Shigeru Miyamoto: Nintendo Needs a "New Franchise"

[MCerberus]

I'll have to cross off "new Nintendo IP" on THE LIST.
At least EA being a ponce and Valve needing a new money pool every other day isn't going anywhere.

 

[dragongit]

no shit

I thought they'd forgotten what the word "new" actually meant.

They think it's a word to slap onto Mario to convince people that it's actually a new game instead of the same game with different power ups.

 

[-Dragmire-]

Much as they do rely on their core franchises quite a bit, at least the quality remained high. I'm curious if they can maintain their level of quality on a product they don't have as much practice producing. High hopes for success though.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

well, that couldn't have gone over well with the director's board, you know how the japanese are with change.

 

[Mahoshonen]

I am eager to see what comes out.

Also, the article title is misleading. Before I read the whole piece, I was going to snarkly post "Well, isn't that your job, Miyamoto-sama?"

 

[PunkRex]

I'd really love some new platformers Nintendo, I wanna grab Dillon's game when I get abit of scratch. I've been playing the 'Ratchet and Clank' triology and I got some serious hankering for some old school platformers with bright, colourful characters and setting... something like Psychonauts, Tai the Tazmanian Tiger, Spyro the f*cking Dragon!

 

[roushutsu]

The Pikmin franchise (1-3)
Advance Wars / Battalion Wars franchise (6 games across 4 consoles)
Baten Kaitos (2 games)
Several Fire Emblem games (I believe it's around half a dozen)
The Wii Sports franchise (2 games)
The Wii Fit franchise (2 games, third coming)
The Super Smash Bros franchise (3 games, fourth coming)
Endless Ocean (2 games)
Xenoblade Chronicles (as well as an upcoming game, possibly from the same franchise)
The Last Story
Pandora's Tower
The Wonderful 101
Both Lego City games
Bayonetta 2
A few Kid Icarus games
The Golden Sun franchise (3 games)
Nintendogs
Several Animal Crossing games
World of Mana franchise (3 games)
Elite Beat Agents
A few games in the Professor Layton series
Rhythm Heaven series of games (2-3 games IIRC)
A few games in the Dragon Quest series

....and I'm sure I've missed a bunch of 'em, but that's all I care to list. I think it makes my point well enough. Man, that crazy Nintendo. They never try anything new.

*eyeroll*

And yet roughly half of those games you listed aren't developed by Nintendo themselves. Developing and publishing are 2 completely different things, and what Miyamoto is referring to is a brand new IP being developed exclusively by Nintendo. Yes, Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Pokemon, etc. will always sell, but it wouldn't hurt to see them make a new IP here or there. Who knows what the new game they're working on will be like, but I trust it will be interesting.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I can't say this really excites me at all. Nintendo has consistently proven over the last who knows how many years that they make solid games that just don't appeal to me at all. Kudos to Miyamoto and I hope whatever he is working on turns out well but if it's just abother Nintendo title (which, of course, it should be) then count me as not sold.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Perhaps, recognizing this Shigeru Miyamoto, the creative mind behind pretty much all things Nintendo, has revealed that the developer/publisher has a brand new franchise in the works.

I think that comma is a couple words early, there.

 

[EvilRoy]

I figured this thread would be full of people sneering at the idea that Nintendo ever does anything "new".

I was right.

So I figured I'd just casually drop a list of games and franchises that Nintendo's either released on their console exclusively and/or at least marginally contributed to (even if it was just being in the publisher's seat) within the last decade or so.

Usually the complaint is that Nintendo itself, as in Nintendo the developer, doesn't do much new. Listing a bunch of games that are only in some way associated with them doesn't really disprove that. If anything it gives the impression that Nintendo is fairly bad at coming up with new ideas, but is really good at paying other groups to do it for them.

Also, holy sequels batman. I'd give Bayonetta a pass since they were picked up after the first one, but you can still tell the old adage 'If it's worth doing once, it's worth pumping out as many as possible' is alive and well.

 

[Arawn]

It's not that Nintendo doesn't do anything new, or that they don't have games, it's that some aren't interested in them. Earlier in the thread someone commented how Mario Galaxy 2 wasn't initially it's own game, but an expansion of the first (or something to that effect) I think that's what many people see when they play Nintendo games. Games that feel similar to another game, but at the same time not quite the first game. Other systems/publishers do it too. I mean look at Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II trilogy, Sony's God of War, MS's Gears of War. More of the same, with just enough to make it different. Not too different, but not too new. Playing it safe is what it's called. The main difference is that Nintendo has been at it abit longer than the other two. Hey, but we loved those Zelda's, Metoriods, and Marios. All the systems/companies need to try new things, breaking the safe play by numbers games they're sticking with. Sure there will be failures. Not every game can sell millions upon millions of copies, and part of the problem is us the consumers. We too are afraid of something new. We claim to want original and unique IP, yet we don't try those new products. We jump back to our own comfort zones. Can't place the blame on the market, we've contributed to the problem as well. Try new games and we'll get new games? Maybe. But someone needs to make the first step/leap of faith.

 

[Ishal]

Two God damn words.

Mario FPS

Do it Miyamoto... do it and make it your last big contribution to gaming before you retire. I know you can do it, and think of everyone's reaction when it actually is good. The impact that would have on gaming would be something to see.

It would also make this gif even more appropriate

TBH I don't care what it is, just let it be good. As the always dependable NDF members have pointed out, to say Nintendo doesn't make new IP's is false, they do... they just tend to never measure up to their flagship titles. So they exist, but pointing them out is almost pointless if not for just the sake of argument.

I would love to see them return to the days of super mario 64, Star Fox 64, and Metroid Prime. I know they can do it.

 

[EvilRoy]

Usually the complaint is that Nintendo itself, as in Nintendo the developer, doesn't do much new. Listing a bunch of games that are only in some way associated with them doesn't really disprove that. If anything it gives the impression that Nintendo is fairly bad at coming up with new ideas, but is really good at paying other groups to do it for them.

At which it then becomes quite silly when you stop viewing things in isolation, and actually hold the rest of the industry to this same standard which apparently we're supposed to hold Nintendo to.

I can only respond to the statement as it was phrased. If you want to change to focus, you can, but I probably won't be along for the ride. Besides, other companies might lack creativity, but no other company is as proud of or defended for such a lack of creativity as nintendo.

Also, holy sequels batman. I'd give Bayonetta a pass since they were picked up after the first one, but you can still tell the old adage 'If it's worth doing once, it's worth pumping out as many as possible' is alive and well.

Their games regularly sell over the 5-6 million mark to this day, often times much, much more. Like, 20-30 million.

If you created an installment in a series that went on to sell over 30 million copies, are you saying you wouldn't want to then make a sequel? Even if you had ideas on how to expand the gameplay and add new mechanics to it? You'd be principled enough to forgo that entirely to make an original game instead?

I doubt it. I very much doubt it.

I would certainly and immediately go for the easy money. I would not, however, include a series with six installments as part of a list expressing my creativity in new IPs.