An in-depth look at Nintendo: The Future
Recently, Nintendo has come under fire about their ability to compete with bigger companies like Sony or Microsoft. Since the new millennium we have not seen many new IPs from Nintendo but rather, a lot more spin offs of older IPs. Nintendo is also letting a lot of big game titles slip by it’s latest console. Games like Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, Dishonored and Borderlands 2 all did not see a Wii U release. And with Sony and Microsoft’s next generation consoles on the horizon, the Wii U might suffer even larger losses if it’s hardware cannot support next generation games. With it’s motion controls, Nintendo managed to introduce a whole kind of game to the home entertainment system. A slew of sports-centric games began to be released where players can actually “play sports” in the comfort of their own living room. It also brought party games into the mainstream as many of the Wii’s games support 4 people gameplay. But that being said, Nintendo also constantly pushed spin-offs of Mario games while never really having a new IP taking off. Nintendo has this weird obsession with it’s glory days and is constantly trying to sell old IPs. While it is nice to see Nintendo giving attention to the Mario fans out there, it has been too long since we saw a new and exciting IP from Nintendo take the world by storm.
On top of that, there are issues with it’s own Nintendo Network. Games purchased from the network are tied to consoles rather than account. This poses a problem for gamers who own multiple Nintendo hardware and who wish to enjoy the same game on different platforms. Where as compared to the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Sony PlayStation Vita, the games are tied the individual accounts and can be accessed any time. Nintendo had years to study and understand the flaws of their competitors’ online network but instead of learning from their mistakes and giving players a decent platform to purchase games with, they instead created a messy and tangled mess for their fan base. Also, games bought from the Wii eShop once transferred to a Wii U will be locked to the Wii U and not available on the Wii. This is one of the many issues with the Nintendo Network which Nintendo just isn’t looking into.
Moving ahead, I feel Nintendo needs to realign itself with it’s ultimate goal and that is to make good games for their fans. Even if Nintendo’s main demographic isn’t the “hardcore” gamers, they should still at least secure release titles for it’s consoles. It would also be nice if they could start developing new IPs and investing in these new IPs instead of constantly relying on the Mario franchise. While Nintendo may not fail in the near future, I fear that they are not maintaining a sustainable business model and could possibly be hemorrhaging money. I feel like they are going out of the way to market themselves as a “casual” gamer alternative and that they are hurting their own sales. Game companies failing is never good for the industry, and I do not want to see Nintendo fail, nor do I think they will fail. It is just that with such a storied history, this kind of business behavior is the last thing I expected from Nintendo. Especially with the fact that the Wii U is released a year ahead of Sony’s and Microsoft’s next console and Nintendo is still sitting on their asses and not announcing anything significant. But Nintendo fans are a loyal bunch, if Nintendo were to be able to work something out and announce something amazing at E3 this year, I believe that they can still pull themselves out of this hole they have dug for themselves. I honestly do not understand the stand that Nintendo is taking and it really frustrates me, I hope that they know what they are doing because I think that with the release of Sony and Microsoft’s next generation console, Nintendo could have trouble obtaining any significant amount of market share.
Christopher Deleanides
April 21, 2013 @ 9:57 pm
On the contrary, Nintendo has had a good 50 new IPs under their belt in the last decade and then some. There’s probably been even more new ones made than the last the decade beforehand. It may just seem like there’s less new because they increased the amount of sequels they’ve been making, along with the fact that a lot of these new IPs have gone largely unnoticed by people. They’ve hit some bumps in the road, but the recovery shouldn’t be difficult to handle.
In fact, all three of these companies have hurtles to jump over. Sony with the massive losses it accrued over the past few years, and Microsoft its identity crisis in recent times.
Charles Kheng
April 22, 2013 @ 1:58 am
I’m not too sure though. If a development house is depending on a Lego game to sell consoles, they are in serious trouble. There are just no exciting game for the Wii U on the horizon. Even the next Zelda game is for the 3DS. They should instead focus on the Wii U, their next gen console because if they don’t and Sony and Microsoft releases theirs, they would see the Wii U sales drop even further.
Christopher Deleanides
April 22, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
I was more so worried when 3DS wasn’t doing so well for the longest time. After seeing that recover I can fathom the Wii U getting out of this slump. I’m going to wait and watch, and maybe get a Wii U sometime in the fall. I did the same with 3DS, and looking back, I’m glad I waited.
