A Wii U FE now inevitable?

[Tsunami922]

Awakening made people buy more 3DSs though. I saw plenty of them say that they bought a 3DS just for the game.

I was one of those whose first 3DS game was Awakening.

While I would love to see a new, beautiful FE game on a console, I don't think it will happen anytime soon sadly, for reasons already stated in this thread.

[Florete]

Inevitable? I'd be very surprised if we got a Wii U FE.

They've already announced their next console. There's nothing particularly special they can do only on the Wii U with FE, it's selling well on the 3DS, and the Wii U is looking to end its life soon. The series is bigger now, but it's still not exactly one of their heaviest hitters.

FE on NX? Sure, maybe. Wii U? Doubtful.

[Ambulz]

Also, success of sales cannot be guaranteed consistent. Outside of games themselves, look at the sales of the Wii compared to the Wii U. Even now, based on trends, the Wii is still managing to beat out the Wii U in sales.

Fire Emblem for Wii U would look real pretty, for sure, but for the sake of continued (and most of all, reliable) success, the handheld market is the way to go.

Also, I don't want a Wii U. I'd have to buy one if a Fire Emblem game came out for it. qq

[Mango Giamatti]

First of all, out this last E3 you can't say with confidence that Nintendo is putting effort into making any new game for Wii U, outside of Zelda, let alone putting effort into a Wii U FE. Reggie says that the NX will be shown at E3 next year, which means that at the very latest it will be released holiday 2017, but holiday 2016 is not unlikely. A 2016 release for the NX will give the Wii U a four year lifespan, which while short, is not unprecedented; the original Xbox only had a four year lifespan.

Furthermore, stop trying to say that the Wii U is success because games like Mario Kart and Smash sold well. Those games didn't sell well. They sold well relative to the system that they are on. Mario Kart 8 has only sold about 5 million copies. That's fantastic for the Wii U; it's about a 50% attachment rate. However, it is still the worst selling Mario Kart game ever released.

Also, how can you say with a straight face that FE is a system seller? Awakening, the best selling game, still only had a 3% attachment rate. If you want your arguments to be taken seriously, you can't ignore numbers.

FE has sold consistently better on handhelds, so it is ludicrous to claim that a console game is now inevitable. And regarding the quality of handheld FEs vs consoles FEs: they are both hit and miss. Both have great games like FE7 and FE9, but both also have very poor and messy games like FE11 and FE10.

Regarding a FE9/FE10 remaster or a FE4 remake: why would they do this? Efforts put towards these games would much better be spent on the next FE game or another game made by IS (they don't just do FE, remember). I'm not super against the idea of remakes, but new games are infinitely more interesting.

[Blaze The Great]

I think a Wii U FE is possible. I'm about 50/50 as to whether or not it'll happen. However, I think what some people are saying is right in that FE is a handheld series and not a console series. As fun as the Wii/Wii U are, they should've been made by some other company than Nintendo. Their games are not cut out for the Wii features unless you went to extremes to change gameplay features and controls. Realistically, I see no big point to making an FE for the Wii U, other than Nintendo's aptitude for making video games from every franchise on every console. It would probably be a flop even despite the successes of Awakening and Fates. Just my two cents.

Tl;dr:It might happen, and it would be pretty cool if it did. I don't think it should though.

[Sentacotus]

First of all, out this last E3 you can't say with confidence that Nintendo is putting effort into making any new game for Wii U, outside of Zelda, let alone putting effort into a Wii U FE. Reggie says that the NX will be shown at E3 next year, which means that at the very latest it will be released holiday 2017, but holiday 2016 is not unlikely. A 2016 release for the NX will give the Wii U a four year lifespan, which while short, is not unprecedented; the original Xbox only had a four year lifespan.

I agree with this statement although I think Nintendo could potentially wait till 2017 depends how far the NX is in development and how ready Nintendo is with giving information on the system I suspect they might wait to see how powerful the next Xbox and PS are to try to make a system on par.

Furthermore, stop trying to say that the Wii U is success because games like Mario Kart and Smash sold well. Those games didn't sell well. They sold well relative to the system that they are on. Mario Kart 8 has only sold about 5 million copies. That's fantastic for the Wii U; it's about a 50% attachment rate. However, it is still the worst selling Mario Kart game ever released.

No one ever claimed that the system itself is a success no ones debating that its doing bad and will at most maybe get to the 15 million mark. If games like Mario Kart and Smash sold so terribly at 5 million and 3.6 million respectively than where does that put Awakening which sold 1.8 million and saved the series? Even though Mario Kart 8 is indeed the worst selling Mario Kart I could forsee it getting to Double Dash sales which ended at 6.8 million.

