Cliff Bleszinski Sees A Future Where Nintendo Is Out Of The Hardware Business

NO! JUST NO!!! Cry );

I'm quite seriously getting REALLY tired of all this doom and gloom.

Ugh. They do this every cycle. So many willing for one company's demise. Nintendo's been around since Yoshis roamed the Earth. They're not going anywhere.

I don't want it to happen, but I'm not going to say it's not possible... been a Nintendo fan since I was born in 1989 (well, as far back as I can remember anyway ). I'm a little bit afraid of how all I hear about is Playstation and Xbox around everyone I work with.

Well we all know that Mario is gonna win.

Epic never liked Nintendo anyways, this guy's opinion is fully biased. I'm pretty he is not aware of any actual fact about what's going on for Big N right now.

I'm not even reading this article. I just saw "Ex-something" to remember about guys from THQ and Atari spelling doom on Nintendo to see themselves out of business. FOLKS, PLEASE, FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, YOU HAVE TO STOP!!!

If, and this is a big if, Nintendo were to get out of the hardware business they have already stated that they would shut the doors and walk away before putting their franchises on other systems. But let's be realistic here, it's not gonna happen.

It's the same song everytime Nintendo puts out new hardware.

Don't be hating because you can't come up with something creative like Nintendo. Seriously, anyone who wants Nintendo to become a 3rd party is just asking to kill off majority of their franchises.

this will not happen nintendo is the only company how focus not on graphics but the fun factor of their console experiences and games LONG LIVE NINTENDO!!

If Nintendo falls as a Console developer, the whole industry falls right behind it. If Nintendos innovations cease to exist, what is there for sony to copy anymore ? Then, the whole industry becomes one giant blob of grey / brown molasses. Nintendo wont fail by no means, They doomed the Wii beforehand and it has risen beyond everything. They doomed the 3DS and favored the vita. The vita failed pretty hard and the 3DS has risen. I am sure that, if the majority of WiiU software is ready, the system really starts off and could dominate this gen, even if the so called "professionals" prefer your typical "shooter mania" on other systems.

Even if they quit doing home consoles, they will always still do handhelds.

And, I gotta say, I'm tired of these arrogant upstarts who, every Nintendo hardware release, rudely beat their chests and yell, "Go sit down and let us show you how it's done, old man."

They see Nintendo going software only because that's what they want, and they want Nintendo exclusives on the systems they favor. I just don't see it ever happening. What's terribly disheartening is when people start slamming Nintendo like this, third party developers begin to tremble. Incredibly fickle, and a huge turn off.

Although this mindset is on a lot of people's minds (and with good reason) I still feel that the Big N still has a lot of tricks up it's sleeves when it comes to hardware. Personally, I think it's going to take a lot of financial damage before they hand over the keys to the throne so to speak. With that said, I'll leave you with a Satoru Iwata quote from 2008 in which he states:

"The Nintendo DS brand offers an experience that mobile phones—no matter how smart the phone—can't match."

As a 3DS owner, and the current Wii U system being heavily influenced by the DS, I couldn't agree more with his statement. Playing with a Nintendo system is always going to equal gaming bliss .

In spanish I would like to say that he is: "un hijuedesumadre picado".....

@twistedbee I completely agree.

You know how the 3DS sold more than the PS3 ever did in Japan?

I don't see Nintendo leaving the hardware industry. The next likely step is maybe them steeping down from console, or simply stop selling their system westward.

Then again, how many units did the Wii ship? Yeah, a whole lot.

Quite honestly, NL, I could do without the doom and gloom articles.

F this guy and his FAIL, insecure male games. No one will ever be able to touch NiN in the handheld department, to which dumbphones will never be replicate the experience. Besides, who would Sony copy if Nintendo wasn't around? lol

That´s what many companies is waiting for but it is not what many gamers want at all

I've actually been afraid of this for a while. As long as they still produce those wonderful games it doesn't really matter what you play them on does it! At least the handheld market is still booming. Long live Nintendo!!

I've always thought he was a pretentious douchebag

All I needed to read was "the man behind such hits as Gears of War and Unreal Tournament" before I stopped reading.

Cliffy, darling, I know you joke around a lot, but thats not funny! I highly doubt that seeing as Nintendo is dominating in the portable market.

@3Dash YES ME TOO !! QUIT IT !! Nintendo fans will stay here forever !! We'll keep on supporting them !! The Nintendo community is growing and growing !!

I'm one who wishes they would do this, but I doubt they will because the 3DS is a pretty good success and the Vita is not. The Wii U is struggling, but I'm sure eventually it will pick up. I'm not a business person so I don't know what makes the most sense for them, but I would prefer if I could buy Nintendo games on the other consoles instead of having to buy a Nintendo console for Nintendo games.

It's just nauseating having to only read articles about Nintendo's future demise. Nobody ever mentions Microsoft or Sony.

No.

It would be a miserable world without Nintendo...

In all honesty, the less consoles, the better. Wouldn't have to worry so much about those exclusives anymore, if you can only afford one console. I'd be okay with Nintendo going the way Sega did.

If Nintendo stops making hardware, I'll probably go wherever the Mario series will go. If Nintendo goes out of business completely, I'll stop being a gamer right then and there.

Epic is microsoft's lab rat. The other 2 companies really on their "other" non-console or non-gaming aspects of their company to stay alive. Nintendo sells consoles and games. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon and I think fans would see to that.

@HeroOfCybertron LOL. Huge, ugly drawn steroided men always hiding behind rocks.

Epic is microsoft's lab rat. The other 2 companies really on their "other" non-console or non-gaming aspects of their company to stay alive. Nintendo sells consoles and games. They aren't going anywhere anytime soon and I think fans would see to that.

@3Dash "Yea, seriously. It's seriously becoming really dumb & stupid."

Can't we have some happy articles on here for once

This human being needs to go eat a bag of chips!

@Zellybeanie Well said! PLEASE, Nintendolife, don't follow the example of countless other blogs and encourage this annoying doom and gloom. Also, Cliff is just mad because Gears of War: Judgment looks like poop.

IWATA:
"...some people say that Japanese industries are done for or express somewhat negative opinions about dedicated game machines, but I don't agree in the slightest. The environment changing with the times and being pessimistic about our own future are completely different things, so if we find and present the spirit of those times, that right environment, we will definitely thrive."

lol...cliffy is just some dude that wished he worked for nintendo. i remember him saying he wanted to do naughty things to the psp, and that nintendo has turned in to the R&D department for the videogame industry, all coming from a guy thats pumped nothing but shooter games since... and uninspired cookie cutter game engines.

But all jokes aside,Nintendo can't lose.Wii Sports is the best selling game of all time.Not to mention,the Wii is the best-selling 7th generation console.They see us rollin'.They haten'.

@DePapier Maybe you should read it then. He's an ex-Epic employee, because he left to form his own company, not because they were shut down or were doing badly.

@Fillytase Considering he had nothing to do with Gears of War Judgement, I doubt it.

Just software? Nope. Nintendo's gonna be doing both for a really really long while.

@Highwinter Gears of War is still his IP. He and the other top developers at Epic have done everything they possibly can to make sure long-term Gears of War fans can't play the game the way they like to. But hey, that's a conversation for another time and place.

@Lopezdm WOW, you agree with Cliffyb on something? Your credibility just SKYROCKETED.

