Nintendo Faces Investor Pressure to Bring Games to iPhone

[unwinded]

But that's the REASON it happens. Because if you have more than one console as a lot of people do, you can only buy it on that console.

I think you misunderstood. Nintendo has annually been the number one software publisher in terms of combined sales for years, independent of platform. That means they outsold Activision or EA in combined sales of all platforms. That's not the reason they outsell them, they would sell even more if they were multi-platform.

Also, 3DS only recently broke the 3 million sales barrier, if it sold 8 million there wouldn't be a problem.

A number of you are failing to understand that iOS is a serious competitor, it has full-length quality games. There are good virtual joypads for traditional games and obviously new games don't have to use traditional controls. The meh sales of the 3DS are partly due to price, but iOS is most certainly a huge factor.

Nintendo has been successful for years mostly because of their handheld dominance. Trust me on this, I've been a fan for years. When they lose handheld dominance, they're in trouble. Yes the Wii and DS have made them extremely successful these past few years. Yes Mario Kart Wii continues to impressively tear up the charts. But the Wii began to plummet significantly this year and is now consistently outsold by PS3 and 360. Last year it was predicted to have crossed 100 million by now and likely isn't going to get there. The DS is on it's last legs and the 3DS has an uncertain future.

Have you seen the successor to the Wii? It's a 360/PS3-level device with a resistive touchscreen controller that has a 480p resolution. I'm highly skeptical and I love Nintendo. As far as I can remember, nobody calls upon Nintendo to go software-only every 5 years, this was only brought up during the gamecube era until the DS and Wii 'saved' them.

As for the .99 business model, nobody has to follow it. It isn't a standard. It's standard for a lot of crapps and sales and a few underpriced gems. I have several games that cost $5-$10 and a couple that cost $15 (FF3, FFT) which still isn't bad. People pay more on lunch. I know people who are too cheap to pay .99 and complain that everything isn't free. When the app store has more quality stuff at a higher price, attitudes will change.

 

[diamond.g]

Angry Birds ended up making 50 million euro in total? And that's one of the largest games out there on apple devices? That's pretty much pocket change to Nintendo.....making games for iOS would be suicide.



I remember the question being PSP or DS...we all know how that ended up

Angry Birds has over 300 Million Downloads according to BBC. So they had to make more than 50 million euro. If not, then how is anyone making a living selling games for so cheap?

 

[QuarterSwede]

When the app store has more quality stuff at a higher price, attitudes will change.

100% agree with this statement. It's already starting to happen too.

 

[[DL]]

Not sure I buy the need for Niintendo to stay in the hardware business.

Apple is the only company out there making money with hardware. And that seems to be because Apple makes the whole damn thing: hardware, software and services.

Nintendo should port classics to iOS and Android. A huge percentage of iOS owners have grown up with Nintendo. There is money on the table there.

Then, Nintendo should drop consoles and move into online hosted gaming as a subscription service. The Zelda and Mario fans would pay $9.99 per month to play exclusive titles.

Gaming consoles are over, as are dedicated portable gaming devices. The next generation of consoles will be in the cloud. The next gen portable is your phone.

When what Nintendo is already doing is working quite nicely, why bother with that?

 

[b_scott]

I think you misunderstood. Nintendo has annually been the number one software publisher in terms of combined sales for years, independent of platform. That means they outsold Activision or EA in combined sales of all platforms. That's not the reason they outsell them, they would sell even more if they were multi-platform.

I understand what you're saying, but maybe I misspoke in my reply.

People buy those Nintendo games more than all the third party ones put together because there are few and far between "good" games on Nintendo systems, and they're always first party so you can only get them there - in addition to feeding a game-starved population. You'll buy that Zelda game over a Call of Duty game because that's the one game you'll buy on the Nintendo that quarter or half year even sometimes. Call of Duty, there will be another one out in 11 months that'll be slightly better.


edit: oh, and the 3DS hit 3.6 million in April. It didn't just hit 3 million recently. It's probably around 8 million worldwide.

 

[diamond.g]

100% agree with this statement. It's already starting to happen too.

I seem to recall a few of us wanting Apple to make a premium section where all the high quality stuff goes. A place that it can stand out.

 

[Nitromaster]

Angry Birds has over 300 Million Downloads according to BBC. So they had to make more than 50 million euro. If not, then how is anyone making a living selling games for so cheap?

