Courting Third Party
Not too long after the launch of the Wii U, most major third party publishers stopped majorly supporting the console. Square Enix, EA, Ubisoft , and 2K are relative no shows on the platform. Sure, you may get a small game on the 3DS or some licensed product, but none of the heavy hitters were showing their faces around Nintendo anymore. Whether you purchase a console based on exclusives or not, it’s those third party games that help to fill in long waits between releases. Nintendo lost that support due to a weak install base, slow sales, and lack of power.
For a while it seemed like all hope was lost, but small deals here and there show that Nintendo is talking again, and companies are willing to play ball. Super Smash Bros. is proof of that. It seems like a small accomplishment, but having Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII) appear in the game alongside Nintendo mainstays and Ryu is a big deal. Things like this don’t just happen overnight. Licensing is one thing, then getting permission to cross universes is another.
For too long Nintendo rested on its laurels, but it’s good to see that they are making moves behind the scenes once more. With Capcom and Square Enix having their own big games on the horizon, it would be nice to see Nintendo get some love on the Wii U and 3DS. Let’s just hope that they keep it up and sit down with other major players.
