It was kinda true for the first Wii year
Emily Rogers: Why you should be excited about NXs software output
- Thread starter Tom Nook Sawyer
- Start date
It was kinda true for the first Wii year
But it ignores the clear changes in recent years that they look to be trying harder to break that trend. No other time has Nintendo ever said they were restructuring their development process like this. Nintendo had been using much the same development process since the NES.
DownGrader
Member
And that's why Iwata said it's the only Nintendo system which launch satisfied him completely.
Yeah because that's what i said, not that something that happened in the past (even multiple times) isn't guaranteed to happen again, especially considering things have been done in the mean time. Things that took years and a fuckload of money, but i guess they just flushed them down the toilet.
Oh and i also didn't express my concerns about this rumor in my post, right?
Anyone?Rodin said:
To be fair, Wii had a pretty good software run until a year or two before Wii U launch and the 3DS, while not having the gigantic DS library, never had major software droughts. Some long waits here and there but there's always a few new games every quarter. The Wii U was the only one that really had a major drought during its whole lifespan.
Toadthemushroom
Member
I think the comments about output relate directly to Nintendo's aim of unifying the hardware and software architectures of their new console and handheld, and coming up with a new development environment for devs to target both more easily.
So that means there will be a larger crossover of titles between console and handheld NX compared with last gen which basically had none of note.
So combine 3DS and Wii U software into a single platform (or even DS and Wii) and you get an idea as to what Nintendo's output can be if they go out on all cylinders for a single platform across two devices.
Still, it's somewhat worrying - Nintendo really is becoming more self sufficient and less reliant on third parties it seems.
Will NX be a better or worse format for solid third party support than 3DS, I wonder? Remember 3DS was all about the third parties when it was announced, and Nintendo took a step back. The approach with NX sounds almost the opposite.
But hey, in a world where video games are becoming increasingly commoditised I welcome this. Specialised Nintendo games targeting (hopefully) bespoke hardware (with easy to develop for guts) and third party games from Nintendo's closest partners doing the same.
So that means there will be a larger crossover of titles between console and handheld NX compared with last gen which basically had none of note.
So combine 3DS and Wii U software into a single platform (or even DS and Wii) and you get an idea as to what Nintendo's output can be if they go out on all cylinders for a single platform across two devices.
Still, it's somewhat worrying - Nintendo really is becoming more self sufficient and less reliant on third parties it seems.
Will NX be a better or worse format for solid third party support than 3DS, I wonder? Remember 3DS was all about the third parties when it was announced, and Nintendo took a step back. The approach with NX sounds almost the opposite.
But hey, in a world where video games are becoming increasingly commoditised I welcome this. Specialised Nintendo games targeting (hopefully) bespoke hardware (with easy to develop for guts) and third party games from Nintendo's closest partners doing the same.
Joelstinton14
Member
I think those two were anomalies in a sense that they were rushed to fill a gap. Sadly that did reflect on their quality.
But if we get filler titles like Captain Toad i'd be over the moon. Even Splatoon in some regard released as a budget title.
Dark Cloud
Member
I'm excited for Smash NX and I expect Ice Climbers to be exclusive to the NX version
Nintendo would not release a new system without at least some 3rd party support. Plus Japan is heavily invested in handhelds and Nintendo is heavily invested in Japan. If there is a shared library, I could easily see myself playing much of those Japanese 3rd parties on the home console. There's also no way Nintendo will let go of Monster Hunter either, or many of the exclusive titles that come to their handheld.
A bit disapointed here.
She barely talk about software in her software article
She didn't even mention her own rumor about the 4 ports.
I would like to ear more about "the entire process of how Nintendo develops and produces software has gone through radical changes". She barely scratch the surface.
So, no, without further development, I'm not excited for the software.
- Ports will never make it for original games, particularly in a launch lineup.
Nintendo knows it very well, they previously stated that the New Play Controls games on Wii were not that much a success (on the top of my head, need citation);
- Releasing a game on both home and handheld consoles will artificially improve the software output, but only for people owning only one form factor; This will not help the library in term of variety either, pretty much the contrary in fact.
