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Ubisoft Holding Back Finished Wii U Game Due to Console's Low Sales

Posted by: , 21:07 AEST, Fri June 13, 2014
Tags: Gaming, Wii U

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Ubisoft intentionally shelving completed Wii U game due to the console's low install base
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Image/Photo Credit: Nintendo

The CEO of game publisher Ubisoft has surprisingly revealed that the company has several titles awaiting release on the Wii U, and even a fully completed game that they are holding back due to the console's low sales numbers.

CEO Yves Guillemot says that the company will not release some of these games, and may never release them on the Wii U, unless the beleaguered console reach a "certain market size".

"We have another couple of products that we are waiting for launch ... We have a game that has been done for six months; it is on our shelf waiting until more families to have the machine," Guillemot revealed, without providing any more details on the nature of these games.

Instead, Ubisoft will be waiting a few more month to see if the Wii U's fortunes will improve, before deciding whether to go ahead and release the fully completed game, port it other platform, or abandon it altogether.

"This game could never come out and could instead come out on another format that offers the same sort of experience. We will know this year how the machine goes," says Guillemot.

The reason Ubisoft is holding onto a completed game is because of the high cost of marketing associated with bringing out a new game, expenses that Guillemot says Ubisoft cannot justify until the console's install base increases in size.

"We need the sales to increase so it becomes more mass market, and then we will have the volume we need to justify big marketing campaigns and TV marketing," explained Guillemot.

This revelation will not make happy reading for Wii U fans, already disappointed at the small number of game releases on the platform. Ubisoft, however, were keen to point that that they still have a couple of high profiles releases planned for the Wii U.

"We will have Just Dance 2015 on Wii U, which is suited to the machine, we will have Watch Dogs," Guillemot added.


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