Tag: Industry - Page 27
News How Retro Studios Achieved Backing from Nintendo
Simple in theory, anything but in practice
Nintendo has a brand image that's as solid as a rock, so what does it take for an independant studio to get backing from the company and the opportunity to develop games based on its IPs for its consoles? Retro Studios president Michael Kelbaugh highlights a few qualities needed to do just that. During a...
News 16-Shot Legend Takahashi Meijin Leaves Hudson
No parting shots
Takahashi Meijin, known to many as Master Higgins or as the master of rapid fire button-tapping, has announced he is leaving Hudson after nearly 30 years at the company. Joining the company in 1982, Takahashi rose to prominence for his ability to fire 16 shots per second in Hudson's Star Soldier, a skill that led to the creation of...
News Are We Nearing the End of Consoles? Nintendo Thinks Not
Nintendo's director of PR thinks consoles are too unique to die off
Fox News recently ran a story in which it suggests the traditional home console may soon be losing its place in our home as consumer demands evolve and smartphones provide deeper gaming experiences . Well, it starts off with a rather bold statement claiming that "the end is...
News Iwata Expresses Regrets About the Way the Wii was Marketed
In future, things will be done differently
The Nintendo Wii is approaching its fifth year on the market now, enough time has passed in that Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata can now reflect on how the console has performed and how he wishes its future performance will play out. Speaking to investors and analysts, Iwata expressed his regrets towards the way...
News PlatinumGames President Saddened by Decline of New Ideas
Pledges to bring smiles back
Japanese developer PlatinumGames has been responsible for some pretty innovative games over the past five years: Wii gorefest MadWorld and DS space RPG Infinite Space for Nintendo's formats, as well as the superlative Bayonetta and Vanquish for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Five years in and not a sequel in sight,...
News Konno: 3DS Won't Compete with Mobile Gaming Prices
Project leader distinguishes the two separate markets
With development costs for 3DS software as much as triple that of DS games, does mobile gaming pose a threat to Nintendo's business plans? Following Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata's comments on mobile phone manufacturers and popular social utility networks
News Iwata Hits Out at Smartphone and Social Network Game Developers
GDC comments draw critics from industry
For all the praise that Nintendo got from its appearance at the Game Developers Conference this year, it seems President and CEO Satoru Iwata came away from his keynote (which was streamed live) with as many satisfied fans as he did disgruntled critics. During his speech, he made several comments on the...
News Nintendo Names Cynthia Gordon New Corporate Affairs VP
Denise Kaigler's replacement commences next month
As Nintendo's range of hardware expands, so too does its family of employees. The company has announced the hiring of Cynthia Gordon, a strategic communications professional with over two decades of consumer-brand experience, as Nintendo of America's Vice President of Corporate Affairs. Gordon will...
News Super Mario Galaxy 2 Collects 4 BAFTA Nominations
Whereas DS games dominate the Handheld category
We recently brought you word that Super Mario Galaxy 2 was nominated for the GAME Award of 2010 at this year's British Academy Video Game Awards. As the only category voted by the public, our readers showed a lot of support for the rotund plumber which should hopefully help him snag the recognition. If...
News Iwata: 3DS and NGP will Appeal to Different Target Audiences
"The customers will decide which is correct"
Nintendo isn't the only company with new portable hardware coming out soon as Sony has recently announced details of its follow-up to the PSP range of models in the form of the Next Generation Portable (NGP). Speaking to Bloomberg, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata spoke about the upcoming Sony handheld device...
News Nintendo Praises Sony and Microsoft's Contributions to Gaming Industry
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
Gone are the days when you could call Nintendo a big fish in a small pond. Modern gaming has undoubtedly expanded the size of the waters, and there are once again, several big fish that inhabit said pond. Speaking at the Learning Without Frontiers conference yesterday in London, General Manager of...
News EA: Nintendo Needs to Drop Wii Price, Help Third Parties
Just a couple of suggestions from John Riccitiello
Whether it's the top priority or not, Nintendo is undoubtedly looking to pick up declining profits with the upcoming 3DS. However, in response to the Move and Kinect peripherals for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 respectively, launching new hardware might not be the only answer if Nintendo is to...
