Nintendo's Mobile Push to Focus on Marketing Demos, Not Full Games

[RighteousNixon]

Thank goodness.

I was worried Nintendo was about to announce that my Wii U was suddenly worth even less than I thought it was. What Nintendo really needs to do is they need to RELEASE SOME FREAKING GAMES. Over the years it seems like they've spun off an increasing number of their core franchises to outside developers. That needs to stop. Immediately. They're ruining great franchises. Hyrule Heros needs to get thrown in a waste bin right now, and one of the EAD teams (Nintendo's internal development teams) needs to work on a solid new Zelda. Get another team on a new Star Fox. Get another team on a new Metroid. Or FZero. Or Mario. Also, freaking release that Yoshi game.

Maybe what Nintendo really needs is some new internal developer tools or something. IDK, they just develop games so freaking slowly right now. I realize that making games fun is actually a surprisingly hard part of making games, but it's not very time consuming (it's more brainpower consuming. You need to think up concepts that mix together to make for a fun and intuitive experience.) It seems to me they're spending too much time making assets for their games. IDK what's going on on the inside, but that's what I see from the outside.

Lack of games is without question one of the biggest problems for the Wii U right now. Unfortunately, with its lack of 3rd party support, its a problem that might be unfixable. I don't care how great Nintendo's first party titles are, no console can be highly successful in the modern gaming market without decent 3rd party support. Its just not possible given the fact that 90-95% of all major releases these days are 3rd party multi-platform releases. Without quality 3rd party support, there just aren't enough games being released on the Wii U and that can't be fixed by Nintendo's first party titles. Nintendo just can't release games at a fast enough rate to be able to fill that gap.

So really what Nintendo should be doing, if they really want to see the Wii U turn things around, is dropping the price of the console down to an impulse buying level (100-125 bucks) and doing everything in their power to bring more 3rd party support to the platform. Without that 3rd party support, the Wii U is destined for a distant 3rd place. Even the latest Mario release wasn't enough to spur a significant increase in Wii U sales. Most people just have no interest in buying this console and lack of games is definitely one of the major problems, one that doesn't have an easy fix.

Another big issue is the fact that its basically a 7th gen console in regards to power. With people moving to the Xbox One and PS4...well, a lot of these people have no interest in buying hardware that is already dated by PS4 and Xbox One standards. This is something that will haunt the Wii U for its entire lifespan as its competing against 2 consoles that are significantly more powerful. This also makes the whole 3rd party issue a lot worse for Nintendo as porting game from the Xbox One/PS4 to the Wii U is going to take a lot of work given the much weaker specs of the Wii U, making such ports that much more unlikely. Not making the Wii U a lot more powerful was a HUGE mistake. It was just a terrible decision all the way around. This is one problem that is only going to get worse and worse for Nintendo over the entirety of this generation. The more advanced PS4 and Xbox One titles get, the worse Wii U titles look. There is no solution to this problem given the huge difference in hardware specs.

Personally, I think the best thing Nintendo can do at this point, assuming they want to stay in the console market, is just kill the Wii U altogether and bring to market, as fast as humanely possible, a true next gen system, one that has an architecture similar to the PS4 or Xbox One. That will ensure easy ports for 3rd party developers. Best to pull the plug now while adoption numbers are still small. The longer they wait, the more people are going to get screwed. The fact that a new Mario game wasn't even able to increase hardware sales is the nail in the coffin in my opinion. It shows that Nintendo first party titles are not the problem, nor the solution. You combine that with the other things I have mentioned (lack of 3rd party support, Wii U being a much weaker consoles power wise, etc) and I honestly don't see any way for Nintendo to turn things around for this console. Again, best to pull the plug as early as possible and move forward from there. Hanging on to failing hardware is only going to drag this out and cost Nintendo even more money in the long run.

 

[cmChimera]

Lack of games is without question one of the biggest problems for the Wii U right now. Unfortunately, with its lack of 3rd party support, its a problem that might be unfixable. I don't care how great Nintendo's first party titles are, no console can be highly successful in the modern gaming market without decent 3rd party support. Its just not possible given the fact that 90-95% of all major releases these days are 3rd party multi-platform releases. Without quality 3rd party support, there just aren't enough games being released on the Wii U and that can't be fixed by Nintendo's first party titles. Nintendo just can't release games at a fast enough rate to be able to fill that gap.

