Ubisoft’s CEO believes the Wii U can succeed, but only at the right price

The Nintendo Wii U might not necessarily be the best selling console at the moment. However it has seen an increase in sales, namely thanks to Nintendo’s release of Mario Kart 8 which helped boost sales by a bit. However will Nintendo be able to sustain this increase in sales? After all, we’re sure that the number of gamers buying the Wii U for Mario Kart 8 will soon peak, right? Speaking to the folks at CVG, Ubisoft’s boss, Yves Guillemot felt that if the Wii U had the “right price”, it would be able to do a lot better than it is at the moment. “With Mario Kart, Wii U made one step and we expect with Smash Bros it will also do more. If Nintendo put the right price on the machine then they will probably have a chance to do further.”

Mario Kart 8 has helped to boost sales of Wii U, but Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot still thinks Nintendo’s pricing of the hardware will be crucial if it’s to increase its user base and justify further investments. “With Mario Kart, Wii U made one step and we expect with Smash Bros. it will also do more. If Nintendo put the right price on the machine then they will probably have a chance to do further,” he said in a recent interview with CVG, somewhat subtly suggesting the need for a price drop. Ubisoft continues to be one of the Wii U’s key third-party supporters, but even it is holding back on further investments – including a new unannounced title – until Nintendo can justify the support with a sufficient install base. “We are coming with Watch Dogs and Just Dance this year. We also have another game on the shelves that we expect to come at some point when there will be more machines,” revealed Guillemot. “That game is waiting for more machines to be available,” he added, in reference to the ‘availability’ of Wii U owners and, thus, potential customers.