Nintendo Will "Never" Develop For Other Platforms, Says Iwata

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

But hey, that's me. I'm not going to go off about Nintendo making the same games over and over, because that would first of all be hugely hypocritical of a Ratchet and Clank fan such as myself, and secondly I do realize people actually like the franchises. I just don't understand it at all and think everything Nintendo's done has been achieved just as well or better by other game makers by now, aside from creating an incredibly obnoxious and recognizable mascot. I don't hold a grudge against or think any less of people who still enjoy Nintendo's stuff, but please, stop trying to act like they're the immortal gods of the gaming industry.

Show me a single developer who made a gravity-and-planetoid based three dimensional platformer before Super Mario Galaxy. A single platformer which played with gravity to the same extent Gravity did.

Or show me another large-scale fantasy adventure game which has gameplay ideas as leftfield as Timeskip Stones and 1:1 sword combat as in Skyward Sword. Skyrim didn't have anything like that. Hell, the combat in Skyrim was atrocious.

Nintendo's status as developers is still very much deserved, which you would know if you actually went out and played some more of their games. They don't just make the same game over and over, they inject their franchises with new gameplay mechanics, often mechanics that have never been seen before.

I know you didn't quote me, but I feel like responding to this:

Show me a single developer who made a gravity-and-planetoid based three dimensional platformer before Super Mario Galaxy. A single platformer which played with gravity to the same extent Gravity did.

Or show me another large-scale fantasy adventure game which has gameplay ideas as leftfield as Timeskip Stones and 1:1 sword combat as in Skyward Sword. Skyrim didn't have anything like that. Hell, the combat in Skyrim was atrocious.

When you describe Galaxy and SS like that, then no, most games haven't done things like that, but you know what? (This is coming from someone who really doesn't care for bethesda btw) Skyrim did have one thing that those other two games didn't....fun, SS and Galaxy were as boring to me as watching paint dry, while skyrim I actually did have fun with, and continue to have fun with due to open ended mechanics and mods that build on those mechanics.

They don't just make the same game over and over, they inject their franchises with new gameplay mechanics, often mechanics that have never been seen before.

new gameplay mechanics =/= good gameplay mechanics or even a good game for that matter.

 

[OldNewNewOld]

"However, I'm really responsible for the long-term future of Nintendo as well, so I would never think about providing our precious resources for other platforms at all."

What. An. Idiot. You know, Mr. Iwata, there's another word for "providing your precious resources": SALES. You know, the way companies make money? As opposed to selling your console at a loss, which, as the phrase "at a loss" implies, isn't exactly making you any money. Let me reiterate that: your money is coming from your games, not your hardware. If you could sell your games without having to eat the expense of making your own console, you would be better off. Seriously, this isn't exactly rocket science.

EDIT:

Heh, that's cool Iwata, it seems other companies don't wanna develop for you either.

Heh. Well played.

You have to remember licencing fees which are high.
While Nintendo could sell more copies, they would earn the same or even less simply because they earn less per sold copy.
Even if it was just 1% of the price, some Nintendo games sell well over 30 million. 1% of that is 300.000 units.
Now image if it was 10%. That's 3 million units worth of money they are giving away.
And lets not forget about the licences of 3rd party games.

While they do lose on hardware units being sold, they earn more with each game. So the first 2 games you buy from them, they earned less than normally, but each next game, they get the full price.

There is also a psychological factor in this. If you buy a Nintendo console you're more likely to buy a Nintendo game you weren't really interested much. While if you have a Sony console, you will only buy the Nintendo game you really want.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

snip

Mods don't count as a point in favour of developers, given that they are made by the community. In Bethesda's case, they are made by the community to make up for the flaws left in the game by the developers. Hardly an endorsement of their pedigree.

If you had fun with Skyrim, fair play to you. I got bored after about 30 hours. Sure, the world was open, but the combat was broken, the animations terrible, the dungeons and caves repetitive and boring, and everything just became one long slog. Whereas Skyward Sword not only had incredibly intuitive combat and sublime in-game animations, but each temple and dungeon felt new, and had some unique gameplay requirement to go with it. As well as that, the bosses were well designed and actually required clever, thoughtful use of the gameplay mechanics, rather than running up to them and spamming attacks while guzzling health potions.

