Nintendo Boss Blames Boring Games For Industry Slump

[Logan Westbrook]

Nintendo Boss Blames Boring Games For Industry Slump

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says that the industry needs to make more interesting games if it wants sales to improve.

The economic downturn is only partially to blame for the recent slump in the videogame industry, says Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. In his opinion, the remainder falls squarely on the shoulders of developers and publishers for releasing boring games.

"My belief is we should not blame the bad economy for the cause of slow sales of video games," he said. "The slow sales must be due to the lack of great software that everyone wants to buy. We have not shown off the great attractions of whatever we are selling. This is not the problem of Nintendo alone, but the entire video game industry."

Iwata said that the industry had to be very conscious of how people perceived it, and that new ideas could help expand the industry: "omething that is really fresh can make our industry grow. The important thing we have to tackle is making attractive games and marketing them well toward the end of this year ... It's more difficult for us to come up with something new and different and show people how different we are. The whole industry has to recognize that."

With both Microsoft and Sony now looking to attract a more casual demographic, the way the industry presents itself is likely to undergo some significant changes in the coming months. Hopefully this new focus will bring in the fresh ideas that Iwata, and plenty of others besides, believe are so important.

Source: Venture Beat [http://venturebeat.com/2010/06/23/nintendo/] via 1up [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3180059]




Permalink

 

[Morningrise]

This is all too true. The problem is that these companies (like EA) are focused solely on quantity over quality.

Take after Blizzard and Valve--two companies that actually have standards for games they produce.

 

[Random Argument Man]

Must resist....pointing...out...obvious Wii joke.......

But hey, more good games are always a good thing.

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

What a retarded statement. "It seems like our sales are down-- maybe it's because our games are shitty? We should really focus on making games that aren't so damn boring."

 

[Kanima423]

Someone give this man a pat on the back, I can see where he is coming from about the industry being rather bland as of late in some retrospect. At the same time there have been some really great games that have come out of developers in the past year or so. Either way I would like to see some new ideas out in the field. Cause I used to spend well over $150 a month in games ... now I would say I spend that much in about 4 or 5

 

[Logic 0]

No matter what good games are something that will always help the industry.

 

[lacktheknack]

This is all too true. The problem is that these companies (like EA) are focused solely on quantity over quality.

Take after Blizzard and Valve--two companies that actually have standards for games they produce.

Although also notice the INSAAAAAAAAAANE release times.

 

[NeedAUserName]

Lemme get this straight, the owner of Nintendo, Nintendo is criticizing company's for unoriginality... I have to go and think some things through now....

 

[Therumancer]

Well I think the issue has been a combination of the economy, and raw greed on the part of the gaming industry which has become corperate and is setting increasingly high margins for what it considers to be a success.

"We are in a game slump, despite the industry making billions in profit".

That's ridiculous, but sort of shows a mentality where success is judged by degrees of growth rather than simply making a profit. If you don't grow as much as is projected, that's seen the same as losing money.

Such are my thoughts.

What's more consider that they I think it's these massive advertising campaigns as well, combined with the way reviewers have become little more than mercenary promotional vehicles. Pretty much every game is portrayed as "the best thing ever", at least until it comes out. People are becoming more resistant to slick marketing, and with the high price of games, combined with an industry that wants to give people less control over their purchuses, it doesn't matter if you produce a game that is the equivilent of the second coming, gamers have become pretty wary.

 

[TheGreenManalishi]

He'd better take his own advice and make sure the next Zelda is a helluva step up from any of the games since WindWaker

 

[theshadavid]

Nintendo is actually kind of the king of originality. Yes it reuses franchises but at least they made the franchises, and they keep them fresh. Plus, they were the first to commit to motion controls, and the first to do 3D without glasses XD

 

[kuposenpai]

I'm not so sure... I AM sure that anyone with an R4 or something else along those lines might only partially agree with him.

 

[Treblaine]

Must resist....pointing...out...obvious Wii joke.......

But hey, more good games are always a good thing.

Nintendo did admit it was partially their fault. 2008 and early 2009 was a serious dry spell for Wii and DS too and in fact across the industry, all platforms nothing really stood out for me and more than before I held of buying games to wait for them to fall even lower in price. Probably because I valued them so little and was not very keen at all to play them.