Maybe I'm just an uneducated bumpkin but what exactly is the expectation here? What constitutes as "selling well" or as a success?

Edited July 2, 2015 by LordTaco42

[Anacybele]

If the Wii U ended soon, it would've had a very short life span compared to other consoles. The Wii U has only been out for about three years. That's not even half as long as the Wii lasted. You guys are exaggerating when the NX will be released.

[Tryhard]

But it seems like it'll still be out quicker than the other consoles previous lifetimes, even if it is a few years away.

I think they'll stick to handheld, myself.

[Anacybele]

Well, I'll be very disappointed if that's the case. I'm getting tired of handheld FE, as good as Fates looks. I want to be able to sit on the couch in front of the TV and play a new FE again. And like I said, handheld FE is just not as good as home console FE to me.

[Ema Skye]

I'm in the "Not on Wii U, but in the NX" camp. The NX is very likely a 2016/2017 release console (2017 would be five years for Wii U which is fairly standard), given how they seem ready to talk about it, which implies it's coming out soon. The Wii U just doesn't have the install base for a Wii U FE game to be profitable (which part of the reason why developers don't want to build on the console). Maybe the NX can change things around and get the install base growing.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Chicken Wings

[Blaze The Great]

Well, I'll be very disappointed if that's the case. I'm getting tired of handheld FE, as good as Fates looks. I want to be able to sit on the couch in front of the TV and play a new FE again. And like I said, handheld FE is just not as good as home console FE to me.

Be that as it may, Nintendo is just thinking of money money money. And, as history has shown, the console FEs have sold nowhere near as well as the handhelds have. Nintendo is trying to squeeze as much money out of their projects as they can (just like all corporate giants) and since console-loving people are in the minority, they won't market to those people as much. Unfortunately.

[Radiant head]

Maybe the NX, but the Wii U is over.

[Mango Giamatti]

If the Wii U ended soon, it would've had a very short life span compared to other consoles. The Wii U has only been out for about three years. That's not even half as long as the Wii lasted. You guys are exaggerating when the NX will be released.

As I said in my earlier post, if the NX is released in 2016, it would give the Wii U a four year lifespan. While that is short, it is certainly not unreasonable. The original Xbox had a similar lifespan (2001-2005). The Wii U was not a success, so it makes sense that Nintendo would want to move on. If the Wii U still had a decent life, they wouldn't have even mentioned the NX. Also consider the fact that the NX will be at E3 2016. No console has ever been shown at three consecutive E3s, which means that it'll have either a 2016 or 2017 release. Furthermore, look at the 2016 first-party releases for Nintendo. Currently, we only have two: SMTxFE (which is even 2015 for Japan) and Zelda. That's a shocking low number. Of course more will probably be announced, but a reasonable assumption can be made that this is sign that Nintendo is abandoning a sinking ship.

First of all, out this last E3 you can't say with confidence that Nintendo is putting effort into making any new game for Wii U, outside of Zelda, let alone putting effort into a Wii U FE. Reggie says that the NX will be shown at E3 next year, which means that at the very latest it will be released holiday 2017, but holiday 2016 is not unlikely. A 2016 release for the NX will give the Wii U a four year lifespan, which while short, is not unprecedented; the original Xbox only had a four year lifespan.

I agree with this statement although I think Nintendo could potentially wait till 2017 depends how far the NX is in development and how ready Nintendo is with giving information on the system I suspect they might wait to see how powerful the next Xbox and PS are to try to make a system on par.

Furthermore, stop trying to say that the Wii U is success because games like Mario Kart and Smash sold well. Those games didn't sell well. They sold well relative to the system that they are on. Mario Kart 8 has only sold about 5 million copies. That's fantastic for the Wii U; it's about a 50% attachment rate. However, it is still the worst selling Mario Kart game ever released.

No one ever claimed that the system itself is a success no ones debating that its doing bad and will at most maybe get to the 15 million mark. If games like Mario Kart and Smash sold so terribly at 5 million and 3.6 million respectively than where does that put Awakening which sold 1.8 million and saved the series? Even though Mario Kart 8 is indeed the worst selling Mario Kart I could forsee it getting to Double Dash sales which ended at 6.8 million.

Maybe I'm just an uneducated bumpkin but what exactly is the expectation here? What constitutes as "selling well" or as a success?