So really what Nintendo should be doing, if they really want to see the Wii U turn things around, is dropping the price of the console down to an impulse buying level (100-125 bucks) and doing everything in their power to bring more 3rd party support to the platform. Without that 3rd party support, the Wii U is destined for a distant 3rd place. Even the latest Mario release wasn't enough to spur a significant increase in Wii U sales. Most people just have no interest in buying this console and lack of games is definitely one of the major problems, one that doesn't have an easy fix.

Another big issue is the fact that its basically a 7th gen console in regards to power. With people moving to the Xbox One and PS4...well, a lot of these people have no interest in buying hardware that is already dated by PS4 and Xbox One standards. This is something that will haunt the Wii U for its entire lifespan as its competing against 2 consoles that are significantly more powerful. This also makes the whole 3rd party issue a lot worse for Nintendo as porting game from the Xbox One/PS4 to the Wii U is going to take a lot of work given the much weaker specs of the Wii U, making such ports that much more unlikely. Not making the Wii U a lot more powerful was a HUGE mistake. It was just a terrible decision all the way around. This is one problem that is only going to get worse and worse for Nintendo over the entirety of this generation. The more advanced PS4 and Xbox One titles get, the worse Wii U titles look. There is no solution to this problem given the huge difference in hardware specs.

Personally, I think the best thing Nintendo can do at this point, assuming they want to stay in the console market, is just kill the Wii U altogether and bring to market, as fast as humanely possible, a true next gen system, one that has an architecture similar to the PS4 or Xbox One. That will ensure easy ports for 3rd party developers. Best to pull the plug now while adoption numbers are still small. The longer they wait, the more people are going to get screwed. The fact that a new Mario game wasn't even able to increase hardware sales is the nail in the coffin in my opinion. It shows that Nintendo first party titles are not the problem, nor the solution. You combine that with the other things I have mentioned (lack of 3rd party support, Wii U being a much weaker consoles power wise, etc) and I honestly don't see any way for Nintendo to turn things around for this console. Again, best to pull the plug as early as possible and move forward from there. Hanging on to failing hardware is only going to drag this out and cost Nintendo even more money in the long run.

I'm just curious, but what would you propose do with the people that invested in the Wii U? For the 3DS, they had an ambassador program for those that bought the console before its large price drop. Would you suggest they do something similar for people that bought a Wii U if they released a new system? Also, what about the entire 2014 (and likely some 2015) lineup? Like Smash Bros is a huge title for Nintendo, and it comes out this year. If it had to change architectures I could only imagine that would result in a huge delay.

Just curious, as I've wondered if they should stay the course and just pump as many games as they can into the Wii U, and try to make it as successful as possible, or bring something new, fast.

 

[RighteousNixon]

Or reach a favorable deal with Sony. Refuse to pay licenses, but let Nintendo games run on PS4 exclusively, as a system seller advantage over XB1. Turn the Wii U into a mere 2nd-screen controller for the PS4. Close the rest of your hardware business. Insist on the right to market your own hardware software bundles. Speak of the Nintendo PlayStation as if it was your idea.

No, the smartest thing Nintendo could do, if it was going to go this route, would be to become a 3rd party developer and develop games for both the PS4 and Xbox One. There is no way Sony could pay them a figure greater to what Nintendo would make selling games on the Xbox One, not even close. Nintendo could easily sell 3-5 million copies of their big title games on each console. Thats a significant chunk of change.

People have been talking about this for over 10 years now and it is definitely a legitimate option for Nintendo. That said, I personally think Nintendo has too much pride to start making games for other systems. I think they will stay in the console business for as long as the console market exists.

 

[Liquorpuki]

I don't think my iPhone 5s can outperform my 3DS when it comes to gaming just yet. I have not seen anything that compares graphically, and I certainly haven't seen anything that rivals physical controls.

I should also note that the iPhone does not have 3d, making games like a Link Between Worlds a downgraded experience on a smartphone (Not that I even think the game could run at the 60fps it does on an iPhone).

