General Nintendo sales/business discussion topic (previously: The Wii U Thread)

[Dejimon11]

It says that the source is anonymous right?

[Marcello]

Honestly I don't think they do need EA. They just need to make sports games that tell EA's shitty ones to fuck off like Sega did.

 

Why are sports games so popular anyways? When I play them all it does is make me wish I was playing an actual sport.

 

You disgust me.

 

 

I think the problem is that EA has the exclusive rights to use actual NFL and FIFA players (Don't know about the other sports), which is pretty important to the players.

[azoo]

IF nintendo did a new 1080 game the loss of SSX wouldnt be an issue

 

You sure?

 

 

 

Gameplay wise, 1080 looks more bounded to reality. While the most recent SSX game has gone more in that direction, the controls and tricks is anything but. Unless 1080 is retooled to somehow trump SSX (or just rip it off), it doesn't stand a chance.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Proably should have said AS big an issue, in the snowboarding department

In other news, here is an interesting article from Wired

 

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2014/01/nintendo-mobile/

[Dejimon11]

You disgust me.

 

 

I think the problem is that EA has the exclusive rights to use actual NFL and FIFA players (Don't know about the other sports), which is pretty important to the players.

And that's what bit Midway games and I believe SEGA in the ass

[Gabz Girl]

EA are pricks, through and through. I know Nintendo needs them for their consoles to do a bit better, but I'd rather they stay as faaaar away as possible from the Wii U in case they release more buggy games like Battlefield 4, including microtransactions in every game and treating their consumers like crap.

 

And like Marcello said why the hell did they release Mass Effect 3 on Wii U when they could've easily released the entire trilogy edition? It's like they did it on purpose! UGH I swear..!

[Detective Shadzter]

Jimmy Fallon Makes Fun Of Nintendo's Money Troubles
http://kotaku.com/jimmy-fallon-makes-fun-of-nintendos-money-troubles-1506818934?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow

 

There's a video clip if you follow the link. Not very good for Nintendo's already poor image right now :-/

[SuperLink]

Didn't Nintendo get that guy to market them once or am I imagining things? Oh the iron knee.

EDIT: I just watched it and tbh it's not really in bad taste even.

[Remynaka]

 

 

 So they are making a new console.  I think this is the correct choice as it's apparent that they need to do something FAST. 

[Sami]

Honestly I don't think they do need EA. They just need to make sports games that tell EA's shitty ones to fuck off like Sega did.

 

Why are sports games so popular anyways? When I play them all it does is make me wish I was playing an actual sport.

 

'Cause that worked out so well for SEGA.

 

 

And this is exactly what I meant by most of the problems with the Wii U not being the graphics power, but because of the way it's advertised. If the Wii U was refocused to be a more all-audiences console then maybe they'd change their mind.

 

 btw "It became a kids IP platform and we don’t really make games for kids" made them sound like 500x bigger tools than they already are, good job EA

 

How are you going to grab the core market when they don't care about gimmicks and have the money to blow for more power and more games targeted at them? They can hype themselves up as hardcore all they want but without the power and games to back it up it'll just kinda come off as 

 

 

That said EA is shitty but they're the kind of shitty the platform holders need. Like it or not they publish plenty of greats alongside with the shit, like Mirrors Edge, Mass Effect, and Need For Speed. All we can do is refuse to support them when they do something genuinely awful, like Sim City, and instead buy the good things they do release.

[PaddyFancy]

Looks like something from the 90s. Don't believe this in any way, shape or form.

[Senator NinjaShark]

Yeah, No, thats pretty much all a rumor, a rumor wich is incredibly shaky and doubtful at that

 

not to mention that making a new Console already is a pretty Bad idea anyway.

 

[Sami]

 

 

 So they are making a new console.  I think this is the correct choice as it's apparent that they need to do something FAST. 

 

This is almost certainly fake.

[Solkia]

'Cause that worked out so well for SEGA.

 

It actually did. What didn't work out for SEGA was no ID checking allowing easy piracy, high manufacturing costs on a tiny budget, and the PS2 announcement.

 

For it's time, SEGA Sports games were very popular.

[JaidynReiman]

 

 

 So they are making a new console.  I think this is the correct choice as it's apparent that they need to do something FAST. 

Exactly. Release new games. The console is fine; the problem is its not selling because there's not a large selection of games on it. How would releasing a new console do any good? That's the absolute WORST thing they could do right now.

