|
Post by nocturnal YL on Jan 17, 2014 11:27:07 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Da Robot on Jan 17, 2014 17:14:56 GMT -5
Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.
Where the fuck do they go from here?
I really, really hope these setbacks make Nintendo look at themselves and work on improving the heck out of the company. But with lengthly game/software development time, that's probably going to take some time.
The only quick solution I think is they seriously need to stop advertising at the "child" demographic and start just trying to advertise to teens/adults (like with the Wii) because they will get the "child" demographic that wants to "grow up" (Eg look at Microsoft/Sony's marketing, "kids" at some point in there young lives don't want to be kids anymore and just want to grow up/be adults as fast as possible, (look at the all the kids playing M rated games and stuff)).
They also need to get the fuck over their fear about publishing games such as "populor games made by the west with guns and blood and killing people" and start publishing more of them. Would there have never been so many FPS on the N64 if it wasn't for Goldeneye 007 leading the charge?
End rant.
|
|
|
Post by Koopaul on Jan 18, 2014 3:04:50 GMT -5
Also they don't seem to realize that the Western and Japanese market is very different. I reminded of how dumbfounded they were when Street Pass was kind of a failure in North America. "It works in Japan, it must work for the rest of the world, right?" Wrong.
They got to realize Japan has a different lifestyle from what the people in the West have.
|
|
|
Post by Da Robot on Jan 18, 2014 4:08:08 GMT -5
Important update! (Even thought about making a thread for this, because it seems like it would link up the recent new Wii U threads lately). Iwata admits to misreading the marketsonline.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303465004579325760899958956 In a snap news conference called in Osaka, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata admitted he had misread the markets and hadn't issued "the appropriate instructions.'' He said the company needed to change and "propose something that surprises our customers."
"The way people use their time, their lifestyles, who they areβhave changed," Mr. Iwata said. "If we stay in one place, we will become outdated."
Mr. Iwata noted that Nintendo's sales in Japan were better than they were in the U.S. and Europe, and said the company needed a better way of keeping in touch with trends abroad.
"In Japan, I can be my own antenna, but abroad, that doesn't work," he said.^ That last quote . . . (quotes were copied pasted from NeoGAF's post about this)
|
|
|
Post by nocturnal YL on Jan 18, 2014 6:09:56 GMT -5
If this really teaches Nintendo a lesson, that would be a good thing. Personally, I don't really care about what do they carry; I'm the kind of player to spend 99% of the time on Nintendo machines on Nintendo-published titles. But that still doesn't mean they shouldn't keep themselves updated. They need that for income, and their hardware really needs improvement. Also they don't seem to realize that the Western and Japanese market is very different. I reminded of how dumbfounded they were when Street Pass was kind of a failure in North America. "It works in Japan, it must work for the rest of the world, right?" Wrong. Being an easterner in the west, I think StreetPass is a 3DS owner density issue. In the west, there are more rural areas with a low population density, let alone 3DS owners. Since Japan is generally more dense and developed, they're having less of a problem, being able to go to populated areas at will. Here where I live, I get tags whenever I go to the city centre. In fact, it's gone to a level that I'm starting to have the "10 tags limit is not enough" gripe shared with Japanese players, even though this is a country where Nintendo has a low market share. Though given that Nottingham has a high gamer population in general, I'm not that surprised.
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 18, 2014 12:27:03 GMT -5
"In Japan, I can be my own antenna, but abroad, that doesn't work," he said. I don't get it. Is he basically saying that being the CEO of NoA wasn't a good idea? Being an easterner in the west, I think StreetPass is a 3DS owner density issue. In the west, there are more rural areas with a low population density, let alone 3DS owners. Since Japan is generally more dense and developed, they're having less of a problem, being able to go to populated areas at will. I think this has been Japan's issue with online gaming from the start. Nintendo keeps wanting to make games that people can play together in the same room, and that's fine, but they misunderstand the convenience of online gaming for a country whose population is spread out. I have to say, tho, that I bought a Wii U because it was the most Japan-centric console. Western game design has gotten too industrialized and generic. The games might as well be coming off an assembly line. Even indie titles kind of blend together. The problems with the Japanese industry lie more with the publishers who are trying to imitate the Western market. Japanese developers, however, can still make fresh, interesting games when given the chance, and Nintendo, as both a developer and publisher, still cares about imagination and craftsmanship. It's a level of integrity not often seen in a major publisher these days, and it's sad that it's not more valued, especially among so-called "hardcore" gamers who should care more than anyone. It would be good if Nintendo recognized the differences between the Eastern and Western markets, but I don't want them to lose their identity in the process. I love Japanese games like The Wonderful 101 and Pandora's Tower, and I don't want them to be replaced with generic Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed clones.
|
|
|
Post by Koopaul on Jan 19, 2014 0:58:20 GMT -5
Well it's not the games themselves that need to take Western audiences into consideration, it's things like connectivity, competitiveness, and game-length that need to change.
