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Exclusive: eShop Publishers Are Dropping Releases In Germany Due To Low Sales And Cost Of USK Rating

 

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Smaller indies also struggling to make a living on Nintendo systems

 

We've reported on the less-than-ideal nature of global age ratings in the past, and what they mean for indie developers attempting to make a living on Nintendo's systems. Releasing a game internationally isn't a simple matter of pushing a button; age ratings must be granted in every territory which enforces them, and that means submitting the game for approval multiple times - a process which not only takes time, but also costs a considerable sum of money. In short, the developer is losing money on the game before it has even had chance to generate any revenue.

 

We've already seen publishers holding back titles for release in certain regions due to this situation, and it would now appear that things have become so dire that some studios are ditching the German market - an event which would be particularly embarrassing for Nintendo, as its European HQ is based in the country.

 

We should point out that the developer who has tipped us off wishes to remain anonymous, but we can tell you they are a widely-respected member of the Nintendo indie development scene and have already created and released multiple well-received titles on the eShop.

 

According to our source, over the past months there have been secret European developer meetings to discuss the current state of the eShop. 'Most' indie developers are struggling to sell over 3,000 units in the lifetime of an eShop game, and as a result many are dropping support for Nintendo's consoles. However, this issue isn't just impacting small-scale indie developers - our source claims that larger download publishers are starting to drop Germany because they are not able to recoup the cost of earning a USK rating - a similar situation to what happens in Australia, which sees a reduced number of eShop games due to rating costs.

 

Of course, not every eShop game can be a smash-hit, but if this is impacting larger publishers then it means there will be less software for 3DS and Wii U owners to enjoy. But what can Nintendo do about it? The current age ratings are outside of its control - they are there to protect children from harmful content, and the approval process is something that naturally takes time and effort, hence the need to charge for it; Nintendo cannot force gamers to buy indie titles, either. The flipside of the argument is that Nintendo could explore a similar policy to Apple, skipping ratings agencies in favour of its own internal system. Another option is a quicker, more unified global ratings process recently adopted by Google Play - called IARC (International Age Rating Coalition) ratings, which only requires an online questionnaire submission that covers all territories. Nintendo is reportedly in line to adopt this standard for the eShop in future.

 

What are your thoughts on this situation? What action can be taken to ensure that publishers don't have to ignore certain markets when they launch their eShop games? Sound off in the comments section below to tell us what you think.

 

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/05/exclusive_eshop_publishers_are_dropping_releases_in_germany_due_to_low_sales_and_cost_of_usk_rating

 

This is not the first time I've heard that getting a game rated in Europe is a nightmare and expensive. And I may be wrong but I think you've to pay every time you resubmit your game.

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Yeah, I remember Nicalis and Yacht Games mentioning Germany's hilariously complicated process before.

 

I'm telling you, Americans don't know how good they have it at times.

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Oh, I have put my location as Germany, could it become a problem?

Edited by Kounan

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Nintendo eShop - Swords & Soldiers II Launch Trailer

 

 

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Everyone should experience Thomas Was Alone for £3.99

 

Ok, I know I already thanked you, but my god what a beautiful game this is... :o

I'm totally in love with it. This seriously needs to get a lot more attention, wow... :bowdown:

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Okay, this game (Thomas was Alone) is so ridiculously good... :bowdown:

People who haven't bought it yet: do so now!!! I'm even bothered that I haven't bought it full price, feels like I ripped of the team who made this game... :shakehead

 

That storytelling, it's so geniously creative... :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

Edited by markderoos

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So no deals announced today?

 

It's late again, probably be around this time tomorrow now.

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No update today is probably due to the bank holiday in Germany(Whit Monday).

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Aha, OK, I hope for tomorrow (OK it's not like I have any money left for games :D).

