EA Exec: Shigeru Miyamoto "Falling Down on the Job"

[freedash22]

Maybe Miyamoto is simply having trouble fulfilling EA's warped vision of what mobile games should be. That or he simply doesn't agree with EA's top brass on how to move forward with mobile gaming.

When news like this comes out from a company with this kind of PR track record...
"Boo" is my first thought.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Good Lord that was a funny joke...unless he was serious? Have you seen 3DS sales sir? Now for Wii U there is an argument to be made there are things wrong with it, but Nintendo doing poorly on the handheld front? Come on man, stop the trollin'.

Here's the issue:

People keep talking about the 3DS but don't realize the best selling handheld is like the best selling pager. An outdated device that was replaced by smart phones.

factor in the fact smart phones and tablets are now universal babysitters for children since EVERYONE has one, and you get a recipe for disaster for any kid reliant company like nintendo. It relies on getting them into nintendo early.

Apple alone shipped 75 million phones in a single year. Not counting tablets. That is a lot of kids being babysat. We now live in a world where Angry Birds and Candy Crush are now just as well known as Mario. That should scare every single person in this thread.

Mobile gaming makes more money, has more units out, and is eating hand helds alive. You may keep pointing to how "well" its doing in its own vacuum of a market, but place it against anything else and its unimpressive.

Mobile has saturated the kid market, and Nintendo isn't doing anything about it. If it doesn't do anything long enough, its fan base will age and die with no one to replace them.

You said it yourself in it's market vacuum the 3DS is doing well, most markets are meant to be vacuums in their own right. Even if they are similar technology, there is enough difference between smartphones and dedicated handhelds, just as there is a difference between home consoles and handhelds. Until you can get truly fleshed out games on smartphones, which may or may not happen, gamers will value a Nintendo or Sony handheld over a smartphone or tablet.

I agree the young kids are a bit different, but not all kids will want quick smart phone games either. Plus, you mention that the parents will just give their kids a smart phone to keep them busy, but don't forget all the parents who will prefer to pass down their love of dedicated handhelds. If I become a parent someday, and handhelds are still around, I will want my kids to play Pokemon, Mario, and Zelda rather than Angry Birds 14. I doubt I'm the only one who feels this way.

I can't predict the future, but I feel like the 3DS and its sales have proven people looking for more substantial handheld experiences will buy a dedicated handheld device. Let's not forget Japan, smartphones may be big there too, but handhelds are super successful in Japan. They won't settle for cheap one dollar games either.

 

[JagermanXcell]

Oh wow EA, so your stooping to insults towards a man THE MAN with much a more successful business, PR, and track record of games?
Can't wait to see this moron eat his words when a game like SSB WiiU/3DS comes out, sells like hotcakes, and completely and utterly annihilate his argument like a nuclear bomb.

It boggles my mind just how stupid they act, they're literally at Super Saiyan levels of stupidity at this point... i...its just... I need to lie down and ignore this for an eternity.

Nintendo out of touch with kids? They ARE Pokemon, which means they have the biggest title in portable kids gaming since 1996. And that is just ONE title.

That's right, it's just one title. What else do they have on handhelds that is setting the world on fire?

How do Pokemon sales compare that shitfest known as Angry Birds?

Is that really a fair comparison when one costs $40 and the other is free-$.99 depending on the version you get?

What would you like to compare against Nintendo's most successful handheld franchise?

One of another handheld's would make more sense. Mobile and handhelds are so different they can't be compared. A phone is something almost everyone has and no one buys one specifically for gaming. It just also happens to have that functionality and a lot of good ones, like Angry Birds, are free. The same can't be said for a handheld.

Are you saying that handhelds and mobiles aren't in competition? I have Angry Birds on my PSP/Vita (I bought it because of the hype and was quickly disappointed). I keep seeing major Japanese companies putting their new games on mobile instead of handhelds. Here's an example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Square_Enix_mobile_games

What JRPG fan can forget the slap in the face that is Breath of Fire 6. http://www.destructoid.com/breath-of-fire-6-coming-next-year-you-ll-be-sad-to-learn-259147.phtml

As I watch my favorite franchises get releases on mobile and not on my beloved handhelds...I think they are in direct competition.