Well technically nintendo is probably the most at-risk of the big three, simply because they only make games and consoles. The other 2 have a very big company bailing them out in case they get into trouble (as they have done in the past), nintendo has to succeed purely on it's own games.I don't think the doomsday prophecies are going to happen for a while, but unfortunately one big mistake and the company doesn't have a safety net.
I personally hope they carry on forever making hardware, but I do see why they are the biggest target for 'haters'. I think should they ever hit a snag the next best thing would be them being bought out by a bigger company (samsung maybe?) and being allowed to continue making games with that big company backing them up. Yeah not ideal but I want to play nintendo games on a nintendo console dammit!

Going software only doesn't mean that Nintendo is going away, just making games for other platforms, like Sega. It has worked out pretty well for Sega. I think Nintendo would see a lot of success with the same approach. The question is would they have more success doing that, or sticking with making hardware too? I don't have the answer. I do know that if I could buy Super Mario Galaxy 3 on my Xbox 360, I would, and that would save me a good chunk of change.

I honestly really wish nintendo would drop the hardware side. Becoming a third party developer would be the best thing nintendo could do in my mind. I have always wanted to play my Nintendo titles on a different platform. I don't understand how people see this as bad news...

@Kagamine Because Nintendo is the last console manufacturer that still cares about actually innovating hardware and offering new ways to play instead of making a second-rate PC? If they stopped making consoles it would be a travesty. And as others have said, if they went out of business you simply wouldn't be able to play their games ANYWHERE because they would cease to exist.

I don't see it happening. Nintendo is the innovator, they do things differently. sony and Microsoft are mostly the same, minus some exclusives. It would be more beneficial for one of them to leave.

@Lopezdm Well, in my opinion, I think your still wrong.

Sega aren't making consoles anymore yet they are still going strong as a software developer. They certainly haven't died when the Dreamcast did.

I highly doubt that Nintendo is going to leave the hardware business anytime soon, but we'll see I guess.

Nintendo is not going to be out of the hardware business anytime soon. At gamestop last week the 15 minutes I spent in the store I saw two new 3ds purchases and one Wii U. The Wii launch was unusual and I would be suprised to ever see something like that happen with consoles again. Wii U had a good push out the gate and sales increase when games increase...it happens with all consoles...except Wii.

Okay I really have to know. Are smartphone and tablets really a big competitor? I mean I had one game on my smartphone that I played once every few months or so if my 3DS wasn't readily available. I just don't think they can hold a candle to a real console experience.

@Lopezdm My life is officially ruined.

This isn't news to me. After all this seems to be the main goal of all that negative press towards Nintendo! That's why they keep ignoring Nintendo, like saying Wii U isn't next gen and such.
Anyway Nintendo will stay on bussiness for a long time now and If dare I say Nintendo went down ( Yeah! That's preferable than turning into the next SEGA and like them be a former shell of themselves) I would stop playing videogames altogether.
And Cliffy...Last time I saw the PS3 and Xbox360 are the ones with the almost identical catalogue of games(and the lineup of games to their next boxes seem to be even more identical, since the third parties aren't making anymore exclusives), so... certainly one of them can get out. Not Nintendo.

@Arcamenel, but wouldn't you like to see what they would come up with for cell phones and tablets? Unless they drop their hardware, that's not going to happen. Myself, I'd rather having Animal Crossing on my iPhone than an unconnected 3DS.

I think if Nintendo scales down because the American dollar isn't spent on hardware, they will still mould plastic in some form for Japan and make profits there. But you won't see those games outside Japan or on non-Nintendo hardware.

We will all have to import games in Japanese if this doomed future comes to pass.

Sega does what Nintendon't lol

First party software has always been the biggest seller only Nintendo understand there own hardware. Always have always will. F the haters I've been here before and have nothing but faith in the WiiU just wait until the next of and ps4 start overheating and dying before we see who had the best hardware

I see a video games industry without cliffyb and his lancer lol

Nintendo won the last console war (speaking of selling the most consoles not getting third party games) and they completely dominate handheld console. Wii U has not even seen one of their main game released yet. I don't see them conceding anytime soon. And this guy is talking out of his rear.

@Lopezdm What "education" are you basing this guess on, then? I'm "educated" in the fact that people predicted Nintendo would fail with the Gamecube... and the Wii... and the DS... and the 3DS. And I'm also educated of the fact that the first three months of a console's life mean jack about its future. Obviously people aren't going to appreciate wild speculation of Nintendo's supposed, impending doom under the guise of logical thought, on a Nintendo-focused site.

What's he been up to lately?
Okay, this has been kicked around before. A lot. Thus far, Nintendo's stable of first party stuff provably allowed the company to eek by even when they were on the bottom.

@Lopezdm the educated guess must follow the question: what will Nintendo do if it's not profitable to bring their hardware outside of Japan? Because I don't think the Japanese or their media have these concerns for Nintendo in that country as Nintendo is very much the leader in many categories.

Answer that question and you may have the best guess.

Just. Shut. Up. Seriously, Nintendo's not going anywhere.

What the hell? I thought Cliff was a fan of Nintendo...
What sort of magic is this?

@Pixelroy Indeed! Nintendo is a huge part of Japan's culture (look up Pokemon commercial planes via Google). They will continue to sell there. I for one like Nintendo's hardware design and their approach to gaming. I would be very sad if they dropped out of the North American gaming market. I'll have to rely entirely on retro gaming from then on. An alternative might be a combination of both realities in which Nintendo stops selling hardware only in North America but opens their games onto other consoles. Truthfully, that doesn't seem likely. I do not foresee a future where Nintendo is only selling software globally.

@Bingly That's right, if Nintendo is forced to stop by the public and media outside of Japan it will still operate as it does in Japan only. That's the most educated answer to all this "is Nintendo dooooomed?"

@Drobotic "They HATEN'..."
THAT'S WHAT'S UP!!!

Hopefully the next Zelda or Mario is a must have and this Nintendo Doomed topic goes away. Reality is no company will exist forever tho

@Lopezdm
I already use my Xbox controller to play Mario and its called the controller pro. And I really don't see Nintendo dropping out of the race for a long time.

@Lopezdm Dude, I think you're in the wrong place to be hating, obviously.

@damo ultimately his comments fall under the "Nintendo is doomed" category although he is only predicting (falsely IMO) the end of N hardware and not Mario.

I've heard the same "Nintendo should only make software" argument posted again and again for a good 20 years now. The DS still the #1 selling system in human history? Check! The Wii the only system of its generation sold at a profit? Check! Did Nintendo invent the FX Chip, the D-Pad, the console analog stick, 3D camera controls, motion sensing, and useable touch screen gaming? Check check check check check. Did I go through 7 Xboxes, but still have the same red DS phat that has seen 4x the gameplay of all those Xboxes put together? Checkity, check check, checkity.

PS Move. The Vita. Super PS3 Brawl, or whatever its called.
Without Nintendo hardware, who would the rest of the industry copy off of? What would I play when my Xbox is on its weekly 6-month trip to the repair shop?

I just hate the smug look he has. I'm tired of everyone dissin' on Nintendo.

@mr_trill only up until Kirby 2 gets released on wii u

@Crunc WOW WOW WOW on Animal Crossing 3DS, you need to KNOW Iwata had to apologize to the Japanese population as the game was blockbusting over there in Japan. Unconnected 3DS??? Didn't we just played MK7 last Friday??? Excuse me, did I take you down that day???

