If you didn't already download the demos for WiiWare games Pokemon Rumble, World of Goo, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord, Bit.Trip Beat and NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits, you're out of luck. Silently, Nintendo decided to remove all WiiWare demos as of January 31.
“The WiiWare demo experiment ended on Jan. 31, 2010," said a Nintendo representative to me.
WiiWare demos have been a long-demanded feature by gamers and studios publishing to Nintendo's downloadable service. Last fall, several WiiWare developers told me the the demos really helped them.
"I can say that interest definitely spiked for Bit.Trip Beat (I mean who doesn’t like free?) when the demo hit and that sales certainly picked up because of it," said Aksys Games director of marketing Gail Salamanca to me over e-mail, in a story I filed back in November.
Nintendo wouldn't elaborate on why the demos needed to come down or if the demos would return to the service at a later date. The company said this move was actually in the cards all along.
“From the start the demo program was always planned to be available for a limited time on a trial basis," continued the representative.
It's an unfortunate move for both developers and gamers.
"We are supporting this demo approach and I think all the developers will," said Over The Top Games (NyxQuest) director Robert Alvarez de Lara Siede at the time. "This is a good thing for developers and players, because now they will have more interest to connect their Wiis and visit the WiiWare shop."
WiiWare is a notoriously underrated downloadable service, but there are several reasons WiiWare doesn't receive as much attention. It's difficult for press to gain access to the content without being proactive (compared to the widely distributed download codes for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation network) and without demos, users purchasing a game on WiiWare becomes a leap-of-faith consideration. In today's economy, that's not particularly attractive. It hurts word-of-mouth.
The WiiWare demos might have been an experiment, but by all accounts, wasn't it a successful one?
Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter.
Comments
Displaying 1–14 of 14
another_idiot
Nintendo seriously has some issues with their arrogance. They've already turned down games like Rez HD and Braid solely because they were too large in filesize, when then turned out to be huge hits later on in Xbox Live Arcade. I'm sure everyone else here can name at least 20 other faults they've done.
I just wish that they would crash and burn harder than Sega did, and be forced to make games for other systems. The only problem is that they never will, because they know how to sell the same damn game over and over for 20 years to make millions of dollars on it all over again.
Pok�mon, anyone?
FaroDemon
Nintendo fails......again. Who else is surprised?
TomSthePoster
It was an Experiment. They said before hand that it was temporary. They never EVER said it won't come back. Nintendo is NOT dumb.
GohanEGret pretty much got it in the ball park. It was proven that the demos caused sales to sky-rocket. It was an experiment to see how the wii can handle demos. Knowing that is succeeded extremely well, Nintendo is probably going to expand the service to even more games, maybe even VC.
When exactly, that's in their ball park...
sion8
if sales were good when the demos came then the experiment was a sucees and this may be part of the next update when ever it comes.
GingerKid
Nintendo just doesn't want people to have advanced knowledge of how bad their games really suck
Sleeplessmonkey
As some one whose had a Wii since almost day one, this is yet another reason it mostly gathers dust until a major brand release, or a large drunken party. The Wii is a great multiplayer party system, but when you try to move that experience to the online network Nintendo has built for it, the whole thing is frustrating. I spent alot of money early on in Wii Ware, but I was mostly buying games I already had owned on other systems. I only bought world of goo because of the demo. Well, I guess the Wii is gonna be sitting untouched more often now.
SnakeBiteFTW
Nintendo is like the quiet, annoying dumb kid in your class thats a closet genius. They know how to make money, and they seem to be determined to not do it the way everybody else does, even if it might be successful....which is why I don't own a Wii.
Citizenflaba
yeah I immediately downloaded all the demos when I first heard about it for this exact reason. Pokemon rumble and bit trip being the most enjoyable...hopefully they shall restart the demo system with all games having their own demo. I didn't like world of goo, yet loved Pokemon rumble. Both games I previously wouldn't even glance at. Demos are crucial to gamers, for no one's review of the game is going to be as important as your own.
xL7717
Demos help make sells. That's a fact. There are a lot of games on my PS3 I never would have bought if it wasn't for the demos. Nintendo, it's decisions like these that make me lose respect for you.
popsickle59
Just goes to the fact that Nintendo just doesn't understand what gamers want out of or rely on in an online experience. Really I'd be fine with a n Xbox layout for Mario Kart Wii. give me me easy play with friends and dlc of n64 courses, and my wallet is yours.
GohanEgret
It's likely considered an experiment because they want to determine for themselves if the fiscal requirements for creating a demo is worth it.
Of course, the larger problem at hand is the terrible presentation of information that the games have on the Wii Shop Channel. A brief description and tiny screenshots are not going to sell people on a product.
FranceHopper
I'm one of those people who bought Bit.Trip because of the demo. I just couldn't stop playing it. It's a shame Nintendo is discontinuing the service but... well... Nintendo is Nintendo. And not the old Nintendo. The demos were probably the most progressive thing Nintendo ever introduced for Wii, after WiiSpeak. And now they're gone. No wonder your profits are taking a hit Nintendo.
SteveKB
lol i left that boat a while a go ... haven't played on my own one in a year but I just played SSBB at a club yesterday I almost one but i forgot to practice :P
losingreality7
what the hell nintendo? why do u torments as this way?
Displaying 1–14 of 14
Add a Comment