Will Nintendo Benefit From Industry Hard Times?

[Andy Chalk]

Will Nintendo Benefit From Industry Hard Times?

Bad times for the videogame industry might just be good times for DS [http://www.nintendo.com].

Iwata said in a recent conference call that tough economic times are forcing many publishers to cut back on the number of titles they're producing and releasing, and as a result their efforts have to be directed toward projects that have the greatest chance of being commercially successful.

"Nintendo was hopeful that we would make this new system the best selling hardware in the next generation," Iwata said. "Even so, If you ask me if we were able to foresee today's situation, I am not that optimistic so I have to admit that today's situation is exceeding even our original expectations."

"To the third party software manufacturers, the surprise must be bigger," he continued. "Some are reportedly saying that they bet on the wrong horse or that they need to change course. I recognize that each one of the third parties is trying to develop software that can be appealing on DS and Wii systems which have significantly increased the installed bases, while narrowing the overall number of software to develop."

Best-known among the publishers who "bet on the wrong horse" is increasing focus on casual [http://www.ea.com] - by which it's safe to assume he means Wii - development.

Nintendo has developed a reputation over the years for relying very heavily on first-party releases, but Iwata implied that a more enthusiastic embrace of third-party support may be in the offing. "Overall, we recognize that our relationships with the software manufacturers are shaping up better than before," he said. "So, in the mid-term, we believe that more attractive titles will be launched by them for our platforms."

Source: GamesIndustry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/nintendo-set-to-benefit-from-publisher-downsizing]


Permalink

 

[Cubilone]

Indeed, Nintendo is focusing more heavily on third-party titles now... They are the only thing that might keep the Wii a console still worth owning, since Nintendo has dropped its first-party production cycles this much. It could turn out either way, however.

 

[cptmc]

Gaming on the Wii need not be casual, as people like to buzz on about. That is just one of the niches that Nintendo has dominated. The Wii is a superior console to the Gamecube. And the Gamecube, however successful or unsuccessful it was commerically, had many of the same titles that the PS2 and Xbox had that were not geared towards the casual gamer.

I think many of the third party developers were turned off by the Wii for two reasons. One was because it was not as powerful an upgrade as the PS3 and Xbox 360 were to their respective counterparts and the second being the unique controller input device. Games such as Resident Evil 4 and Metroid Prime 3 show that system horsepower is not necessary for a well made hardcore game. And as for the controller, there are a handful of games such as Super Smash Bros Brawl and Fire Emblem that allow the player to use the Gamecube or Classic controller. All of this demonstrates there is nothing inherent about the Wii. It all lies with the third party developers who made their choice and are now feeling the tide because of it.

His name is Satoru Iwata, by the way.

 

[Sylocat]

Games such as Resident Evil 4 and Metroid Prime 3 show that system horsepower is not necessary for a well made hardcore game.

Metroid Prime 3 ISN'T a hardcore game, it has colors besides grayish-brown in it, and it's... *gasp* OMFG, it's a GURL wearing the space armor, instead of Grizzled Space Marine #563457.

[/thought process of the "Hardcore with a capital H" gamers]