I shouldn't have included the mods part, I wasn't intending that to be used as a positive in bethesda vs nintendo, just sort of rambled, but my point still stands that vanilla skyrim was much more enticing to me, even in combat, vs SS or Galaxy. Skyrim isn't remotely my favorite game, far from it, I was just using it because that is what you had used in your comparison.

They don't just make the same game over and over, they inject their franchises with new gameplay mechanics, often mechanics that have never been seen before.

new gameplay mechanics =/= good gameplay mechanics or even a good game for that matter.

Because as the legion of COD sequels and knock-offs has shown, rehashing the same gameplay mechanics works so much better.

I have zero interest in COD, so...yeah? COD still sells like hotcakes though, regardless of how similar it is gameplay wise to it's previous iterations.

 

[Lightknight]

When every other major publisher single-handedly each revive the gaming industry, and put out games that go on to dictate the fundamental of game design, then maybe the comparison will be apt.

Are you suggesting that Nintendo's past actions warrant an infinite number of get out of jail free cards? That's a lofty claim. Business is a lot more about "What have you done for me lately?" and more specifically "What are you doing for me now?".

Nintendo have more than earned their right to manufacture consoles. Moreso than Microsoft, who essentially bought their way into the console market, and have been sinking billions in losses in order to stay there.

Earning a right to be somewhere is not the same as maintaining a right to be there.

 

[Lightknight]

I know you didn't quote me, but I feel like responding to this:



When you describe Galaxy and SS like that, then no, most games haven't done things like that, but you know what? (This is coming from someone who really doesn't care for bethesda btw) Skyrim did have one thing that those other two games didn't....fun, SS and Galaxy were as boring to me as watching paint dry, while skyrim I actually did have fun with, and continue to have fun with due to open ended mechanics and mods that build on those mechanics.

Mods don't count as a point in favour of developers, given that they are made by the community. In Bethesda's case, they are made by the community to make up for the flaws left in the game by the developers. Hardly an endorsement of their pedigree.

First off, I had absolutely 0 issues on my pc version of the game. No noticeable problems whatsoever. My ps3 version was a different story but that isn't anything a modder could help.

Secondly, modding opens the world up to huge crowdsourced fun and IS an asset to the game. I've enjoyed using mods since the Morrowind days and they can actually extend my enjoyment for YEARS. No Nintendo game has ever been able to hold that claim. A robust modding community would only have served to improve Nintendo's brand but that door's closed tightly.

Look at this one mod as a shining example: http://www.geek.com/games/19-year-old-makes-skyrim-mod-13-the-size-of-skyrim-to-get-job-at-bethesda-1562687/

Just one mod added 1/3rd the landmass that was in the original game and added around 25 hours of additional content including legitimate voice acting, new items, and even an original sound track. For people who enjoy the game (even if you got bored), this is ridiculously beneficial and free.

 

[Edguy]

..so I won't ever have that high graphics 3D reboot of Pokémon for my Xbox?

 

[Lightknight]

When every other major publisher single-handedly each revive the gaming industry, and put out games that go on to dictate the fundamental of game design, then maybe the comparison will be apt.

Are you suggesting that Nintendo's past actions warrant an infinite number of get out of jail free cards? That's a lofty claim. Business is a lot more about "What have you done for me lately?" and more specifically "What are you doing for me now?".

You're right. So what are Nintendo doing for me now?
*snip*
I'm pretty dang happy.

Yay, two games, one that's only a demo. Surely that's worth buying an entire system. Would you consider these titles to be console sellers? Really?

More importantly, is it worth passing up the AAA titles that will only come out on the other consoles and the pc if you can only afford to (justify) getting one?

Earning a right to be somewhere is not the same as maintaining a right to be there.

True. Thankfully from now until next year, they've got a bunch of games to do exactly that: maintain their position.