On pure specs, the 5S is superior to the 3DS and is comparable to the Vita. Doesn't really matter though because iOS games suck in comparison and are enforced by a business model that pretty much ensures the games will continue to suck, people not considering the software side of things are really missing a big piece of the puzzle

The XCOM: Enemy Unknown first came out at the end of 2012 for the consoles and Windows/OSX. That doesn't sound too old to me.

Speaking ports does NDS or 3DS have any ports as mature and serious as the XCOM?

The thing about XCOM is it was subsidized by console and PC sales. Same with every other iOS port. XCOM is the outlier here, not the standard. You take away consoles, XCOM doesn't get made

And you pretty much buy Nintendo for the first party IP because they've always been lousy at 3rd party support. Regardless their first party IP is almost always fun because the one thing they know how to do is make a good game. Waiting 12 hours to harvest virtual carrots on a phone is not fun

unless you're a bored housewife

 

[RighteousNixon]

I'm just curious, but what would you propose do with the people that invested in the Wii U? For the 3DS, they had an ambassador program for those that bought the console before its large price drop. Would you suggest they do something similar for people that bought a Wii U if they released a new system? Also, what about the entire 2014 (and likely some 2015) lineup? Like Smash Bros is a huge title for Nintendo, and it comes out this year. If it had to change architectures I could only imagine that would result in a huge delay.

Just curious, as I've wondered if they should stay the course and just pump as many games as they can into the Wii U, and try to make it as successful as possible, or bring something new, fast.

There are a lot of different routes Nintendo could go in regards to compensation for people that already purchased a Wii U. Most of the people that have purchased a Wii U thus far are big Nintendo fans so the chances that these people would ever walk away from Nintendo consoles altogether are extremely small, regardless of what happens from here on out. Given that fact, I would offer them a significant discount on the replacement console and in the meantime, ship them some free Wii U games, which would only wind up in a landfill somewhere.

As for the 2014 and 2015 line up, those games would move to the next gen system and would most likely need extended development time. At least in that situation there would be a light at the end of the tunnel. Right now, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for the Wii U. Its prospects are just so limited.

Nintendo fans are pretty hardcore, I think a lot of them would understand that Nintendo had to do something and the premise of a true next gen Nintendo console would be exciting to a lot of them. A lot of people would no doubt be upset, but in the long run I think most of them would come to understand that Nintendo did what was best for Nintendo.

 

[furam90]

Holy ****, how stupid are the people at Nintendo? All they need to do is make a ****ing pokemon gameapp for iPhone and they'd be sitting on a goldmine, but no, they come up with some half baked idea that doesn't make any sense to anyone in the real world.

 

[RighteousNixon]

And you pretty much buy Nintendo for the first party IP because they've always been lousy at 3rd party support. Regardless their first party IP is almost always fun because the one thing they know how to do is make a good game. Waiting 12 hours to harvest virtual carrots on a phone is not fun

unless you're a bored housewife

The biggest difference between this generation and past generations is the sheer number of 3rd party titles being released now. 90-95% of all big title releases now are 3rd party multi-platform releases. That wasn't the case in generations past. Yes, people buy Nintendo consoles mainly for the first party titles, but that just isn't enough anymore. There has to be some supplementation of those titles as they just don't get released often enough. As I stated before, the fact that even a new Mario game was unable to increase Wii U hardware sales speaks worlds about the 1st party situation. Its just not enough anymore. A console simply can't succeed in this market anymore without decent 3rd party support and the Wii U is a perfect example of this fact.

 

[Liquorpuki]

I'm just curious, but what would you propose do with the people that invested in the Wii U? For the 3DS, they had an ambassador program for those that bought the console before its large price drop. Would you suggest they do something similar for people that bought a Wii U if they released a new system? Also, what about the entire 2014 (and likely some 2015) lineup? Like Smash Bros is a huge title for Nintendo, and it comes out this year. If it had to change architectures I could only imagine that would result in a huge delay.

Just curious, as I've wondered if they should stay the course and just pump as many games as they can into the Wii U, and try to make it as successful as possible, or bring something new, fast.

I think they're fine. Their hardware has always been a generation behind. The Wii couldn't even do 720p. The 3DS is noticeably underpowered. But it's always been about the games which is the one thing they know to do.

