Topic: The State of Nintendo- Winter 2014

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So I thought it'd be interesting to give my thoughts on Nintendo as a whole. There are a lot of topics on the Wii U board about how that platform is doing, and while there isn't a lot of talk about how the 3DS is doing and where it needs to be, that's really not a super discussion worthy topic. This topic is more about Nintendo as a whole. Going with a bulleted list, because it's easier to follow than a bunch of paragraphs

What is Nintendo doing right?
-I think the biggest turn-around from 2013 is the risk taking in the games they are funding and developing. Games like Splatoon, Star Fox U, XCX, Devil's Third, Mario Maker, and S.T.E.A.M. all demonstrate that Nintendo is trying to achieve better diversity.
-They seem to be putting a solid amount of money into marketing their products.
-They are leveraging their wealth of IPs very well, creating several crossover series like Pokken Fighters, Hyrule Warriors, and SMT X FE, and creating physical products like Amiibo.
-They are making use of the unique technology they are putting in their systems. The Wii U is set to have several games that make use of the Gamepad, Amiibo is taking full advantage of NFC, and the New 3DS, if the reviews mean anything, transforms 3D from a short-lived novelty to a feature that rarely goes off.
-They are trying to broaden their product base with QoL, a smart move due to the increasingly crowded nature of the video game industry.

What does Nintendo still need to fix?

The West

-In terms of cooperation, Nintendo is consistently partnering with Japanese companies, but they seems to be virtually no cooperation with large western companies like Activision, Take-Two, Ubisoft, and EA. Say what you will about those companies, but they make products that make money and sell systems. Whether you like them or not, they are powerful allys to have.
-In terms of games, Nintendo seems very detached from the western world. They have 2 western subsidiaries (Retro and NST). Retro has heavy Japanese oversight as of late, and NST is mostly involved in rather small downloadable games. As far as I can tell, they only have western 2 second party partners, Monster Games and Next Level Games. And Monster mostly works in assistance with other projects. That's not a good thing, because it means games are coming from a particular set of philosophies of game development.
-Nintendo seems to give very little autonomy to NoA and NoE. The naming, product design, and many other major decisions are made almost exclusively through Japan. Again, not a good thing.

Marketing

Yes, some marketing is better than none at all, but Nintendo's advertising seems to range for average to absolutely abysmal. Their console advertisements, instead of promoting that their systems offer a fun experience, seem to promote that "this system is best for families and kids". There is nothing wrong with advertising to kids families, but there is something wrong when it sends the message that the system is primarily for them. That just pushes other people away.

-Appealing to key non-gamer demographics- The Wii U is struggling to adopt some of the broader markets that the Wii and DS succeeded with. Yes, some of those groups aren't coming back because of mobile games. But there isn't anything like Just Dance or Wii Fit on an iPad, so people are either still playing those games on Wii, or they are switching to Kinect. A similar problem is happening with kids, though not as bad.
-Losing the "kiddie" stigma- This one is fairly self explanatory. Often times, Nintendo isn't even considered a serious contender among gamers

-Third-Party support- I don't really think I have to explain this. 3DS and Wii U suffer dearly with a lack of western 3rd party games. Wii U lacks Japanese 3rd party games too.

-Sports games- Yeah, Nintendo systems need player licensed sports games. It's a gaping hole in the library. It's something every previous Nintendo platform had.

How do I, some internet shlub, think they should fix it?

The West

-Buy up some more western 3rd Party studios. A company like Insomniac would be a perfect acquisition.
-Enter serious crossover discussions with major western studios. This would create a base that is aware and enjoys said western studio's games, and potentially boosts 3rd party support.
-Open more divisions responsible for product development outside of Japan.

Marketing

-Make serious changes to their marketing teams. Commercials need to be more consistently good
-Instead of stressing the Wii U as a system that's mostly just fun for kids and families, stress how the Wii U's features make gaming fun for different particular groups.
-Do something similar with the 3DS, highlighting the presence of 2 screens, 3D, and buttons create a great experience for kids and adults on the go. If they want to be really ballsy, run a campaign against smartphones/tablets for gaming.
-Just having Bayonetta 2, Devil's Third, CoD, and Watch Dogs doesn't make the system appeal to older demographics. They need to actually stress those games as an important part of the game's lineup in advertising.

-Third Party support -Strike a temporary deal with some major 3rd parties to not only bring major games to Nintendo systems, but to include their presence of Nintendo systems in advertising. If, after every CoD ad, you see an Xbox logo, you are less likely to even be aware the game is available on Wii U. This deal needs to be very carefully executed, such that, after it's over, Third Parties still have a strong incentive to put their games on the Nintendo platforms due to the large base. They can't just walk away.

-Sports game- Just make your own 1st party games. Revive NBA Courtside and introduce a new Baseball series. Bring back the exaggerated sports series like NFL Blitz, NHL Hitz, NBA Street, etc.

