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Wii U’s Nintendo Land Does Not Feature Online Multiplayer

Nintendo product manager Bill Trinen confirmed Wii U launch title Nintendo Land will not include online multiplayer in any of the 12 attractions; the only way to play with other people is through local multiplayer. While online features are important to Nintendo, Trinen believes it was a logical decision to not include online multiplayer in the upcoming game.

Nintendo Land is not. It’s not going to be played over the network. There’s actually a logical reason for why they decided to do that. I think for… Up until now, basically, when people have said, “What does a network mean for video gaming?”, the answer has always been “online play.” We look at online play and we think that it’s important, and obviously for games where it makes sense, we’re going to leverage it. But for Wii U launch specifically, one of the things that we want people to understand is that a network connection to a game can mean a lot of different things. It can mean online gaming, but it can also mean other unique ways to connect to other people.

-Bill Trinen, Nintendo product manager

177 thoughts on “Wii U’s Nintendo Land Does Not Feature Online Multiplayer”

    1. Actualy Nintendo Land is connected to mii verse so it puts all your achievment’s and what ever for all to see and admire.
      It does need online though it would make the game better….

      FEAR NOT , there is a few other wiiu launch title’s that have online.
      Nintendo are trying to keep local gaming alive as it is more social than online gaming .. but are also delving into online now aswell.
      F-ZERO HD ONLINE NOW!!!!!

    2. There is no need for there to be online in games if they don’t require it.

      In Nintendo Land’s case, the game would not play right if it were online. Yes, it could work, and it is easily doable, but it just wouldn’t FEEL right within the attractions. End of story.

  1. It’s pretty much a tech demo of almost everything the Wii U can do so I can see that many people getting upset over this. It’s family oriented anyways.

    1. Actually, its not.
      I bought Ghost Recon FS, and realised how pointless it was, because i am almost guarenteed to never play the game with someone who can speak english.
      This isnt COD, or Battlefield where team work isnt essential. The entire game is amount having fun with people and working together, or against another, that wont work online, like COD does.

    2. who would actually enjoy playing nintendoland online? its a local party game. imagine playing mario party online, no where near as fun without your friends punching you when you steal their stars.

  2. Wait, I thought the theme park was going to be full of other Miis running around…for some reason, no online kinda ruins some of the magic of this game.

  3. Awww :(

    Sad, but it makes sense. It’s just meant for local multiplayer. Wouldn’t be the same with playing someone online using the Gamepad while you used a Wiimote or Pro controller.

  4. I really don’t see why you’d want to play this game online.

    When I played this at the NYC Wii U Experience with the folks who were there, it was very heartwarming. It reminded me very much of the old age of gaming before the advent of online gaming – it was fun to have your buds in arms’ reach so you could throttle them, but coming together and having some fun… online just doesn’t do that for me all the time. Having company tends to work out better in many ways.

    Local multiplayer has its ups and downs, but it’s really what makes this game a stand-out – it makes it fun like the old days.

    Don’t get me wrong, I love online gaming, but local multiplayer brings things to the table which aren’t possible at all with online gaming.

      1. That and I truly believe that online gaming has spoiled a few folks – not saying that it’s bad (it’s necessary in some cases). Sure, it’s easier to just hop on a game and be with others, but it really projects a different feeling of togetherness with others.

        With local multiplayer, you are better at expressing feelings and you really feel connected with your friends as you play.

        1. Agreed , the way Nintendo land works is to complex aswell. It requires physical friend’s to play . Your online and it says ” please pick up your wii remote or classic controller” ……… fail … Games like cod , fifa , tekken are the ones that should be online …

          1. There are some games which are suited better for online play, which I assume you’re getting at.

            Nintendo Land could do a bit of both, but I really believe that the local multiplayer makes it shine. Read the impressions, and they will tell some interesting stories.

    1. Why would you force people to play a certain way just because it makes you personally feel better that way? Why can’t there be both local and online multiplayer?

      Nintendo as a whole is far too stuck in their ways, rooted in nostalgia and meaningless tradition. I love Nintendo and the games they make, but I don’t live in a Mormon farmhouse. I can’t just get all of my friends together in one house whenever I feel like playing some games with them. They need to adapt to the changing times, or they’ll die clinging to the past.

      1. It is really a double-edged sword when you put it in that context – online gaming is a benefit to gamers as it brings people together just as well as local multiplayer, though on a much larger scale.