Oh gawd, you just had to go and bring up Breath of Fire 6... I need to go lie down for another eternity. Damn it Capcom.

 

[prpshrt]

EA's PR department has got to be the most stressful place to work in the US. Either that or they have office parties everyday and they're too drunk to notice when their employees say idiotic things on their company's behalf.

They treat their programmers really badly from what I hear too.

 

[hickwarrior]

I can't predict the future, but I feel like the 3DS and its sales have proven people looking for more substantial handheld experiences will buy a dedicated handheld device. Let's not forget Japan, smartphones may be big there too, but handhelds are super successful in Japan. They won't settle for cheap one dollar games either.

But from what I know from the market of Japan, it's more predicated on just the one game that they would want to play. So, if a dragon quest game would go to smartphones or other device, even if it's a toaster, I'm pretty sure they would buy exactly that thing to play dragon quest. I think monster hunter 4 over there is also a clue as to what kind of market it is.

As for the topic: Sad to hear it from this guy, but the company he's working for makes me worry if it's him talking or the PR talking. Both are bad signs for sure. Not that EA wanted more bad signs...

Still, I will enjoy it while it lasts. Playing Monster hunter 3 ultimate solo, enjoying it and the challenge, have got to play etrian odyssey IV to completion and pokemon is in the wings later on for me... I don't think I'll be bored with my 3DS for a while now. Plus I've got a PC with a multitude of games on it, all through steam. Maybe I should go through my library a bit more...

Where was I going with that? Anyway, I think the 3DS is fine as is. Well, actually not, but that has to do with the marketing. Hope the 2DS is a success in that regard. Though it might confuse people, hrm...

 

[ThunderCavalier]

They treat their programmers really badly from what I hear too.

Don't be silly. EA has always treated its programmers and devs well. Remember Pandemic, for starters? Or the guys behind the Ultima franchise?

... Yeah, I'll shut up now.

 

[waj9876]

I'm sorry but...You don't go and insult Shigeru Miyamoto if you want people to like you.

This is the equivalent of George W. Bush looking at Abraham Lincoln and going "Hey, Lincoln was wack, I'm much better." Only Bush would start it with a "My fellow Americans" and then use a word he randomly made up on the spot.

 

[Brian Tams]

Right. That's why the 3Ds is still selling like gangbusters, correct? Because they've lost the child crowd, uh-huH?


Seriously, fuck EA. All the good will they had gained just evaporated.

 

[Kyogissun]

Talking shit about a big name publisher/developer kinda reeks of insecurity on the other publisher/developer's part...

"might be a bit too much more-of-the-same"

Seriously?
From E-A?
From *insert sport here* yearly, basically overpriced DLC
From CoD yearl, basically overpriced DLC.
etc/etc/etc?


Hah..no, it's not funny, it's pathetic and sad.

Do not compare Battlefield to Call of Duty. Battlefield isn't a yearly release, nor does it just RESKIN everything, nor does the game favor unintelligent twitch based competitive multiplayer.

EA may do a lot of shitty things but DICE is one of the few parts of them that TRIES to do good. At least the BF games come out only every other year (nowadays), TYPICALLY provide SOME form of significant gameplay improvement (BF4's improved commander mode, destruction engine, gun customization and even further expansion on vehicular combat, not to mention potential improvements to the scoring system like how BF3 improved means of scoring points through non-kill based actions like suppressive fire scores, resupplies/heals. vehicle disabling and much more) and have massive maps that favor teamwork and cooperation versus lone wolf thinking.

And the DLC for BF3 also provided a lot of stuff, from new ideas for map dynamics like Aftermath, returns of favorite gameplay modes such as CTF, vehicle only/change of gameplay styled packs like Armored Kill and its introduction of the Tank Destroyer class to tanks...

