Speaking with Next-Gen.biz, Wedbush Morgan Analyst Michael Pachter
stated SEGA and Ubisoft will be two of the few American publishers who
might benefit from Wii's launch should the console perform well in the
fall.
A number of publishers have taken a 'wait-and-see'
attitude with Nintendo's next-generation console, which according to
Pachter hinders their ability to take advantage of the initial intall
base should the hardware experience robust sales at launch.
"I
can't name any US publisher games that are going to launch on the Wii
that are going to make a difference," Pachter said. "Certainly there
will be Spongebob, but big deal. Seriously, that's great, but if you
buy the Wii as your second console, as I really think most people are
going to do, you're probably not going to give a damn about Spongebob."
Publishers
SEGA and Ubisoft arguably had the most solid showing at this year's E3,
with SEGA displaying Sonic Wild Fire and Super Monkey Ball: Banana
Blitz, the latter slated for launch, and Ubisoft heavily pushing its
Wii-exclusive shooter Red Steel, also set for launch day. According to
Pachter, these two companies are in prime position to benefit from
Wii's potential success.
"If the Wii sells -- I'm just being
ridiculous here -- 10 million units in the first year, who benefits?"
Pachter questioned. "Well, clearly Nintendo, and clearly Ubisoft will
capture that higher-end mature audience, and clearly Sega will be there
and do well, but can I say [THQ] would sell 5 million copies of
Spongebob? No way."
On a final note, Pachter explained his
comments are "not a slam on the US publishers, but [he], like everybody
else, [doesn't] know who's going to capitalize on Wii."
"I
didn't think publishers [knew how cool the Wii was] until they got
their hands on it," Pachter said. "I don't know how Ubisoft figured it
out. Let's give them a lot of credit. Their ahead of everybody right
now."
The Next-Gen.biz article can be found here.
The Wiire will keep you updated on industry commentary regarding Wii.