        I’d also love for it to be together (pardon my original statement, it was based on observations from the Wii U Experience), but for now, that’s just the way it is.

        I believe that Nintendo will begin to start pushing Nintendo Network more aggressively by the end of the launch window. The online content will have a lot to build upon once it launches, since we don’t have Japan’s launch at the helm to show off for us – North America has the spotlight.

        My best hopes are for Nintendo to learn from past generations in embracing the online space for the Wii U in this new generation of gaming.

      2. Exactly. I have a busy life with my job and family and so do my friends. It’s not always possible for us to get together in one area and play a game. Online multiplayer would feel just as good as local play with people I actually know from our own respective places of residence. This news is disappointing indeed. Missed opportunity IMO.

    2. Yeah, it’s always fun to have friends together, but it’s not always possible to gather your friends together in the same room. It’d be nice if the games offered both local and online multiplayer. Many of the best games on PS3 and Xbox 360 do. Nintendo just loves to ignore this fact.

  5. Can somone explain some
    stuff to me about the wii u?
    Like can it play any wii
    games on the pad? Also is
    the virtual consol going to
    have gc games now?

    1. Yes and yes. There’s also a motion sensor (that thing on top of your TV) built into the Wii U GamePad, so you can use the GamePad as an alternative to the TV when playing regular Wii games.

        1. Sorry, Wii games do NOT work with the Gamepad. You must use a TV with the original Wii controller. In order to add that feature, Nintendo would practically have to re-release all Wii games over again for Wii U. Obviously that’s nonsense.

    1. What happens when the four-five players playing online can’t see the smiles on each other’s faces as they manage to outwit each other, or hear the shouts of teamwork between players, or playfully punch each other when someone pulls a dick move?
      NintendoLand is a party game, online multiplayer would feel dull. It’s the kind of game that is fun because of the people you play it with just as much as the game itself.

      1. ok dude. theres something called a mic so i could hear the teamwork ect.. and the facial expressions i dont see why they cant add that on the screen like it is now on local

  6. Hey, Nintendo, this isn’t 1983 anymore. We have the internet now. People meet some of their closest friends on the internet nowadays because we’re not limited to physical interaction. Why do you think that those friendships are somehow less important than friends by vicinity?

    Nintendo, you’d do well to think about the future before you get left in the past.

    1. This is a collection of tech demos. Nintendo obviously did not put that much money and effort in a game that’s really only meant to show off the Wii U’s potential. It would be pretty tough to add in multiplayer when you have to perfect 12 different games, and then you’d have to perfect the them online, except the single-player ones. It’s too much money and effort into a game that does its job. People whine about Nintendo Land being awful and now they whine about Nintendo Land not having online. Why do you care if you don’t like it?

      1. If you think it’s too hard or expensive to add in multiplayer components to a game (a multiplayer, party game I might add) then you probably don’t know much about game development.

        Please don’t make snap assumptions about people. Just because I have one problem with this game doesn’t mean I was somebody railing on it since its first inception. I was genuinely interested in this game. Couldn’t say I am now, though.

        1. you avoiding his question, keep in mind this local multilayer are for people who are living near you, that mean your family. Nintendo has a difference consumers that you fools don’t understand at all.

        2. Didn’t say it was too hard or too expensive, but you have to keep in mind the development teams. Nintendo has 9 games in the works for Wii U in the launch window, not to mention the console itself. They’d obviously put more power into the console and New Super Mario Bros U and Pikmin 3. I said too much effort and too much money put into something that already seems to demonstrate well enough what the Wii U is all about. I’d rather have them put in more content into the attractions than have online multiplayer.

    2. Honestly, all this is, is a party game. I couldn’t care less if it didn’t have on-line. I’d only really play it when I have people over. Just as long as other games like ZombiU and that have on-line, I’ll be happy.

        1. Actually, believe it or not, Chrome’s grammar check corrected it to that :P it said “online” wasn’t a word. XD Aw well, these things happen. Also if you’re going to call it the weirdest spelling mistake, spell weirdest right.

  7. Um, I kinda thought the entire Nintendo Land E3 presentation was about bringing people together over Miiverse and connecting living rooms and whatnot

  8. They did that on purpose. They’re trying to get people to come together in the same room to play it. I think it’s a good move, but expect the drones to focus on this and try to make it sound like it’s a weakness/Time will tell if that strategy pays off.