[azoo]

How are you going to grab the core market when they don't care about gimmicks and have the money to blow for more power and more games targeted at them? They can hype themselves up as hardcore all they want but without the power and games to back it up it'll just kinda come off as 

 

* insert ~Bubbles~ here*

 

I'm not going down this argument's road again.

 

But I guess to put it in short, maybe you just.. oh I dunno.. show some game variety? Show the best the console can output regardless of it's lower specs? Treat the gamepad less as a gimmick and more of a ease-of-access tool (because sitting around the house playing games wherever is a pretty appealing thought)? That'd do it.

 

Besides, I don't think that statement explicitly calling a console "a kid's console" has anything to do with the power behind it.

 

 

 

 So they are making a new console.  I think this is the correct choice as it's apparent that they need to do something FAST. 

 

 

Aaaand fake. (not gonna lie though, I like how it looks, especially with those colors in the pic that's going around)

[Remynaka]

This is almost certainly fake.

 

 

 I didn't know it was a rumor.. Stonefoxmedia normally doesn't post rumors like that.. but I could be wrong. Either way they need to do SOMETHING. Anything! They need to get 3rd party back in their camp somehow and I'm unsure of how they can do it without making a console that is up to snuff. 

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

They need to get 3rd party back in their camp somehow and I'm unsure of how they can do it without making a console that is up to snuff. 

 

A new console, while being a bad idea for a variety of other reasons, won't magically change everyone's stance on Nintendo for the better. Heck, who wants to support the company who is horribly "kiddy" and flaky/irresponsible?

[Milo]

 

This is almost certainly fake.

 

Just "fake"? This isn't even good enough to pass itself off as a hoax.

[Remynaka]

 Well this report is spreading FAST all over the place. I'm not gonna post all the videos I ran across but good grief. It's EVERYWHERE. Well not talking about the rumor, what CAN they do? If companies are complaining that it's not powerful enough for them to support, and keep in mind they were saying that about last gen PS3's and 360's What can Wii-U do that the other two systems which are more powerful do that they couldn't?  

 

 How can they win over 3rd party support that it lacks. Cause while yes the 1st party games are awesome, you NEED 3rd party support otherwise it will always be behind the other systems. 

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

 Well this report is spreading FAST all over the place. I'm not gonna post all the videos I ran across but good grief. It's EVERYWHERE. Well not talking about the rumor, what CAN they do? If companies are complaining that it's not powerful enough for them to support, and keep in mind they were saying that about last gen PS3's and 360's What can Wii-U do that the other two systems which are more powerful do that they couldn't?  

 

 How can they win over 3rd party support that it lacks. Cause while yes the 1st party games are awesome, you NEED 3rd party support otherwise it will always be behind the other systems. 

Sigh, the rumor spreads quickly, yet the fact that their stock shares are back up doesnt

[Mauro Fonseca]

They can make games. And even better, they can focus on marketing the damn thing and reminding the audience it exists. Hell, use the excuse of a new model and relaunch it as Wii Two or something.

[Sami]

It actually did. What didn't work out for SEGA was no ID checking allowing easy piracy, high manufacturing costs on a tiny budget, and the PS2 announcement.

 

For it's time, SEGA Sports games were very popular.

That wouldn't surprise me, since the situations are different. SEGA's games were on the most powerful console at the time and even had online play(?), giving them an actual advantage. Unless of course you mean after the PS2, in which case I wouldn't know the details since I don't play sports games.

Is it even possible for Nintendo to compete for that audience on underpowered hardware and without any deals with the sports leagues?

 

I'm not going down this argument's road again.

 

But I guess to put it in short, maybe you just.. oh I dunno.. show some game variety? Show the best the console can output regardless of it's lower specs? Treat the gamepad less as a gimmick and more of a ease-of-access tool (because sitting around the house playing games wherever is a pretty appealing thought)? That'd do it.

 

Besides, I don't think that statement explicitly calling a console "a kid's console" has anything to do with the power behind it.

That's exactly what Nintendo tried, though. Remember Batman, Zombie U, and the "unprecedented partnership"? That's all well and good but the hardware has to support it, not inhibit it right off the bat.

