If someone can provide me a single way Nintendo can continue to expand in its existing, traditional markets, then Nintendo can afford to concentrate on those.
Playing cards.
QUEEN OF SASS
It's like, I just love a cowboy
You know
I'm just like, I just, I know, it's bad
But I'm just like
Can I just like, hang off the back of your horse
And can you go a little faster?!
If someone can provide me a single way Nintendo can continue to expand in its existing, traditional markets, then Nintendo can afford to concentrate on those.
Nintendo is a business. Businesses are organisations with the primary function of making profit. Look at it this way - which is doing better business; IKEA or your grandad's workshop? Sure, your grandpappy might be able to craft one hell of a fine chair, and 80 years ago that might've been a decent business proposition; but IKEA is in the megabucks because they're a better business.
Investors couldn't give two hoots about the review scores of Super Mario 3D Land - why should they? - if the sales aren't up to scratch. Lots of terrible games on the iOS/Android markets? Yes, but the profits being spun are incredible. And at £0.49, nobody really minds if it turns out to be throwaway.
If the sales drop, the share prices drop, and by extension so does the amount of money Nintendo is able to put into its projects and research. Untended, it's a downward spiral to business collapse, no matter how finely crafted the plumber's next adventure is. Lowering faith in Nintendo's ability to spin money = plummeting share prices.
They're not saying "stop developing consoles", they're saying "put some effort into expanding into modern markets." If Nintendo puts little £0.99 apps up on the App Store - as they're already doing with that Pokédex one - they'll likely spin much more money out of it than Pokédex 3D on hardware that isn't exactly selling. And Pokédex on both? Dollar signs ahoy. Which means improved investor faith = higher shares = more money to put into all your favorite console games.
Nintendo are behind the times. They've completely underestimated the impact of the casual download market - kind of ironic, considering the casual market was their primary focus when the DS and Wii first hit; and doubly ironic that 'micro' versions of genres they kickstarted (Brain Training et al) are huge on the app market - and stubbornly refusing to enter it (when it's practically free money if done correctly) is not going to get the shareholders jumping on board.
Nintendo absolutely does not need to create their own phones. Android and iOS already have the platform to reach a large market through software on a tiny budget. Which, if they spark enough interest, will boost the sales of their own consoles and software for those. In fact, I'd say developing their own smartphone is about the dumbest thing they can do:
It's not their market, it would mean R&D from scratch. The investment required for such a project would be staggering.
It's not something consumers would automatically trust or buy into as a brand. iPhone and Android already dominate the smartphone market. Who's going to buy a Nintendo phone (with a small, new app marketplace) when what's already available is so much better and with so much more already available?
Nintendo aren't known for making phones, they'd have to build up a market from near enough scratch - the only people likely to go out and buy one are the existing Nintendo fanbase. Which doesn't expand anything.
It would mean restructuring huge parts of the corporation. The admin side expenses would be as ridiculous as the R&D.
Ultimately, sales of apps on their own marketplace would be massively lower than sales of their apps on iOS/Android marketplaces.
Can you imagine what a Nintendo marketplace would be like? Look at the eShop - sure, it's the best they've managed so far but it still can't hold a candle to the smartphone app stores. Even if it was technically wonderful, their past efforts have already left a sour taste in many consumers' mouths. They're going to make the assumption that the new store isn't up to much either. And they'd still have a steep hill to climb getting a comparable amount of apps available on it.
A games company making a phone is as viable a proposition as a phone company trying to make a games console - remember the NGage? That was a huge success, wasn't it? Wait no, it wasn't.
Nintendo should make apps for existing markets. Small investment input, enormous potential market (largely untapped by Nintendo at current), the investors will love it, the profits will roll in.
There's a major reason why smartphone games are so popular: Practically everyone has a smartphone. It's a matter of convenience.
Handheld systems have always been niche, but everyone has a phone of some sort. Putting games on smartphones was the logical next-step, since the smartphone market is MUCH bigger than the handheld gaming market.
Nintendo is a business. Businesses are organisations with the primary function of making profit. Look at it this way - which is doing better business; IKEA or your grandad's workshop? Sure, your grandpappy might be able to craft one hell of a fine chair, and 80 years ago that might've been a decent business proposition; but IKEA is in the megabucks because they're a better business.
Investors couldn't give two hoots about the review scores of Super Mario 3D Land - why should they? - if the sales aren't up to scratch. Lots of terrible games on the iOS/Android markets? Yes, but the profits being spun are incredible. And at £0.49, nobody really minds if it turns out to be throwaway.
If the sales drop, the share prices drop, and by extension so does the amount of money Nintendo is able to put into its projects and research. Untended, it's a downward spiral to business collapse, no matter how finely crafted the plumber's next adventure is. Lowering faith in Nintendo's ability to spin money = plummeting share prices.
They're not saying "stop developing consoles", they're saying "put some effort into expanding into modern markets." If Nintendo puts little £0.99 apps up on the App Store - as they're already doing with that Pokédex one - they'll likely spin much more money out of it than Pokédex 3D on hardware that isn't exactly selling. And Pokédex on both? Dollar signs ahoy. Which means improved investor faith = higher shares = more money to put into all your favorite console games.
Nintendo are behind the times. They've completely underestimated the impact of the casual download market - kind of ironic, considering the casual market was their primary focus when the DS and Wii first hit; and doubly ironic that 'micro' versions of genres they kickstarted (Brain Training et al) are huge on the app market - and stubbornly refusing to enter it (when it's practically free money if done correctly) is not going to get the shareholders jumping on board.
Nintendo absolutely does not need to create their own phones. Android and iOS already have the platform to reach a large market through software on a tiny budget. Which, if they spark enough interest, will boost the sales of their own consoles and software for those. In fact, I'd say developing their own smartphone is about the dumbest thing they can do:
* It's not their market, it would mean R&D from scratch. The investment required for such a project would be staggering.
It's not something consumers would automatically trust or buy into as a brand. iPhone and Android already dominate the smartphone market. Who's going to buy a Nintendo phone (with a small, new app marketplace) when what's already available is so much better and with so much more already available?
Nintendo aren't known for making phones, they'd have to build up a market from near enough scratch - the only people likely to go out and buy one are the existing Nintendo fanbase. Which doesn't expand anything.
It would mean restructuring huge parts of the corporation. The admin side expenses would be as ridiculous as the R&D.
Ultimately, sales of apps on their own marketplace would be massively lower than sales of their apps on iOS/Android marketplaces.
Can you imagine what a Nintendo marketplace would be like? Look at the eShop - sure, it's the best they've managed so far but it still can't hold a candle to the smartphone app stores. Even if it was technically wonderful, their past efforts have already left a sour taste in many consumers' mouths. They're going to make the assumption that the new store isn't up to much either. And they'd still have a steep hill to climb getting a comparable amount of apps available on it.
A games company making a phone is as viable a proposition as a phone company trying to make a games console - remember the NGage? That was a huge success, wasn't it? Wait no, it wasn't.
Nintendo should make apps for existing markets. Small investment input, enormous potential market (largely untapped by Nintendo at current), the investors will love it, the profits will roll in.
Google made Android, and they never had any prior experience in the OS market. Inspiration and innovation come from all places. Nintendo can make a smartphone OS if they gain the knowledge of how to do so (by collaborating with Google, for example).
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Topic: SPECULATION: What if Nintendo supported iOS or Android devices?
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