Going by the figures someone mentioned in this thread. There's free versions, no? And may include copies for Google Chrome, etc.
http://www.businessinsider.com/rovio-angry-birds-accel-2011-3 states "Rovio revenue is thought to be $50-70 million from app sales and licensing," so that 50 million figure seems around right...
http://www.arcticstartup.com/2011/04/13/rovio-revenue-14me-in-q12011
Says 120 million downloads.

 

[b_scott]

Going by the figures someone mentioned in this thread. There's free versions, no? And may include copies for Google Chrome, etc.
http://www.businessinsider.com/rovio-angry-birds-accel-2011-3 states "Rovio revenue is thought to be $50-70 million from app sales and licensing," so that 50 million figure seems around right...
http://www.arcticstartup.com/2011/04/13/rovio-revenue-14me-in-q12011
Says 120 million downloads.

because AB is free on Android and free on a lot of other things too.

 

[TheUndertow]

It's always interesting to read video game related news on Macrumors, because of the opinions of people who are quite frankly not familiar at all with the video game industry. Their comments use generic logic that really don't relate to certain things, and come off as people who are ignorant about the whole video game world. That's why it's good to not really care about the opinions of others, no matter what the subject is, since even though it's hard to realize on the surface, any random subject probably require a deeper level of understanding.

Just remember you're talking about Video Games and not World Peace.

Video Games are a business (big business at that).

I'm willing to bet folks that are fanatics or in the Industry might be familiar with the Video Game industry but still not have the slightest clue on how business works.

All your Video Game Industry insight could buckle under the cold hard facts of business motivators and Stock Controller Directives.

Who would have guessed that Apple would have knocked the Video Game heavy weights out of the handheld game without even trying?

Who would have guessed Microsoft would get into the game and compete prior to the first Xbox?

...Or Sega and Atari moving out of the hardware business to focus on software....

The World is a dynamic place...paradigms and all of your preconceived notions can change in a hurry.

 

[diamond.g]

Going by the figures someone mentioned in this thread. There's free versions, no? And may include copies for Google Chrome, etc.
http://www.businessinsider.com/rovio-angry-birds-accel-2011-3 states "Rovio revenue is thought to be $50-70 million from app sales and licensing," so that 50 million figure seems around right...
http://www.arcticstartup.com/2011/04/13/rovio-revenue-14me-in-q12011
Says 120 million downloads.

because AB is free on Android and free on a lot of other things too.

I thought the free versions were ad supported?

BBC Article is more recent.

 

[Stowaway]

I will NEVER buy a DS, but I would....

It's nothing personal against Nintendo, but as much as I'd love to play a good Mario game - as a 30+ professional I will NEVER (ever ever) buy a Nintendo DS. I wouldn't even entertain the thought of it.

I would however fork over a lot of $$$ for a bluetooth Nintendo controller-case and Nintendo games ported to iOS. They have a strong brand and I'd easily pay 2-4x as much as a typical iOS game for a Nintendo game. I know I'm not in a minority. Do we need any further discussion?

Nintendo needs to choose their battles, and hardware should not be one of them.

 

[b_scott]

It's nothing personal against Nintendo, but as much as I'd love to play a good Mario game - as a 30+ professional I will NEVER (ever ever) buy a Nintendo DS. I wouldn't even entertain the thought of it.

I would however fork over a lot of $$$ for a bluetooth Nintendo controller-case and Nintendo games ported to iOS. They have a strong brand and I'd easily pay 2-4x as much as a typical iOS game for a Nintendo game. I know I'm not in a minority. Do we need any further discussion?

Nintendo needs to choose their battles, and hardware should not be one of them.

why are these two so mutually exclusive for you? Same thing, different wrapper.

I'm a 30 year old professional as well. I do live in the city of Chicago and take public transportation though, so maybe that's a factor.

 

[unwinded]

I find it interesting that no one is calling for Microsoft or Sony games to be brought to iOS.

I wonder if this is the same feeling Apple had when investors wanted them to open up their OS to other hardware makers. (We all know how that ended...)

