Topic: Should nintendo host developer events to get more people on too their platfoms?

So with AAA's mostly ignoring Nintendo platforms its up to Nintendo along with indie and mid range platforms to hold the system down. With that said should Nintendo host some sort of developer event too entice these types of developers to do more with the Nintendo platforms

I pose this question after seeing the good response on Twitter to Nintendo at GDC and the Ideame event as a whole seemed to be a success. Nintendo has been doing a lot of indie and Mid teir development but it seems that it hasn't been adopted as much as it could have. (kickstarters aside) I was pretty dumb founded while listening to this week's 8-4 play podcast and Chris Kohlar and Ryan Peyton were railing against the Wii U and seemed to ignore or not know of all the good Nintendo has been doing around the eshop.

So with that in mind I think Nintendo hosting a 2-3 event based upon getting more developers to the platform would be a success. Many companies already do this and even the smallest companies usually get good support from these.

So something similar to ideame with more Nintendo GDC input could be really cool for getting the ecosystem a boost in developers. Doing something like this Nintendo could postion themselves as the console where Mid Teir and indie development could thrive. Have an event in each major region and it could do a lot of good for getting the word out their.

I'm with you. They should really host these things more often to get all those developers back. I also think the free dev-kits Nintendo gave out to indies will attract some quality stuff on the Wii U eShop.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Whatever they could they to increase the Wii U sells they should do. It's not enough right now. Nintendo is very slow in doing things.

Yeah, these type of events could be greatly beneficial. I mean the biggest reason why not would be "because it costs money", which Nintendo has an insane amount of.

Honestly if I could go into insane idea mode, they should just publish and market random mid-tier games (with a proven track record for quality games and/or an actual fanbase) and than treat them like the next big AAA game (or at least the next Dark Souls) and just get a giant army of mid-tier and indie devs completely on their side.

Anything Nintendo can do to attract more developers and publishers to both the 3DS and Wii U is good in my opinion. You never know where the next big thing could come from!

Sony does this too a degree without the marketing. I find it odd that Nintendo just doesn't try and publish games from guys like renegade kid or Wayforward..

Presumably because they are doing just fine as they are. I also kinda doubt either company's games would have much chance to be that much more successful barring some real legit marketing. And they are small indie guys which Nintendo is seemingly doing ok with right now, while my idea is a bit more for any remaining companies releasing boxed games that aren't the big AAA published titles but are too big to stay just digital. I'd consider that 3DS JRPG everyone was asking for and Platinum Games to be a good start. I'd honestly add them to SMT, Fire Emblem and Monster Hunter as stuff that deserves to be mainstream this generation.

I mean, hey, probably wouldn't hurt, right?

How much translating has Bill Trinen got to do, exactly? Put him on the job

Nintendo needs to calm down on the "stringent" requirements to develop for their platforms.

Up until the 3DS era, it required a SUBSTANTIAL (read: $10k or more, depending on system) investment, and the ability to demonstrate to Nintendo that you work in what they'd class as a dedicated office environment. As we've seen during the last 3-4 years of web-based, and Steam indie evolutions, these are no longer prerequisites for success. Hell, I doubt many would argue against the fact that Wiiware, of all the big 4, had the heftiest smattering of shovelware, boredomware, and "damnyouspent$10ktobeabletomakethis?"ware. Meanwhile PSN, XBLA, and Steam poured out well-crafted indie content at an impossible rate.

I haven't followed much of how things have changed w/ the Wii U and 3DS generation of Nintendo, mostly due to diminishing interest in Nintendo's content as of late. It's hard for them to do worse than they did last gen, though. Free Dev Kits, as minimal (or non-existant) an entree fee as possible, and intelligent ad solutions to get your product seen on the console itself would make a world of difference.

I think the OUYA's success (or lack thereof) will have a profound impact on Nintendo's indie strategies going forward. It definitely had an effect on the PS4 and it's delightfully developer-friendly turn.