Hopefully that's all the problem is. Though Sega Saturn and the Dreamcast both managed to eventually deliver on new games. In the Saturn's case it didn't help to revive the system that launched several months too early without games and with the Dreamcast it couldn't repair the damage the Saturn Generation had done and likewise couldn't keep up what traction it had by the time the ps2 came out.

Let's see if Nintendo can fare better. I vastly prefer Nintendo games to Sega games and I assume the general gaming population does too albeit with Sonic soft spots.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I know you didn't quote me, but I feel like responding to this:



When you describe Galaxy and SS like that, then no, most games haven't done things like that, but you know what? (This is coming from someone who really doesn't care for bethesda btw) Skyrim did have one thing that those other two games didn't....fun, SS and Galaxy were as boring to me as watching paint dry, while skyrim I actually did have fun with, and continue to have fun with due to open ended mechanics and mods that build on those mechanics.

Mods don't count as a point in favour of developers, given that they are made by the community. In Bethesda's case, they are made by the community to make up for the flaws left in the game by the developers. Hardly an endorsement of their pedigree.

First off, I had absolutely 0 issues on my pc version of the game. No noticeable problems whatsoever. My ps3 version was a different story but that isn't anything a modder could help.

Secondly, modding opens the world up to huge crowdsourced fun and IS an asset to the game. I've enjoyed using mods since the Morrowind days and they can actually extend my enjoyment for YEARS. No Nintendo game has ever been able to hold that claim. A robust modding community would only have served to improve Nintendo's brand but that door's closed tightly.

Shhh...don't say that, nintendo might sue you for making deeper mechanics and stories and customization than they do, not to mention having no reason to buy their next game when the current "mod-able" one can do all of that plus more.


(hint to jeffers, if you feel like hulk smashing me for that comment, I feel that way about all console games, including microsoft and sony...however nintendo has been in the news as of late alot more for suing and shutting things down that aren't under their personal control and profit)

 

[Lightknight]

Shhh...don't say that, nintendo might sue you for making deeper mechanics and stories and customization than they do, not to mention having no reason to buy their next game when the current "mod-able" one can do all of that plus more.

Hopefully if they think that someone can continuously point their fingers at Bethesda's immense success with this model any time they give a reason why it's a bad idea.

Heck, even strongly filtered mods would be great. But console mods are a lot riskier than pc mods so I don't know if this would even be legitimate to ask. This is more of a pc vs console argument than anything to be said specifically against Nintendo.

 

[Something Amyss]

Where did this nonsense start? Why do people expect Nintendo to make games for competing consoles? Is anyone suggesting that Microsoft put Halo on the PS3/4 or the Wii U?

I suspect it dates back to Sega getting out of hardware, because a lot of people SWORE up and down Nintendo was next and hoped they'd keep making titles and possibly even handhelds. That last part may have changed because back when people were first "hoping," there wasn't really a smartphone market. I myself would love Pokémon on my smartphone, but I'm not losing sleep over it, either.

I can see this as an even bigger thing this gen, with the Wiiiiiiiiiewwww having an issue of limited third party support already, people probably don't want to buy another system solely for a few specific games. Even with the PS4 and Xbone, you can expect a strong number of non-first party titles to come out. It's not like the only draws are dead rising or uncharted 85.

this isn't, strictly speaking,a problem with Nintendo titles, just Nintendo titles as the only draw to the hardware.

 

[Roxas1359]

Show me a single developer who made a gravity-and-planetoid based three dimensional platformer before Super Mario Galaxy. A single platformer which played with gravity to the same extent Gravity did.

Quick question, have you even played a Ratchet and Clank game before? Insomniac has been doing gravity based platforming since the first Ratchet and Clank game back in 2002 and has been in every Ratchet and Clank game since, full on spherical planets was added in a year later for Going Commando/Locked and Loaded.

While no game has done exactly what Galaxy has done, these games come pretty damn close to it.

 

[Strain42]

Good for them. Seriously, I don't have much left to say. Nintendo has been around for over 100 years now, they're doing fine. They have plans and things seem to work out for them by sticking to their guns and to their own consoles. It's why they're still one of the biggest (if not the biggest) game developer on the planet and are in no danger of fading away anytime soon.

