Iwata - Wii U Paid Subscription Isn't Planned, No Guarantee Later

[Hadrian]

At Nintendo's 72nd Annual General Meeting of Stockholders, Iwata confirmed that at the moment Nintendo do not have plans for any paid online services though he could not guarantee that it'll always be free but if one does happen you won't have to pay to access their ordinary services.

The reason being that Nintendo feels that it wants everyone from the regular gamer to the gamer who plays every now and again to be able to switch on the Wii U and play without having to worry about paying for the service.

So it won't be like what Microsoft offer but maybe one day it'll be more in line with what Sony do. Either way some good news that at least we won't be forced to pay just to play online...though most of us knew that this isn't Nintendo's style.

http://www.nintendo....28qa/index.html

 

[Gahars]

I wouldn't be surprised if they take the Sony route (initially offering everything for free and then adding a paid service). Online services like this aren't cheap, and this is Nintendo's first real swing at it; they're going to have to learn their lessons very quickly if they want to keep up with the competition.

 

[AceWarhead]

I wouldn't be surprised if they take the Sony route (initially offering everything for free and then adding a paid service). Online services like this aren't cheap, and this is Nintendo's first real swing at it; they're going to have to learn their lessons very quickly if they want to keep up with the competition.

Hopefully it won't be forced, like pay for multiplayer.

 

[Gahars]

I wouldn't be surprised if they take the Sony route (initially offering everything for free and then adding a paid service). Online services like this aren't cheap, and this is Nintendo's first real swing at it; they're going to have to learn their lessons very quickly if they want to keep up with the competition.

Hopefully it won't be forced, like pay for multiplayer.

Paying for multiplayer (especially, like on the 360, if you get a whole ton of other services and benefits thrown in) isn't so bad. If you want the best online infrastructure, that isn't going to come cheaply.

As long as the service is worth the money, I would have no problem paying a reasonable subscription fee.

 

[AceWarhead]

I wouldn't be surprised if they take the Sony route (initially offering everything for free and then adding a paid service). Online services like this aren't cheap, and this is Nintendo's first real swing at it; they're going to have to learn their lessons very quickly if they want to keep up with the competition.

Hopefully it won't be forced, like pay for multiplayer.

Paying for multiplayer (especially, like on the 360, if you get a whole ton of other services and benefits thrown in) isn't so bad. If you want the best online infrastructure, that isn't going to come cheaply.

As long as the service is worth the money, I would have no problem paying a reasonable subscription fee.

Yes, that's true. Guess I'm just a cheapo, hehheh.

 

[KingVamp]

Or you know,we just didn't have money to pay $60 at max and other junk such as rip off dlc and access to wifi multiplayer.

 

[smile72]

I'm glad, Wii U won't have a paid subscription....for now.

 

[Maikel Steneker]

Paying for multiplayer (especially, like on the 360, if you get a whole ton of other services and benefits thrown in) isn't so bad. If you want the best online infrastructure, that isn't going to come cheaply.

What if you just want to enjoy the occasional multiplayer game? I understand Xbox Live is worth it to some people, and that's fine. But for me, it's a bit annoying that multiplayer costs me money for an Xbox 360 game, while it won't cost me anything if I get the exact same game on PS3.

I think having a model where there is a free version you don't have to pay for is much better, and it doesn't rule out a second tier for people who don't mind paying for a better, extended service.

 

[Deleted User]

Thank you for posting this for me! Anyways, I don't mind about paid services as long as they're worth it.