- Even if they are able to output more games, it doesn't change anything if software planning is as lame as it is for years. I have no confidence in the people who greenlight NintendoLand as a launch flagship title, tell retro to do DKCTF when Wii U had already several excellent platformers, manage Metroid IP by mocking fan expectations with a spin-off after a 6 years hiatus
- New architecture àla iOS/Android is good & all, new development building is classy, but neither won't magically reduce development time. For what we know, they can even be late in implementing Vulkan in there tools (which was an under-discussed point of 10k's rumors, for your shame tech-GAF) which certainly won't help software output.
She barely talk about software in her software article
She didn't even mention her own rumor about the 4 ports.
I would like to ear more about "the entire process of how Nintendo develops and produces software has gone through radical changes". She barely scratch the surface.
So, no, without further development, I'm not excited for the software.
- Ports will never make it for original games, particularly in a launch lineup.
Nintendo knows it very well, they previously stated that the New Play Controls games on Wii were not that much a success (on the top of my head, need citation);
- Releasing a game on both home and handheld consoles will artificially improve the software output, but only for people owning only one form factor; This will not help the library in term of variety either, pretty much the contrary in fact.
- Even if they are able to output more games, it doesn't change anything if software planning is as lame as it is for years. I have no confidence in the people who greenlight NintendoLand as a launch flagship title, tell retro to do DKCTF when Wii U had already several excellent platformers, manage Metroid IP by mocking fan expectations with a spin-off after a 6 years hiatus
- New architecture àla iOS/Android is good & all, new development building is classy, but neither won't magically reduce development time. For what we know, they can even be late in implementing Vulkan in there tools (which was an under-discussed point of 10k's rumors, for your shame tech-GAF) which certainly won't help software output.
TangorFopper
Member
If that was from a pr person (like Reggie) I'll disregard as usual bs but Emily is no pr so I'm feeling pretty optimistic about that.
E3 will be really interesting to follow.
E3 will be really interesting to follow.
Yep, but at the same time it's not Iwata or Reggie saying this. I'd expect them to spin things in the most positive ways possible at all times, whereas Emily shouldn't have a problem calling a turd a turd.
And none of those times did they actually explain or offer any solution as to how they were going to minimize those droughts, outside of "we're trying harder." We'll see if the shared library solution that everyone is talking about comes to fruition, as there's no doubt that if Nintendo focused all/most of their efforts on developing for one "platform" instead of two their droughts would diminish significantly.
Though I am fully prepared for this all to come up empty in the end.
I want a return to the glorious days of the NES and SNES. is that too much to ask?
Toadthemushroom
Member
Oh yes, I agree, but in the west I really don't want a repeat of last gen, where third party software only sells a fraction of Nintendo titles, and Nintendo of Europe seems incapable of pushing games that it doesn't publish or distribute itself.
You've probably seen that chart which shows the proportion of Nintendo platform software sales which comprise of first party sales and it's dangerously high for 3DS relative to previous Nintendo handhelds. And that's a worldwide chart so Europe and North American 3DS software sales have probably skewed it somewhat.
NCL is great - they regularly push third party games as if they are their own, creating a healthy ecosystem where users are interested in both third and first party games. Heck, they've even made a new website (Nintendo Topics) which is a bit like the PS Blog, highlighting all new releases and other cool things, regardless of whether Nintendo is publishing them or not.
Meanwhile in Europe (and to some extent, North America), Nintendo formats feel like a format for Nintendo games - Nintendo makes little effort to get people interested in other publishers' content. Though I must note that NoE's support of SteamWorld Heist was great, but the inconsistency in how they handle that kind of thing irks me greatly.
Well, this was the direction Iwata(RIP) was pushing the company. There was also evidence of a lot of internal restructuring within the last few years. We're already seen some early results of their efforts, in the form of Splatoon, which is a product of their "garage project," which is just a small part of Nintendo's whole software output increase plan to begin with.
I'm inclined to believe that the NX will bring it all to fruition, as teams and architectures are unified. People need not fear for quality of software since Nintendo is never afraid to delay games until they are 'ready', but imagine, if you will, how much sooner Smash Bros 4 would have been completed if handheld and console shared similar architecture. Applying that same thinking to their entire development process is sure to produce interesting results. Code could be shared when possible, small assets or entire levels, a degree of scalability between hardware, easier networking, or even a vast internal library to pull from/update effortlessly. Basically, a more streamlined and connected development environment. There's no reason to doubt that this will greatly impact software output in a positive way. I'm really anxious to see how this works out for Nintendo.
