I think it's safe to say that Nintendo's online portal is nowhere near where Microsoft's Xbox LIVE and Sony's PSN is now. Of course, that doesn't mean things can't change and if ths rumor is to be believed, that can change sooner than you think.
According to a source who spoke to Wii U Daily, Nintendo is now taking digital downloads seriously this time. The source — which comes from a European stuido — claims that the Big N wants to offer all their retail games (both first and third-party) available on the Wii U e-Shop.
They’re offering insane incentives for publishers to sell retail games as downloads on the console. You’d be stupid not to take advantage of it and go retail box-only…The new platform is perfect for indie devs, it’s a whole different ball game than WiiWare. They’ve learned a lot from that mess.
What are these "insane incentives," you might ask? According to the source, it's a much bigger revenue cut that they'd get in comparison if they sell it on other platforms and promotions on the online store itself.
The anonymous source also thinks that if Nintendo can pull this off and gains traction, then it will "press" Microsoft and Sony in doing the same — thus making revenue better for the people who make the games.
Needless to say, file this one under the rumor cabinet for now…at least until we hear official word from Nintendo. Mind you, with the rate they're going, we might have an idea on what their online plans are in maybe a year or two?
All kidding aside, if they can at least match Sony and Microsoft's marketplace and maybe offer the same level of online functionality, that alone would be a giant step for the publisher. It wll also help their image that they're a company that's afraid of keeping up with the times — and, y'know, that the internet and online gaming actually exists.
Is this something Nintendo has up its sleeve to entice publishers from releasing games digitally over on their eShop or is this just wishful thinking at this point?