And yeah I think they should stay the course and do what they did with the 3DS. Price drop it, get more first party games to drive sales. Their biggest mistake IMO was timing the Super Mario 3D World release with the XB1 and PS4 launches. That was easily one of the best games of the year but it was overlooked because of the timing. If you looked at their financials, you could tell Iwata was counting on 3D World to sell maybe around 8-9 mil and drive Wii U sales. Instead everyone was busy playing their XB1 and PS4 launch games.

 

[a0me]

Talk about missing the point. Its not that People are unaware of the Wii, but they've moved on. they would be better served to give consumers a next gen console like Sony and MS or put their games on iOS and Android. Doing demos to get people to buy them on their old consoles Wii and their failure of a handheld is only going to crash and burn

The Wii U is a failure but the 3DS is nothing but that:

The 3DS seems on its way to meet a success similar to its predecessor, which was the best selling handheld game system ever. The real question is where Nintendo goes AFTER the 3DS?

 

[Liquorpuki]

The biggest difference between this generation and past generations is the sheer number of 3rd party titles being released now. 90-95% of all big title releases now are 3rd party multi-platform releases. That wasn't the case in generations past. Yes, people buy Nintendo consoles mainly for the first party titles, but that just isn't enough anymore. There has to be some supplementation of those titles as they just don't get released often enough. As I stated before, the fact that even a new Mario game was unable to increase Wii U hardware sales speaks worlds about the 1st party situation. Its just not enough anymore. A console simply can't succeed in this market anymore without decent 3rd party support and the Wii U is a perfect example of this fact.

That's true and they lost 3rd party support this past year because Wii U living room penetration was poor. But the 3rd party support will come if they can get that box into more living rooms. Their IP is still strong enough to drive it IMO. That Mario game was more of a timing issue than anything else.

 

[RighteousNixon]

The Wii U is a failure but the 3DS is nothing but that:

Image

The 3DS seems on its way to meet a success similar to its predecessor, which was the best selling handheld game system ever. The real question is where Nintendo goes AFTER the 3DS?

Absolutely, Nintendo's handheld division is highly successful and will remain so for the foreseeable future. That isn't the problem. Its the Wii U that is pulling Nintendo down.

 

[Solomani]

haha, wow. Yeah, that's going to stop the bleeding.
Nintendo are going to slowly, slowly circle the drain like BlackBerry.

Atari is sitting in the graveyard now, and Atari needs (Nintendo's) company in the afterlife.

(Atari as an independent company is dead. It's shell is still around as a division of Hasbro)

Have you played Atari today?

 

[wikiverse]

People are assuming that iOS/android would provide higher profit than hardware AND software sales combined.

Not to mention that intending would be entirely reliant on phone manufacturers for hardware and software compatibility and they could never innovate with hardware again like they did with the wii controller, or 3d tech.

Plus Nintendo would lose control of the game experience. How it is played, controller functions, 3D tech... A game would constantly be interrupted by txt messages, Or FB notifications.

Putting games on iOS is the worst thing Nintendo can do. I hope they never do it.

 

[Carl Sagan]

Is anyone here actually a gamer? There is something to be said about playing games on a console vs. a computer or an iOS device. There is no chance that you could develop amazing titles like Mario or Zelda for an iOS device without them being severely diminished versions of their console counterparts.



And by the way why are we not saying this to Sony and Microsoft? It is clear that there is a huge market for console gaming.

Yes. I've owned every games console ever made/ released. And been a major PC gamer as part of a clan. And played board, card and RPGames for over 20 years.

Nintendo are utterly ruined unless they get with the new age.

 

[bumblebritches5]

Talk about missing the point. Its not that People are unaware of the Wii, but they've moved on. they would be better served to give consumers a next gen console like Sony and MS or put their games on iOS and Android. Doing demos to get people to buy them on their old consoles Wii and their failure of a handheld is only going to crash and burn

...The Wii U came out in 2012...

 

[bumblebritches5]

As much as I'd love to see yet another source of quality iOS games, John Siracusa (atp.fm) makes a pretty convincing case that Nintendo should, for the foreseeable future, stick to their Apple-like integrated hardware/software model that they are (often) very good at. Ditching hardware and making games for other platforms sounds like the kind of armchair craziness that told Apple they should get out of the hardware business! Maybe Nintendo becomes more and more of a niche, but I'd rather see a unique and profitable niche than yet-another-mobile-publisher.

