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[TheBaldEmperor]

This thread just reminded me of this Game of Thrones quote:

"Do you know what leadership means, Lord Snow? It means that the person in charge gets second guessed by every clever little twat with a mouth. But if he starts second guessing himself, that’s the end. For him, for the clever little twats, for everyone. This is not the end. Not for us. Not if you lot do your duty for however long it takes to beat them back. And then you get to go on hating me, and I get to go on wishing your wildling whore had finished the job."

 

[KillGore]

Because the ENTIRE REASON that their games are so good is because of the revenue created by the systems -- its why they can afford to actually take their fucking time on a game and not just shit out half done annual franchises. If they go third party, that would cause them to have to abandon their crazy perfectionist OCD level of polish.
And games like Metroid, which exist to broaden the appeal of the system? Bahahahahaha you can forget about ever seeing another one of those.

This is what proponents of Nintendo going third party don't get-- the software is enabled by the hardware, not held back by it.

You're just assuming things. We don't know what would happen if they go third party.

There are plenty of devs who don't shell out shit rehashes/ports/sequels out of desperation.

 

[StevieP]

You mean PC?

That will never happen. It's so much easier to buy/install/play games on consoles. You just pop in the disc and you're done. You don't have to worry about if your PC can run it or problems with installations, bugs, etc.

The future for consoles would be streaming services like playstation now. Maybe in 10 years. Open the app, purchase game, stream away.

But I get what you're trying to say.

You're talking about consoles and pcs how they were like a decade ago or more. None of it is accurate in the modern sense, and the lines have more than blurred. Except for the part where you're still stuck with the drawbacks of a closed garden ecosystem.

 

[KillGore]

You're talking about consoles and pcs how they were like a decade ago or more. None of it is accurate in the modern sense, and the lines have more than blurred. Except for the part where you're still stuck with the drawbacks of a closed garden ecosystem.

Yeah, ok.

Different opinions. Let's leave it at that.

 

[Orniletter]

I really don't see why Nintendo IP has to be connected to Nintendo hardware. They continue to make amazing games and then leave them locked to terrible hardware.

Ignorance is bliss.

There are so many things Nintendo wouldn´t pay for if the only thing they were after is cold hard cash through software sales .

Vanity projects like The Wonderful 101, Bayonetta 2 or Fatal Frame ?

A super expensive looking big ass JRPG like Xenoblade X ?

Publishing niche games for third partys like Level-5 or taking chances with games like Bravely Default ?

There is a reason most publishers dropped everything that isn´t a save money maker in todays climate.

Except for the platform holders.

Third party Nintendo would be vastly different from todays Nintendo.

 

[Loxley]

There are two different ways of looking at Nintendo entering the mobile market. One is an exceedingly cynical perspective on how it will signal the downfall of Nintendo and will single-handedly bring about the implosion if the gaming industry and fun will cease to exist on planet Earth until the end of time.

I prefer to look at it from the opposite, more optimistic direction. Nintendo entering the mobile market could be exactly what that market needs. They're coming at it from the perspective of seasoned handheld veterans, Nintendo could be the ones to come in and set a new standard of quality for mobile titles. Touch controls suck, you say? Well, if anyone could find a way to make them *not* suck, it's Nintendo (even though plenty of developers have already done this). I'd actually be really interested to see what kind of creative things their teams could come up with when presented with the idea of a completely touch-based experience.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

It must be a bitch to come back from the hospital and the first thing you put up with is a bunch of backstabbers.

Spoiler

Hope he gets a better view than Yamauchi.

 

[RedSwirl]

Y'know what? If Nintendo games all of a sudden started appearing on other pieces of hardware or other services, I'd rather see them on, like, Steam or something. I'd buy the fuck out of the Mario and Zelda series if it appeared on Steam.