@Damo Many see "No Nintendo hardware" as "Game over, man. Game over!" and I feel that includes developers. There's an obvious disdain for Nintendo by many in the industry. They don't want to give the Wii U a chance, and it's really sad that gamers and developers could be incredibly closed-minded when it has a Nintendo sticker on it. It doesn't seem to matter what the company does, it has some ridiculous stigma attached to it now that says, "They're not hip, they're not cool. They don't understand what you want. They don't care what you want." It's exhausting to wade through, but Nintendo does so every single cycle, as the vultures circle with eyes on Mario. Because that's what companies want. They WANT a Mario. They WANT a Link.

@Zellybeanie You couldn't have said it better. Bravo!

Ex-Epic guy Knows more about the games industry than any of you.

This is what we call an 'expert opinion' - don't like it? Don't have to. Doesn't mean he's wrong.

Oh, man, he is here...

Problem is that the poor state of the industry is due to MS and Sony From their AAA bombs DLC rehashed everything and whatnot. Heck out of the big three Sony is they worst off financially having the their credit rating dropped to Baa3, followed by MS Who only recently with the 360 in it's twilight had turned some profit... well until the past quarter http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-01-25-microsoft-reports-29-percent-drop-in-xbox-revenue Nintendo has had a rough start with the Wii U but so did the 3ds and while that doesn't mean Wii U will auto succeed; it does show that Nintendo has the capability to turn things around.

@Bankai Doesn't mean he's right either.

@Zellybeanie I totally agree with you. It's all about the way Nintendo is perceived. And no matter how hard haters have tried to, they don't have a Zelda. They don't have a Mario. Heck, they don't even have a Pokémon. A look at the best selling games of all times proves it.

@Bankai

You're right. And actually, I agree with Cliff. Nintendo's Wii U failing, or even its next generation console afterwards failing, could jeopardize the company financially.

Though, this will only happen if Nintendo doesn't catch on to the basics of the mass market. Which wouldn't surprise me.

Yeah, no one knows better about Nintendo's future as a console manufacturer than a third-party developer who has never (to my knowledge) worked with the company in question.

@bankai doesn't mean he's absolutely right. And if this news is posted on this site it's safe to counter his logic. No one knows absolutely what the future holds no matter how much of an "industry guy" you are. Besides do you personally think Nintendo will just stop hardware altogether in all global markets including Japan? It doesn't make sense right now to say that

Ugh, I can't wait till the major first party titles for Wii
U start coming out so the console sales go up and everybody shuts up about all this gloom and doom crap.

Being paranoid of this mess happening is why I buy every Ninty console and physical carts&discs as much as possible... And I take care of them. It's like being a doomsday prepper for the societal videogame breakdown.

@Fillytase #96 Amen to that.

@Pixelroy The only people who can counter an expert opinion and be taken seriously are other expert opinions. How many hundred million dollar studios have you made.

I'm not saying he is right. Just that most of these comments are like level 1 pokemon taking on level 100 Pokemon.

I think Bankai, LopezDM AND Cliff all need to take an awesome selfshot pick together in the mirror like Lopez did......because they absolutely can see into the future and have ALL the answers.

New 3D Mario + Mario Kart 8 + Smash Bros. = $ales!!! Nintendo has to face the facts that they're in this alone and if any major 3rd party developer is going to come to the party, it will be after Nintendo drives their own sales. They thought that the 3rd parties would drive sales during the Wii U launch but all they got was doom and gloom and a stab in the back by Ubisoft!

@Bankai Yet those Lv 100 can still die from a OHKO. Time will tell, and hopefully they'll STFU.

@Bankai so if there's a margin of error only his contemporaries may speak about it and no one else ever in any circle?? Including a fan site? That seems rather oppressive.

Can one of these guys predicting Nintendo's future please give me some winning lotto numbers so I can quit my day job. Thanks in advance.....

I'm surprised people still react to this stuff.

@IAmNotWill You know we always will.

@DePapier Exactly. People have way of whining that Mario and Zelda games are stale, and that they need to retire. But Sony and Microsoft would ridiculously milk those two franchises if they had them. 25 years or so of Mario and Zelda really deserves respect.

Nintendo will forever march to the beat of their own adorable once 8-bit band. They know what works for them and they're okay with a seemingly smaller, but loyal fan base. I posted on another gaming site that Nintendo reminds me of that quirky, nerdy kid who has a great time, is fun to be around, and doesn't feel he has to be cool or even all that popular.

I already have a Wii U, and I feel no need for a PS4 or even whatever Microsoft is coming out with.

I'm still amazed at how some could possibly fuel the fire on the biggest Nintendo fan website in the world... Hopefully it allows NintendoLife to get its funds and to continue to thrive.

@Pixelroy No but compare a man who has set up one of the world's most successful development studios to a bunch of guys whose greatest achievement in gaming is speed running a Mario game.

Who, really, truly, understands the business side of the games industry, and who really, truly, has lived and worked in the games industry to have enough experience to have some insight into how it works?

Hint - it's not the guy who likes Mario.

not only does he look stupid but he sounds it to. Anyway nintendo always as that ace up their sleeves and will never be defeated.

No never please god no no no no no

As for Nintendo becoming software-only, that really wouldn't bother me at all. As long as they still keep making good games (even if it's on other consoles), then I'm fine.

I do believe that, at some point, nobody will be making proprietary consoles. However, I think that's still a few years down the road.

@Bankai You need to understand that it is the speed runners who decide with their wallet. And as I highly doubt any of the games that guy made sold more than the crappiest Mario game — if such game actually exists --, I do believe we have a point.

He spent his life making games NOT on Nintendo. We spent our lives BUYING Nintendo games. Now tell me: who of millions of customers versus one developer has the most impact, and ultimately the most credibility? I'll help you on this one: the ones who buy the games, some of who have been doing so BEFORE Epic was even cool.

@DePapier What I'm talking about is being connected to the internet via a cellular data connection. I think an Animal Crossing game could benefit from that. Having an internet connection 24/7, wherever you are (mostly). They could do interesting things with that.

@DePapier

That has nothing to do with Bankai's point.

Please re-read his post(s).

@DePapier Vote with your wallet.... to do what, exactly? Boycott a guy who isn't actually making games right now? That's going to keep him awake at night, I'm sure.

And no. The consumers are the sheep that buy the shiny stuff that companies like Nintendo condition them to have an emotional reaction to. Being a consumer doesn't make you an expert in the business of making games.

Building a hundred-million dollar development studio, on the other hand, does. It's not luck that gets you to that point. It's having a deep insight into the industry and consumer behaviour.

@Crunc Well, hopefully that time will come. But I think we will both agree that you can't have that kind of experience on a smartphone.

It's the guy whose game engine killed most of the creativity in gaming.

Secondly, two main reasons that Nintendo will not go the way of Sega.
One Sega lost a lot of money over the course of years.
Two Sega pretty much let anyone with a creative side walk out of the company. So instead of Shenmue 3 or an Alex Kidd remake you end up with a half butt Aliens game.

I love how some question every Nintendo's decisions, a company that have been around for a long time now therefore having more than enough experience in this industry than anyone.

Every Console released by Nintendo is shortly followed by "this will be their last. Its been this way since the Gamecube.
However, I really don't see it happening, and usually its the fanboys or people with strong connections to other platforms that raise this issue after each Nintendo Console release.