Disclaimer: I have never owned a Nintendo product. But I might, and meanwhile I root for them!

Wait, how does one go their whole life without owning a Nintendo product?!

 

[Gudi]

There is no way Sony could pay them a figure greater to what Nintendo would make selling games on the Xbox One, not even close.

I'm not suggesting Sony paying Nintendo anything. For what again? Sony isn't in trouble and needs nothing from Nintendo. I want all Japanese console makers to form a keiretsu and agree on one single hardware platform, for the good of the nation. Let the self-identifying real gamers pay them all, including Sega, Konami and Namco.

At one point even Apple itself offered three competing platforms. The Macintosh, Lisa and Apple II were all incompatible with each other and no enemy for upcoming IBM-compatible PCs. If „Dirty Console Gaming Peasants“ want to give the „Glorious PC Gaming Master Race“ a fight, they need to join forces under one flag, excluding Microsoft.

 

[Rossatron]

so in essence, an app that will feature video ads for their games. kinda silly, isn't it? why would you install such an app, when all the info is already available via safari?

besides, if they make a demo of mario, with - say - one world, what's stopping them from putting all the worlds in the app? they are about to open a gate that they will never be able to close. releasing demos for smartphones is just a step away from losing their hardware aspect.

anyway, i don't know if a demo will drive people to buy "the real deal".

 

[elvisimprsntr]

Idiots. Do these Executives even talk to their kids? How do they not know how completely futile this is? Just use the awesome hardware that already exists, and put your software on it.

Kinda like releasing BBM for iOS/Android to stop the bleeding. Anyone else sense desperation here?

 

[Dontazemebro]

The real problem is that Nintendo can't compete with Microsoft and Sony. Forget the Mobile market. Your bread n butter is with hardware and in today's world, when a kid looks at next Gen consoles, he's not telling his mom "those graphics on wii U look awesome".

Come out with a console comparable to the One and PS4, grow your franchise characters in the process and get more exclusive titles and it's a win for Nintendo. I grew up on Nintendo but back then they competed on the same level with Sega, Saturn and Amiga.

I would kill for a state of the art Legend of Zelda.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Lack of games is without question one of the biggest problems for the Wii U right now. Unfortunately, with its lack of 3rd party support, its a problem that might be unfixable. I don't care how great Nintendo's first party titles are, no console can be highly successful in the modern gaming market without decent 3rd party support. Its just not possible given the fact that 90-95% of all major releases these days are 3rd party multi-platform releases. Without quality 3rd party support, there just aren't enough games being released on the Wii U and that can't be fixed by Nintendo's first party titles. Nintendo just can't release games at a fast enough rate to be able to fill that gap.

So really what Nintendo should be doing, if they really want to see the Wii U turn things around, is dropping the price of the console down to an impulse buying level (100-125 bucks) and doing everything in their power to bring more 3rd party support to the platform. Without that 3rd party support, the Wii U is destined for a distant 3rd place. Even the latest Mario release wasn't enough to spur a significant increase in Wii U sales. Most people just have no interest in buying this console and lack of games is definitely one of the major problems, one that doesn't have an easy fix.

Another big issue is the fact that its basically a 7th gen console in regards to power. With people moving to the Xbox One and PS4...well, a lot of these people have no interest in buying hardware that is already dated by PS4 and Xbox One standards. This is something that will haunt the Wii U for its entire lifespan as its competing against 2 consoles that are significantly more powerful. This also makes the whole 3rd party issue a lot worse for Nintendo as porting game from the Xbox One/PS4 to the Wii U is going to take a lot of work given the much weaker specs of the Wii U, making such ports that much more unlikely. Not making the Wii U a lot more powerful was a HUGE mistake. It was just a terrible decision all the way around. This is one problem that is only going to get worse and worse for Nintendo over the entirety of this generation. The more advanced PS4 and Xbox One titles get, the worse Wii U titles look. There is no solution to this problem given the huge difference in hardware specs.

