Nintendo prevents WiiWare developers from sharing sales data

January 7th, 2012, 01:00 Posted By: wraggster

London-based Icon Games has claimed that Nintendo asked it to remove WiiWare sales figures published on the developer's blog.
Icon had listed figures across all the formats it develops for, including Nintendo's console, but was forced to take down digital Wii transactions.
"Yesterday Nintendo got in touch to ask us to remove the figures for the WiiWare titles from the blog," reads an explanatory post on the same blog. "Apparently they don't allow developers to publish the sales numbers of their self-published titles.
"As to why, I can't really be sure - are they scared to reveal how their online services perform or do they just dislike developers being able to run effective businesses? It is a tricky one - and incredibly unfair and damaging to indie developers publishing on Nintendo stores.
"I don't believe Nintendo are necessary alone in this policy, but I believe they are by far the most draconian in enforcing it. I have seen many different reports from developers for games on XBLA, PSN, Steam and so on with details of sales figures, but never anything for a Nintendo store."
Icon's Richard Hill-Whittall then goes on to explain why he feels such a policy is potentially damaging for Wii Ware developers, pointing to the difficulty of maintaining effective business and financial planning, pitching to investors and lenders, and assuring staff of their job security.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/nintend...ing-sales-data

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