And going into games-as-a-service in general, I very much prefer the model the PC market is pursuing. Sony and Microsoft are inching closer and closer to a Netflix or subscription-style model and I'm just not sure yet that applies well to 50GB pieces of software that rely on low input lag. Steam and other PC companies seem to have very much embraced an iTunes-like model where you just buy content and download it, albeit with a DRM model that tries to be as non-intrusive as possible. Technically those stores exist on PlayStation and Xbox but Sony and Microsoft really aren't doing enough to convince people to buy digital instead of subscribing to their services. Maybe if something happened to significantly decrease the influence of retail, Sony and Microsoft might be free to increasingly promote and incentivize mobile purchases.

Ironically, I think Nintendo in some areas has done a surprisingly good job with the eShop, though much of that might be due to desperation. Over the past couple years they've done a lot of what are essentially "buy a game get a game free" deals, and Club Nintendo is actually a really good loyalty program if you make use of it. I've gotten and discovered a lot of good games through Club Nintendo. If Nintendo would just give people control of hardware-agnostic accounts and be a lot more aggressive with Virtual Console, I'd probably prefer eShop over PSN and XBL.

 

[Petrae]

I feel kind of silly because I actually fell for this "story". Given poor financial performance in a string of consecutive quarters, I thought there could actually be some merit to this.

Just goes to show that I need to be more selective of what I believe on the Internet.

EDIT: Apparently, this is GAF's fault.

 

[Vanillalite]

Crazy report is probably *gasp* inaccurate.

Still at some point the writing will be on the wall. Even for nice well liked (generally speaking) individuals you can only lose so much cash each quarter time after time till the switch has to be made.

 

[J-Tier]

I've no interest in a mobile phone Nintendo. They'll not only water down their branding, but it may shift the focus of the company. Seeing all these Japanese companies (Square Enix, Capcom, Konami, etc) jumping ship and falling back on mobile because it seems to be more profitable is slowly killing the big budget Japanese game market.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

After reading that mobile gaming over there overtook all other gaming platforms combined, every thing will change in time. The lack of games coming out of Square, Capcom, and Konami is going to accelerate all this.

 

[Radec]

About time.

 

[Afrikan]

Sony released their old classics on smartphones....is there a reason Nintendo hasn't yet? I mean like just Super Mario Bros and a few other games?

Seems like they are leaving alot of money on the table.

I know Iwata wants to stay true to consoles, but releasing the old games won't lose them any of their core and casual fans imo. Keep the new games for their handhelds and release the old ones for people not likely to purchase a handheld anyway.

Edit- I'm just mad this gen, Nintendo didn't release a console close to the specs of both Sony and Microsoft...don't care if it were the lowest of the three...just in the area dammit.

 

[Elfforkusu]

Mobile phone games for Nintendo ought to be the absolute last resort, after the entire console and handheld industry has cratered in all regions.

It makes no business sense otherwise.

 

[Elija2]

It is

Bloody expensive, though.

Jeez, 25 bucks for the entire Pokedex (and it doesn't even include Kalos). Maybe it is best that Nintendo don't put games on mobile. They'd probably charge $30 for a DSiWare port.

 

[Mr.Batman]

This doesn't surprise me at all, it's pretty standard for some in a large company to want to get rid if the top dog when the numbers down. Personally, I don't think Iwata is doing as well as he should be and I think overall Nintendo has a lot of management issues.

Do I think he should be let go? Absolutely not...unless they can find someone who places as much emphasis on the "gaming first" aspect of video games. Listening Iwata, Miyamoto, Sakurai, etc. etc. talk is always encouraging because they place so much focus on the art and gameplay of games. Nintendo doesn't need to lose that magic at all. I've been a strong Nintendo fan since the NES but I'm afraid the moment Iwata is let go/retires is the moment Nintnedo IPs get thrown on mobile phones. In turn, that means I'm probably not going to be playing Nintnedo games.

Edit:

Mobile phone games for Nintendo ought to be the absolute last resort, after the entire console and handheld industry has cratered in all regions.

It makes no business sense otherwise.

Basically, yeah I totally agree.

 

[RedSwirl]

I really don't see why Nintendo IP has to be connected to Nintendo hardware. They continue to make amazing games and then leave them locked to terrible hardware.

