ZombiU's Unprofitably Led to Rayman Legends Going Multiplat

Think back to the days of the original Wii, it wasn't that long ago so it shouldn't be too hard. While titles like Wii Fit and “Throw Your Arms Around Party” were pulling in the dollars, other more mature -and some would even say video game- games were not faring nearly as well. Madworld is a prime example, and some would even say The Conduit was better than the story sales told.

Well now it seems to be happening again. Yves Guillemot, Chairman and CEO of Ubisoft has spoken to Game Industry about their recent experiences with the Wii U and you can tell he isn't exactly happy. ZombiU, the terribly named yet fun zombie survival roguelike failed to make a profit according to Guillemot and it was this poor showing which lead Ubisoft to make Rayman Legends a multiplatform title.

"We must find a way to ensure the creativity of those games could have a big enough audience," he says. "We hope it [Rayman Legends] will take off. At the moment, we've said 'let's do through Christmas and see where we are from there.'"

Nintendo fans felt summarily dismissed when Ubisoft made the change, at once clutching onto their Mario dolls while stomping on Assassin's Creed DVD's in their sock-sandaled feet. Quite the horror show indeed. But Ubisofts decision does match the speculation we've done here. Namely that third parties need a vital platform to disseminate their work, and at the moment the Wii U simply doesn't offer that. A small install base means low sales, and low sales means the inability to recoup assets. And no developer wants to enter into that Devils Bargain.

Of course Wii U's problems are quite a bit different than any difficulties the Wii faced. The Wii was a fantastically popular and successfull system, even if it may have been successful for the wrong reasons. We can debate that at another time. The Wii U, on the other hand, does not have a profitable componant just yet. There is no Wii Dance Party Arm Swing that has captivated the imaginations of housewives everywhere. Leaving the Wii U in a fairly untouched state.