Their first party games don't have the universal appeal that Nintendo games have. They're also often the work of second parties who might jump ship later on. Gears is made by Epic, Halo is made by Bungie who is no longer a MS first party (although they retain the IP). Uncharted, Killzone, Resistence, Little Big Planet, Gears, Halo, these games have fanbases but are lacking the universal appeal of Nintendo franchises like Mario and Mario Kart, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Pokemon, Starfox, Donkey Kong, etc.

Sony will most likely support iOS at some point. There is going to be a playstation app for Android that supports PS1 games and they already said that iOS is not out of the question. It's just PS1 games, but I think it's a trojan horse backup plan in case Vita fails. Vita is based on smart phone hardware. If it fails, the brand could live on through smart phones. Vita has impressive specs, but it will quickly be surpassed by the latest phones even with an OS overhead. The price is nice for the hardware, I just don't see it being successful. It's a PSP+ and the PSP hardware sold okay but the software did not (New Super Mario Bros. on DS has outsold the combined top 10 best selling PSP games including the Monster Hunters)

 

[diamond.g]

why are these two so mutually exclusive for you? Same thing, different wrapper.

In this case the end user has already purchased their platform of choice, now they are trying to get the game maker to make games for them.

No matter what a few folks say, Nintendo doesn't, currently, feel like there is enough of a paying market for their games on iOS.

 

[NAG]

Sorry, not a kid.

And there is nothing even remotely funny about a once great company that has done zero to keep itself relevant over more than half a decade, and has a leader that has sworn not to improve the company using the only realistic tactic they still possess. This reality dawning is difficult, I get it, but 5 years have passed during which Nintendo has done nothing to improve its situation, meanwhile a competitor is single handedly making them irrelevant.

Nothing funny about it at all.

It was your post that was funny. I guess it is now your lack of reading comprehension. How about this, when you do something more than spew vitriol I'll get back to you. Deal?

 

[the8thark]

So many people here are using this topic to winge that some random Sony or MS product is better then what Nintendo can do. That is so off topic it's not funny. And Wii sales vs Xbox360 and PS3 sales just proves the Wii was better. But as I said off topic.

So back on topic.
The big issue here is people only want one device them them on their journeys. And cause they have to have the phone. There's no scope for carrying a DS around. The quality of the DS is not killing it. I think it's amazing. It's the fact that people don't want to carry around a 2nd piece of portable hardware. People want one device that does it all.

This affects every portable gaming device on the planet. And the Nintendo stock holders are realising it. And are tying to get Nintendo to do something about it. Which will be hard. Cause Nintendo in a way is like Apple. It's games are only available on it's hardware. Having Nintendo make games for another system will be a first for Nintendo. It'd be like Apple all of a sudden releasing the new iWork for Windows.

And it's this mindset that needs to be overcome too. Nintendo know the threat the iDevices are having to their NDS. (And to every other portable gaming system too but we're only talking about Nintendo here). Nintendo rely on people buying the hardware for Nintendo only games. Just as Apple rely on hardware sales for the OS X only apps.

So it'll be interesting to see how Nintendo tackles this issue.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Not sure I buy the need for Niintendo to stay in the hardware business.

Apple is the only company out there making money with hardware. And that seems to be because Apple makes the whole damn thing: hardware, software and services.

Apple barely does any SW beyond the OS. Notice how out of all this talk about iOS as a gaming device, not one game has been developed by Apple in-house. Contrast this with Nintendo, which has been producing games in-house for years.

Nintendo should port classics to iOS and Android. A huge percentage of iOS owners have grown up with Nintendo. There is money on the table there.

That would cannibalize existing sales from their virtual store, all of which have a higher price point. That's on top of giving Apple a 30% cut.

Then, Nintendo should drop consoles and move into online hosted gaming as a subscription service. The Zelda and Mario fans would pay $9.99 per month to play exclusive titles.

As opposed to $40-50 per game? Good way to kill a profit.

Gaming consoles are over, as are dedicated portable gaming devices. The next generation of consoles will be in the cloud. The next gen portable is your phone.

No they're not.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I seem to recall a few of us wanting Apple to make a premium section where all the high quality stuff goes. A place that it can stand out.

That would be hugely helpful for times when I want to find a lengthy quality game.

 

[b_scott]

In this case the end user has already purchased their platform of choice, now they are trying to get the game maker to make games for them.

