Nintendo Denies Report of Plans to Release Demo Games on iOS

[danielowenuk]

I don't know anyone that buys Nintendo hardware for cross platform games.

The hardware is miles behind their competitors, yes you can talk about target audience but the fact remains.

Nintendo's only selling point is their IP.

Their whole business model is to sell hardware and this IP together, it has created a loss for them in the last 3 years. I don't know how anyone can thing their roadmap should be to create more hardware with the same IP.

They should cut their losses, focus on software and start developing for existing platforms, get a deal with sony,ms and apple and sell to everyone that wants it.

All this talk of "Nintendo experience wouldn't be the same on a phone" are missing the two massive marketplaces already in place for console gaming.

 

[MRU]

Nintendo approaching MS & Sony & Apple & saying, we'll bow out of competing with you in hardware if you let us sell our games on your platforms (& Apple, we require controller support, get it together).

= max exposure, far greater sales, massive cost cuts in hdw dev, costs per sale drop to nil, can afford to charge less and sell more than requiring every software sale to follow an expensive proprietary hardware sale.

Bigger picture, Nintendos greatest assets going forward into the future are in software, specifically their beloved character IP. They should devote 100% of their time and enormous resources to creating new worlds for games everyone loves that no one else can compete with.

The same was said after the dreamcast and that didn't exactly work our well for Sega.

 

[filfortugno]

Bring Me Mario!

I would be more than glad to dish out 10-20$ if a Super Mario or Zelda game would find its way onto the iOS platform!

 

[epic-retouching]

I'm glad, I hate gaming on my iPhone. Hands in the way, small screen. Definitely would prefer a dedicated gaming device that performs better, bigger screen and generally an all round better experience. I don't have a Wii U or a DS but I think they're both awesome and if it were not for teenagers who think quality of gaming is all about polycount then the WiiU would be doing a lot better.

WiiU by design looks the best to date even over the ps4. WiiU innovated with the controller. WiiU just lacked launch titles to give it a performance boost at the start. I have seen what the WiiU can do in tech demos and it is far from bad graphics.

Nintendo may not have the best track record the last few years but they have learned a lot by their failures and I am sure they are not silly enough to repeat them. If Nintendo want to avoid iOS then it is for a good reason and they obviously have a new plan. Keen to see what they come up with. They own the two largest video game names Mario and Pokemon. Not that I am into those.

 

[iHEARTcartoons]

Mario is slowing dying.

 

[AlphaHumanus]

The Wii was the most successful game console when it was at it's prime and that was not too long ago. How is that they don't know what their customers want? They are just taking downward spin right now. Who says that's it's not possible for them to come back. They are not like Microsoft that keeps making product after product, AKA, bomb after bomb. Man, some of you guys are making such knee-jerk reactions over Nintendo's current dismay.

I don't feel it's knee jerk at all. I've grown up on Nintendos products. The wiki argument isn't worth having. I just feel like they've lost touch. With me at least.

 

[0098386]

Nintendo confirms it will continue its current strategy of downward spiral.

So, in other words, Nintendo just don't get it. They're doomed.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in these articles, or a lot of desperate Apple fans wanting Nintendo IPs clamouring to any hope that they can live in a singular device future. The 3DS is doing fine, software sales are breaking records. Fastest selling handheld game: Pokemon XY released 3 months ago. On track to becoming the best selling handheld of all time. 1st or 2nd (depending on which stats you read) home console of all time in last few years.

The Wii U is currently a flop. Their handheld and software sales are doing great, as they have since the mid 80's. Stock has gone back to normal levels in the last few days, too. Business as usual.

Apple fans

----------

Mario is slowing dying.

The best selling Mario games are New Mario DS and New Mario Wii, only released on last generation hardware. So, in actual fact Mario is doing better than ever.

Mario Bros 3 (NES): 18 million units sold (selected because it wasn't bundled like Mario Bros 1 and is regarded as one of the best titles in the series)

Mario Land (Gameboy): 18 million
Super Mario World (SNES): 20 million

Mario Galaxy (Wii): 11 million
New Super Mario Bros (DS): 30 million
Mario Kart (Wii): 34 million (older Mario Kart games didn't break 15 million)

 

[Liquorpuki]

4 years later iOS gaming sucks

Main difference is Farmville has been replaced with Candy Crush. Bored housewives needed a new free game

Hey look Angry Birds is still here. Rovio just reskinned it for the hundredth time

Gameloft is still ripping off IP from other platforms and fooling people

iPhone users still complaining $5 is too expensive for a game. Meanwhile they got no problem paying $500 every year for hardware with a 50% profit margin

 

[Consultant]

It's not that I like to see Nintendo fail. It's just their refusal to test out the iOS market.