It's worth remembering, Nintendo was the only Console Manufacturer to finish the recent few financial years in Profit.
I would suggest with the constant losses Sony have been having on Ps3, and the Vita and as a company on the whole they are, although extremely unlikly ( i.e its not going to happen), are at a bigger risk of having to drop out of the Console Manufacturing business.

And what if Wii & WiiU are part if a long term plan, producing cheaper, lower spec systems (thus lower investment risks) to test how the public and developers react to new control ideas before releasing a powerfull console that incorperates all the positives of the Wii/WiiU control methods, while also taking ideas from what works well from Microsofts & Sony's online infrastructures, with the added bonus of Nintendo's ethos when it comes to games and gameplay.

Ps4/nextbox will not be replaced for 7/8 years more than likely, whos to say we wont see a new Nintendo console in 4/5 years time that incorperates all the above but a hell of a lot more powerfull than the ps4/nextbox.

Time will tell of course, its pure speculation with maybe a bit of wishfull thinking but its just as viable as the notion as Nintendo going Games only.

@Wildfire "I love how some question every Nintendo's decisions, a company that have been around for a long time now therefore having more than enough experience in this industry than anyone."

It's strictly out of arrogance. That, and many young companies still feel the need to establish their identity by attacking the alpha of the pack.

@ecco6t9 lol owch, low blow. That whole mess with Aliens wasn't Sega's fault, for the most part. The horribleness of Aliens had nothing to do with Sega's "creativity" factor (or lack thereof). After all, they didn't make the game. It's almost entirely on Gearbox.

@Bankai I think you don't understand the part "game" of "video game" as your following statement reveals:
"The consumers are the sheep that buy the shiny stuff that companies like Nintendo condition you to have an emotional reaction to."
I don't know about you, but that emotional reaction is game design. It is what make people like Mario and Zelda. And were you to start reading Hyrule Historia you would have at least started to understand what make Nintendo characters so much more charismatic than their wanna-be-human counterparts.

I DO NOT say vote with your wallet here. I just said that our wallets have led Nintendo to where they are, one of the richest companies in gaming. And that it is our wallets that ultimately define the state of this industry.

Finally, you're hundred million dollar studio has NOWHERE the experience of a more than hundred year old company that has been in the business of games for more than 30 years, which is why it is safe to argue that those that are supporting this company... are in the right.

Anything can happen. And would it really be a bad thing?

@Zellybeanie But if the alpha is never challenged, it will grow weak.

@Bankai And I'd like to know how Nintendo condition "sheep" with such bad advertising, seriously. I think we know who the real sheep are.

@Zellybeanie Epic's been around since 1991 and has some of the most valuable franchises in the industry, as well as an engine that just about every large developer uses in some form.

It's hardly a start up, and really doesn't need to establish an identity.

I got an Xbox for Kinect.Now I've sold my Kinect and just use my 360 as my DVD player.

@Drobotic

You should write a book.

@DePapier Go an learn the difference between marketing and advertising, and do a spot of research on the side regarding the psychological theories behind both, and come back to me.

Here's some light reading for you: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Marketing+theory

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Marketing+Psychology&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AMarketing+Psychology

Then you'll be ready to understand my comment.

This is not news. I understand your guys' need to cover whatever the people or companies in the industry say, but I don't really get why everyone thinks Nintendo can't hold up their weight in hardware.
I think PS4 has a 100% more chance of walking out than Nintendo does.
That 8GB of RAM is going to run all the online features on that console, but never have more than 2GB be used for games.

@SCAR392 Well. You think wrong.

@Bankai
Why would you link someone to amazon to buy a book about marketing? A $50 one at that. That is the most spam related post I've ever seen.

@SCAR392 Um. If you're going to try and talk about marketing theory, as Piper dude decided to do, it would help to understand the marketing theory first.

@Bankai So that's how it is... I'm trying to help your here, Bankai. I'm trying to prevent you from looking dumb like all those haters once the Wii U sells, just like they look now that the Wii is the best-selling console of this generation. No amount of "insider knowledge" will help you to understand that apparently. But guess what, it won't stop Nintendo to make money.

You will be ready to understand my statements once that time will come. Hopefully it will not be too soon.

Before I make any predictions about the future of Nintendo, I want them to release titles that use the Wii U to its full potential. Nintendo could surprise the whole industry again, like they did with the Wii.

I liked Cliff better when he made maps for Unreal Tournament. He had some sweet maps in Unreal & UT99.

@bankai I fully agree as per his stature in the biz Cliff's comments alone should be under the news heading and not mixed in down here with ours.

@Bankai "Piper dude" goes by the name of DePapier, as I would appreciate that you'd respect that. I have my marketing book right here already. I think it is safe for all to assume that no matter your experience we are all speculating. That being said, history proves that those that have be optimistic about Nintendo so far have ALWAYS been right.

@DePapier

You're not God. You have no idea or proof, of what will happen to the industry next week, let alone three years from now.

And a little heads up, you're the one that looks silly here.

@GiftedGimp hmm... Didn't Sony said that the PS3 would last like ten years...? I wonder what happen with that

@SkywardLink98 They already see Nintendo as weak. This is why they're giving it the side-eye. Except they don't want to challenge it, they simply want to kill it and gorge themselves on its entrails.

Nomnomnom...

@Bankai 1991 compared to 1978 is young. I wasn't even born until '79. More people recognize Mario (or even Pikachu, who's much younger than Mr. Mustache) than anything Epic's done.

@DePapier Do you know how I know that you don't have a marketing book handy? Because when I mentioned marketing you immediately thought "T.V advertising."

TV advertising is literally the tip of the iceberg. The tip that modern marketers care least about, to boot.

@DePapier: Yeah but nothing can last forever. The Nintendo optimists may have been right so far, but like @Chrono_Cross said, nobody can predict the future even if it's had the same results historically.

@Darel: Who says they're just going to immediately stop supporting it when the PS4 comes out?

@Darel Sony's prediction is only off by a year, so it's not like it makes a huge difference.

@Chrono_Cross Well I'm definitely not God, and no one here, in this industry, or in the entire world is. But as a Nintendo fan I want to make sure that at least on this website, a fellow fan can stay optimistic without having to believe another one's disheartening speculation for the sake of "experience."

the day nintendo no longer exist is the day I stop playing games.

And I mean that, I don't wanna just play a load of boring fps games or gta clones.

and some guy made a comment saying that if nintendo dies, the games industry dies, and he is bang on the mark.

everybody acts like it's only nintendo consoles that these so called "hardcore" games don't sell on, there are a ton of good games that sell in very poor numbers on the ps3/360. binary domain, singularity, bayonetta, vanquish, lollipop chainsaw, homefront, all sold in underwhelming numbers.

but you slap cod or gta on the box and watch it fly off the shelves.

because the industry will end catering to dumb chavs that wanna pick up a cheap second hand xbox from cex, and live out their asbo dreams.

and for the record it was copied games that killed the dreamcast, not poor sales, but were not allowed to say that.

@Zellybeanie I don't think you quite understand what a "young company" means. It's not a comparison. It's a literal time and scale frame. Once a company has been around for 20 years and is worth a couple of hundred million, it's not a young company.

If we were to use comparisons, then Nintendo's existed as a media entertainment company for a shorter time than Disney. So clearly Nintendo's a young upstart and should learn its place.

@Darel
To be fair to Sony, they will probably support ps3 for the next few years much like they did the Ps2 after Ps3 launch, and as they are doing the Psp since the Vita's Launch.