One thing I DO think Nintendo should do though is go back on their decision on smart phones. App Gaming is a HUGE market right now, and while I understand they wouldn't wanna port any of their properties (or possibly make new ones) on something like an iPhone or an Android...

I think Nintendo should just go ahead and enter themselves in the smart phone race. If Nintendo managed to make a good phone with reliable service and functions that could also host their classic games and possibly even introduce smaller new IPs, that would sell like gangbusters.

I imagine a lot of people would be willing to pick up a Nintendo made phone.

Of course that's why Nintendo is still in business...because they don't just do what fans ask for. Have you noticed that companies that do this tend to tank?

 

[Roxas1359]

I think Nintendo should just go ahead and enter themselves in the smart phone race. If Nintendo managed to make a good phone with reliable service and functions that could also host their classic games and possibly even introduce smaller new IPs, that would sell like gangbusters.

I imagine a lot of people would be willing to pick up a Nintendo made phone.

Of course that's why Nintendo is still in business...because they don't just do what fans ask for. Have you noticed that companies that do this tend to tank?

I think that would be bad for them, as then they'd have to go against Google's Droid and Apple's iPhone, and Apple and Google are ruthless and would probably be worse than any game company they'd go against, especially with how Apple does business because if any company has better lawyers than Nintendo, it'd probably have to be Apple. *shivers*

OT: I never really answered this thread. I find it good that they are sticking with their first-party support as that's what's needed most of the time. If you ask me Sony and Microsoft were really never built on by their first party teams as much. Sony was at the beginning, but they don't focus on it as much which is a shame, but the ones they usually do put out are really good. Microsoft as I see it has always been a third and second party company when it comes to their games.

 

[Lightknight]

Yay, two games, one that's only a demo. Surely that's worth buying an entire system. Would you consider these titles to be console sellers? Really?

I like high quality action games. W101 is shaping up to not only be a great action game, but possibly the best game Platinum has put out so far, and therefore one of the greatest action games ever. Pikmin 3 is a ridiculously high quality game polished to an absolutely ridiculous mirror shine, with pitch perfect pacing and gameplay.

I don't care if they're console sellers or not. One of them is a nigh-flawless game, and the other is looking to be just as damn near flawless. If they're not console sellers, then they damn well should be.

Whether or not they're console sellers is the entire point of our discussion. If they aren't then it fails to pass the "what are you doing for me now" part of business.

Pikimin is a legit Nintendo product now. I'm glad it exists and W101 is certainly something to be excited about. If miyamoto's new IP ends up being good then we're at two new ones for the generation which is a strong start.

I swear if people mention Sega one more time...

Sega. It would be naive to expect individuals to not reference highly relateable business case studies.

Sega were coming off a near decade of console failures with the Dreamcast. The 32X, the Saturn, the Game Gear, none of those had taken off. They hadn't had a major console hit since the Mega Drive. That is simply not the case with Nintendo. None of their consoles with the exception of the Virtual Boy have tanked in the same way those consoles did, and thus far Nintendo has made a profit on all of them. Whether Nintendo sink or fail, it will have nothing to do with Sega, who sank for completely different reasons.

The gamegear was a success for the time at 11 million units and beat out Atari Lynx and NEC TurboExpress at the time. It didn't beat Nintendo. But you can't consider beating Nintendo in the handheld market the only qualifier of success. The Sega Genesis was only discontinued in 1997 with the release of the Saturn and was immensely successful.

It was the Saturn that killed the company, not the Dreamcast. Read up on the Saturn launch sometime. They sold even fewer consoles than the Dreamcast and that's what put them in such a weak position.

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Where did this nonsense start? Why do people expect Nintendo to make games for competing consoles? Is anyone suggesting that Microsoft put Halo on the PS3/4 or the Wii U?

I agree, if Nintendo starts doing it then Sony and Microsoft should defiantly join in.

 

[Kittyhawk]

I do not rate Iwata at all. he's a muppet who's far too short sighted and probably got Wii U in the dire state its in.

What a fool? He needs to go from leading Nintendo because he's making things worse. The transition of japanese gamers from handhelds to stronger mobile phones and tablets is already underway in Japan. With the Wii U doing so bad for Nintendo, they really need 3DS to do well and for it to remain strong.

