Nintendo: Zelda Netflix Series Not Happening

[StewShearerOld]

Nintendo: Zelda Netflix Series Not Happening

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says that reports of a Netflix produced Zelda series weren't "based on correct information."

Back at the beginning of February, reports emerged that Netflix was <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139749-Netflix-and-Nintendo-Reportedly-Working-on-Live-Action-Zelda-Series>in the planning stages of creating a live-action TV series based on Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda game franchise. At the time, neither Netflix or Nintendo were willing to comment on the story. It's now been revealed that there was a reason for that. The reports were wrong.

the Wall Street Journal story at the center of the original rumor had things wrong. "As of now, I have nothing new to share with you in regard to the use of our IPs for any TV shows or films," he said. "But I can at least confirm that the article in question is not based on correct information." In other words, Zelda fans looking for a TV adaptation are still stuck with the 1989 cartoon show.

Honestly, this news (or reversal of news rather) isn't all that surprising. Nintendo isn't what one would call loose when it comes to its intellectual properties. When you consider that it just barely <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/140137-Nintendo-Announces-New-Mobile-Market-Partnerships-Developing-Next-Consolr>made a deal to get them into the mobile gaming market, it doesn't make much sense that it would be doing something as radical as transforming one of its most beloved franchises into a family friendly Game of Thrones knock-off. What are your reactions to this? Did you believe it when the original story surfaced or were you skeptical?

Source: Time


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[Double A]

Gotta love how they took an entire month to confirm this was a crock of shit.

 

[LysanderNemoinis]

What always gets me is the way Nintendo treats their IPs as these precious, precious things, unique and perfect works of art no one but they can touch. News flash Ninty, Mario is not Shakespeare, nor are any of your other series. I mean, I wish some companies were a bit tighter with their IPs when Hollywood came calling to ruin them, but Nintendo's attitude reminds me of fanfic writers who think they're better than actual artists.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Not hard to see that coming; you really think Nintendo would let anybody touch their properties after their previous experience? The whole rumor sounded like a half-baked fantasy made up because of a slow news day

 

[Callate]

I think first Netflix and Nintendo would have to have a close enough relationship for the Wii-U Netflix app to allow multiple log-ins. That seems like an important first step before multi-million dollar television franchise deals.

But seriously, no, not particularly surprised. They're having enough trouble making a television series out of Halo with an audience devoted to the franchise, a decent budget, and recognizable names. Why would Netflix or Nintendo leap to make a series that would confuse as to the appropriate age demographic, have a lower budget that GoT, and (as of the original rumor, anyway) not have anyone of significance attached?

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Well its not like anyone actually thought it was gonna happen anyway.

 

[balladbird]

Gotta love how they took an entire month to confirm this was a crock of shit.

Eh, standard business ploy. Even incorrect information generates discussion about an IP, so take your time swatting down rumors if they aren't harmful.

Kinda bummed it isn't happening, though. As one of the small minority of human beings who unironically enjoyed the 80's cartoon, I'd have been interested in seeing what they did with this idea.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

I sorta liked the old cartoon, but in the same way Batman fans might like the 60s Adam West TV show. Both were campy, comical takes on the original IPs. The Zelda show might have been that way just because the creators didn't know what direction Nintendo would take the Zelda franchise, seeing as there were only 2 games with little story, and figured their idea worked for a kids' show. (Just look at the main Mario portion of it.)

I'm not one of the "Link can never speak, lest I form a mob to storm Nintendo headquarters,"[footnote]I also think the silent protagonist trope doesn't necessarily mean they can't speak in the games' universes.[/footnote] but I could see someone making another cartoon that doesn't capture the mood of the series properly. Maybe it is best if Nintendo does some shorts in-house first.

What always gets me is the way Nintendo treats their IPs as these precious, precious things, unique and perfect works of art no one but they can touch. News flash Ninty, Mario is not Shakespeare, nor are any of your other series. I mean, I wish some companies were a bit tighter with their IPs when Hollywood came calling to ruin them, but Nintendo's attitude reminds me of fanfic writers who think they're better than actual artists.

They are, and have always been control freaks. They would rather commit seppuku than see their IPs on another console, even PCs. (Mario Teaches Typing and a couple other early 90s edutainment games being the only exceptions.) It's a miracle they are finally going into the mobile market, and their main goal is likely to use that as advertising for their main games. What did you expect from the one game company that consistently has issues with Youtubers and made their own MCN so draconian that many of their die hard fans spoke out against them?

After the Mario movie (a rare instance of them not being overly controlling when they should have) and the cartoons being really cheap,[footnote]Watch the Nostalgia Critics Super Mario Super Show review for examples of "just didn't care" levels of cheap animation.[/footnote] they probably will be incredibly careful with anyone else touching their IPs. Is it petty? Maybe. Do we need multimedia Nintendo franchises? Probably not.

At least they care about what they created (milking Mario aside). Lots of devs and publishers sell off their IPs as soon as they are done with them, only for the fans to see the buyers completely destroy them within a couple years.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

Looks like it didn't even get the chance to suck.

 

[CaitSeith]

Both glad and bummed.

 

[vid87]

It's not that I'm surprised (I'm not); it's not that I feel one way or the other about this not happening; it's not even that I feel stupid (I do) for getting my hopes up when all the evidence indicated otherwise. My major issue is that this shoot-from-the-hip constant-content style of journalism more often than not leads to dead ends like this but content providers are the only winners for all the attention they get for their poorly researched stories.

 

[Lightknight]

Nintendo is simply terrible at working with any other company. Whether its 3rd party development studios or any of the other opportunities they could be utilizing. It's a shame and likely a significant loss of potential revenue.