Arguably in the case of ps3, and Vita you could say that it was lack of sales and profits that forced them to still support the older systems.

I mean, for real, if even on a Nintendo website we have to feel insecure in defending our optimistic opinion because so many of these big guys spell doom, why bother nurturing this? We might as well just keep it to Miiverse.

@DePapier Stay optimistic all you like. Just don't pretend that you know more about the games industry than Cliff Bleszinski.

I get tired of the incredibly rude and insulting comments that Nintendo fans hurl at every single company or individual that so much as utters a single word that they don't like.

No. Cliff Bleszinski is not an idiot. Yes, his insights into the games industry are legitimate and should be taken seriously. Same goes for Nolan Bushnell, Michael Pachter and the guys at EA and Ubisoft.

The only time that you get to be a game developer/ publisher/ analyst and not have your intelligence insulted on this website is if you're praising the ground Iwata walks on. And that is wrong.

This guy doesn't make hardware, so his opinions on hardware are based on what? He might know how to use the hardware, but he doesn't make it.

@SCAR392: He's still a big figure industry though, so he knows a heck of a lot more than any of us do (unless there's anyone here who works in the gaming industry as well).

@Bankai
So you want us to be sheep and just agree with everything these experts say? And who here thinks they know more about the game industry than any of the developers? The only person I can think of is you.

@Bankai "The only time that you get to be a game developer/ publisher/ analyst and not have your intelligence insulted on this website is if you're praising the ground Iwata walks on. And that is wrong."
Well, on a Nintendo fan site it is to be expected, and to be considered "right." I appreciate you defending these people, and I understand you being tired of it all: so am I. But at the end of the day, it is all SPECULATION. And it is up to us to keep our heads up when facing it all and to hold firrm to our belief, if we intend on appreciating our Nintendo games.
There is nothing wrong with your views. It is just that please don't make speculation appear as facts when they will never be. Some people on this website want to play in happiness, and that is all.

@SCAR392 He knows and understands licensing models from EPIC's experience with the Unreal Engine.

Licensing to third parties is main reason for building hardware.

@Bankai You're taking it a wee bit too literally. I'm simply pointing out the fact that Nintendo has much deeper roots when it comes to the gaming industry. And those roots are much more solid than people like good ol' CliffyB would have you believe.

He isn't an idiot, but he's always come off as arrogant.

I got sick of Gears of War years ago. This guy is basically still riding the Gears wave. I wouldn't doubt this guy relaxes on the beach all day, and hasn't even touched Unreal Engine in years.

Chrono_Cross wrote: Though, this will only happen if Nintendo doesn't catch on to the basics of the mass market. Which wouldn't surprise me.
That is in line with what iwata has said, only instead of basics of the mass market he uses "find and present the spirit of those times" Essentially we have to hope that N sees the trends soon enough to make its hardware profitable. So far the Wii U alone doesn't do that but hopefully it's software in tandem with the console will bring it to that desired level.

Nah.

@Bankai I really hate Patcher. Most of his predictions are wrong, so for the most part I pay him little to no attention, but his prediction about the Wii U has upheld itself so far. People don't want to hear doom and gloom for their favorite things.

@DePapier I'm not making it out to be fact. It's not fact. As I said in my first comment it's an expert opinion.

But it's an expert opinion. The vast majority of reader comments are merely opinion, and typically backed by absolutely nothing. My point is that perhaps people who don't work in the games industry should have a touch more respect for expert opinions, because whether you like it or not, they know more about this stuff than you.

@Bankai: Nintendo exists as an entertainment company longer than Disney. Just so you know. I don't want to get into a argument or something. Don't talk back to me.

And this Cliff dude should make a good Xbox game or something. His glitchfest Gears of Wars didn't really come close to Nintendo's standards.

@ NintendoLife: Let Nintendo developers talk. Even the UnEpic developers are infinitely more interesting than the personal fantasy of some frustrated Xbox-coder.

He doesn't seem too arrogant in his comment regarding Nintendo. Also if you read the article on the site NLife got the story from, he doesn't have anything positive to say about Sony or Microsoft either regarding the future.

"I think Sony and Microsoft are about to come to major blows."

@Andrewroxsox: I never cared much for Patcher either.

I see the video game industry crashing as a whole far more likely than Nintendo dropping out of the console market.

@Bankai, et. al — when we ask for opinions at the end of an article, you'll note we don't qualify that statement with 'from qualified industry professionals only'. Please stop harassing our users, focus on the articles at hand and not your fellow commenters.

@bankai Damo said after his article: Leave a comment to share your own opinion on this matter. Bankai said: the vast majority of comments here are merely opinion.

What's the problem?

Edit: TBD beat me to it, lol

@theblackdragon OMG Nintendo Life, thank you, my voice has been heard. I can finally sleep in peace.

@Bankai

ooooooh, whoopi do, he made the gears of war games. y'know the strage thing is, my cousin and one of my best mates are 360 fanboys, and the two of em don't even like GOW. In fact I don't know anyone that likes gears of war.

I myself don't mind em, but I don't think their anything that special it's just a 3rd person shooter, nothing more, nothing less.

this dude has had his flash in the pan with gears and he thinks that he is some kind of development guru ? But at the same time I respect his views because of his contributions to the industy.

but his word is far from gospel.

@theblackdragon you are EpIc!!! You truly do ooze awesomesauce. (Insert virtual high five)

As much as I love Nintendo, I can definitely see them halting console production. Who knows, then the Nintendo might might actually buy Nintendo games and appreciate them a lot more. If not for them then maybe for their kids. Lets face it, when it comes to consoles, Nintendo is in last place. Of course, I hope it never comes to this. I want Nintendo to succeed in console gaming but I just see them making mistake after mistake. But then again, Nintendo will never leave handheld gaming because they've got that under lock and key;)

*Nintendo haters might actually

so that means no Pokemon.... if they become third-party T^T WHHYYYY!!

I admire Cliffy B. I really do.

But I really, really don't see him being right about predicting the future. The game industry has fought and is still fighting through a long and hard battle, and unfortunately I don't see an end to it any time soon. Nintendo wants to keep innovating in order to set the bar for the industry, so be it. Cliff's words aren't even strong enough to stop them.

Hmmm? Another virtualy nameless developer saying Nintendo is doomed?

If I say Nintendo is doomed, Will their be an article for me?

@Pogocoop hahaha

... Who the hell is this guy? I never heard of him.

Same as it ever was....

When Mario kart 8 and new 3d Mario come out for wii u it will sell like hot cakes just look at the 3ds after super mario 3d land and mk7,if mk8 and new 3d Mario come out just In time for the holidays then the wii u will thrive (I bet if there is not one fps at ps4 launch then stupid 13 year olds will be like OMFG THERE IS LIKE NO GOOD GAMES THE PS4 IS HELLA WHACK)

I certainly hope not, and I can't see it happening either. If anything, Nintendo would end up dropping home consoles and focusing on just the portable market, especially with the way technology's going. I mean, the next portable from Nintendo could have graphics at the PS3 level or better. Maybe it would even be able to play on the TV, like Sony's portables. Add some accessories, and you have a home console and a portable all in one. That said, I personally want Nintendo to continue making both home and portable consoles, each offering unique experiences.

It's also worth noting that chances are good the other companies won't keep making consoles. I wouldn't be surprised if the PS4 and 720 turn out to be the last home consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft especially is well-positioned to integrate their console with PC's. Of course, I also expect this upcoming gen to be a pretty long one.