"Selling well" is a relative term. Awakening selling 1.8 million is fantastic for a FE game, but isn't that impressive when looking at games in general. 5 million for Mario Kart 8 is really low when you consider that Mario Kart Wii sold over 36 million copies. Wii U selling 10 million is pitiful in comparison to other consoles. To put things in perspective, the Sega Dreamcast, which is considered to be a complete and utter failure of a console, sold 10 million in it's lifespan of less than three years.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Zvarri!

[Anacybele]

Be that as it may, Nintendo is just thinking of money money money. And, as history has shown, the console FEs have sold nowhere near as well as the handhelds have. Nintendo is trying to squeeze as much money out of their projects as they can (just like all corporate giants) and since console-loving people are in the minority, they won't market to those people as much. Unfortunately.

Like I said in the OP, the past home console games didn't get the marketing and production that Awakening or Fates have. If PoR and RD released right now for download on the Wii U, just download, not a remake or anything, I bet they'd sell better than they did when they first released.

Maybe the NX, but the Wii U is over.

No, it's not. How can it be over when there are still upcoming titles for it?

Edited July 2, 2015 by Anacybele

[Blaze The Great]

Like I said in the OP, the past home console games didn't get the marketing and production that Awakening or Fates have. If PoR and RD released right now for download on the Wii U, just download, not a remake or anything, I bet they'd sell better than they did when they first released.

Yes but creating a title for Wii U or any console would AFAIK cost way more than making one for the 3DS. Granted, I'm not the biggest expert about developing and money issues, but I'm fairly certain that money made from a handheld>money made from a console even with extra marketing for a new FE.

[Tangerine]

Be that as it may, Nintendo is just thinking of money money money. And, as history has shown, the console FEs have sold nowhere near as well as the handhelds have. Nintendo is trying to squeeze as much money out of their projects as they can (just like all corporate giants) and since console-loving people are in the minority, they won't market to those people as much. Unfortunately.

Home console software sales are much better than handheld software sales in general, it's very inaccurate to suggest that console gamers are in the minority or less likely to buy games. I think a Wii U FE title would bomb, but a properly marketed FE game on a console that wasn't already in the grave definitely has potential to see good sales now that the series is out of the dark. Unfortunately, outside of the Wii, Nintendo consoles have not been top sellers since the early 90s.

[Sentacotus]

"Selling well" is a relative term. Awakening selling 1.8 million is fantastic for a FE game, but isn't that impressive when looking at games in general. 5 million for Mario Kart 8 is really low when you consider that Mario Kart Wii sold over 36 million copies. Wii U selling 10 million is pitiful in comparison to other consoles. To put things in perspective, the Sega Dreamcast, which is considered to be a complete and utter failure of a console sold 10 million in it's lifespan of less than three years.

Well ok I got you on the Dreamcast thing.

But does that mean that we can be relative with how some titles sell and decide to be absolute with other titles? If numbers of sales are what matter than you can objectively say that games like Smash Wii U and Mario Kart 8 did better than Awakening. Yet people will universally agree that Awakening sold really well relative to other FE games (yes I know its the best selling ever but just hear me out) even though it sold less than both Smash Wii U and Mario Kart 8. Then they will turn around and say that Mario Kart 8 and Smash Wii U sold badly and then use absoulute sales and compare it to previous iterations. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be expected to do better or that they didn't objectively sold worse than say Melee, Brawl, or Mario Kart Wii but it seems like we choose what grounds to determine what is a success versus whats not.

Edited July 2, 2015 by LordTaco42

[Mango Giamatti]

Well ok I got you on the Dreamcast thing.

But does that mean that we can be relative with how some titles sell and decide to be absolute with other titles? If numbers of sales are what matter than you can objectively say that games like Smash Wii U and Mario Kart 8 did better than Awakening. Yet people will universally agree that Awakening sold really well relative to other FE games even though it sold less than both Smash Wii U and Mario Kart 8. Then they will turn around and say that Mario Kart 8 and Smash Wii U sold badly and then use absoulute sales and compare it to previous iterations. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be expected to do better or that they didn't objectively sold worse than say Melee, Brawl, or Mario Kart Wii but it seems like we choose what grounds to determine what is a success versus whats not.

I don't think anyone here was comparing Mario Kart 8 and Smash to any FE game. Of course those games sell better, and they will probably always sell better. People were bringing up MK and Smash as examples to prove that the Wii U is selling well, which it isn't.

[Baldrick]

How can it be over when there are still upcoming titles for it?

Those titles have presumably started development. Unlike the next Fire Emblem, unless IS have been keeping a big secret.

If the next FE game is on a console, it probably won't be for a while, so it would likely be for the NX rather than the Wii U.