      1. I think the people who would see it as a weakness are the same type of people who won’t like a game like this in the first place.

    1. I agree. Nintendo is not Playing when they said that Nintendo Land will help people understand the Wii U. One of the unique things about Wii U is the “Asymmetric Gameplay” and it needs to be Local for people to interact to solve things in the game. Also the game is compatible with “Miiverse” so it’s not totally offline.

      1. You nailed it. Nintendo Land is meant to demonstrate asymmetric gameplay and you can’t do that over the net. It needs to be local.

        1. Another unique feature on Wii U is the “Miiverse”. In the Park hub we will be able to share our experiences, accomplishments and thoughts with other people online through the Miiverse, and our online friends actually populate the Park. They need to make sure people get the idea of Miiverse too, that’s all. It’s not online multiplayer, but it’s an interesting way to interact as well.

    2. exactly these drone will find a very dumb excuse about it like they care about this game, even though they will never buy it or even buy the wii u to begin with.

  9. I dont give a fuck about this game and even if i do get the premium wii u i will sell this game first chance i get but this does annoy me since it is 2012. and this could easily have online features. this is pathetic.

    1. “this could easily have online features.” Walk before you run. Online isn’t as simple as you think. It takes quite a bit of effort, and I think, and we can see that Nintendo thinks this as well, is too much effort for Wii U’s version of Wii Sports.

      1. Not to mention, who plays party games online? Who would play Mario Party online, for instance? Or Wii Sports/Resort or Wii Play? Half the fun of them is playing with people in the same room as you, online would kill that completely… I personally would never see myself playing this online.

        1. Yup, Metroid Blast might be the only game I’d play online, and even then, I might be frustrated if I want to play using the GamePad, but would be forced to use the Wiimote or Pro controller because only one person per game can use the UPad. I think Nintendo would have online in the future for some games where more than one person can use the gamepad (on party games like this), like two ships in Metroid Blast, for example. But it’s too much trouble for what it is. If the next Mario Party (if it will exist) comes out, and it has online, I doubt I’d use it anyway.

  10. So all those initial previews of the game -having the park filled with different Miis interacting with each other- were all bullshit? That instantly drops my interest in this game. If it is just me wandering around the park then why even have the area in the first place? For you and a couple friends to congregate via local co-op? Meh, I haven’t played video games with people that way for like 7 years. I was looking forward to meeting people in the park (online) and enjoying some of the attractions with them, similar to take quests on Monster Hunter. Hype Meter was 4 Stars, now only 2.5 Stars.

        1. Go to the store, look at a few party games, and tell me how many of them have online multiplayer. Some games just don’t work online.

    1. If the WiiU is going to focus too much on local co-op and asymmetric gameplay, then we have a problem. The WiiU might not be the console for me after all.

      1. One game doesn’t have online and suddenly the console isn’t right for you?
        NintendoLand seems much more suited for playing with friends and family, rather than strangers. It’s a party experience, not a solo one.

    2. What trailer showed Miis interacting with each other? I saw footage of Miis walking around. Like they do in Wii Sports Resort, but a boatload of people jumped to the conclusion that you did. You guys just don’t know Nintendo well enough….

    3. You’re still going to find Mii’s to interact with, it’s not got online multiplayer but it does have online connectivity. In the same way your friends’ Mii’s appeared in Wii Sports and such, they’ll appear in NintendoLand, and I shouldn’t be surprised if you could compete against them for high scores or fastest times, what with the Miiverse being capable of that kind of thing.

  11. FFFFFFFFF- nah, honestly, im not bothered by this. Whenever im online in a gake its just full of fucking Germans and people i cant understand, which makes this game pointless. Im only going to play this with friends and family anyway

  12. I’ll only be dissapointed in nintendo if New Super Mario Bros. U doesnt have Online Multiplayer. they need to realize that gamers are on the web more and have friends all over the place and not just where they live. We can’t force people from our social lives to become Core Gamers like us. thats why we love online Multiplayer.

  13. While I agree that Nintendo should make more multiplayer online games, this game does not need it, and is designed for local multiplayer only. New Super Mario bros U on the other hand…

  14. I guess it’s fine. Lets just say that this game will just start out the Wii U. I mean if you want an online game, then just get one, but this one stays family-freindly.