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It is a bit annoying that theirs no press release today. They could have easily had it prepared. There's 28 members of the EU and everyone has to miss out because of 1 country. In all of Europe there's only 2 countries having a bank holiday today, Germany and the UK. Will NOE go on hiatus for Ireland's bank holiday next Monday?

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It is a bit annoying that theirs no press release today. They could have easily had it prepared. There's 28 members of the EU and everyone has to miss out because of 1 country. In all of Europe there's only 2 countries having a bank holiday today, Germany and the UK. Will NOE go on hiatus for Ireland's bank holiday next Monday?

 

This is a joke post, right?

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It's also a bank holiday overhere and I think also in Belgium...?

 

Edit: looked it up on Wikipedia:

 

Andorra, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Hongary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Romenia and the greater part of Switzerland.

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkster

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whit_Monday

Edited by markderoos

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This is a joke post, right?

 

I'm hoping but I don't think it was. Who needs logic, common sense and general knowledge when there's complaining about Nintendo that needs doing!

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I'm hoping but I don't think it was. Who needs logic, common sense and general knowledge when there's complaining about Nintendo that needs doing!

 

Who also needs posts like these, right?

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It's also a bank holiday overhere and I think also in Belgium...?

 

Edit: looked it up on Wikipedia:

 

Andorra, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Hongary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Romenia and the greater part of Switzerland.

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkster

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whit_Monday

 

My bad. I looked up a site and it said only Germany and the UK.

 

Not a whole lot happening for Wii U this week. There's Splatoon, High Strangeness and a demo for SDK Paint. The VC NES games aren't great and the discounted games are beyond crap.

 

Just waiting on the official press release.

 

Wii U Download Software

 

* High Strangeness, Midnight City – £8.99 (€9.99)

High Strangeness is a hybrid of 8 and 16 bit games – a 12 bit adventure. The inspiration of the game comes from many Action-Adventure and RPG games of yesteryear. The game’s core ability is to switch between 8 and 16 bit worlds and the player uses their generational differences to solve puzzles and explore the universe. Throughout the game your pixel art perspective of the world will be infused with visions of watercolour illustrations that shed some light on your mysterious surroundings. The chiptune soundtrack by Dino Lionetti and Rich Vreeland backs up the aesthetic of the world and sets the mood for strange happenings.

 

* Splatoon, Nintendo – £31.49 (€35.99) until 4th June 2015 for those that have downloaded the Splatoon Global Testfire on the same Wii U, normally £34.99 (€39.99)

It’s splat or be splatted! Take to the turf for a brand new kind of battle in Splatoon, only on Wii U. Go up against players from around the globe in thrilling 4-vs-4 online multiplayer matches, where your teamwork and tactics need to be as sharp as your shooting. Take control of an Inkling, a unique species capable of switching between human and squid forms, in this distinctive action shooter.

 

Wii U Download Demo

 

* SDK Paint, Hullbreach Studios – Free

SDK Paint takes a unique approach to Wii U artwork creation, by stacking five layers onto the artwork canvas. Each layer can independently be utilized to create the next masterpiece. By combining the artistic modes (Normal Paint, Noisy Paint, Smudge, and Spraycan), the numerous filters (Blur, Negate, Lighten, Darken, etc.), the shaders (Pattern Fill, Flood Fill, Texture, etc.), and the tools (Gridlines, Stencils, Drag, Swap, etc.), the possibilities of what the stylus can paint onto the canvas are endless. Don’t worry if you make a mistake, ten levels of Undo will help with that! If the artwork needs fine precision then just zoom the canvas. A large colour palette, with dragging support, lets artists easily choose exactly the colour desired, and a Dropper tool makes identifying previous colours a simple task. The features don’t end with just painting, either. How does the artwork look on a wall? Explore the retro 3D Galleries to see all 18 paintings framed on the walls. Is the artwork ready show off? Jump into the Sharing area and prepare it for either 2D or anaglyph 3D (special glasses required – SDK Paint supports 3D viewing by use of anaglyph 3D glasses. While, these are not required, they do enhance the experience.) posting of screenshots to Miiverse. Show the world your inner artist.