Nintendo is expected to lose $335 for the current fiscal year. Why not spend a few million, make an iOS app, and test the market?

P.S. Even Microsoft makes a few iOS games.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in these articles, or a lot of desperate Apple fans wanting Nintendo IPs clamouring to any hope that they can live in a singular device future. The 3DS is doing fine, software sales are breaking records. Fastest selling handheld game: Pokemon XY released 3 months ago. On track to becoming the best selling handheld of all time. 1st or 2nd (depending on which stats you read) home console of all time in last few years.

The Wii U is currently a flop. Their handheld and software sales are doing great, as they have since the mid 80's. Stock has gone back to normal levels in the last few days, too. Business as usual.

Apple fans

----------



The best selling Mario games are New Mario DS and New Mario Wii, only released on last generation hardware. So, in actual fact Mario is doing better than ever.

Mario Bros 3 (NES): 18 million units sold (selected because it wasn't bundled like Mario Bros 1 and is regarded as one of the best titles in the series)

Mario Land (Gameboy): 18 million
Super Mario World (SNES): 20 million

Mario Galaxy (Wii): 11 million
New Super Mario Bros (DS): 30 million
Mario Kart (Wii): 34 million (older Mario Kart games didn't break 15 million)

 

[fertilized-egg]

iPhone users still complaining $5 is too expensive for a game. Meanwhile they got no problem paying $500 every year for hardware with a 50% profit margin

Because consumers value hardware and cellular connectivity sufficiently enough that they are willing to sign an expensive contract every two years. Whereas many mobile games have become commodity.

It's Apple's intention and business model, make the Apple hardware valuable and commoditize the software. It's no different from Microsoft who once enjoyed 90% profit margin on their products while driving hardware OEMs to compete on a thin margin. Ditto for Amazon and Google who are trying to commoditize the hardware as much as possible.

The games on the upper tier targeting non casual gamers are not commoditized because their role to gamers is a bit different but Nintendo is in a precarious position because they have been catering to the casual market a lot in the past decade and that's where the disruption is happening.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Because consumers value hardware and cellular connectivity sufficiently enough that they are willing to sign an expensive contract every two years. Whereas many mobile games have become commodity.

It's Apple's intention and business model, make the Apple hardware valuable and commoditize the software. It's no different from Microsoft who once enjoyed 90% profit margin on their products while driving hardware OEMs to compete on a thin margin. Ditto for Amazon and Google who are trying to commoditize the hardware as much as possible.

The games on the upper tier targeting non casual gamers are not commoditized because their role to gamers is a bit different but Nintendo is in a precarious position because they have been catering to the casual market a lot in the past decade and that's where the disruption is happening.

Correct except a few things

Amazon and Google are trying to commoditize both hardware and software. Amazon's in the retail business, and Google's in the ad business. They both give out their software for free and have no problem taking a loss on hardware if they have to

People are putting casual gaming, social gaming, mobile gaming and Nintendo gaming in the same basket when the real distinction is budget gaming vs AAA gaming. Nintendo gets the rep of a casual gaming company because the Wii caused a casual market expansion but their IP almost always falls on that non-commoditized upper tier supported by $40-60 pricepoints.

 

[Rossatron]

Good.

Now make a console worth buying.

 

[theelysium]

Apple first needs to get their act together with controller support. Then we can talk about buying Nintendo.

They won't need to get their act together if they buy Nintendo... they have controllers!

If that happened Patent issues = done

 

[Renzatic]

They won't need to get their act together if they buy Nintendo... they have controllers!

If that happened Patent issues = done

First off, Apple can't just go out and buy a company off the shelf. Nintendo will have to want to sell before Apple can buy them. And considering they don't even want to make their games available for iOS and Android, I doubt they'll want another company owning them from the top down.

And secondly, no patent issues anymore. All the old Nintendo controller patents ran out last year sometime.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

I think Nintendo missing the point. Aside from the initial wave of purchases, I just don't see how a console or dedicated portable business model can compete with mobile.