If a third party Nintendo wanted to maintain the same quality of software I feel like they would have to find some other constant bedrock revenue stream. A big part of the reason Nintendo can polish its games so much is probably because they aren't the company's sole source of revenue.

Just look at some other developers known for putting out really well-polished software:
--Blizzard has WoW and Battle.net
--Epic has the Unreal Engine
--Valve has Steam

Other companies have attempted this strategy with varying degrees of success. The main reason Square Enix tried to push Final Fantasy XIV so hard is because that game was basically supposed to fund the rest of the company's efforts for a while. Dragon Quest X probably plays a similar role. Crytek tried to have WarFace and the CryEngine become the bedrock of the company and fund its other games but that's not working out. This is probably why EA is doing Origin as well as its subscription service on Xbox.

For Nintendo that bedrock is its hardware. You take away that and it would probably have to find something else. A Pokemon MMO? A single massively popular F2P game? A more aggressive Virtual Console? The point is, when software sales are a company's sole revenue stream that puts much more pressure on their games to sell which starts to affect how they're made.

 

[Hercamer]

They most certainly have not lost everything they gained.

The stock price and years of declining sales and operating losses, unfortunately, say otherwise. Iwata still having a job speaks to just how difficult it is to fire a Japanese executive. Seniority is king over there versus fiduciary responsibility to shareholders.

Whether one thinks his vision for the company is sound not withstanding, Iwata has been historically terrible at managing shareholder expectations during this downturn. It demonstrates an inability or unwillingness to acknowledge current market conditions, much less Nintendo's place in said market. I can't find one reason why he hasn't been replaced that is not based on sentimentality.

 

[Scum]

NCL's problems are so deeply rooted that getting rid of Iwata alone wouldn't fix shit. Maybe Iwata wants them gone and they've started scheming...
Story seems iffy in the first place, anyway.

 

[Sadist]

Looking at everything, this seems like a load of poo.

Fanfiction story. Or maybe one disgruntled lower level manager spouting his rage to a friend.

 

[Guest12345678]

Mobile phone games for Nintendo ought to be the absolute last resort, after the entire console and handheld industry has cratered in all regions.

It makes no business sense otherwise.

Its better to invest in mobile before your alternate revenue streams crater. That just makes business sense. If you only start after your business goes to shit, your gonna be sitting around losing money for a while.

 

[unbias]

If a third party Nintendo wanted to maintain the same quality of software I feel like they would have to find some other constant bedrock revenue stream. A big part of the reason Nintendo can polish its games so much is probably because they aren't the company's sole source of revenue.

Just look at some other developers known for putting out really well-polished software:
--Blizzard has WoW and Battle.net
--Epic has the Unreal Engine
--Valve has Steam

Other companies have attempted this strategy with varying degrees of success. The main reason Square Enix tried to push Final Fantasy XIV so hard is because that game was basically supposed to fund the rest of the company's efforts for a while. Dragon Quest X probably plays a similar role. Crytek tried to have WarFace and the CryEngine become the bedrock of the company and fund its other games but that's not working out. This is probably why EA is doing Origin as well as its subscription service on Xbox.

For Nintendo that bedrock is its hardware. You take away that and it would probably have to find something else. A Pokemon MMO? A single massively popular F2P game? A more aggressive Virtual Console? The point is, when software sales are a company's sole revenue stream that puts much more pressure on their games to sell which starts to affect how they're made.

I just want to say, before Blizzard had WoW and before they made enough money to swim in, they still consistently put out amazing stuff. Regardless of Nintendo, Blizzard has shown you can do the whole "when it is read" and end up reaping the rewards of such a perspective.

 

[PSGames]

I don't think Iwatas doing the best job at the moment either, but putting Mario and other franchises on smart phones is a terrible idea.

It really is. Controls would be horrible (something Nintendo games are known for). Plus they'd sell for a fraction of the price. Also piracy would run rampant among Android devices and they'd give up hardware profits and royalties from 3rd parties.