No matter what a few folks say, Nintendo doesn't, currently, feel like there is enough of a paying market for their games on iOS.

maybe, but an iPhone is a phone first. You are paying minimum $80 a month not to just play games. The fact that I can also play on it in addition to doing everything else, is a bonus not a focus. I don't consider my phone a gaming platform - I consider if a smartphone which can also play basic games.

Until there are physical buttons, it'll never be a "gaming platform" IMO.

 

[*LTD*]

Sorry, not a kid.

And there is nothing even remotely funny about a once great company that has done zero to keep itself relevant over more than half a decade, and has a leader that has sworn not to improve the company using the only realistic tactic they still possess. This reality dawning is difficult, I get it, but 5 years have passed during which Nintendo has done nothing to improve its situation, meanwhile a competitor is single handedly making them irrelevant.

Nothing funny about it at all.

This is exactly what's going on. It's as if we're seeing the Japanese version of RIM.

 

[Astro7x]

Not sure I buy the need for Niintendo to stay in the hardware business.

Apple is the only company out there making money with hardware. And that seems to be because Apple makes the whole damn thing: hardware, software and services.

Nintendo should port classics to iOS and Android. A huge percentage of iOS owners have grown up with Nintendo. There is money on the table there.

Then, Nintendo should drop consoles and move into online hosted gaming as a subscription service. The Zelda and Mario fans would pay $9.99 per month to play exclusive titles.

Gaming consoles are over, as are dedicated portable gaming devices. The next generation of consoles will be in the cloud. The next gen portable is your phone.

Hahahaha....... are you serious? Apple the only ones making money on hardware?

 

[NAG]

This is exactly what's going on. It's as if we're seeing the Japanese version of RIM.

More like Nokia than RIM (RIM decided to race for the bottom to float their numbers while Nokia was arrogant and ignored software) but that is kind of splitting hairs. Nintendo still has time to turn it around (their arrogance makes it look unlikely as they spurn "garage" developers and they continue to flounder online).

 

[Jovian9]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

If they start porting their games they will be expected to continue it until more and more of their titles end up that way. This will hurt them creating hardware.

People like to throw out the adjectives "kiddie", "adult", "casual", and "hardcore" when talking about games and systems. But when it comes down to it "real" gamers should want Nintendo to stick to their gameplan. Because without them all we have is an Xbox and a PS3, and those are basically the same thing.

 

[TheUndertow]

why are these two so mutually exclusive for you? Same thing, different wrapper.

I'm a 30 year old professional as well. I do live in the city of Chicago and take public transportation though, so maybe that's a factor.

At least for me (31 and a Professional) I want a device that does more than game.

Nintendo seems to have marketed themselves to the younger demographic for so long, they forgot the Nintendo generation would grow up and demand more, not less.

To me, Nintendo has taken a less is more approach for too long and the functionality of their hardware is just not as polished and mature (like online play or infrastructure for example) as companies willing to innovate and/or cater to a more demanding "connected" older demographic.

Given that I can only game on a DS, yet do sooo much more on an iPad (in addition to quality gaming) it's almost like we're comparing a toy (DS) with a functional/creative device that is also good or better at gaming.

Also there's a reason why Nintendo's handhelds and consoles are less expensive...it costs less to buy less powerful (already outdated) components...

Nintendo needs to reinvent itself like all good companies, or wither and die on the vine.

 

[wovel]

Ah, investors. The brains of any business operation.

The company just posted their first loss since they started reporting earnings in 2003. The stock price is in the toilet. The board will replace the President if something does not change. If they do not, one of two things will happen:

-These stupid investors will organize and throw out the board

Or

-The company will be purchased for a fraction it's value and throw out the board.

Despite what people here seem to think, Nintendo is in trouble. They have underperformed in each of the past 4 quarters and are now losing money. Management has no answers. They continue to blame the Yen, and now also blame the lack of platform specific titles for the 3DS.

Nintendo management is out of touch with the game world in 2011, particularly in portables. People keep pointing at past numbers. Look at today's number, the company is rolling down hill, slowly right now. If something doesn't change it will avalanche.

Their Pokemon spin off is already looking to iOS: http://www.maclife.com/article/news/pokemon_iphone_app_confirmed_japan . This is what is driving the investor sentiment.

Investors have very little influence when a company is making money. Their power grows enormously with every Yen lost.

Nintendo is a Technology Company. When the President makes statements that sound like a Luddite, then the company loses money, he will quickly run out of rope.