1. Each family member typically has a phone, which means less disposable income left over for consoles/portables.
2. Convenience of downloadable games.
3. Once a game is conquered, everyone is looking for the next new game.
4. Console/portable machines are sold at cost in exchange for the revenue from developers and fees.
5. Console/portable games are significantly higher priced due to developer costs and fees.
6. More developers and titles for mobile.
7. Decreasing number of developers and titles for consoles/portables.
8. Given a choice between only a phone, console, or portable, the phone will win every time.

 

[Liquorpuki]

I think Nintendo missing the point. Aside from the initial wave of purchases, I just don't see how a console or dedicated portable business model can compete with mobile.

They compete on software quality

 

[elvisimprsntr]

They compete on software quality

That might matter to someone with the luxury of endless hours to sit in front of a console, honing their FPS anti-social skills, eventually acting it out when parents/society reject them.

Just saying.

 

[Liquorpuki]

That might matter to someone with the luxury of endless hours to sit in front of a console, honing their FPS anti-social skills, eventually acting it out when parents/society reject them.

Just saying.

I know... as opposed to sitting endless hours in front of a PC acting out on a message board

There are gamers everywhere nowadays, your stereotype is dead

 

[TWSS37]

I don't know- the company this site is devoted to does the same thing, and they're doing just fine.

(although, bringing iTunes to Windows was a big part of the reason they got to where they are today...)

Right, again, that was my point. So many people bashing Nintendo for not releasing their software on other hardware, yet that's EXACTLY Apple's method of doing business.

Could you imagine if Apple was losing market share and there was a rumor about Samsung developing hardware that could run iOS? I'm pretty sure this site would explode.

 

[Renzatic]

I know... as opposed to sitting endless hours in front of a PC acting out on a message board

Yeah, but the difference is I do that, but not that other thing. Therefore I can say the people who do that other thing are stupid.

 

[uknowimright]

Right, again, that was my point. So many people bashing Nintendo for not releasing their software on other hardware, yet that's EXACTLY Apple's method of doing business.

Could you imagine if Apple was losing market share and there was a rumor about Samsung developing hardware that could run iOS? I'm pretty sure this site would explode.

a bunch of hotlines would be blowing up

 

[danielowenuk]

Right, again, that was my point. So many people bashing Nintendo for not releasing their software on other hardware, yet that's EXACTLY Apple's method of doing business.

Could you imagine if Apple was losing market share and there was a rumor about Samsung developing hardware that could run iOS? I'm pretty sure this site would explode.

The difference is Apple is making a fortune from doing it with relevant hardware that people want to buy.

Nintendo are losing money.

Apple give their software away.

You could make a similar analogy about EA, imagine them deciding to release their own hardware and stop selling to Sony/MS.

 

[TWSS37]

The difference is Apple is making a fortune from doing it with relevant hardware that people want to buy.

Nintendo are losing money.

Apple give their software away.

You could make a similar analogy about EA, imagine them deciding to release their own hardware and stop selling to Sony/MS.

Apple gives their software to who? The end user? Sure, as long as you're using Apple hardware... In this scenario, Nintendo would be licensing their software to run on other platforms. Apple would never do such a thing, so why are we up in arms over Nintendo not doing the same thing? Like any of us non Nintendo shareholders care about their financial well being... We just want to play Zelda/Mario on our i Devices. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but let's call a spade a spade.

 

[danielowenuk]

Apple gives their software to who? The end user? Sure, as long as you're using Apple hardware... In this scenario, Nintendo would be licensing their software to run on other platforms. Apple would never do such a thing, so why are we up in arms over Nintendo not doing the same thing? Like any of us non Nintendo shareholders care about their financial well being... We just want to play Zelda/Mario on our i Devices. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but let's call a spade a spade.

I wouldn't say up in arms, but I would say people are surprised that when losing money hand over foot Nintendo are not trying other markets for sale of their products.

Obviously most of us here at macrumors, like you pointed out, have ulterior motives, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense.

 

[TWSS37]

I wouldn't say up in arms, but I would say people are surprised that when losing money hand over foot Nintendo are not trying other markets for sale of their products.

Obviously most of us here at macrumors, like you pointed out, have ulterior motives, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense.

I think for Nintendo, this would represent a no other choice scenario. Their IPs are their bread and butter and if you're going to license those out so that another company is going to be making money from them (and thus, potentially cutting into your own hardware sales) you better have no other options.

Other companies like Square Enix, IMO has done a great job porting their games to mobile platforms. But, they don't have anything to lose. The games are already multi-platform, porting takes almost no work, and the company is not on solid footing. But - their games also make sense on mobile due to the control system not needing to be as robust as even the first Super Mario Brothers.