Nintendo has had quite the rough start with the Wii U, and while some onlookers seemingly squeal in glee at the company’s misfortune, Eric Hirshberg, the chief executive of Activision's publishing arm, knows this isn’t the result any publisher wanted. The industry hopes to see Nintendo succeed, and if there’s a way his company can have an impact on that success, they’ll find it.
Speaking with CVG, Hirshberg discussed how he just wants as many great games to become successful as possible.
"I want all of the great games in this industry to succeed because more people will be playing games and that's better for all of us,” he said. "Nintendo has been a great partner for us. It's had hardware hits and misses in the past, but it has always found ways to remain completely relevant. It has some of the best game-makers in the world, and I wouldn't count them out."
Counting out a company with such a strong track record could be a misstep, but Bethesda recently asserted that it’s just too late to support the Wii U with third-party software. Hirshberg, on the other hand, wants to make the console more appealing.
“Nintendo is a very successful company but obviously having a rough go with the Wii U launch thus far,” he continued. “I'm sure Nintendo and the rest of the industry wanted a different result for the Wii U, but if we can add to the appeal of the platform then we absolutely will."
Other major publishers will have to devote resources to the console if it has any hope of making a turnaround.