The Wii showed that it's possible for nearly decade old hardware to sell to the mass market, but personally I believe that's about it. You specifically referenced the older, more heavily invested hardcore audience, which is why I disagreed. If you want their money you have to actually try to build a machine with them in mind, not release hardware they won't want and then promise "no no really you'll love me it's what's inside that counts I promise".

Just like the Wii showed that you can grab casuals with your console, the Wii U shows you most definitely get both audiences at the same time. Same console, maybe, but not at the same time.

 

Exactly. Release new games. The console is fine; the problem is its not selling because there's not a large selection of games on it. How would releasing a new console do any good? That's the absolute WORST thing they could do right now.

Why greenlight new games with big budgets on a console that hardly anyone owns, hardly anyone wants, and that has already flushed away billions of dollars with no sign of any return?

Releasing a new console now wouldn't be too smart, and actually going in public and announcing the Wii U's discontinuation would be catastrophic for them. What I think they should do is release everything already currently under development, start production on some smaller and inexpensive projects to keep up appearances for a few years, and slowly and quietly brush the system under the rug by moving big flagship projects like Zelda and Mario on to the successor console while temporarily halting or slowing production of the console (they didn't even reach a quarter of their expected sales, so they surely have a few million in storage) so as not to cause panic. Meanwhile shift the spotlight to the 3DS until the next handheld is ready to make some money in the meantime.

 

Sigh, the rumor spreads quickly, yet the fact that their stock shares are back up doesnt

 

That happens all the time with stocks. It'll flatline soon (maybe a week or two after the investors meeting), and unless Iwata announces a switch to mobile it'll absolutely be lower than before.

 

Edit - I guess I'll just leave it here lest we go in circles again, but that's what I think would be the best course of action.

[azoo]

 

That's exactly what Nintendo tried, though. Remember Batman, Zombie U, and the "unprecedented partnership"? That's all well and good but the hardware has to support it, not inhibit it right off the bat.

 

A port of a game masses upon masses of people already owned on last-gen consoles (Arkham City), a game that uses an almost embarrassing over-emphasis on the gamepad gimmick (leading other companies to suspect that's the standard for making games work on the console) (Zombi U), and light words followed by calling it "dead" and "a kid's console" after they released a port that didn't sell well because they released that one game's entire trilogy collection on consoles people already had at the same time, and then wondered why it magically didn't sell (Mass Effect 3).

 

Not to mention most of the rest of these third party titles are games you can find on last-gen consoles people already own. Regardless of whatever extras they seem to have, they're not gonna sell if you've already got the more convenient option right in front of you, and have had it there for a long time.

 

You can't really blame Ninty for that. They practically made up their own reasons to ditch Nintendo.

 

Just like the Wii showed that you can grab casuals with your console, the Wii U shows you most definitely get both audiences at the same time. Same console, maybe, but not at the same time.

 

And that's why I said they need to show more variety because that's where the problem lies. Of course it's uncomfortable that Nintendo's spurting out nothing but cartoony whimsical platformer adventures and casual family oriented diddly-doos while their third party titles are all dark and grim and "mature", or just plain big ambitious games. 

 

Now that you can blame on Nintendo, because maybe that's why they're being called a "kids' console" and people are tapping out after they just previously dedicated themselves: the focus and marketing. :v 

 

And it's why I mentioned that if they can change their image with first party IPs of more variety to go alongside their brighter games AND THEN refocused their image, then it'd be taken more seriously. That's what I've been trying to say this whole time.

[SuperLink]

Aiming for the older audiences, the ~core~ or whatever is much more feasible with powerful hardware and cutting edge online features and whatnot. That doesn't mean a weaker console can't have fantastic core games, but the point is the thing probably won't grab the attention of that group unless it promises something that the ~core~ would really love. The PS4's Share button is an example of that, if Nintendo capitalised on that early, as well as improved online features and things like using the Gamepad screen to play tons of old games aswell as new ones, they could have possibly gotten huge ~core~ attention without needing power.. I dunno, all possibilities.

 

But you have to aim for a audience no matter what. The ~core~ didn't work for Nintendo so they fell back on "family" and "kids", which is better than nothing in the current situation but yea isn't helping them win back the core image any time soon.

 

I personally don't think Nintendo will want to risk a PS4+ level powered system when there's no reason for them to believe it'll definitely work out, they've shown before there are other ways they can get attention. For now they need to work on minimising Wii U production and losses while keeping it on the market, finish up their games for it, and hit the drawing board hard for the next round.