News Research Shows More Consumers are Choosing Their Phones for Gaming
Whilst gaming on the DS/PSP are on the decline
With the technological capabilities of modern smartphones on the increase and the popularity of digital games from outlets such as the Apps Store, it's no wonder Nintendo has been as vocal as it has about how companies like Apple are the real enemy in relation to their own console sales. In recent...
News Don't Expect Announcements From Nintendo at CES 2011
What exactly is the purpose of attending, then?
First, there was the exciting news that Nintendo would be attending the Consumer Electronics Show for the first time in 16 years. Then, there was the disappointing mix-up that mistakenly listed Nintendo as an exhibitor with a public display. Now, hopes of announcements ― even behind closed doors ―...
News 3DS Development Could Cost Triple That of DS Software
Will the extra cost be passed onto consumers?
Earlier this year, Satoru Iwata stated 3DS games may cost as much to develop as Wii titles, something that has now been backed up by Japanese studio Marvelous Interactive who's given some frightening figures for studios wanting to get into this potentially explosively lucrative market. The studio...
News Fils-Aime: Nintendo's Biggest Current Threat is Apple
Could Nintendo be taking Sony and Microsoft too lightly, or over-reacting to Apple?
It's strange that Nintendo would see Apple and its range of iOS devices as more of a threat than Sony or Microsoft and their stake in the home console and handheld markets. Reggie Fils-Aime, President at Nintendo of America has echoed the concerns of Satoru Iwata and...
News n-Space CEO Describes the Games Industry as a Mess
"n-Space is down, but definitely not out"
It seems n-Space – the company behind several DS instalments of home console titles – is one of the latest development studios that's resorted to reducing its staff numbers due to the pressure of the economic climate of the last several years. Last Friday's undisclosed number of lay-offs has had the...
News WiiWare Devs Call for More Advertising From Nintendo
Service needs more promotion, awareness, money
Although Nintendo UK has just started on a high-profile advertising campaign to draw more awareness to the Wii's online features and WiiWare titles, for many developers it's something that should have happened years ago. Until now, Nintendo's efforts to promote the Wii's online capabilities have been...
News Electronic Arts Less Than Happy With Wii Sales
Veteran publisher laments "weak" third party sales performance on Nintendo's console
In case you hadn't noticed, EA is pruning its workforce with gay abandon at present, hacking away 1500 jobs in order to reduce its running costs. The fact that many of its Wii titles have underperformed (Dead Space Extraction has reportedly sold a pitiful 9,000...
News Square Enix Prez Stares Into Crystal Ball; Sees New Wii in 2011
Thoughts also passed on motion control
Square Enix president Yoichi Wada has opened his mouth and allowed various predictions to spew forth, some of which were collected and bottled during an interview with The Financial Times. Wada has foretold that Nintendo's successor to the Wii will be available in 2011, and is likely to be closer to the PS3/360...
News Nintendo Sales Drop as Global Economy Goes Down the Crapper
Even The Big N is susceptible to to the downturn
Nintendo has just released its financial statement for the previous quarter and the results make for interesting reading. Despite the fact that the manufacturer is beating away all competition from rivals such as Sony and Microsoft, net sales were down down by 40% compared to the previous year. Net...
News Sega Not Giving Up On Mature Wii Titles Just Yet
Recent retail disappointments haven't dented Sega's confidence
As much as we loved Madworld and House of the Dead: Overkill, neither title sold particularly well, which has led many 'industry experts' to suggest that mature, hardcore games just can't find an audience on Nintendo's console. In the light of two high-profile commercial bombs you'd...
News Factor 5 Being Sued By Ex-Employees
Lawsuit reveals a Rogue Squadron Wii game was in the works.
A few months back San-Rafael-based Factor 5 (the studio behind the popular Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series) was declared bankrupt with between $1 million to $10 million in unpaid debts. In addition to this, the company was also faced with 69 claims for unpaid wages totaling more than...
News Molyneux: Nintendo Made Rare Too Secretive
Lionhead boss intends to give the UK developer an "identity"
Lionhead boss and newly appointed creative director of Microsoft Europe Peter Molyneux has been speaking exclusively to Gamesindustry.biz about his role in assisting Microsoft's internal development teams - with Rare being one of them. Molyneux - who founded legendary UK software house...
News Sony And Microsoft Suffering From Wii-nis Envy?