I remember in Iwata Asks the Wind Waker HD, the developer was talking about how he needed to make the game shorter because people don't have enough time to play games. I feel as if that only applies to certain countries, like Japan. In America gamers spend HOURS playing video games.
If Nintendo insists on making shorter games in the future then they really don't know what's best for everyone.
|
|
|
Post by Da Robot on Jan 19, 2014 5:13:11 GMT -5
Well it's not the games themselves that need to take Western audiences into consideration, it's things like connectivity, competitiveness, and game-length that need to change. I remember in Iwata Asks the Wind Waker HD, the developer was talking about how he needed to make the game shorter because people don't have enough time to play games. I feel as if that only applies to certain countries, like Japan. In America gamers spend HOURS playing video games. If Nintendo insists on making shorter games in the future then they really don't know what's best for everyone. What is the perfect game length? No one wants to play a game that ends up being lengthed with filler (like Skyward Sword) or game that takes ages to get going (Final Fantasy XIII and it's 20 hour tutorial) Unless Nintendo want's to start charging the price of their (single player) games by the play length they provide. (Competetive multiplayer games might just be standard price.) Reminds me of the story of how the maps in Advance Wars: Dark Conflict/Days of Ruin had all the maps unlocked to prevent complaints of having to unlock them (from the Japanese). The game wasn't even released in Japan (till last year via the Club Nintendo promo).
|
|
|
Post by Nester the Lark on Jan 22, 2014 15:28:01 GMT -5
Apparently, Nintendo's stock has rebounded almost to where it was two weeks ago. And here's a humorous take on the situation: EDIT: Here's a joke about Nintendo from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (who's taking over The Tonight Show in a few weeks). I'm guessing people outside North America might not be able to view this video: For those of you who couldn't see it, his joke was, "The company was actually doing pretty well until it hit a banana peel and lost all its coins." He then showed footage from a supposedly new Nintendo game where Mario (8-bit NES style) collects some gold coins and then walks into a building with a sign that says, "Cash 4 Gold." Fallon then quipped, "Even sadder, he's just going to spend all that money on mushrooms."
|
|
|
Post by Manspeed on Jan 24, 2014 2:35:42 GMT -5
Hahaha. A Mario Kart joke and a "Mario eats/does mushrooms" joke. Haven't seen those before. -_-
|
|
|
Post by Shrikeswind on Jan 24, 2014 4:27:07 GMT -5
Hahaha. A Mario Kart joke and a "Mario eats/does mushrooms" joke. Haven't seen those before. -_- I'm with you, man, if "Done-to-death" is going to be Fallon's sense of humor I can guarantee that I will continue to not watch the Tonight Show when he takes over. Not that it means much, of course, since "Done-to-death" is pretty much how most shows of the sort earn their canned laughter. No I don't like the Tonight Show. How'd you ever guess?
|
|
|
Post by nocturnal YL on Jan 29, 2014 4:42:05 GMT -5
Nintendo posted their earnings for the last three months. From the raw numbers alone, it doesn't look so bad, even though it doesn't feel like what a year after a hardware launch should be like. Observations: - Wii U sales for the last 9 months amount to less than 2012's equivalents, which is saying a lot considering that it launched in late 2012.
- Japan is, in general, more aware of gaming news and is less likely to buy old systems. The original DS series sold less than 10,000 units in the last 9 months.
- Less loss before income was incurred, and foreign exchange did to their favour. They had to pay more taxes though. This ultimately leads to a tiny profit.
- They're going to invest more into R&D and advertising, which isn't exacly surprising, but is pleasant news regardless.
- For the whole time, they're having far too much current assets versus current liabilities. If conventional wisdom in accounting ratios apply here, they're not making good enough use of all those excess liquid assets. Not really a problem if they're going to spend them in the coming year.
|
|