 

[Tripon]

I feel kind of silly because I actually fell for this "story". Given poor financial performance in a string of consecutive quarters, I thought there could actually be some merit to this.

Just goes to show that I need to be more selective of what I believe on the Internet.

EDIT: Apparently, this is GAF's fault.

Urgh, don't like being quoted like that. I'm no damn insider.
Edit: I'm referring to the article Petrae listed. If PE wanted to use my post to quote, they should have asked at least and I probably would have said no since I wouldn't feel comfortable contribute to an article in this fashion.

 

[GameAddict411]

you forgot to put "Shocking" on the title, and its not "scheming". its called saving the company future, if Iwata is too stubborn to do anything drastic then he should leave. the company losses are not looking good, it's perfectly reasonable to look for a new management team.

 

[CoffeeJanitor]

So predictable

 

[audeh64r8]

it'd be sad if this was true

 

[Ozium]

The day Mario or other vaunted Nintendo franchises go to mobile phones is the day I stop being a Nintendo fan.

 

[Sakujou]

please dont be true, this is going to be the biggest downfall ever in videogamehistory. iam going to be infinite sad, if this should ever happen

 

[dragonfart28]

This sounds fake.

 

[Lernaean]

Article is the worst piece of fake journalism shit i've ever read. Not only Iwata is doing good moves lately and he is slowly regaining credibility both inside Nintendo and among the shareholders, but also i doubt there are higher ups in Nintendo that want to go after mobile.

Additionaly, on a personal note, Nintendo games are in their majority gameplay heavy. Whoever thinks that any of their games that isn't a turn based RPG can work on mobile has no idea about the games whatsoever, and i'm being extremely polite now.

 

[Maneauleau]

I feel kind of silly because I actually fell for this "story". Given poor financial performance in a string of consecutive quarters, I thought there could actually be some merit to this.

Just goes to show that I need to be more selective of what I believe on the Internet.

EDIT: Apparently, this is GAF's fault.

Nope http://biz-journal.jp/2014/08/post_5585.html

 

[Mistouze]

Without going into questions about Nintendo needing to get rid of Iwata or going into mobile games : in what world can management try to get rid of a CEO? The board of investors trying such a move is credible but this sounds like bullshit.

Unless we're talking about Nintendo's Ninja division management, that's another story

 

[Tripon]

Nope http://biz-journal.jp/2014/08/post_5585.html

The translation is from GAF.

 

[Kamina]

Nintendo revolution incoming

It was called Wii

 

[Sendou]

The translation is from GAF.

...and? Is the translation incorrect?

It's not a good example of GAF->Internet->GAF at all. Player Essence though... That site is something else.

 

[Guest12345678]

Article is the worst piece of fake journalism shit i've ever read. Not only Iwata is doing good moves lately and he is slowly regaining credibility both inside Nintendo and among the shareholders, but also i doubt there are higher ups in Nintendo that want to go after mobile.

Additionaly, on a personal note, Nintendo games are in their majority gameplay heavy. Whoever thinks that any of their games that isn't a turn based RPG can work on mobile has no idea about the games whatsoever, and i'm being extremely polite now.

Whats the source for your first part.

and alot of their ds games, like mario 64 ds mini games would transition quite well to mobile in my opinion. Just because you wouldn't enjoy nintendo games on mobile, does not mean it couldn't be done successfully.

 

[Chindogg]

Edit- I'm just mad this gen, Nintendo didn't release a console close to the specs of both Sony and Microsoft...don't care if it were the lowest of the three...just in the area dammit.

And what does it matter if you're still getting great games for it?

 

[Aquamarine]

The stock price and years of declining sales and operating losses, unfortunately, say otherwise. Iwata still having a job speaks to just how difficult it is to fire a Japanese executive. Seniority is king over there versus fiduciary responsibility to shareholders.

Whether one thinks his vision for the company is sound not withstanding, Iwata has been historically terrible at managing shareholder expectations during this downturn. It demonstrates an inability or unwillingness to acknowledge current market conditions, much less Nintendo's place in said market. I can't find one reason why he hasn't been replaced that is not based on sentimentality.