Charles Kheng
April 22, 2013 @ 6:29 pm
I’m not too sure about that though. The thing with the 3DS is, there wasn’t any real competition for it. The PS Vita has the same problem with the Wii U, being that there isn’t any good game releases after launch. So it is natural that the 3DS can recover, and it did. But it will not be the same for the Wii U once Sony and Microsoft releases their console.
Daniel Flatt
April 23, 2013 @ 8:33 pm
I have to disagree with the statement that the Vita doesn’t have any good games for it. In fact it feels to me like their are more experiences I want to play on the Vita currently than the 3DS. I’ve recently played the Soul Sacrifice demo and I’m here to tell you it’s fantastic. The upcoming Media Molecule game Tearaway looks unique and exciting.
That’s not even mentioning the deluge of games that are cross buy. Sure, I can play Guacamelee on both my consoles, but being able to take it on the go is fantastic. Not to mention the screen is gorgeous, the second stick is a god send for games like AC Liberation, the functionality of the software is top notch.
The Vita may not be as popular as the 3DS and I love them both, but I’ll take a new LBP on Vita faster than I will the latest Mario rehash.
Christopher Deleanides
April 23, 2013 @ 11:00 pm
I wouldn’t go that far. NSMB 2 was a rehash yes, but 3D Land didn’t feel like that. Besides, there’s plenty more on it than just Mario. I’m looking forward to the likes of Bravely Default and Project x Zone.
Daniel Flatt
April 24, 2013 @ 11:13 am
Oh, believe me I know there is tons of good games on the 3DS. I wasn’t attempting to downplay how successful or awesome it is at all. Recently I wrote an article about which is the better system and 3DS won out. Games like Bravely Default, Project X Zone, Mario and Luigi Dream Team, the Newest Zelda, and even Project Dillon’s Rolling Western sequel are all exciting titles.
Charles Kheng
April 24, 2013 @ 12:14 am
That came out a bit wrong. What I meant was the the games launched after aren’t exactly console sellers. I’m not sure if people would pick up a Vita for those release titles. I’m still waiting for a price drop on the Vita in my region to pick up Persona 4 Golden with. And even after that, I’m not exactly sure what else I’m going to be using the Vita for.
And the cross console releases are nice to have but again, consumers aren’t exactly going to buy Vitas off the shelves because of that function..
Daniel Flatt
April 24, 2013 @ 11:15 am
Agreed that Vita certainly needs more support. Personally the reason I like Vita the most is actually because of cross buy and cross play. I have two small kids and as such my time is extremely limited. Being able to take a game with me on the go, especially console games like Sly Cooper 4, allows me to enjoy and complete more games.
I still think that the 3DS is the dominant system, but I just don’t like all the Vita hate seeing as I love the system and for me it feels like it has an abundant amount of games. Maybe I just don’t play as much as I used to.
Christopher Deleanides
April 22, 2013 @ 7:10 pm
The problem with that logic is that we can essentially apply it to other platforms that have won out in the past. We can say that the Playstation won because the Nintendo 64 and Saturn weren’t really competition for it. I think there’s more to it than Vita not really being competition. The price cut for one did boost sales, and they managed to gain more third party support in the end.
Who knows, maybe Sony will cut the Vita’s price and the Vita will manage to pick up speed in support. PSP didn’t stay barren forever after all, and its beginning was a rather rocky one.
Charles Kheng
April 22, 2013 @ 7:51 pm
A price cut is only a short term solution. End of the day, consoles still require games to sell them. Without good games, there are no good reason to get a console.The Vita for now is a souped up glorified controller for the PS3 and in future, the PS4. It needs another game like Persona 4 Golden to sell it.
All things considered, the 3DS and Vita are pretty similar in terms of specs, unlike back in the days of the N64, PlayStation and Saturn. The games that are out on Vita are also out on the PS3. The Vita only allows the user to game on the go, other than that, there isn’t any additional benefit to getting one. The 3DS on the other hand, has exclusives for it that the Wii U doesn’t have. Nintendo even announced a new Zelda for the 3DS. If they had done it for the Wii U instead, it would have been a no brainer, the Wii U would have sold like pancakes. But instead, they are releasing it on a handheld device which has no trouble selling itself.
Daniel Flatt
April 23, 2013 @ 8:35 pm
Yes, but this is just the here and now. Wait for E3, I would be shocked if Nintendo didn’t have more than one ace up it’s sleeve. Which probably includes a look at the Zelda Wii U title.