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[ArkkAngel007]

Honestly in the future when people make threads like "Why did Nintendo fail?" this decision will be one of the top reasons along with the poor marketing of the Wii U and 3DS and lack of software. This E3 is PIVOTAL in determining which system(s) people will be buying this console generation and when you just released a system less than a year ago and your competitors are showing off new consoles you don't fucking turn tail and run away. They need to get out there with a big conference and show game after game, feature after feature and really highlight why consumers should buy a Wii U over the PS4 or Xbox.

Not even Atari was this dumb

Other than air time on Spike, what is Nintendo missing out on? Most people who sit through those long, increasingly embarrassing conferences are the same people who take an active interest on this hobby and have dozens of other news sources, such as Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and 4chan, if not dedicated gaming news outlets.

Those trying to champion for the casuals that CNET or whatever won't cover Nintendo are full of it. Casuals aren't actively seeking CNET news, and those several conferences about the Wii U sure as shit didn't help distinguish it as a new console. CNET and other outlets with tech news divisions will give Nintendo the proper page space.

The true fault in this move is that it looks like a surrender, and why wouldn't anyone who heard about this feel that way? Maybe Nintendo will do just fine, get the right news out at the right time, and save money and embarrassment in the end. Maybe not though. We won't know until we see how they present all of this. In the mean-time though, it does look bad in image.

 

[Sandfox]

I read it just fine. "Smaller scale events for NA market".

Unless those get livestreamed, it's hardly the same.

We don't know how they are going to handle that yet.

 

[ari]

I think they should have waited to solidify their plans before announcing this. Get into more depth as to what they plan to for their smaller events. Right now there's a lot of overreacting and overwhelming negativity that could have been avoided on Nintendo's part.

This thread means absolutely nothing.

 

[Haint]

Iwata just doing this to apply the millions of dollars saved to his 100 Billion Yen profit promise. Every million counts when your ass on the line.

 

[Emitan]

So weak. Nintendo has officially been defeated.

I feel like you say this every year.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

I think they should have waited to solidify their plans before announcing this. Get into more depth as to what they plan to for their smaller events. Right now there's a lot of overreacting and overwhelming negativity that could have been avoided on Nintendo's part.

I thought people were AGAINST Nintendo handholding.

 

[Sophia]

This thread means absolutely nothing.

I do not merely mean this thread. In fact, I saw this news (and overwhelming negativity) elsewhere before seeing it on GAF. That can't possibility be good publicity.

 

[KillerTravis]

I'm really enjoying the reactions in this thread lol. People thinking Nintendo has resigned and is getting out of the game.

 

[KojiKnight]

Pretty much. Plus MS usually tries to get it broadcast on Spike to reach more people.

It's about HOW you advertise. How much money do you think Nintendo spends for 45 minutes on a stage? Easily millions. There are more effective ways to advertise then blowing millions on an event that you're likely to get upstaged at. Spend less than half of that and strike a week or two early... That's the smart business move.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

I'm really enjoying the reactions in this thread lol. People thinking Nintendo has resigned and is getting out of the game.

Just as they thought of Iwata!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

When you said "Officially". It really made me laugh. Thank you for your stupidity of not reading OP.

I did read the OP - Nintendo is still beyond screwed with the Wii U. E3 is not the time to be holding back.

 

[ari]

I do not merely mean this thread. In fact, I saw this news (and overwhelming negativity) elsewhere before seeing it on GAF. That can't possibility be good publicity.

Understandable, but the internet will internet. How will this effect nintendo?

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

I feel like you say this every year.

I wish I knew how these posters slip into gaf

 

[sevenchaos]

After this disaster, you should all be ecstatic that Sega will be announcing their new console this year.

 

[ironcreed]

If Nintendo Direct is so smart, why is the Wii U not selling? Wii U owners and Nintendo fans will love it, no doubt. But what about getting out front and trying to actually sell this thing?

All eyes and all of the media attention is going to be on Microsoft and Sony at E3. They need to be in the middle of where all the noise and crowds are. Ostracizing themselves from the traditional press conference is not going to make everyone take notice, it will instead give the impression that they are in a very weak position. Which they very much are in terms of the Wii U's prospects.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

I did read the OP - Nintendo is still beyond screwed with the Wii U. E3 is not the time to be holding back.

Holding back what exactly ?

