There’s a new Change.org petition for a game to come to Wii U, this time for Kingdom Hearts 3. For fans of the fledgling console, this might not necessarily be a strong possibility at this time, but it sends a consistent message to 3rd parties that they are missed on Wii U.
Among the petitions for multiplayer games to come to Wii U, perhaps the most prominent and well known is for Guilty Gear Xrd Sign. This one was started by Laer HeiseiRyuu and currently has 8,184 signatures. Other top contenders include Dead Rising 3, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Soulcalibur II HD Online, Battlefield 4, and Minecraft.
Interestingly, the top petition was for Dark Souls 2, at 17,445 signatures, which just compounds how difficult it must have been for these fans to learn that From Software had no interest in making the port. Similarly, it’s doubtful Battlefield 4 would be ported to Wii U, not only because of EA’s position on the system, but because DICE and EA are preoccupied dealing fixes to the fundamental flaws of the game.
Other Change.org petitions that were started but received low interest (below 1000 signatures) were Lords of Shadow 2, Ultra Street Fighter IV, Phantom Pain, WWE2K14, the Mass Effect Trilogy, The Crew, Destiny, South Park The Stick of Truth, The Division, and Strider. Although these did not gain as much traction, these also serve as proof that interest for more games than Nintendo can provide for Wii U exists.
There is a prior petition for Kingdom Hearts 3 to release the game on Wii U alongside the PS4 and Xbox One versions that is already at 1,500 signatures, but hasn’t moved at 4 months. The new petition makes the simple argument that some gamers aren’t willing to pay the high asking prices for and Xbox One or a PS4 to play the latest Kingdom Hearts.
Is there enough interest seen in any of these petitions to compel developers to bring their games to the Wii U? Apparently not, as none of them have led to an actual port being made. As Nintendo themselves have said, the onus is on them and not 3rd parties to make the console a success.
Still, it is undeniable that the interest for 3rd party titles on Wii U is there. It says something about the high costs of development in this generation that only indies seem to be making enough money on the console to treat it seriously. Maybe this is something Nintendo needs to look into as well, as they revise their gameplans for the console, and the company, in the coming years.