Nintendo's quirky, unique corporate culture is something management don't want to get rid of.

Iwata treads lightly...he nudges the company here and there instead of gutting everything and slashing and burning. It helps that Mr. Iwata is a game developer as opposed to a ruthless businessman who is only concerned with financials.

Some people are scared that a replacement...especially a non-Nintendo replacement...would destroy Nintendo's uniqueness for the sake of short-term gains. The worry is that the short-term gains would lead to a long-term burnout.

And Iwata has ideas for growing the company and reversing the negative financial trends...like QOL, M&A, integrated hardware development, etc. He's trying to preserve the company and reverse Nintendo's current situation...a very difficult task to accomplish.

The question is who can run Nintendo---a very, very unique company---any better than Mr. Iwata can? Forget about the success of the Wii and the DS. Forget about the relative failure of the 3DS and Wii U. Is there anyone who is better equipped to lead the company at this point in time than him?

 

[Vandiger]

Can't happen soon enough, should have been kicked out with the 3ds and then Wii U both based on dumb gimmicks.

 

[PreyingShark]

...and? Is the translation incorrect?

The translator here said that it was a rough translation and that he hadn't taken Japanese in years. Therefore, it should not have been used as a source. It would need to be checked by another translator first.

EDIT: But I think the conclusion was that the article itself was sketchy.

 

[Tripon]

...and? Is the translation incorrect?

It's not a good example of GAF->Internet->GAF at all. Player Essence though... That site is something else.

The translation was called 'rough' from the person who translated. IMO, it shouldn't have been used as a source of an article.

 

[Starfish Hero]

App store development is too volatile to sustain half of Nintendo's business. I don't doubt they'd be able make a place for themselves at the table, but there is too much competition to expect any security. Just look at how Rovio's growth hit a wall when Angry Bird's popularity started to wane. The problem with app store development as of right now is that there's no middle class: either you have a hit, or you have a flop. Nintendo's mid-tier (1-5 million units per title) titles today, such as Kirby, Fire Emblem, hell even most Zelda titles can't exist on the app store because they just don't sell enough to be profitable at a considerably lower selling point. I think Nintendo will have success releasing Pokemon or Mario, but at the same time I also don't think that success will last. Once the shininess wears off, people will move on to the next big thing. That's what happens when you have the largest selection of games on any platform as competition.

Think of it this way: people on GAF look at the Wii as a flash in the pan that was as successful as it was because it was carried by a fad: Wii Sports. From what I noticed, it's generally considered unreasonable to consider Nintendo ever repeating that success, as they "caught lighting in a bottle". At least right now, with the app store market being as unstable as it is, expecting Nintendo, or any developer, to have long-term success making games on the app store is like expecting them to have a "Wii Sports" every year.

 

[Sendou]

The translation was called 'rough' from the person who translated. IMO, it shouldn't have been used as a source of an article.

Well obviously. It's not good journalism or whatever you would like to call it. Still the original source stands and isn't immediately invalidated just because we don't have a good translation available. Referring to how Player Essence spinned it to "The Rumor About Nintendo Management Wanting to get rid of Iwata is 100% False".

I think it's false too but come on now.

 

[Scum]

Nintendo's quirky, unique corporate culture is something management don't want to get rid of.

Iwata treads lightly...he nudges the company here and there instead of gutting everything and slashing and burning. It helps that Mr. Iwata is a game developer as opposed to a ruthless businessman who is only concerned with financials.

Some people are scared that a replacement---especially a non-Nintendo replacement---would destroy Nintendo's uniqueness for the sake of short-term gains. The worry is that the short-term gains would lead to a long-term burnout.

And Iwata has ideas for growing the company and reversing the negative financial trends...like QOL, M&A, integrated hardware development, etc. He's trying to preserve the company and reverse Nintendo's current situation...a very difficult task to accomplish.

