nintendo’s presentation of the WiiU at E3 if he doesn’t get how innovative the controller is.
And why is he taking as if the WiiU won’t have either triple A titles nor an app store?
As wrong as Patcher…
Who’s Trent seriously? seems like an anger kid who’s not successful, too shame whoever you are ):
Hey I heard a rumour that the Wii U will be 50% more powerful than the PS4!!! Apparently, Sony is so strapped for cash it doesn’t want to get into an arms race with Nintendo or MS!!!
so does that make it a last generation console then?
no, maybe the power of a last generation console but i wouldnt call it a last generation console. But i doubt that this rumour is true anyway, highly unlikely
it’s a bogus rumor. The rumored specs I saw actually would make the Wii U and PS4 very comparable in power, but there was also a more powerful speculations for the PS4 as well, and those would destroy the Wii U, although it would make the system expensive like the PS3 again and Sony has been financially struggling as of late so creating a system where they may have to take a loss is not a smart business decision.
this guy is a dick thats all folks :D lol
amen to that
And that’s the problem with “Triple A” titles with all the cinematics, it’s rather a movie than a game. For developers it’s easy to port hours of the game by just porting the prerendered stuff, but I don’t need this. And who wants something called “Freemium” except a company that wants to get the money out of your pockets month after month. I hope we don’t see this on Wii U! Pikmin HD FTW! It will sell because it’s a great title, not because of ridiculous Ultra-super-HD-Plus cinematics. 3rd parties should just make great games as Nintendo does. Invest your time and money in game design and gameplay not in stupid cinematics. And stop porting games! Use the abilities of the Wii U and create a platform specific game. Then you’ll see the power. Oooh, look at us developers. We program it once on engine x and it runs on all the platforms, except a platform offers some extras, that’s soooo bad for us sissy developers.
Lol what he has said is 100% perfectly valid and isn’t even insulting in anyway towards the Wii U. I wish some of you, probably sickr included from the way he worded the title, would stop hating and brushing off anyone who says anything negative about Nintendo, and just look at things objectively before forming an opinion…
Every video game system ever made is a toy. Not just nintendo systems.
However nintendo systems will always be the most fun to play with. Time has proven that to be a fact.
Retard…
Now this is how a professional should carry himself, Trent. Not that embarassment you put out yesterday. I understand your concerns, but I think your opinion will change once you get your hands on the Wii U. Nintendo keeps stressing that this is a new experience. You’ll have to feel it to understand. Maybe you’ll get your shot at E3. Don’t count Nintendo out yet.
Leave luck to heaven.
Well, given his past record with the Wii and him not being sure about how that was revolutionary, I think it’s fair to say the same applies in regards to the Wii U and what he thinks of it. I have to also say I’m wondering how he can’t see the Wii U as right for both smaller app like titles and ‘triple A big budget’ ones given the track record of Nintendo’s past consoles.
I don’t even care about this guy. He acts like he is some big shot developer but he isn’t even among my top ten. Forget about him and his opinion. Can’t wait for E3 to shut people’s mouths.
“Assware”
Man! He even has a name for his own creations! Genius!
People need to stop listening to Trent.
I will say I respect his opinion, simply on the way he stated it. However, if the Wii U isn’t revolutionary, what is? The PS3 or Xbox 360 certainly aren’t. I even doubt Sony’s & Microsoft’s next system won’t be revolutionary either. They’re just higher quality games, system(s), software & hardware, on a updated console. At least Nintendo is doing something semi different in the console gaming world.