Huh, that was an interesting story. No doubt that when Iwata says that, he is talking more about their mindset than anything else. Well let's take a look at the comments and
I'm not surprised anymore. As many Escapist users are not and probably will never be Nintendo's audience, I can understand some distaste. But there is a difference between a difference of taste and blind hatred, which is a whole lot of what I'm seeing here.
BigTuk said:
Typical CEO speak. Make the company sound like something it isn't. Make it sound like they aren't last place in their area of operation by simply stating that their area of operations is something else.
You can either call yourself a slow runner or a fast walker.
Doesn't change the fact that you're losing the race Nintendo. YOu went from a position of absolute dominance to pretty much last place. The delicious irony is that you created one of the companies that kicked you of your throne by screwing over Sony on a Business deal. Yup Nintendo, every day you see SOny's sales figures and yours it must kill them to know, that could have been them but they had to ditch Sony for Phillips and their Cd-i...LOL!
Seriously though I foresee Nintendo going the route of Sega,. Face it... only reason anyone buys a nintendo console is for the Hope of a New Good Mario, Zelda, Metroid game.
Are you quite finished with your hate jerking? The bile is getting everywhere and will take forever to clean up. Yes, Nintendo, for this console generation, is doing pretty poorly in hardware sales. And as we all know, the console races automatically kill any company that is in last place. Just like how Microsoft didn't make another console after the Xbox and Sony never made another console after the PS3. What's that? They did make another console AND said consoles are a success in hardware sales? YOU DON'T SAY! It's almost as if what your place is in one generation doesn't matter in the next.
And, before you start spurting out Nintendo's profit woes in a pathetic act of vindication of your opinion, the PS3 and the Xbox brand were financial disasters sales wise with neither making a profit until very recently. They're still around but if Nintendo does it, it's screwed? Please. Also, learn some history if you want to talk about Sega and you will see that their failure as a company is completely different to Nintendo.
BrotherRool said:
Serious question, does Nintendo make something other than video games? Otherwise saying some of their employees have 'started' to believe that Nintendo is a company that makes video games seems like a delusional complaint.
This whole thing sounds like an Onion article 'Loser in the current console wars starts complaining that people think they make video games'
It's more of a marketing mindset. Nintendo doesn't see itself selling its wares solely towards the standard "hardcore" gamer, though Nintendo does place some focus them as well. Nintendo has, especially in the last decade, focused their marketing attempts at expanded its audience by making non-gamers gamers. This ranges from children (Pokemon, Kirby), "casual" gamers (Wii Sports, Animal Crossing), and now people into fitness (Wii Fit, QOL). And this is a good thing, as a market will always shrink if you don't bring in fresh blood. Of course, whether or not the QOL will be a success remains to be seen, but this does showcase what Iwata means. Nintendo doesn't make profits solely by preaching to the choir, but also by making sure more people grow into gaming.
velcthulhu said:
Obviously, they're planning to go back into their old areas of expertise, from before Yamauchi made them a consumer electronics company. If they go back into making playing cards and running love hotels, just think what kinds of crossovers they could have with their current IPs!
/not actually being serious
To be fair, I'm pretty sure Nintendo still sells Hanafuda Cards and organizes Bridge tournaments so even though I'm still saying that its mindset more than matter, they are still technically an entertainment company over a pure video game company.
Hairless Mammoth said:
Uh, The only products I've heard of Nintendo making in the last 30 years were video game software, video game hardware, and short lived tv show (plus a movie) spinoffs in the late 80s. If Iwata says they are an entertainment company, then he is either verbally diluting the image of Nintendo by saying that, believes foolishly that families are together enjoying the dust collection devices(Wii, Wii U) they're selling, or has crazy plans[footnote]This is about as likely as seeing an a guy riding an elephant down the interstate, so take it with a spoonful of salt.[/footnote] for more media offshoots such as tie-in shorts, full tv shows or films(*shudders*).
Hey, maybe hiring out a studio to make a mini-series or two would be a good, not great idea. People still remember the old franchises even if they switched to PC, Sony or, MS. It could spark that nostalgia center in their brains to want some Nintendo after seeing a 10 minute Youtube, Hulu, Amazon, etc. video based on Mario or Zelda. Then if Big N got over its "our IPs only on our systems" ideology long enough to let those shows be sold on the PSN and Xbox stores, they could basically advertise to their competitors instal base. It's a crazy, possibly stupid idea but companies have done stupider things.(Oh Hai, Microsoft. How that Windows 8 and Kinect doing?)
Either way Nintendo needs to show us some of this "entertainment" they've promised they're making.
BigTuk said:
Seriously though I foresee Nintendo going the route of Sega,. Face it... only reason anyone buys a Nintendo console is for the Hope of a New Good Mario, Zelda, Metroid game.
Naysayers will tell you your wrong. "Nintendo is richer than MS at its peak during the 90s." But, I agree. Ninty is starting to really on stagnating hardware and gimmicks just like mid 90's Sega. They even made a few poor business decisions[footnote]Nintendo creating the PlayStation and a competitor in Sony, through a botched deal that was their fault. Then loosing third party support with the expensive, low storage N64 carts and lost much of the remainder from sore partners from Big N's totalitarian NES and SNES days. Sega tried to keep the Genesis alive longer with overpriced add-ons and pissed off developers and retailers by surprise releasing the Saturn early at a few locations. Plus, they just sold a ton of 32Xes and lost the trust of customers when that was supported with only a couple dozen technologically obsolete games.[/footnote] just like Sega. Ninty just made a new system with marginally better specs and a new gimmick controller along with the old system's gimmick after that lost popularity.
Nintendo does have the chance to get back up Sega didn't. Their pocket book should be deep enough that something will click in the execs heads, and they stop driving away investors and publishers before the coffers are too empty to make some good comeback games.[footnote] A nice Metroid Wii U game might push me and others over the edge into "shut up and take my money" territory and help the install based somewhat.[/footnote]
So...because of what Nintendo did during the N64 days means that now Nintendo's screwed. Right. While Sega's woes certainly started way before the Dreamcast, Nintendo has this little device known as the Wii that is throwing holes in your theory. The Wii was tremendously successful, compared to the dying Sega consoles. It's going to take at least two complete flops (A Virtua Boy Flop, Not a Wii U "flop") before we can say with confidence that Nintendo will fail.
EbonBehelit said:
For some ungodly reason, Nintendo seems to be trying to convince itself that what stands to be it's greatest strength as a company, is actually a weakness that needs to be rectified.
What on earth...
Nintendo! You ARE just about Video Games! In fact, you're the only one of the Big Three that actually made a dedicated Videogame Console this generation!
Now stop wasting your time and money on pointless side projects, have some purity of vision, and focus on what we ALL know you to be good at. The Wii U is failing because you haven't put the real 1st-Party knockouts on it yet - which you should damn well know by now is what really gets sales going.
New Super Mario Bros Wii U, New Super Mario Bros 3D World, The Wonderful 101, Zombie U, Pikmin 3, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, TANK! TANK! TANK!, Game and Wario. All these are out right now on the Wii U. And that's not including: Bayonetta 2, Fatal Frame V, Mario Kart 8, Shin Meagmi Tensei X Fire Emblem, Hyrule Warriors, and more. If you do not want a Wii U, that's perfectly OK. You are no longer the target audience for the Wii U. But can we stop with the notion that Nintendo has no knock-out games yet? Or that Nintendo doesn't have quality games on the system? Because it does.
Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata elaborates further on the company's planned "Quality of Life" platform and how it's more than a video game company.
