The WiiWare threshold, aka shovelware wall explained
Nintendos WiiWare threshold has been in the news a lot since it surfaced, but its still a hazy matter. One developer has sort to it and explained it all for us.
An anonymous developer contacted Eurogamer to clear up the issue. A title must sell a minimum number of copies on WiiWare before the developer earns any money from it. The informer said ‘Once the threshold is crossed, the developer is retroactively paid for every single unit sold below the threshold. I know there has been confusion on that point in the past… From the stats Ive seen and heard developers report, the threshold is easily surpassed within the first day, or at least the first week, for many games.’
They defended the threshold, saying that it acts as a deterrent to shovelware. The move certainly makes sense, seeing as one of Nintendo’s biggest criticisms is the amount of half-hearted games available on the Wii. Higher quality games on WiiWare is better for us too – more World of Goo is better than more SPOGS. Source: IGN