I'm inclined to believe that the NX will bring it all to fruition, as teams and architectures are unified. People need not fear for quality of software since Nintendo is never afraid to delay games until they are 'ready', but imagine, if you will, how much sooner Smash Bros 4 would have been completed if handheld and console shared similar architecture. Applying that same thinking to their entire development process is sure to produce interesting results. Code could be shared when possible, small assets or entire levels, a degree of scalability between hardware, easier networking, or even a vast internal library to pull from/update effortlessly. Basically, a more streamlined and connected development environment. There's no reason to doubt that this will greatly impact software output in a positive way. I'm really anxious to see how this works out for Nintendo.
I'm hoping this is where Kimishima comes in with his experience in dealing with international businesses. They need to push that more here with western 3rd parties just the same as their Japanese 3rd parties.
Edit for your edit: I want them to do Nintendo Topics here too. We need that kind of blog outside of developer discussions on Miiverse.
Possumowner
Member
More Nintendo 1st is/could be amazing news.But,and it's a big but,the quality needs to remain high.It's no good putting out a high quantity if quality is low/average.Of course the mainline titles will stay great,it's the others I'm worried about.
But I'm all for upping the quantity of software...That is if this is all true
But I'm all for upping the quantity of software...That is if this is all true
Did I hit a nerve?
I already stated some false rumors in my previous post. But here's more Wii U rumors from 2011 if you want em'.
It's a different telling it as PR stuff or getting it from inside stuff.
Also it was Iwata plan, but faild to make it possible for wiiu and 3ds.
thats why everything @ nintendo is reorganized. This games are already in development.
So there isn't a true or false question.
She leaked Miiverse, she leaked shared wallets, she leaked many games, she has come a long way since 2011. She's gotten more right than wrong and much better sources now unless you've not payed attention.
Milly Osworth
Member
Lets hope it works out for Nintendo. The last experience I had with a company reorganizing and expanding was the World of Warcraft team "doubling in size". But their output has become less and worse...
Toadthemushroom
Member
Absolutely. While NCL has gone through restructuring to prepare for next gen (though that's mostly on the developer side) it'd be nice if NoE and NoA were doing the same to take a new approach with these things.
They did so before DS and Wii (Iwata specifically wanted to fix the situation in Europe and apologised for it before DS launch), where Nintendo's approach felt really fresh.
As for Nintendo Topics, agreed. Situation is a mess over here, with some developer discussions going up on Miiverse, some going up on the Nintendo UK site, some going up on sites Nintendo is friendly with (like Nintendo Life).
I've never understood why Nintendo doesn't try and engage its audience directly in the west - after Nintendo Power and Official Nintendo Magazines closed down there's been nothing to replace them!
I mean... hopefully the quality is better because let's be real, they rushed out a ton of stinkers too.
I mean games like Pikmin 3, Mario Maker, Link Between Worlds and Splatoon are among the best games they've made in years. But for every one of those, there's a New Yoshi's Island, or Sticker Star, or Mario Tennis Ultra Smash...
Even Mario Kart 8, as good as the tracks and DLC are, the kart customization has only gotten in the way when playing with groups, the Battle Mode is total bullocks, and they still have yet to offer a single player that even touches Mario Kart DS.
The desperation to fill out their catalog over two systems because barely any other big name developers were doing so led to a ton of stuff getting rushed or feeling incomplete.
I remember too some rumors from her that turned out to be false, but to be fair these are pretty old. From around 2013-14 her rumors have been mostly on point, so she must have a new, more credible source that tells her stuff. Sure, not every single thing she says is true, but her track record has improved quite a bit, and the fact that we give her credit now while in the past her rumors were usually dismissed should definitely mean something.
Pretty much this.
Labrynian Rebel
Member
Toadthemushroom
Member
Yeah, a fair few games Nintendo commissioned this gen felt like they came off an assembly line to fill a gap in the release schedule, particularly to also make sure they had a complementary title on 3DS or Wii U.
That should go away - no need to make two Mario Tennis titles for example, instead make a single, great game, which is optimised for two formats to feel at home on both.