 

Virtual Console (Wii U)

 

* Flying Warriors, Culture Brain – £3.49 (€4.99)

In Culture Brain’s classic platform adventure, you are Rick Stalker, a kung-fu master who must defeat the Tusk Warriors – evil soldiers who want to resurrect the demon lord Demonyx! In the main single player game, battle through side-scrolling stages in Journey Mode, and fight enemies in the one-on-one Battle Mode. Transform into a Flying Warrior to use magic spells, or switch to an ally when the going gets tough. Alternatively, try Tournament Mode for up to eight players to challenge each other’s combat skills. This is the US version of the game.

 

* Little Ninja Brothers, Culture Brain – £3.49 (€4.99)

Little Ninja Brothers is the second in a series from Kung-Fu Heroes developer Culture Brain. Join Jack and Ryu on an adventure with action and role-playing elements, as you defeat the Yoma Clan and bring peace to Chinaland. Journey across the land – exploring cities and building up your items and weapons by visiting shops – and battle any enemies you encounter with hand-to-hand combat. Invite a friend along to share the skirmishes in two-player mode, and take a break from adventuring with various sporting events. This is the US version of the game.

 

Wii U eShop Temporary Discounts

 

  • BLOK DROP U (RCMADIAX, €0.74 / £0.64 until 25th June, normally €1.49 / £1.29)
  • BLOK DROP X TWISTED FUSION (RCMADIAX, €1.45 / £1.30 until 25th June, normally €2.99 / £2.69)
  • TABLETOP GALLERY (RCMADIAX, €2.20 / £2.00 until 4th June, normally €4.49 / £4.09)
  • Angry Bunnies: Colossal Carrot Crusade (Cypronia, €3.14 / £2.69 until 25th June, normally €6.99 / £5.99)
  • Cake Ninja 3: The Legend Continues (Cypronia, €3.69 / £3.33 until 25th June, normally €4.99 / £4.49)
  • Color Zen (Cypronia, €2.24 / £2.24 until 25th June, normally €2.99 / £2.99)
  • Color Zen Kids (Cypronia, €2.24 / £2.24 until 25th June, normally €2.99 / £2.99)
  • My Style Studio: Hair Salon (Cypronia, €3.74 / £3.35 until 25th June, normally €4.99 / £4.49)
  • My Style Studio: Notebook (Cypronia, €2.39 / £2.15 until 25th June, normally €2.99 / £2.69)

Edited by Wii
Automerged Doublepost

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My bad. I looked up a site and it said only Germany and the UK.

No problem, didn't know it before I looked it up myself.

If anything, it gave me a chance to learn a little more about cultural differences within the European Union :heh:

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Are any of the games on sale worth playing? Thx.

 

Avoid EVERYTHING from this mornings press release for Wii U.

 

Lone Survivor, Thomas Was Alone, The Swapper, Stealth Inc. 2, Trine Enchanted and 2. They're all on sale at the moment until Thursday afternoon. They're all well worth looking into buying. I'd recommend Trine Enchanted, Trine 2 and Stealth Inc. 2.

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Aha, thx, sadly I will be able to get something on the 1st when I will get some money.... But I hope they will announce some good games on Monday.

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Oh this is interesting!

 

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1052091

 

Looks like Nintendo are allowing indie devs to put up Humble Bundles of Wii U eShop games now! (at least in the US anyway...)

 

Surprised to see that they're the first out of the console manufacturers to allow it!

 

Is there any confirmation that Nintendo have been involved with this at all? It could just be the developers using their own personal keys.

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Is there any confirmation that Nintendo have been involved with this at all? It could just be the developers using their own personal keys.

 

Says on the Humble Bundle site that this promotion was done in partnership with Nintendo...

 

They tweeted it out as well.

Edited by Dcubed

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