I'd say that Sony or Microsoft would leave the hardware business before Nintendo does. That's not an insult to either of them. I just believe that Nintendo is the slowest of the three to implement change, so I can't seem them being proactive in becoming exclusively a software producer.

Eventually we'll have an open platform console and all 3 companies will be in the same boat, producing software and no hardware.

Is SEGA still even making games?

Someone should change this article's title to "Cleff Bleszinski Sees a Future Where Nintendo Is Out Of The Hardware Business, Nintendolife Users Reply With 'In Your Dreams, You Jerk' And Note How He's An Ex-Something Himself".

Seriously though, such "predictions" are nothing but the hideous offspring of ignorance and envy. Simple as that.

Leave the Third-Party-For-Other-Consoles version of Nintendo where it belongs - in the Bizarro Universe.

I think this could be said for all three major console manufacturers, however I don't think Nintendo would let it happen so easily. The one thing Nintendo does good is make their hardware distinct with unique controllers and interfaces. If anything, Sony and Microsoft would go first.

If it does happen, I think that one single, open platform would be beneficial to game developers and publishers in not having to port their game across several different platforms. It would also be nice for gamers not to be left out if they don't own all the currently available platforms.

All three systems are going to have disappointing sales compared to previous generations. It's just Nintendo is out the gate first so they get the doom and gloom talk to themselves.

Nintendo is fine, they now have an even more dominant hold on the handheld market - mobile be damned. They are going to be fine, and Wii U is a great piece of hardware. once the games are out, no one will remember the slow start.

Cliff, you silly boy.

I'll keep it simple - piss off cliff.

I dont want Nintendo to stop making consoles, but I do want the SNES era Nintendo back though.......badly!!

Oh this again?

@XCWarrior In a previous NL article we read "In fact, the 3DS was so successful that even if you added up all the other consoles sold during that week, the 3DS would beat the total figure more than 2.5 times over." And industry analysts placed the 3DS behind the Vita at one point.

Although this was just one week in Japan it does beg us to recall the success after the fan favorites hit Walmart. I want to think this will be the case with the Wii U as its hardware is so far my favorite from N in the last decade.

We haven't forgotten the slow start of the 3DS but it doesn't sting as it eventually prooved it's existence. Its nice to come to website where the community makes noise in favor of Wii U even if analysts say early on its not on the money cuz I love my Wii U!

This guy looks like some punk who thinks he knows it all. Does he not know that at this time of year, sales tend to go down because of taxes in the US? Does he not know that Nintendo's systems are usually cheaper price-wise when it comes to the market? Does he not know that Sony is suffering more with their Vita?

We get it, buddy. You're an anti-Nintendo person. Doesn't mean you have to go all psychic on us and come out with ludicrous statements.

Not in our lifetime... Nintendo has been through a lot in the past 120 years, they make the best games and if you want to play them you will be buying Nintendo hardware, now and always, that's right, get over it already.

@MeowGravy - Me too! Nintendo should jump in and make or license some new NES/SNES hardware, everyone else seems ro be doing it!

...Cliff who? o_0

Wasn't this the same guy that said he loves Nintendo and he played their games so much as a kid?

^The same guy who's apparently been trying to make a new Jazz Jackrabbit game for years now.

Nintendo isn't going anywhere. They survived the Gamecube, they're smart enough to survive anything.

It's funny, anyone outside of Japan could view this I suppose. But in Japan Nintendo is king and the other two systems take a back seat. Why?? Because in Japan they don't "get" first person shooters and that is what Xbox and Playstation arre both heavy with. Many in Japan think FPS games are pointless and dumb.

The second reason Nintendo will stay in business is because since the Wii Nintendo has been focused on being everyone's "secondary' system and it's worked. While nearly one in the states had either an Xbox or a Playstation almost every household that had one of those two systems also had a Wii and/or a DS.

People who think Nintendo is going away tend to be North Americans who only look at what's directly in front of them and not what's going on at the sidelines. In my opinion I think we'll see Sony drop out of the game long before we see Nintendo leave. Why do I think this?? Because right now Xbox is the system choice of most "elite" gamers. Also Sony has a nasty habbit of charging step prices for their systems and expecting gamers to buy them. All this makes Playstation the pickle in the middle of systems which is not a good spot to be in.

Mobile games are not taking the spotlight from handhelds. Casuals flock to them because they are on a device they already own and use, but TRUE gamers will always stick with their handhelds, no matter the manufacturer.

As an average Joe, I can see where Mr. Bleszinski's coming from for the following reasons:

• Nintendo pretty much missed their March sales goal (3.06 million units sold so far according to Nintendo IR site), which may make investors nervous (a.k.a. it can be a bad thing) and discourage 3rd parties to support the platform
• Nintendo's hardware is limited compared to the other game platforms available, making the console seem less attractive to consumers
• Nintendo might've made a mistake of making the Wii U too similar to the Wii, confusing customers who may mistake it for a Wii (meaning loss of potential sales)

While I have to admit that the company may have to go through some drastic changes (like leaving the console business and become a game-making company that develops for existing platforms), Nintendo always seemed to get themselves out of the deep red. So it's kinda silly for me to firmly believe that Nintendo will drop out of the console business soon.

EDIT: Let me be clear that I'm not saying that the company will go through such changes. It's just imperative to be aware that in this state of industry, it's definitely possible for the company to do it.

I see a future where Cliff Bleszinski is out of the videogames business...

I can see a future where people stop losing their poop every time NL posts one of these stories.
.........
.........
.........
Not really.

The way this guy is pictured just screams "I'm gonna say this then sit back while I watch all the peops eat the troll bait"

@the_fox Yes, other's and our own reactions to these news bites are wildly predictable, wether we rant or rant on the ranters. It gets old but it don't die. Kinda like one of those mortal brains integrated with future machine tech plots,lol

Sorry but this guy is an idiot. While it was cool back in the day to actually get a disc, box, manuals and so forth on computers. I highly doubt Nintendo fans would be very happy without their hardware, cases, manuals, disc, ect. There are too many people who collect these things.

LOL it's always the same.
"Nintendoomed! Nintendo deserves to go out of business!"

Even the comments devolve into the same old arguments with Bankai and the rest of the haters and the people who want Nintendo to fail on one side and the 'uneducated' on the the other. What a load of crap.

I agree with the fact that at some point in the future Nintendo will be out of the home console market, but NEVER out of the portable market. Nobody could ever beat them since the beginning with the original Game Boy.

Doomed! It's over! It's funny how one little toy company can piss so many people off, lol! Remember when PC gaming was doomed because of next-gen consoles? Now it's doing better than it ever has! And Nintendo was going to go out of business because of Gamecube? This bull is annoying. It's doomed because, Xbox!

Nintendo is doomed because the always-factual Bankai said so!

I disagree with Cliff Bleszinski simply on the basis that he doesn't work at Nintendo, therefore cannot say or know what they will choose to do.

Guess Cliff Bleszinski didn't hear the news when Nintendo said they could make more hardware on top of what they already have released: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/02/nintendo_hints_at_an_additional_platform_in_the_future

Uhg.......another waste of time with all these Nostradamus predictions. Why does Nintendo Life post this dribble ?

Is Sony stock junk ? Yes it is.
Microsoft has three franchises that actually sale.
So why is Nintendo always the one who is doomed ?

