Way back on November 18th of 2012, Nintendo released what they envisioned as their answer to next-gen consoles with the retail launch of the Wii U. As a result of this move, anxious consumers everywhere flocked to the stores to pickup their first piece of next-gen hardware. Fast-forward to almost one year later and both the Wii U hardware and software sales are absolutely dismal. Most of this is attributed to the fact that many third-party developers and publishers lack confidence in the platform and therefore see no reason to use it within their everyday business practices.
While Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime and most of his colleagues continue to live in denial over this fact, many conventional critics and gamers alike are more than aware that this trend will continue. This article will illustrate this point further by highlighting 10 key next-gen games that will never be released on a Wii U console. So without further ado, let the games begin.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red’s ambitious action RPG stunned audiences at this year’s E3 and is already one of 2014’s most anticipated titles. By deciding to shift their focus towards providing the gamer with an even more immersive open world gameplay experience, the studio is able to push the limits well beyond that of earlier entries. However, recently the team stated that Wild hunt is already maxing out the technological capabilities of both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms. If this is indeed true, then we can easily conclude that a game of this stature surely wouldn’t perform well on the less powerful Wii U. Ultimately, anyone who wants to get the absolute most out of all that The Witcher 3 has to offer would be best served by buying the PC version when it releases late next year.
Titanfall
When Microsoft announced this game during their Pre E3 2013 Media briefing, everyone became giddy with excitement over just how impressive this first-person shooter looked. While Respawn Entertainment has stated several times that they are only focusing on the PC and Xbox One builds of the game right now, it’s a safe bet that eventually this title will find it’s way onto the PS4. Going by this logic, is it at all possible that we will eventually see a Wii U version of Titanfall? I would again say no primarily because there is no evidence that the Wii U will be able to handle a game of this multitude.
Another added fact is that typically most gamers prefer playing multiplayer games on the other consoles thanks in part to their larger user bases and improved socially interactive features. The simple fact that Warner Bros didn’t feel comfortable leaving the multiplayer feature in the Wii U version of Batman: Arkham Origins speaks volumes about the device and how many different developers perceive it.
Kingdom Hearts 3
The long awaited sequel to Square Enix and Disney’s popular action RPG was finally outed at Sony’s Pre E3 2013 press conference. Shortly after the announcement, the game’s director stated that the title wouldn’t be coming to Wii U because it was being developed entirely through DirectX 11 support. Anyone who is familiar with the Wii U specs knows that the device doesn’t support DirectX 11 outright and therefore shouldn’t be looking for Goofy and his friends to grace their console anytime soon.
Final Fantasy XV
The other popular Square Enix title that floored fans during Sony’s conference was Final Fantasy XV. While the game is already confirmed for both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms, Wii U owners shouldn’t get their hopes up for the same reasons mentioned above. The lack of DirectX 11 support is troubling and unless Nintendo finds a way to fix this issue then they are forever destined to keep losing out on more quality third party titles like this one.
Rockstar’s Next Game
With GTA V slated to hit stores next week, Rockstar Games is poised to finish off this console generation strong. After releasing Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire, and Max Payne 3 over the span of the last 3 years, you would think that the studio would at least consider porting some of these titles over to the Wii U. Since they don’t plan to anytime soon, I’m going to go ahead and predict now that this trend will continue well into next generation.
The Elder Scrolls Online
This wildly popular MMORPG was built exclusively for the PC platform and technically wouldn’t count on this list. However after PlayStation worked with the developers to bring this game to the PS4, this now poses the question of what can Nintendo do to build relationships like these? While they currently have a good thing going with Platinum Games, one can only imagine what they could gain by working with Bethesda Studios. Games like Dishonored and Skyrim could work wonders for the platform and give people another reason to play the system more frequently in between exclusives.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Bioware and EA kept quiet about Dragon Age: Inquisition for quite awhile and only recently started revealing gameplay footage to the press. With use of the Frostbite 3 engine, Inquisition will undoubtedly be the most technically advanced entry in the series to date. EA’s decision to forgo releasing Battlefield 4 on the Wii U doesn’t bold well for this game.
Mirror’s Edge 2
Another surprise announced during EA’s pre E3 press conference was a sequel based on the sleeper hit Mirror’s Edge. While the first game didn’t sell quite as well as EA hoped it would, it did buildup enough of a following that convinced them it was worth making another one. Mirror’s Edge 2 is being built on the Frostbite 3 engine and therefore won’t be making use of the Wii U platform.
For a game in which EA actually wants it to sell really well, this is very confusing to me. One could argue that by releasing a game on every platform, a studio could better their overall sales in more ways than one. However, the hidden cost and time it would take to tailor a game towards a specific console may deter many and in this case I can see why EA won’t bother with it.
Fallout 4
Even though Bethesda has yet to make an official Fallout 4 announcement, everyone knows it’s coming and once it does nothing else will matter. Fans can expect this game to be technically more advanced then Fallout 3 and therefore it will most likely exceed the Wii U specs in just about every way imaginable.
Star Wars Battlefront (Dice Reboot)
Dice’s take on the popular Star Wars franchise has the potential to be one of the most important video game releases in Star Wars video game history. Making use of the latest and greatest in Frostbite 3 technology, we already know that this game won’t be on the Wii U. The only way this could change would be if EA decides to release another AAA Dice title on the console first and based on how things are now I highly doubt they ever will.
This concludes my list on 10 Next-Gen games that will never release on the Wii U. The purpose of this article was to raise awareness on the shortcomings of the platform and to encourage Nintendo to improve in how they approach third-party developers. If Nintendo does find a way to get any of these games on their platform then I’ll be the first to applaud their efforts.
Do you agree or disagree with my points? Do you think it’s possible for Nintendo to bring any of these games to the Wii U? Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