 

[ari]

If Nintendo Direct is so smart, why is the Wii U not selling? Wii U owners and Nintendo fans will love it, no doubt. But what about getting out front and trying to actually sell this thing?

All eyes and all of the media attention is going to be on Microsoft and Sony at E3. They need to be in the middle of where all the noise and crowds are. Ostracizing themselves from the traditional press conference is not going to make everyone take notice, it will instead give the impression that they are in a very weak position. Which they very much are in terms of the Wii U's prospects.

Read the OP.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

If Nintendo Direct is so smart, why is the Wii U not selling?

No huge games available or shown yet???

 

[KojiKnight]

I wish I knew how these posters slip into gaf

You're just mad that you've been temp banned for less

That said, I think I'm going to gracefully (err ungracefully) exit this thread. There isn't anything really more to say, and the majority of people are either ignoring the information that is out there, or just trolling at this point.

 

[Sophia]

Understandable, but the internet will internet. How will this effect nintendo?

Poor word of mouth is still poor. It can hurt as much as it can help. Again I'm not opposed to what they're trying to do, I get that they'll still be at E3, have the directs and all that. I just think they're going about it very poorly.

I have no doubts that by tomorrow evening I'll see many of the bigger news sites misinterpret this the same way some people in this very thread have.

 

[Anticitizen One]

I'm not entirely sure how E3 is "pivotal" to making people buy a system. Most of the people watching are already enthusiasts, and have likely already made up their mind based on exclusives, and previous biases. The mainstream audience is unlikely to ever see E3 events (especially since I don't think the conferences will even be televised, now that G4 is in the dust). All they gleam from it is the information - which is released at equally adequate rates with an N-Direct as an E3 conference.

I strongly disagree. The very first e3 in 1994 was key in getting people excited about PS1 over the sega saturn and n64, E3 2005 & 2006 convinced the majority of gamers to opt for a Xbox 360 and Wii over ps3 including longtime Sony fans. The poor showing of the Wii U at E3 2012 convinced alot of Nintendo fans and curious gamers to hold off. These things do matter and how companies behave and what they present does have an affect on sales.

 

[KillerTravis]

Anticitizen One opinions seem pretty reasonable.

 

[jett]

Wow, really? No E3 conference from Nintendo? Do they even care anymore?

 

[Dr.Palutena]

I do not merely mean this thread. In fact, I saw this news (and overwhelming negativity) elsewhere before seeing it on GAF. That can't possibility be good publicity.

One can argue the negativity is still :
1) Based off people seeming to not taking the time to understand the whole picture, be it thinking Nintendo isn't doing *anything* at E3 at all, that they are *just* during a Direct, etc.
2) Based off a subset of people who avidly look forward to E3 and perceive its importance (even in the wake of it becoming less and less so with every given year), specifically it seems conferences as far more outreaching than it actually is.

 

[timetokill]

This makes a lot of sense to me.

Nintendo has always had a hard time managing their widespread appeal message to the largely core-oriented games press that hang on every word at these conferences.

The answer?

- Show Zelda to the core Nintendo fans
- Show Wii Fit to the mainstream media
- Show retailers charts and things and why they should carry/promote/preorder Nintendo products

Much easier to have a directed message when you segment your audience.

And hey, if this means they can forego their Doritos expense for the inevitable "Keighley/Reggie" bullshit show then by all means, trim the fat.

 

[jetsetmario]

E3 is all marketing.

Trading an E3 conference for a Nintendo Direct is the equivalent of passing on a Super Bowl commercial spot to advertise during the Stanley Cup.

 

[Anticitizen One]

It's just anticitizen being his normal anti-nintendo self. If you're ever bored, check out his post history. It's good for a few chuckles.

I'm not anti-nintendo at all. I love almost all of their franchises except Pokemon and I bought a 3DS and Wii U on launch day in addition to being a shareholder but when I see a company fucking up all over the place i'm gonna comment on it.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Wow, really? No E3 conference from Nintendo? Do they even care anymore?

They probably do as all their big games will be playable at E3.

 

[Elwood Blues]

E3 is stupid and has been awful for years. Good for Nintendo.

 

[Kazerei]

Are people missing this part or what?

Instead, at the E3 show this year, we are planning to host a few smaller events that are specifically focused on our software lineup for the U.S. market. There will be one closed event for American distributors, and we will hold another closed hands-on experience event, for mainly the Western gaming media.