Copycat motion control systems don't impress industry analyst
Where would we be with expert analysts telling us what to think, eh? Take Wedbush Morgan chappie Michael Pachter, for example. Following Microsoft and Sony's recently unveiling of motion control systems at this year's E3, Pachter has waded in with his own viewpoint on all this...
News Sony Expects Wii Owners To Upgrade To PS3
Another overconfident prediction from the creator of Betamax
For those of you that have any interest in this kind of thing, Sony Europe boss David Reeves stepped down recently and was succeeded by a fellow called Andrew House. This year's E3 was House's first as president of Sony Europe, so it's unsurprising that he wasted no time in chiming in with...
News EA is Rewarded For Embracing The Wii
Sales nearly doubled on last year's total
When the Wii was released super-publisher EA caught a bit of flak for not giving the format the respect it deserved. Thankfully the company has changed its attitude and has been duly rewarded with a massive jump in sales. According to EA's financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2009, 14% of...
News Peter Moore at MI6 Conference: Capturing the Wii Audience with Original Content
Encouraging words from EA...do they finally get it?
During the conference keynote address EA Sports head Peter Moore spoke about EA Sports' current philosophy towards the Wii stating that "You can't simply take what you're doing on the PS3 or Xbox 360 and port – that's a dirty word – down to the Wii." New titles like Grand Slam Tennis...
News Nintendo Looking to "Re-energize" Game Market
Could a slowing market and a boost in "core" game sales have us swimming in great releases this year?
Wii and DS sales are slowing down in Japan causing an uncomfortable disturbance in the force that is Nintendo's cash flow. This has also highlighted a boost in “hardcore” game sales there. Does this mean that to get the more “hardcore”...
News Analyst Reckons Wii Investment is "Fools Gold"
Warning for third parties looking to make a quick buck
The Nintendo Wii recently became the fastest selling console of all time and is generally perceived to be doing pretty well right now. However, analyst Doug Creutz from Cowen & Company has commented that third parties looking to make easy money by sinking cash into Wii development may be...
News Wii Manufacturing Cost Reduced by 45%
These are tough times for many people, but apparently not for Nintendo.
According to Credit Suisse analyst Koya Tabata, the cost of manufacturing a Wii console has gone down by 45%. If this number is accurate, that would mean each Wii sold is bringing in nearly twice the profit as in previous years. And yes, the Wii most definitely brings in profit...
News NoA President Talks DSiWare
Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime distances the DSi from the iPhone, and lets a few tidbits drop as well.
In a recent Q&A with Wired, Reggie Fils-Aime made a point of distinguishing the DSi's downloadable titles from the iPhone's. Specifically: "We are taking a film-festival approach — high-class content done by...
News House Of The Dead: Overkill has Aussie watchdogs baying for blood
Sega's gore-filled blaster causes aggro down under
In what seems to be a daily occurence in Australia, the recent classification and release of Sega's pulp-horror lightgun bloodbath House Of The Dead: Overkill has been met with outrage from one of the country's most vocal family lobbyists. Today's Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper reports that Angela...
News Carmack looking towards Wii
Legendary games developer John Carmack speaks of his interest in developing a title for Wii.
The co-mastermind of iD software has often been very vocal in the industry, slamming the PS3 for its difficult architecture and writing off the Wii as a graphically challenged console, something which he's not used to coming from the PC world. Reported by...
SEGA announce a huge impending loss and possible job cuts, what's happening at SEGA of Japan?
Across Sega Sammy Holdings as a whole - which includes Sammy's pachinko/pachislot machines, along with Sega's arcade machines and home video games - a downturn in revenue has led to the company revising its forecast for the financial year, with Sega now...
News Games Industry to feel the pinch?
We don't like talking about real world issues, but are we going to lose big names from the games world? Yes, Free Radical and Factor 5 are the first ones down.
It would appear that video gaming isn’t quite as recession-proof as many people would have you believe – long-time Nintendo supporter Factor 5 is rumoured to have closed it doors for the...
News SEGA To Publish The Conduit?
Leaked press memo suggests that SEGA will be confirmed as the publisher for High Voltage Software's Wii FPS, The Conduit.
Whilst the rumours have been flying all week we've received word that SEGA should very shortly be confirmed as the publisher for this hot looking (potentially) Wii game, developed by High Voltage Software. The game has received...