  15. I’m sort of confused right now because Miiverse is supposed to be integrated in Nintendo Land. Miiverse is not where you’re supposed to play at, but it’s used to socially interact with other people. I think this news is misleading again, though I’m not really sure.

    “Wii U’s Nintendo Land Does Not Feature >Onlineplaylocal multiplayerplayedto connect to other people<."

    If I'm getting this right, Nintendo Land doesn't offer online play, but maybe it offers online interaction done by Miiverse. Perhaps we can still run around in the theme park with other Miis online done by Miiverse, but you have to play the games locally? I dunno.

    1. Something went wrong with the quotations in my post, but before this news was edited it was titled that the game didn’t have any online features, yet Bill said only local multiplayer was available and that connecting online was still possible. So technically, Nintendo Land does not have online play, but it does have other online features integrated into the game like Miiverse.

      Good thing this news has been edited to clear things up.

  16. I see where they are coming from but that’s a big miss for young adults not in college. No where near as many local multiplayer opportunities as teens, kids, or families .

  17. It has online for miis and miiverse(box art has nintendo network) no online multiplayer.I think that it has to do with the gamepad. Most attractions use1 gamepad. And u cant check what controller the people are using online. That would mean a complete overall of the control. Cuz 5 people wil av the pad and wil want to use it. Example Metroid attraction 1 player uses the pad for the ship others use remotes. If that was online , how would strangers decide who will use the pad and remotes .no sense in online. The only attraction that needs online is fzero

  18. How pathetic , The metroid mini game really needs online and online actually extends the life of a game …what else would we expect from nintendo? this game is for casuals and looks like nintendo is selling out their CORE FRANCHISES to casual faggots , Nintendo is pathetic now…now i can imagine old people playing metroid LMFAO

    1. Damn, more clones are appearing. I honestly couldn’t care if this game didn’t have on-line. I don’t play party games on-line anyway, I only play them when I have people over.

    2. Aeolus you are not going to buy this game anyways because you never support Nintendo to begin with.
      you are bitching over nothing.

  19. It’s a party game, I think we all know the strong point of party games is local multiplayer. Just Dance/ Dance Central games sell millions. Online? No, because it is not needed

      1. What the fuck do you think a party game is? Like Mario Party, Just Dance, and yes, Nintendo Land. I’m not insulting the game, if that’s what you think

      2. party games are multilayer games
        i find it funny that you go to Nintendo sites and bitch over nothing like if we care about you.

  20. I was wanting this game, now it’s iffish for me, I think it should have online on a few things, but oh well we’ll see other games have their online capabilities soon!

  21. With a game that has so much Multi-Player in it, online would be nice. Some people may have no friends that will play this game in their city.

    I don’t see the strategy.

    1. That’s because there IS no strategy. Nintedo still thinks people gather in groups locally to play video games, as if we’re all still hostin LAN parties. They’re stuck in the past, both in mentality and console tech power.

      I was really, really excited about the Wii U… back before the info started coming out.

      – 720p launch games
      – No Unreal Engine 4
      – Weak launch line-up with hardly any NEW 3rd part games
      – No REAL launch Mario game (instead we get a Wii Mario game with a “tap to make a block” feature)
      – No Zelda or Metroid even ANNOUNCED.
      – No GamePad sold separately, so if yours breaks, you shit out of luck
      – No online multi-player support for their pack-in MULTIPLAYER GAME
      – Friend Codes

      Ugh… what a colossal fail.

        1. 1 is correct.
          2 is correct; Epic is not supporting the Wii U with UE4, instead claiming customers can “port it” if they wish. Just like they claimed with UE3 on the original Wii.
          3 is correct, the majority are ports or an overhyped Zombie related piece of crap.
          4 is correct.
          5 is correct.
          6 might be semi correct when it comes to replacing them and warranties.
          7 is correct.
          8 is inconclusive.

          So, looks like he’s nearly spot on and you’re just bitter.

      1. -wii u games at launch has 1080p games
        -yes wii u can run UE4
        strongest launch ever + 50 games to chose from,
        -2D Mario is a real game
        -you know Zelda and metroid are coming its no brainier.
        -there is no games supporting 2 wii u pads as of now why buy another?
        -wii u support online, this game does not even need online, ( i guess you do because you have no friends to begin with)
        – nintendo network has accounts (where were you when they said that?)

        Ugh….this console will be a success.