 

[ari]

I strongly disagree. The very first e3 in 1994 was key in getting people excited about PS1 over the sega saturn and n64, E3 2005 & 2006 convinced the majority of gamers to opt for a Xbox 360 and Wii over ps3 including longtime Sony fans. The poor showing of the Wii U at E3 2012 convinced alot of Nintendo fans and curious gamers to hold off. These things do matter and how companies behave and what they present does have an affect on sales.

You're giving e3 too much credit. Outside of hardcore gamers those events doesn't matter.

 

[akira28]

Nintendo wising up and jacking out of the Western Hype Train. "In the future, we plan to participate on our terms only. Thank you."

Remember when CES was everything, and E3 wasn't? Now E3 is the Kentucky Derby and everyone has to have a prize racehorse to show off for ranking. Why? You can't bank hype.

 

[Quadraphonic]

Nintendo needs to bring it at E3!
> Cancels press conference

Nintendo needs to have an awesome Wii U Virtual Console launch
> Craptastic

Iwata needs to resign
> Takes over as CEO of NOA

Nintendo is just trolling everyone at this point. They just don't give a shit.

You're giving e3 too much credit. Outside of hardcore gamers those events doesn't matter.

If you think E3 is only for the press and core gamers, you're sadly mistaken. A huge amount of publisher/developer meetings happen at this time. GDC has them, as well, but trust me, there's a LOT of suits getting deals done at E3. It's rare to have companies, developers and publishers, all in the same place for a week.

 

[lovegames718]

Nintendo e3 presentations have been very lackluster for several years and predictable. I can't imagine who really gets hype for Nintendo e3 conferences anymore.

 

[ArkkAngel007]

If Nintendo Direct is so smart, why is the Wii U not selling? Wii U owners and Nintendo fans will love it, no doubt. But what about getting out front and trying to actually sell this thing?

All eyes and all of the media attention is going to be on Microsoft and Sony at E3. They need to be in the middle of where all the noise and crowds are. Ostracizing themselves from the traditional press conference is not going to make everyone take notice, it will instead give the impression that they are in a very weak position. Which they very much are in terms of the Wii U's prospects.

Who other than game enthusiasts are going to really notice? They will also be seeing all the news of what Nintendo is bringing. A Wii U Music demonstration by Chazz the Man isn't going to change anything.

The traditional press is going to get the same stuff, but I also wonder if there are really that many people solely focusing on tech in the mainstream media?

Again, none of the past E3 conferences helped them tremendously in that area. Not with the Wii U, the 3DS, or even the Wii outside of Wii Fit (which focused more on the demos on the floor than the presser).

 

[Silent_Ocarina]

E3 is all marketing.

Trading an E3 conference for a Nintendo Direct is the equivalent of passing on a Super Bowl commercial spot to advertise during the Stanley Cup.

If I understand correctly, it won't specifically be (only) a Nintendo Direct. There will be press events as well. I think they want to make smaller, more specific events for specific games instead of consolidating everything in one conference. This way, the press can get hands-on time of a particular game at a particular event rather than watching a preview of the game for five minutes.

It really is upsetting that there won't be a main E3 conference. It's disappointing that we won't be able to see what the press sees as they see it. I'm still not sure how it will work, but they will definitely have an E3 presence. Whether or not they will be successful in standing out remains to be seen.

 

[Gleethor]

How are so many people misinterpreting this as "Nintendo to announce no games at e3"?

 

[royalan]

This is an incredibly smart move on Nintendo's part.

Don't get me wrong; PERSONALLY I'm disappointed as all hell that there'll be no Nintendo conference this year, because I enjoy the hell out of them, especially considering that I get to go to them.

But Nintendo Direct has proven to be an incredibly successful, smart method of news delivery for them, as it allows the company to deliver their announcements and news straight from the source without giving the anti-Nintendo "games media" and their "game journalists" (terms I use very loosely) the chance to negatively skew their announcements. It's quite genius, honestly.

The only potential weakness I can see with Nintendo Direct becoming Nintendo's main method of news delivery for E3 is that the audience is more or less limited to existing Nintendo fans; non-fans aren't going to tune in and won't get the news until game journalists have had a chance to skew it. But then again, wouldn't that be the case without Nintendo Direct anyway? This just lets Nintendo trim the fat and at least reach their audience more effectively, and saves them TONS of money in conference costs in the process.