News Nintendo remain strong over the summer
Wii Fit
Recent figures suggest that Nintendo have remained strong throughout the summer in the United States. Nintendo products kept people entertained in July, whether they wanted to get fit, rock out or just play around. According to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States, Nintendo DS? and Wii? again claimed...
News 2009 Video Game BAFTA's Confirmed
Has it been a strong year for video games? BAFTA have announced their annual honouring night to take place on March 10, 2009.
There are 13 awards categories Action & Adventure, Artistic Achievement, Best Game, Casual, Gameplay, Multiplayer, Original Score, Sports, Strategy, Story & Character, Technical Achievement, Use of Audio and a new...
Competition Rustler's Announce UK Machinima Music Video Contest
To celebrate the launch of Machinima in the UK, Rustler's are providing an Alienware PC for the best user created music video to match one of Jonathan (Portal theme) Coulton's latest tracks.
Rustlers may be the market leaders in the hot snacking section of your local supermarket, but that doesn't mean they're content to rest on their burgers...
News Ubisoft hire new "talent" to promote Imagine series
Never short of marketing ideas Ubisoft have announced that Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotten to promote a new range of video games.
Today Ubisoft announced a partnership with two of television’s most popular celebrities, Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, to promote Imagine™, a new range of video games available on Nintendo DS™. The new...
Things go from bad to worse for Japanese developer Tecmo, now all of its employees are suing for over 8.3 million yen.
Things are looking bad for Tecmo, the company behind the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden games. Not only did the highly regarded developer Tomonobu Itagaki slag off his own games before leaving and suing the company, but now it seems...
News XBOX 720 And Wii2 In 2010? ZOMG!
Analyst of Pacific Crest Securities, Evan Wilson believes that Nintendo and Microsoft will ready new home consoles for release in 2010.
When talking to GameSpot about EA's problems Evan also went on to state that he believes Nintendo and Microsoft will stick to the five year console cycle in this generation. "We believe that peak industry...
News Metroid Prime Senior Engineer Loses Fight With Cancer
Key Retro Studios team member dies at just 43 years of age
Mark Haigh-Hutchinson, an industry veteran who worked on all three best selling Metroid Prime titles, has succumbed to pancreatic cancer. He was just 43 years old. Haigh-Hutchinson’s career dates back to the ‘80s, when he worked on games like Paperboy prior to joining Lucasarts. He...
News Ozone's Christmas Wii Swindle
BBC consumer-rights show Watchdog today revealed details of a Wii related scam which misled upto 2,500 people in the UK to think they'd have a Wii in time for Christmas.
So when Ozone Electronics, a company based in Oldham, guaranteed delivery of the console for the middle of December, hundreds of people placed an order, paid their money and...
News "Nintendo Must Treat Developers Better"
The man behind Cannon Fodder and Sensible Soccer hits out at Nintendo's less than impressive relationship with third party software houses
We’re now pretty much accustomed to hearing stories about Nintendo’s incredible worldwide success over the past year or so. The Wii and DS are performing admirably at retail and Nintendo’s resurgence from...
Lets be honest, 2007 was a fantastic year for Nintendo, Wii and DS have had an amazing holiday season and things haven't looked this good in years.
As another New Year rolls around we feel its time to reflect, it's still hard to believe just how good a year 2007 was for Nintendo, DS and Wii sales have rocketed and production has constantly been...
News "Stop Buying So Many Nintendo Consoles" Says Reggie
He doesn't like hardware bundles, either
Reggie Fils-Aime has expressed concerns over the stock problems experienced by the company of late. Basically, the Wii and DS are TOO popular! He also had some cutting words to say about the increase in bundles offered by money-grabbing games retailers. From GamesInstustry.biz: Nintendo of America's...
News Bumper Year For UK Games Industry
It's been an amazing year for the UK videogame market - and Nintendo has been instrumental in this success.
Traditionally, when you move from one generation of videogame hardware to the next, there's a slight dip in sales. Amazingly, that doesn't seem to have happened with this generation, as GamesIndustry.biz reports: Sales of game software in the...
News Nintendo Snubbed By Greenpeace
Going green
Greenpeace'ers snub Nintendo in a new energy report, designed to inform consumers of how "green" the manufacturer is. Environmental watchdog group Greenpeace has released its latest Guide to Greener Electronics, detailing the environmental responsibility of global consumer electronics companies, and given Nintendo the first zero grade...