Who cares what this pinhead thinks!

@Lopezdm In other words, there is no "educated" source for your guess. Thought so.

@Lopezdm
Nintendo has a pretty big fanbase, so I don't think they're going anywhere.Nintendo's not gonna be like Sega and get 'kicked out', trust me.
I wouldn't comment on other peoples' replies if I were you, especially when when you weren't included in the argument, and it's negative which is contributing nothing.
People thinking Nintendo is gonna fail, needs to read the book Bankai told DePapier to read, but not because it's actually going to teach you anything about the market.
Nintendo knows what's best for the industry not pushing all those extra features, and calling it necessary. What do you want from Wii U so badly? Nintendo's going to have a better crossplay and tons of software PS4 won't have, plus other things Sony won't be able to copy eventually.

@Garo That's exactly how I've always felt. We're always told it's all about the games, the console is just the device that delivers them to us. Honestly, I'd love to just buy one console and not miss out on anything instead of having 3 of them under my TV every generation. I don't actually see why it matters to anyone what machine they're using as long as they get to play Nintendo games.

All I gota say is I want some of what Cliff Bleszinski is on, because he is tripping his bawls off. This whole thing made me laugh.

Fun fact Cliff's name first became known when he was 13 his score in SMB appeared in Nintendo Power's first issue on a list of high scores.

Wow. Serious fan rage here

I can appreciate the point this guy is making. It has happened in the industry before and no doubt it will happen again. The economy is tightening up and luxuries are the first thing to go (read games in there people).

And as someone else rightly pointed out Microsoft and Sony have other income streams other than games and hardware that they can use to prop up their systems should they come close to failing.

At the end of the day though, a pessimistic news story is more marketable than a positive one and a 24 hour news cycle asks for immediate results. I think it is way to early to call the success of the WiiU and the impact this will have on Nintendo.

Doesn't sound like he's hating on Nintendo, just saying that Nintendo just developing software may be a possibility that N would have to think about in the future.

A lot of defensive, unwarranted hate for one guy IMO.

@Zellybeanie I want to game with u

It's not going to happen. It's always been like this. Some games are exclusive to one platform. If you have a console and the game you want is on another console, well buy the other console with the game you want or simply just miss out.

If there was only one console, there would be no competition, no innovation, prices would rise on hardware and games and the whole industry would go stagnant and die.

Another point is that these doom and gloom stories come from third party publishers that devs that thrive off multi platform releases. They have to go multi platform to cover the high costs of development on a high end console. Nintendo don't. Their games can sell way more on one "under powered" console than a AAA game selling on the 360 and PS3. Mario Kart, a huge franchise of Nintendo sold over 20 million copies on the Wii. With the exception of CoD, most big third party games that sold on the HD twins were lucky to sell 10 million copies. By staying a generation behind in the graphics war, Nintendo has hugely softened development costs to themselves, and yeah sure it alienates devs who want to work on the latest graphics and can mean less games overall on a Nintendo console, but that only leaves even more room for Nintendos own titles to shine even brighter and sell more.

Nintendo aren't going software only any time soon. Cheaper hardware and development costs will lead to higher profit margins, their franchises are timeless with that great friendly Disney/Pixar family vibe. If a child's first console be it a handheld or home console isn't a Nintendo console, then I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

But back on topic, these people who comment that Nintendo would be better off going software only, they only speak from their experience of not making as much money by having their high end games exclusive to one console. Also, if Nintendo were to go software only, it would only increase the user base of the remaining consoles, and in return they would be more likely to sell more software. So I don't take their words to heart. They are just words. With no meaning behind them as they have a totally different philosophy than Nintendo do, with a hint of an ulterior motive of greediness to sell more of their own games.

Let the other console sites and blogs rave on about the demise of Nintendo that never comes. It's what they are going to so any way seeing as it is so fashionable these days. Good old tall poppy syndrome. There is no reason for us Nintendo fans to start turning against one another over these types of comments from game creators who have no intention of releasing anything on a Nintendo console.

When Iwata or Reggie start making comments like this, then maybe that's news worth covering Nintendolife.

Well this guy just doesn't know the industry. 'Nuff said.

No I love nintendos hardware especially there handhelds! The wii u is awesome and the 3ds rocks I love nintendo =L I'm not a fanboy... =)

Ok... So who gets to be Peach again?

So are we gonna call and bash every single soul who says Nintendo is doing bad just for huge comment hordes huh

@Crunc Mario Galaxy isn't just another mario game to be touched up with bigger graphics and broader online components. Super Mario Galaxy was inspired by and built around the unique features of the Wii, nuff said. That's what we love about nintendo as much as the games and that is what you guys don't get about us fans.

It could happen to every console manufacturer pretty easily. Things change quite a bit in tech. I just hope Nintendo doesn't go the way of SEGA which is a mediocre publisher at best now.

Nintendo has portable going for it though. It understands that market and could sneak its way into non-gaming segments of that market, even with hardware.

Personally, I hope we get Nintendo consoles for decades to come.

I don't worry much about Nintendo as their survival instincts will ensure they do what needs to be done to thrive. Ninty, unlike Sony, really has to keep its finger on the pulse of the public, and will do what needs to be done to ensure that it is a player in the coming years.

Guy Who Develops Games Exclusively For Microsoft Consoles In Slightly Negative Remark About Nintendo Shocker!

Is anybody really surprised by this?

@Lopezdm
20 years is a very long time. I guess I was trying to say is that Nintendo has been in the business alot longer than Cliffy and alot of the other naysayers. Nintendo is still going strong while a bunch of the other companies keep dissapearing so they must be doing something right.

And I like and respect Cliffys opinion. He's just saying whats on his mind when asked the question, so in return we as Nintendo fans should also have a chance to voice our opinions. Even though some people on here feel like we are not worthy enough.

@ Peacock:

Of course as Nintendo fans we're mad if someone makes this kind of criticism. I said "this kind" because it's not constructive, well-worded criticism. Just plain ignorant criticism. Sure, Nintendo isn't perfect, but they're the ones that introduced actual gaming consoles in the first place, as in, successful ones - successful enough to save the gaming medium after the gaming crash of 1983.

People said the Wii would have bombed as well, and look what happened. A rocky start for a console just isn't enough for people to be able to do such "predictions", even less so with the same supposedly happening to its makers.

_{Please direct your comments at our article and not at your fellow users; your point stood just fine without the snide remarks — TBD}

@AlexSora89 Mr. Bleszinski is relying on the context to draw his opinion, with that opinion being that he wouldn't be too surprised if the company left the console business. That DOESN'T equate to the guy placing a bet that it will happen. Nintendo can save themselves, but with the console going through some tough times, it's possible for the company to take desperate measures after the Wii U.

In all honesty though, if multiple experts and industry veterans like Michael Patcher, Mr. Bleszinski, and some other people are not too optimistic about Nintendo's future, then the company taking desperate measures shouldn't be completely dismissed. They're not guaranteeing that the company will change, but they won't deny the possibility.

@Peach64 I guess the question there is...'How well would that even work out, with all of them working together?' and a little 'Why does it necessarily have to be Nintendo who drops out then?'. I'm not bashing on the other consoles here but why can't it ever be the other way around?

If anything, I'd rather that we have all the 'gimmicks' of Nintendo's consoles so we at least have a fresh experience each time rather than the same ol' controls, etc. for the rest of time(although the PS4's controller looks to be shaking things up finally, even if a little, and we don't know yet what MS has up its sleeve). I think we all know the 'games are the only important thing' line is mostly spoken by those people through tinted glasses.