If they lose their handheld sector too, they'll be in really big trouble. There's an old saying. '''If you can't beat em, join em'. Right now, Nintendo need to be more progressive, because even a version of Pokemon on mobiles would rake in plenty of cash for them.

Foolish, stupid and myopic.

 

[scorptatious]

Because as the legion of COD sequels and knock-offs has shown, rehashing the same gameplay mechanics works so much better.

Because Mario NEVER rehashes the same kind of gameplay. Neither does Kirby, or Metroid, or Zelda. Nope.

I'm not saying the games are bad for doing this. For the most part, each addition does add something new to the mix to keep things interesting. Metroid Prime and Mario Galaxy being pretty good examples.

Hell, I'm playing the Disgaea games right now, and fundamentally, they all follow the same kind of formula and gameplay mechanics. But it's the different stories, casts of characters, and additions to the gameplay that make each entry in the series fun for me.

I just think it's a tad bit funny that people would criticize a game series for sticking to it's guns when they themselves defend a company who have been releasing New Super Mario Bros. over and over for the past half a decade or so.

 

[Olas]

It's not really this in particular, but just the general way Nintendo's been doing its business since Iwata took control that gives me some real foreboding feelings about how he's going to run the company in the future.

On this in particular: It's one thing to say "Mario will never be on Xbox." It's something completely different to say "Nintendo will never develop for other platforms."

While yes, I do understand Nintendo has their own platforms to support with their own development... y'know, reaching out to other markets can't really hurt.

Sure it can. Does Nintendo really need to give consumers another reason not to buy their consoles? If Nintendo games start coming out for PS or PC what reason will anyone have to buy a WiiU? The controller? The predominate selling point of a Nintendo console is Nintendo games.

Nintendo is a company that has never stopped progressing

Progress, yes.

So... how many more times will Mario be fighting Bowser? Link fighting Ganon[dorf]? Samus fighting Ridley?

So progress means never reusing a concept from the past at all? In other words it doesn't matter how many new ideas Nintendo implements in their new Zelda game, if Ganondorf appears in it somewhere it automatically means they haven't progressed in any way?

Ya, I'm gonna go ahead and call bullshit to that.

 

[Kittyhawk]

Another thought.

What's also funny about this is that there is no risk to Nintendo in trying mobiles and tablets as a test, if they don't want to push their wares via MS and Sony. We all know that gamers love their games and are willing to pay for them, so whats the problem? (Please note, this is not about hating bashing Nintendo, but anyone that does have a gamer axe to grind for them is kind of justified.)

Their bank account has billions in it, and mobile development of just one Nintendo game would be peanuts to them, so why the mystery resistance? They have nothing to lose except their hubris and a bit of pride. We need only look as far as the recent release of Mother 3, a game that gamers were crying out for its release for years, only now hits Wii U and lo, the sales are really high.

It certainly pays to listen to your customers sometimes, Nintendo. I guess you'll wait until you are really hurting in Japan from mobiles to act, like the 3DS price drop.

@jeffers

I disagree. There's gold in them their mobile hills and if japanese customers continue migrating there each day, its more big trouble for Nintendo. Its good to follow the customer sometimes too.

 

[Kittyhawk]

@jeffers

There are controllers available for smart phones to deal with the tactile control problem, if it ails your fun too much. That's a lame excuse, sir. Feel free to google and see what's out there.

You say its stupid for Nintendo to consider mobile/tablet games. Lol. Did you hear about Puzzle and Dragons, a game that's earning 4 million a day from being free to play on mobile in Japan? That's how stupid it is for Nintendo to stay out of the sector.

4 million a day. Good god. Guess Nintendo don't like money if that can't tempt them. No one is asking them to do free to play games, but just to try something from their stable. Clash of Clans is also due to clean house in Japan and is doing well so far.

I commend Nintendo's gaming talent, but the mobile sector offers them a chance to make more money than just their 3DS, without compromising 3DS at all if they were to play it right. If they snooze, they'll miss this boat too.