Personally, I think the best thing Nintendo can do at this point, assuming they want to stay in the console market, is just kill the Wii U altogether and bring to market, as fast as humanely possible, a true next gen system, one that has an architecture similar to the PS4 or Xbox One. That will ensure easy ports for 3rd party developers. Best to pull the plug now while adoption numbers are still small. The longer they wait, the more people are going to get screwed. The fact that a new Mario game wasn't even able to increase hardware sales is the nail in the coffin in my opinion. It shows that Nintendo first party titles are not the problem, nor the solution. You combine that with the other things I have mentioned (lack of 3rd party support, Wii U being a much weaker consoles power wise, etc) and I honestly don't see any way for Nintendo to turn things around for this console. Again, best to pull the plug as early as possible and move forward from there. Hanging on to failing hardware is only going to drag this out and cost Nintendo even more money in the long run.

I disagree. Nobody has ever bought a Nintendo console because it has 3rd party games on it (well, except maybe for Rare's games on the N64, but Rare as they were known is dead. The entire team left and they built the studio up with lousy people that have made crap so far.) During the N64 era, Nintendo's internal teams were able to release 4 solid games a year. Apart from Rare, those 4 games a year are what sold the console. It was games like Mario 64, Zelda OoT, Zelda MM, Kirby, Yoshi, Pokemon, Star Fox, F-Zero, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros.

The Wii U has Pikmin 3. And Rayman Legends. Maybe the ubisoft team behind Legends/Origins could expand to become a new Rare for Nintendo. Nintendo should just buy that team and bring them in before someone else buys them. Nintendo can definitely survive on first party titles alone, they just need to actually release them. Once every 3 months instead of once every 9 months and they'll be good. Obviously they'll need to stop making crap that tarnishes their brands (like Mario Bros and Hyrule Heros. I tried Wonderful 101 at a demo kiosk. Garbage.)

 

[iMacFarlane]

Why oh why don't they just give up on wonky hardware and focus on their core franchises? They have some of the most recognized and widely loved characters and franchises in the industry, but they shackle them to silly underpowered gimmicky wiggle-shaky-thingies. I think Nintendo would show bigger profits at the end of the year if they dropped hardware R&D, and focused on the improvement of their franchises, ported to XBox, PS3/4, and PC/Mac/Linux/Steam.

Wouldn't you buy the entire Metroid Prime trilogy for your XBox 360?
How about all the old Zelda games for your Playstation X?
Super Mario Galaxy on your PC? With a mouse?! Sign me up!

Screw mobile. Haven't we all tried to play a platformer or an FPS on our phones? Did you really like it? Did you really like pressing your finger on glass, sliding your finger on glass, in front of your screen, blocking your view, and only when you removed your finger, seeing that you had died? Again!

Console. PC. $$$. Wake up, Nintendo.

----------

I would kill for a state of the art Legend of Zelda.

I highly recommend either of the Darksiders games. I still hold Twilight Princess as one of my most memorable and enjoyable gaming experiences, and the Darksiders games echoed the gameplay mechanics of Zelda almost unapologetically.

 

[Gudi]

I disagree. Nobody has ever bought a Nintendo console because it has 3rd party games on it. During the N64 era, Nintendo's internal teams were able to release 4 solid games a year, those 4 games a year are what sold the console.

And you believe this 4 games business model of the past is also viable for present and future? If so, why is Nintendo losing money the third year in a row? Selling dedicated gaming hardware (at a loss) is one thing, selling hardware dedicated to only 4 games is something completely different. It doesn't work out for neither customer nor vendor.

With only 4 games a year, every game has to pay off for 25% of the total hardware ownership cost. And I not only mean the money, but also the wasted space in your living room. God forbid, you don't like one of the games! Imagine how the iPhone would do, if all you could run on the platform would be nothing more but 4 solid Apple apps a year?

Everyting else, sorry: There's no app for that.

 

[Dontazemebro]

I highly recommend either of the Darksiders games. I still hold Twilight Princess as one of my most memorable and enjoyable gaming experiences, and the Darksiders games echoed the gameplay mechanics of Zelda almost unapologetically.

I've played Darksiders 2, but it played more like God of War than Legend of Zelda but I see your point.

 

[sirwoodland]

Seems nice for existing customers or people interested in the Nintendo pulse, but most people are not going to grab an app dedicated to promotion and advertising. Especially those not in the Nintendo ecosystem already.

IMO, Nintendo has and is continuing to hole themselves up too tightly. The Wii was fun and inviting, "Wii would like to play" but the Wii U seems like it's just... there.