Again, smart move.

What.

Why on EARTH would any consumer champion a company blocking the media and keeping a strict hand on the perception of their products and how this information gets to the consumer? This is completely backwards.

Oh, I forgot, it's because Nintendo is the "honest" games company. They would never present their products to the consumer in a slanted, biased way. That's only something the "evil games media" does.

 

[InsaneZero]

I do not merely mean this thread. In fact, I saw this news (and overwhelming negativity) elsewhere before seeing it on GAF. That can't possibility be good publicity.

E3's been having a large string of presentations judged to be hilariously bad to just plain terrible for most people that view it, yet that has not actually changed how the product actually sells.

In the overall picture, the presentations or the hype around it doesn't matter as much as the news it brings does.

 

[Sandfox]

Are people missing this part or what?

A lof of the people in this thread are either ignoring it or just think it doesn't count since the other consoles will magically make the press ignore million selling games that could get them views/clicks.

 

[JordanLMiller]

Help guys! The sky is falling!

Any announcements/trailers etc. will still be shown online. Press will still play demos and will still write up impressions afterwards. All that's lost is some of the theatrics. I don't think this is a big deal at all, so why all the overreaction?

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

Nintendo e3 presentations have been very lackluster for several years and predictable. I can't imagine who really gets hype for Nintendo e3 conferences anymore.

You saw Other M, Kirby's Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns coming???

 

[Quadraphonic]

Help guys! The sky is falling!

Any announcements/trailers etc. will still be shown online. Press will still play demos and will still write up impressions afterwards. All that's lost is some of the theatrics. I don't think this is a big deal at all, so why all the overreaction?

This is not a move that a healthy thriving company makes.

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

Holding back what exactly ?

Holding back the chance to be in the spot light and compete with Sony and Microsoft. This is the time when they are supposed to be going all out, not decide to cancel an E3 conference.

Yes they'll reveal stuff in N-Directs and still have press events, but at the cost of giving up your conference? Talk about a big opportunity down the drain. It's just - like I said....so weak.

 

[Beth Cyra]

Nintendo needs to bring it at E3!
> Cancels press conference

Nintendo needs to have an awesome Wii U Virtual Console launch
> Craptastic

Iwata needs to resign
> Takes over as CEO of NOA

Nintendo is just trolling everyone at this point. They just don't give a shit.


If you think E3 is only for the press and core gamers, you're sadly mistaken. A huge amount of publisher/developer meetings happen at this time. GDC has them, as well, but trust me, there's a LOT of suits getting deals done at E3. It's rare to have companies, developers and publishers, all in the same place for a week.

How does not having a press confrence mean Nintendo can announce major games at E3?

Just because they don't have a stage doesn't mean they can't bring it.

 

[lovegames718]

Nintendo needs to bring it at E3!
> Cancels press conference

Nintendo needs to have an awesome Wii U Virtual Console launch
> Craptastic

Iwata needs to resign
> Takes over as CEO of NOA

Nintendo is just trolling everyone at this point. They just don't give a shit.

Agree a 100 percent but ppl still love to give the big N passes and make excuses. Nintendo is making all the wrong moves and I'm glad consumers are waking up and not buying into their old stale philosophy with the Wiiu.

 

[Sophia]

E3's been having a large string of presentations judged to be hilariously bad to just plain terrible for most people that view it, yet that has not actually changed how the product actually sells.

In the overall picture, the presentations or the hype around it doesn't matter as much as the news it brings does.

Going into anecdotal evidence territory because I'm too tried to debate an actual point, but for what it's worth, those Microsoft conferences have still generated relatively decent word of mouth among real life people I know. In contrast, Nintendo's have been pretty poor about that, and Sony's somewhere in the middle.

I wouldn't blame any of my casual acquaintances for viewing this as if Nintendo was giving up, even if they were completely wrong.

 

[ari]

This is not a move that a healthy thriving company makes.

As mentioned before and is very evident here, nintendo directs are very popular. If you want to see their presentation watch the e3 direct.

 

[nubbe]

Nintendo has nothing till will seduce the mass market.... dooom

 

[reptilescorpio]

Help guys! The sky is falling!

Any announcements/trailers etc. will still be shown online. Press will still play demos and will still write up impressions afterwards. All that's lost is some of the theatrics. I don't think this is a big deal at all, so why all the overreaction?

Mainstream media attention.