Shit on EA and its decisions all you want but seriously, leave battlefield out of it, it's one of the FEW things they don't ROYALLY fuck up on a regular basis. It's one of the few bread winning things they haven't completely fucked with yet...

 

[grigjd3]

I guess the reality is that EA is quite expert on "falling down on the job".

 

[xyrafhoan]

Why single out Miyamoto, considering he just designs things and typically doesn't have anything to do with system development, let alone marketing and sale channels? Even Satoru Iwata is more relevant to invoke. Either way, EA's strategy hasn't been working out for them either, so it's not like they're really in the position to criticise Nintendo for sticking with what they know. The 3DS is my favourite system, possibly of all time, and even though I own a smartphone and play games on it (Kairosoft's sims so good oh man), they still won't supplant the fuller experiences of any of Nintendo's portable systems and games. And last I checked, Activision didn't have any problems getting a slice of the 3DS money pie with its Skylander line of game-toy hybrids, so EA just seems incredibly foolish to write off a whole segment of the market just because.

 

[jthm]

I'll take a nintendo system and all it's offerings (excluding virtual boy) over every game EA has ever put out and the means to play them all.

 

[Neta]

You work for EA, so of course I'm going to believe and trust absolutely anything you say.

 

[scorptatious]

An EA exec calling out Miyamoto himself.

This issue could not be any more one sided unless if it's Gabe Newell instead. On either side.

 

[RicoADF]

Talking shit about a big name publisher/developer kinda reeks of insecurity on the other publisher/developer's part...

"might be a bit too much more-of-the-same"

Seriously?
From E-A?
From *insert sport here* yearly, basically overpriced DLC
From CoD yearl, basically overpriced DLC.
etc/etc/etc?


Hah..no, it's not funny, it's pathetic and sad.

Do not compare Battlefield to Call of Duty. Battlefield isn't a yearly release, nor does it just RESKIN everything, nor does the game favor unintelligent twitch based competitive multiplayer.

EA may do a lot of shitty things but DICE is one of the few parts of them that TRIES to do good. At least the BF games come out only every other year (nowadays), TYPICALLY provide SOME form of significant gameplay improvement (BF4's improved commander mode, destruction engine, gun customization and even further expansion on vehicular combat, not to mention potential improvements to the scoring system like how BF3 improved means of scoring points through non-kill based actions like suppressive fire scores, resupplies/heals. vehicle disabling and much more) and have massive maps that favor teamwork and cooperation versus lone wolf thinking.

And the DLC for BF3 also provided a lot of stuff, from new ideas for map dynamics like Aftermath, returns of favorite gameplay modes such as CTF, vehicle only/change of gameplay styled packs like Armored Kill and its introduction of the Tank Destroyer class to tanks...

Shit on EA and its decisions all you want but seriously, leave battlefield out of it, it's one of the FEW things they don't ROYALLY fuck up on a regular basis. It's one of the few bread winning things they haven't completely fucked with yet...

Battlefield hasn't changed since 2142, it's the same boring MMS. One or 2 were fine but I miss the earlier games where each one was a different era/game and felt different, not now where I look at BF3 and think *eh a graphical upgrade to 2, I'll get it* and buy it, get bored because it's inferior to 2 and then look at 4 and think *errr that's just BF3*. It is just like CoD now, the same old MMS released every few years....... boring. Like the rest of EA.

Battlefront looks interesting for now though......

EDIT: Fixed it to say every few years rather than every year, hard to tell as it's getting to the point that all modern shooters look the same, yeah I'm sick of them.

 

[Darkness665]

EA, the entire frakking company, has lost the point of gaming. They are filled with distaste for customers, gamers, parents, children and any other sucker that they can leech money from. They add multi-player to destroy games. They are moving to mobile because they trashed talked regarding how they were going to have the best FPS in Battlefield 3. They got their corporate butt shot off after shooting off their mouths.

What a jerk, doing a jerk move, a jerk talk from a horrible company. Great article. A shame it isn't in print because this really needs to be in the compost pile.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Is being a shit all you need, to be a Microsoft Executive?