The question is who can run Nintendo---a very, very unique company---any better than Mr. Iwata can? Forget about the success of the Wii and the DS. Forget about the relative failure of the 3DS and Wii U. Is there anyone who is better equipped to lead the company at this point than him?

What I find silly is how this so called schemers are looking to put someone with little to no experience in the role. Like, they're just after a "Yes!" man at the top, one of the very things you do not want to see mixed in with NCL's old and deep rooted ways.

But I ask, Aqua. If there is a smidgen of truth to this, then could it be that Iwata's ways, like you mentioned above, is scaring some old goons out of their comfort zone...?

 

[unbias]

App store development is too volatile to sustain half of Nintendo's business. I don't doubt they'd be able make a place for themselves at the table, but there is too much competition to expect any security. Just look at how Rovio's growth hit a wall when Angry Bird's popularity started to wane. The problem with app store development as of right now is that there's no middle class: either you have a hit, or you have a flop. Nintendo's mid-tier (1-5 million units per title) titles today, such as Kirby, Fire Emblem, hell even most Zelda titles can't exist on the app store because they just don't sell enough to be profitable at a considerably lower selling point. I think Nintendo will have success releasing Pokemon or Mario, but at the same time I also don't think that success will last. Once the shininess wears off, people will move on to the next big thing. That's what happens when you have the largest selection of games on any platform as competition.

Think of it this way: people on GAF look at the Wii as a flash in the pan that was as successful as it was because it was carried by a fad: Wii Sports. From what I noticed, it's generally considered unreasonable to consider Nintendo ever repeating that success, as they "caught lighting in a bottle". At least right now, with the app store market being as unstable as it is, expecting Nintendo, or any developer, to have long-term success making games on the app store is like expecting them to have a "Wii Sports" every year.

That is just it though, I think Nintendo IP has enough clout to get its own appstore for nintendo products. Hell I think they could get their own Tablet hardware and make it only available to that specific tablet, while still allowing the tablet to do everything else non-Nintendo. They can have their cake and eat it too, imo. I think google would get in on that.

 

[Lernaean]

Whats the source for your first part.

and alot of their ds games, like mario 64 ds mini games would transition quite well to mobile in my opinion. Just because you wouldn't enjoy nintendo games on mobile, does not mean it couldn't be done successfully.

Source? Iwata is up 3% from last year in shareholder credibility as a president and the media have been softer on Nintendo lately all because he did right moves. Read the annual report, read the articles and you'll notice. Also the moto that Nintendo games play on Nintendo hardware is a long standing company policy. Everyone knows that the higher ups in Nintendo don't want to allow their software anywhere else.

The second part of your post is laughable so allow me to not respond.

 

[numble]

I agree with you, but your numbers are off

Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen, remakes of the original Pokémon Red & Green(Blue), sold 11.82 million
Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver, remakes of the Pokémon Gold & Silver games, sold 12.72 million

Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire are likely to sell 2 million in their first weekend.

Now, let's do some maths.

Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver were $40 a pop. For the sake of argument, let's just assume that price is a worldwide constant (it isn't). Those games brought in $508,800,000 to Nintendo alone in their life. Similar calculations can be done for Pokémon X & Y, which have sold over 12 million since October alone.

Now, let's say Nintendo release a $1 Pokémon game. They'd have to sell 508 million copies of that to make the same amount, and that's not counting the 30(?)% that Apple takes.. Yes, IAP are a possibility, but the director of Pokémon, Junichi Masuda, is vehemently against the concept of paid DLC and in app purchases, because he believes kids shouldn't have to pay or ask parents to pay beyond the initial price, so that won't happen with Pokémon.

Why do you take the 30% Apple cut in your math but do not take the retailer and physical production cut?

Why do you only assume it will be $1?

If Nintendo had internal analysts like you, that would explain their poor ability to forecast and analyze the market effectively.

 

[Vlade]

Halo Waypoint

Kinectimals

Age of Empires:

This half assed type of thing would be fine if Nintendo did it on mobile. What they shouldn't do is start releasing their main products there, nor their main products if the past.