Thoughts? Am I completely off base here? Or do I make a lot of good points?

tl,dr: Better than last year or 2012, but there's a long way to go.

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This is a good start. I agree with all of these points, especially with the diversity and willingness to work with outside studios. I think this is the first time in a long time Nintendo realizes they can't do this alone, especially with the loss of major 3rd party support.

What does Nintendo still need to fix?

The West

-In terms of games, Nintendo seems very detached from the western world. They have 2 western subsidiaries (Retro and NST). Retro has heavy Japanese oversight as of late, and NST is mostly involved in rather small downloadable games. As far as I can tell, they only have western 2 second party partners, Monster Games and Next Level Games. And Monster mostly works in assistance with other projects. That's not a good thing, because it means games are coming from a particular set of philosophies of game development.
-Nintendo seems to give very little autonomy to NoA and NoE. The naming, product design, and many other major decisions are made almost exclusively through Japan. Again, not a good thing.

As a life-long Nintendo fan, this breaks my little heart. Both of these points are so true, and they're really holding Nintendo back in the North American and Europe. I actually also think Retro should be let loose creatively, and let them do what they do best. I understand they're a Japanese company, and Japanese culture is quite different from Western culture, and that they value different ideals than what we do, but they're killing themselves with their formulas and their focus.

Marketing

Yes, some marketing is better than none at all, but Nintendo's advertising seems to range for average to absolutely abysmal. Their console advertisements, instead of promoting that their systems offer a fun experience, seem to promote that "this system is best for families and kids". There is nothing wrong with advertising to kids families, but there is something wrong when it sends the message that the system is primarily for them. That just pushes other people away.

Nintendo's marketing in the USA is abysmal. It's beyond bad.

-Losing the "kiddie" stigma- This one is fairly self explanatory. Often times, Nintendo isn't even considered a serious contender among gamers
-Third-Party support- I don't really think I have to explain this. 3DS and Wii U suffer dearly with a lack of western 3rd party games. Wii U lacks Japanese 3rd party games too.

These go hand-in-hand, I feel. I personally couldn't care less about CoD or any other shooter, or the yearly iterations of Assassin's Creed, but Joe Gamer does, and Joe Gamer sees these games as "cool" and when Nintendo's Wii U doesn't have these games, then the Wii U is not "cool" and therefore he doesn't even consider it.

Regaining 3rd party support is important, but at the very least, filling the gap left by Activision or Ubisoft themselves is something Nintendo has to do. There can't be a lack in variety in software. We can't only have Mario games. Bayonetta, Devil's Third, Splatoon, those are steps in the right direction. But There needs to be more. More genres, more variety, and if it isn't coming from 3rd parties, it has to come from Nintendo themselves.

-Sports games- Yeah, Nintendo systems need player licensed sports games. It's a gaping hole in the library. It's something every previous Nintendo platform had.

This goes with the previous comments. FIFA and Madden are big sellers, even though they're crappy games.

How do I, some internet shlub, think they should fix it?

The West

-Buy up some more western 3rd Party studios. A company like Insomniac would be a perfect acquisition.

I've been saying this for years now. Nintendo needs to buy 3rd party developers at the very least, preferably a big one. They need to diversify the gaming portfolio, and adding new talent would also be a huge plus. While I don't particularly care for any games that Insomniac makes, but I get your point. A well-respected 3rd party developer that makes "core" games for the "core" gamer.

Either way, I couldn't agree more. Especially if the company is a Western developer, I think it would be a great idea. If it isn't a Western developer, then it has to be a Big Japanese one. I mentioned Capcom, SEGA, and Namco-Bandai in a thread before, but something like Square-Enix would be monumental. Konami would be great as well, or if not the whole of Konami, then Kojima Studios. It doesn't matter, I'm just saying I 100% agree with you in this.

-Open more divisions responsible for product development outside of Japan.

...and give them the freedom to work on games for Western audiences. Micromanaging isn't going to do anyone any good.

-Third Party support -Strike a temporary deal with some major 3rd parties to not only bring major games to Nintendo systems, but to include their presence of Nintendo systems in advertising. If, after every CoD ad, you see an Xbox logo, you are less likely to even be aware the game is available on Wii U. This deal needs to be very carefully executed, such that, after it's over, Third Parties still have a strong incentive to put their games on the Nintendo platforms due to the large base. They can't just walk away.

This is a good one. Let gamers know that the game is available for Wii U as well. Not only will it get the Wii U name out there more (which it needs) but then people will see that those games are also available on Wii U. Nintendo's advertisements in general need to be fixed. They're beyond awful.

Overall, I agree with many of your points. Some of them I've made myself, mainly the filling of the gaps by Nintendo themselves, and the acquisition of 3rd party developers, preferably ones with large numbers of IPs, or heavy-hitters in the gaming world.

I think the Wii U has the potential to be Nintendo's best console, but Nintendo needs to get it going themselves.

As a side note, I'm still not convinced with amiibo other than as a collectors item.