But Nintendo at least are trying to correct this now, E3 2009 was a DISASTER, but look at their E3 line-up this year:
-Goldeneye Wii
-Metroid: Other M
-Epic Mickey
-Donkey Kong Country Returns
-Zelda: Skyward Sword
-Kirby Epic Yarn
-MGS3 3D remake
-Kid Icarus 3D
-Star Fox 3D
-Zelda 3D
-Mario Kart 3D
-Resident Evil: Revelations 3D
-Street Fighter 3D

one thing I know... I need to find some income.

 

[Irridium]

Agreed.

All publishers seem to focus on is quantity of quality.
Well news flash publishers, if your game is crap, it will not sell.

It doesn't matter how many games you put out, if they're not fun, they will fail.

Must resist....pointing...out...obvious Wii joke.......

But hey, more good games are always a good thing.

Nintendo did admit it was partially their fault. 2008 and early 2009 was a serious dry spell for Wii and DS too and in fact across the industry, all platforms nothing really stood out for me and more than before I held of buying games to wait for them to fall even lower in price. Probably because I valued them so little and was not very keen at all to play them.

But Nintendo at least are trying to correct this now, E3 2009 was a DISASTER, but look at their E3 line-up this year:

Spoiler

-Goldeneye Wii
-Metroid: Other M
-Epic Mickey
-Donkey Kong Country Returns
-Zelda: Skyward Sword
-Kirby Epic Yarn
-MGS3 3D remake
-Kid Icarus 3D
-Star Fox 3D
-Zelda 3D
-Mario Kart 3D
-Resident Evil: Revelations 3D
-Street Fighter 3D

one thing I know... I need to find some income.

Agreed.

Nintendo made me almost crap myself.

 

[AngryMongoose]

Yeah, the industry does need more interesting games, doesn't it NINTENDO!?

 

[Abedeus]

Must resist....pointing...out...obvious Wii joke.......

But hey, more good games are always a good thing.

Nintendo did admit it was partially their fault. 2008 and early 2009 was a serious dry spell for Wii and DS too and in fact across the industry, all platforms nothing really stood out for me and more than before I held of buying games to wait for them to fall even lower in price. Probably because I valued them so little and was not very keen at all to play them.

But Nintendo at least are trying to correct this now, E3 2009 was a DISASTER, but look at their E3 line-up this year:
-Goldeneye Wii
-Metroid: Other M
-Epic Mickey
-Donkey Kong Country Returns
-Zelda: Skyward Sword
-Kirby Epic Yarn
-MGS3 3D remake
-Kid Icarus 3D
-Star Fox 3D
-Zelda 3D
-Mario Kart 3D
-Resident Evil: Revelations 3D
-Street Fighter 3D

one thing I know... I need to find some income.

On your list, only Epic Mickey is a new game. The rest are remakes in 3D, remakes of old games on new consoles ("new" consoles) and sequels nobody even wants anymore.

 

[UnravThreads]

Lemme get this straight, the owner of Nintendo, Nintendo is criticizing company's for unoriginality... I have to go and think some things through now....

This, this and this. And this again. I think it's a tad hypocritical for them to say this, even if one factors in how "inventive" they are.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Lemme get this straight, the owner of Nintendo, Nintendo is criticizing company's for unoriginality... I have to go and think some things through now....

Yea.
I think that's a sign of the apocalypse: the president of nintendo complaining about publishers who make boring games.

Next week: Iron chef Miamoto rages against cruelty to fish.

 

[John Funk]

Well I think the issue has been a combination of the economy, and raw greed on the part of the gaming industry which has become corperate and is setting increasingly high margins for what it considers to be a success.

"We are in a game slump, despite the industry making billions in profit".

The only one who says that is you.

SOME companies are doing well. Others are losing millions of dollars.

 

[FloodOne]

Considering that FF13 has sold 5 million worldwide, God of War 3 has sold 2.5 million, Modern Warfare 2 has sold 18 million, Red Dead has 3 million, Heavy Rain has 1.3 million and Uncharted 2 has sold 3.5 million, I'm at a loss for what the hell this dude is talking about.

Maybe it's because the only Nintendo games that are raking in sales still are ones that have been out for over a year already.