        1. -lol, please. The only known 1080p launch games are Toki Tori, Scribblenauts and motherfucking CoD.
          -No it cannot.
          -NSMBU is a garbage rehash.
          -Nobody cares.
          -excuses
          -Nobody is going to play this game locally besides basement dwellers.
          -Still will be *and they even admitted* inferior to XBL/PSN.

      2. Actually Reggie said they will be revising the friend code system. I honestly don’t care what they have it has, I just want a damn unified account system like PSN!

  22. What they need to realize is that not everyone has people close to them that will want to play this game. None of my family and very few of my friends will want to play this. And will get bored much faster than I will.

  23. So hopefully one of the online features* will be new lands via DLC.

    * Note Bill just said there won’t be online play, not no online period. Thanks again to Alba for another one of his misleading headlines.

  24. Pingback: Wii U’s Nintendo Land Does Not Feature Online | Gaming Vlog Network

      1. Eh, LAN parties are still fun. It’s more the social aspect that’s enjoyable. Till this day, I still love playing Warcraft III with mates. DOTA hits the spot as well.

    1. Nintendo should give us the option to enjoy it locally or online. But Nintendo doesn’t seem to freaking understand that by not including online. I bet smash bros wii u is going to be a piece of shit online too.

  25. I understand the lack of online multiplayer. It’s more fun to play with people around you than with people who you can’t see. It’s a family oriented game for Christ sake. Besides, there are much more Wii U games with online multiplayer. Not all Wii U games need it, especially this one. The above guy is just a pessimist.

        1. i know its not bad im just saying there fools out there who will rather buy a hardware for hardware instead of buying a hardware for software. buy i hope this holiday it get some love, because from what im seeing the wii u will destroy vita if Sony does not do something.

          1. Oh yeah, there will always be people who buy hardware for hardware. Software is the most important thing though. That’s why the VITA is struggling. It’s not the price as such, it’s just that it has no damn games. I only like 5 that are out compared to tons on my 3DS.

            I love my VITA but it doesn’t get much use anymore. :/

          1. Yeah it is, the only decent games are:

            Gravity Rush
            Sound Shapes
            MGS HD
            Uncharted
            And a couple of others

            It will get better though. I’m looking forward to LBP and AC III.

            1. You know, a couple of weeks ago, when you were defending sony, aeolus praised you.This just shows that he only likes people who solely like’s microsoft or sony.

  26. Well, I wouldn’t of really played it for its online features, it’s just a game meant for socializing. You know, getting everyone in a room having fun. That’s the beauty of these games.

  27. I’m not a huge fan of local or online multiplayer anyway. The only games I would play online for are games like COD or a Mario Kart type game.

    1. The only online games I’ve played of late are L4D2 and Saints Row 3. Playing with others in person is far more enjoyable. :3

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  33. 1) Nintendo was too lazy.
    2) Nintendo needed their own launch title since pikmin and mario weren’t coming till December.

  34. Are you guys retarted? JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE WANT ONLINE THAT DOES NOT MEAN THERE WON’T BE A LOCAL MODE THAT’S WHAT YOU GUYS ARE ACTING LIKE. IF YOU WANNA PLAY LOCAL PLAY LOCAL NO ONE FORCES YOU TO PLAY ONLINE IT’S JUST THERE FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN’T COME TOGHETHER TO CONNECT AND JUST FOR FUN GTE OVER YOURSELFS!

  35. hi there dr. mario people want on line for global gamming over earth there are 130 countries and infant planets

  36. every one is making it sound like if u have online. you cannot interact the same way. you can do the same as you play right now. and still have online if your bored and have no one to hang out with. or if ur friend cant come over you can play with him online or if ur friends dont have wii u u can play with a random person online. theres no point not to add it

  37. im homeschooled. and have 6 good friends. each of them live about 10-20 minits away
    2 of them can only hang out on weekends. witch means they cant always come over to hang out. it would be nice if they added online features on nintedndo land.

  38. why cant there be both local and online multiplayer? I mean in nintendo lands case , it doesnt let you play some of the multiplayer games by yourself with computers(which i know would be kind of boring but atleast you get to play them) . The multiplayer games are great but you cant always have someone there with you to play them which is why online would be great. And i know some people dont want this but its not like they would HAVE to play online, its an option. Nintendo Land would be fun with online co-op and versus games !

  39. Pingback: Nintendo Explains Why Nintendo Land Doesn’t Include Online Multiplayer | My Nintendo News

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