[Blaze The Great]

Home console software sales are much better than handheld software sales in general, it's very inaccurate to suggest that console gamers are in the minority or less likely to buy games. I think a Wii U FE title would bomb, but a properly marketed FE game on a console that wasn't already in the grave definitely has potential to see good sales now that the series is out of the dark. Unfortunately, outside of the Wii, Nintendo consoles have not been top sellers since the early 90s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo#Home_consoles

According to approximate statistics from this article:

Consoles:

NES:62 million hardware units

SNES: 49 million hardware units

Nintendo 64: 33 million hardware units

GameCube:22 million hardware units

Wii: 101 million hardware units

Wii U: 9 million hardware units

Total:276 million hardware units

Handhelds:

Game & Watch: 43 million units

Game Boy: 119 million units

Game Boy Advance: 82 million units

Nintendo DS: 154 million units

Nintendo 3DS: 52 million units

Total: 450 million units

So, while your statement is probably correct as a general rule, it is not true for Nintendo sales.

As an added point, those Wii U sales are...pathetic. Compared to most Nintendo items, those are incredibly paltry. There is no way Nintendo could come out positive from making a game for Wii U. Even if 10% (an absolutely staggering number for FE) of Wii U owners bought a hypothetical Wii U FE, it STILL wouldn't have sold as much as Awakening, or as much as Fates looks like it is going to.

[Tangerine]

Those are hardware sales. I said console software sales are better, and it's true for Nintendo as well. Nintendo fails at selling hardware, but they still enjoy the higher attach rate that comes with a home console.

PS1: 104 million consoles sold, 960 million games sold.

PS2: 158 million consoles sold, 1.5 billion games sold.

Wii: 101 million consoles sold, 940 million games sold.

DS: 154 million units sold, 942 million games sold.

GB: 115 million units sold, 501 million games sold.

PSP: 80 million units sold, 299 million games sold.

I italicized and bolded the consoles/handhelds that have similar units shipped for comparison. That's all that needs to be said about console vs handheld attach rates.

[Ambulz]

Even if there was some sort of top secret Fire Emblem title for Wii U coming out, it'd pretty much be a repeat of what happened to Path of Radiance. The series makes a string of successful games on the handhelds (The GBA trio/Awakening & Fates), then decides to venture outwards and make a return to the consoles with the series. The game may be of good quality, but it is released at the end of its console's lifespan (GameCube/Wii U's very foreseeable end of lifespan) and as a result gets underwhelming sales.

Not to mention developing for consoles is more expensive in both resources and time, and they'd have to develop a new engine to work with since it'd be their first outing on the Wii U. A Fire Emblem title on the Wii U is not inevitable or likely in the slightest. It's too large an investment for a pretty much guaranteed bad payoff. From a business standpoint, it's ludicrous. And mind you, Fire Emblem is still very much a niche series. Awakening and now Fates may have given it a great surge of popularity, but that's only relative. Fire Emblem does not have the power to sell a console.

Now, a Fire Emblem for the NX? That'd be something I'd be interested in...

When the time comes, of course.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Ambulz

[Toogee]

Of course a WiiU FE game is inevitable. It was already announced: Illusory Revelations#FE. There's a whole section of the forum all about it. Mission accomplished, close the thread. You're welcome ;).

Wait, you want another one? On the WiiU? It would take a few years to make. The NX is likely two years away. If a console FE was being made, it would go there. Zelda will be the last major release on the WiiU.

The series almost died before Awakening. Let's keep it where it's selling: on the handhelds. I really don't want to buy another console anyways.

[Blaze The Great]

Those are hardware sales. I said console software sales are better, and it's true for Nintendo as well. Nintendo fails at selling hardware, but they still enjoy the higher attach rate that comes with a home console.

PS1: 104 million consoles sold, 960 million games sold.

PS2: 158 million consoles sold, 1.5 billion games sold.

Wii: 101 million consoles sold, 940 million games sold.

DS: 154 million units sold, 942 million games sold.

GB: 115 million units sold, 501 million games sold.

PSP: 80 million units sold, 299 million games sold.

I italicized and bolded the consoles/handhelds that have similar units shipped for comparison. That's all that needs to be said about console vs handheld attach rates.

Ah, my bad. I totally blanked on the software piece. I won't contest you on that.

[Josephl64]

I've always preferred Fire Emblem on consoles rather than handhelds, however I wouldn't call it inevitable on Wii U. I feel like Nintendo might just be satisfied with the crossover for this gen, and maybe next gen we'll have a console FE game if we are to get one.