I hope this also allows Nintendo to free up some more resources among their internal teams, I really want more "fresh" titles like Rusty's Real Deal Baseball, Code Name STEAM (okay that was intelligent systems) and Splatoon, alongside the high quality stuff like Pikmin 3, Zelda: ALBW and Mario Kart 8.
What's sad is this gen saw the death of Nintendo-published titles which were created in collaboration with other developers. Nintendo didn't come back to Treasure to give them more work, likewise with iNiS, Cing, Mindware Corp, Mistwalker, Ganbarion and other developers (okay Ganbarion helped with Wii Fit U like how Namco helped with Mario Kart 8, but that's besides the point I'm making here).
"Unprecedented third party support", "You will say wow", etc
It's always the same and after two or three gens that lack the most basic stuff aside of first party games - I'm talking about third party games and a decent online infrastructure -, I cannot understand how people get hyped by this.
PS: WiiU got some ports on the first year and after that all third party support ended.
It's always the same and after two or three gens that lack the most basic stuff aside of first party games - I'm talking about third party games and a decent online infrastructure -, I cannot understand how people get hyped by this.
PS: WiiU got some ports on the first year and after that all third party support ended.
I hoping the red and white Nintendo logo for NoA is a sign of change in their approach. Everything is using that logo now rather than using 3DS or Wii U, it's just Nintendo sections in stores. I hope it means much more like you described.
Otakumegane
Member
They say this literally everytime.
Unless I have them in my hands man.
Unless I have them in my hands man.
KratosEnergyDrink
Member
No there is not a "Stinker" for ever of the great games, not even near. The amount and quality of games Nintendo produced in recent years is unprecedented.
DownGrader
Member
But: a) it's not "they" this time, it's an info from a pretty critical insider instead of official PR person, and b) we actually see the company foing through the restructure.
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
It's not asinine. Are we just supposed to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt at the start of each new cycle? "Things will be different this time". You can't blame people for being sceptical, and they have every right to be so.
GinoFelino
Member
HEY GUYS WHAT ABOUT
DEVIL'S FOURTH
BELIEVE!!!!
Anyone?
This is not Itagaki I swear
because she got more accurate over time.
still it's all just rumors and speculations. just for wait E3 it will be better for your mental well being.
That should be in the OP.
Nintendo isn't saying this, an insider is. There is no PR or Reggie trying to spin a positive. The restructuring has been huge in completely getting rid of EAD and mixing their handheld and home console divisions and development teams into one studio now known as EPD. They've built more buildings, expanded and have even been hiring people straight out of college.
DownGrader
Member
While she made some mistakes regarding Project Cafe, her later predictions were on point. The most recent one is Paper Mario for Wii U.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
I am happy hag they are reviewing tech, tools, and software development and delivery practices, although I hope this does not start to degrade Nintendo's usual polish and ingenuity. Hearing that we are getting a lot of software on NX because they have starved Wii U users by moving products over... Less exciting
.Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
nuttin
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
Droughts. Droughts everywhere.
wat. here's a summary of the rumors I found:
- Pikmin 3 is guaranteed to be there and playable on the new home console.
Pikmin 3 is in fact playable on the Wii U.
- Soul Calibur 5 is a launch title.
The Wii U got delayed past SC5's launch; Namco released Tekken instead at launch. Also, SC5 got blasted in reviews, so no wonder they didn't bother with a lateport.
- Ubisoft is planning three launch titles.
This one would have held if Ubisoft hadn't delayed Rayman. Otherwise the U has AssCreed, ZombiU, and Rayman all in the launch window with Watch Dogs coming to it in it's first year. And we know for a fact Rayman was delayed + made multiplat at the last minute.
- Nintendo wants to launch with a big first person shooter title.
That was Call of Duty, which did come out at launch (and is still the only CoD on Wii U)
- Rockstar is working on something for the system, but it might not be at E3.
This one didn't happen, but a lot of projects were cancelled once the Wii U sputtered out. It should be noted that Rockstar announced GTA3 and Vice City would be coming to the GameCube and cancelled those versions in the twilight hour, so they've come close to releasing stuff and killing it on Nintendo hardware before.
DownGrader
Member
It's great if you look on it as a whole (and that's how future generations will be experiencing it, trust me), but there were abysmal launch years and constant long software droughts.