Back to the first point, as much as I'd like one platform that gets all the goods too, I really doubt that it'd be the cue beginning lines of the Sesame Street theme song that everyone would hope it to be.

Wow another Epic or in this case ex-Epic employee irrationally trolling Nintendo yet again for the umpteenth time?! I'm shocked, SHOCKED! I tell you. They have no love for the company, don't like the hardware, don't like their practices and refuse like spoiled children to act their age and keep quiet when it's easy to say incredibly fiery and stupid crap sure to infuriate Nintendo fanboys and get a humorous response giving the attention they need. Don't feed the troll.

This is BS, this article proves it. Microsoft and Sony are closer to going third party than Nintendo.

@FuriousFrancis
Thank you sir, I was just browsing the net to find a similar article explaining Nintendo's financial health, if only to dispel the very, VERY stupid comments believing Nintendo is just as worse off as Sega was during the Dreamcast, but you beat me to it.
Nintendo software only? NEVER!
Nintendo games on other consoles? People that want that are no TRUE Nintendo fans and do NOT and WILL not understand why it wouldn't be the same. (let alone why Nintendo would NEVER allow it)

Besides all that Cliff Bleszinski is a respected member of the game developers community and his opinion certainly has validity in quite a few instances, maybe just not in this one...

And as already stated by @triforcepower73 and @Spark_Of_Spirit Cliff is a real Nintendo fan (he loves Zelda to death) AND he gave us the wonderful PC platformer Jazz Jackrabbit. If he can pull that into the 21st century and put it on Wii U, I'll bloody well buy it...

I don't even get why a console dropping out of the hardware making business would ever come up as a possibility. That train of thought alone is probably what I question the most. When you start saying Nintendo's gonna drop out of hardware, we could really say that about any of the consoles. You could say Xbox 1080 is gonna come out later than PS4, when it's too late. Same argument.

Maybe Nintendo will become software only some day, but that will be a VERY long time from now do to unforeseen consequences. Sony and MS could drop out too, and Sony is in REAL danger this gen. To say the Big N will drop anytime soon is silly.

If what this guy says is true, then I see Apple acquiring Nintendo.

This is what happens when Nintendo doesn't roll with the times and keep rehashing old ips. This is just harsh reality.

@SCAR392

Ya, why would anyone ever think its possible for a company to stop making hardware!?

Ignoring Sega, Neo Geo, TG-16, Atari, etc...., Scar is absolutely right!

@FuriousFrancis: Wow, I retract my previous statement... Very informative article indeed. Nintendo is not in fact a "Sega". I suggest EVERYBODY else who visits this page should check out FuriousFrancis's link. It totally opened my eyes...

@FuriousFrancis: I agree with you 100% about Microsoft. I refuse to buy anything Xbox. Did you know at launch they knowing sent out faulty Xbox 360's to consumers? I believe 67% of their stock had RROD right out of the box. Could you imagine giving a new system to your child for Christmas only to see the look of disappointment on his/her face as they power up their new system for the first time only to see those 3 red flashing lights? Then you find out later that the company who made the system knew about it all along? For that reason alone I hate Microsoft and Bill Gates. I also hate them for charging you to play online, when Sony and Nintendo offer that for free. I hope Microsoft is the next company to lose the console wars. They are a horrible and greedy company.

Maybe Nintendo keeps making their own devices, but they could ditch retail! Just look how they are pushing downloading recently! On the Wii u almost nothing happens retail-wise! Recent 3DS devices came with pre-installed games instead of boxed ones! And then Nintendo is working on a "third" device, wich could be a phone!

In other words: Nintendo realizes download games are extremely profitable for them, and they are drifting more and more away from retail! I think it's terrible!

@Tasuki It might upset the fanboys, but these articles, not saying this one particularly, are mostly factual. Nintendo has fallen way behind with hardware, which is all the five year olds playing CoD care about. They're games are great, but the PS4 and Durango will be way more powerful than the Wii U, making it so that developers won't be able to make the same game for all three consoles like they can now.

@KnightRider666 Like when my Wii U Game Pad stopped working after a week?

@WHMIII: Seriously? Has this become a common issue among everybody, or were you just unlucky? Did you get the white or black system? I haven't picked up a Wii U yet.

@WHMIII
WAY more powerful?
Nah, you're actually quite wrong, but I can't blame you because it looks bad at first glance.
I'm an IT tech head with about roughly 12 years of experience selling hard- & software and advising people and companies on what to buy for what purpose.
In a 1 on 1 comparison, the PS4 is about 3 to 4 times more powerful than a Wii U, hardware wise (CPU, Gfx card, memory).
However, the difference will ONLY be in the details because ALL consoles (even Microsoft's new one, and who knows what they will come up with, although I can almost guarantee that even if it is going to be more powerful than the PS4, it won't be a lot more) will render games in native 1080p/60fps eventually, when developers will fully get to grips with the new hardware.
There can of course be visual differences in 1080p such as lighting, tesselation, framerate, anti aliasing and so on, but like I said: that's only details to 'pretty up' a game, but will definitely NOT make for a huge visual difference in multi-platform games, so the Wii U will be able to hold it's own quite nicely against the other two next gen consoles. Other differences in power between the consoles will take care of things like even more stable framerates, bigger levels, less loading times, better AI and smoother animations (once again: the magic word is DETAILS) but as long as they do not display their graphics in Ultra HD/4K resolutions, the games will look VERY similar on all three platforms, and especially when you're playing, you will not notice some lack in detail or minor glitches, assuming developers know what they're doing and will make full use of the Wii U's GPGPU instead of making shoddy CPU based ports such as the first batch of ports that are out now and that are getting such bad press. (aka Batman)
And remember that on top of that ALL new engines are scalable, which will go a LONG way into being able to optimize them for whichever platform they are going to be on, and that includes smart phones and tablets.
Finally, as I have been saying on many sites and in many conversations that I've had with like minds, the economy is still bad and game studios are dying left and right so they will continue to play it safe for the next few years, or even longer if things don't improve along the way. The hardware in all three consoles allows for much easier transfer of PC textures and coding, so it will be very easy to make multi-plats in comparison with the current gen.
As you might be able to understand that will see to it that developers will start making more 'single take' editions of games that only need minor tweaking to put them on either of the three new HD consoles and in return all gamers will be happy to be able to play the game on their favorite platform and game studios will earn more money while taking less risks, so it's a win-win situation.

This IS what is going to happen, and you can already see it with Ubisoft bringing Watch_Dogs and Criterion bringing the best looking version of Need for Speed Most Wanted, both games will use PC textures and will look the business.
Mind you, NOTHING and certainly no console, will beat a dedicated game PC, but game wise we will ALL be very happy campers, no matter if you will only own one console or multiple. Cheers...

Well, what can I say. I believe, like the hundreds of other people, that this is a biased opinion. It looks as if this guy doesn't even have a legitimate reason.
Nintendo has been in gaming business for a REALLY long time. The poor start of the Wii U was only so because they grinded the 3DS development to make it sell better and guess what — it worked! Now, they are actually developing as much as they can for the Wii U and as they already said, they still haven't announced a lot of titles in development.
We all know VERY clearly, that Nintendo, as it steps out of the Hardware business, will step out of their Software business too as they won't develop any games for other consoles by any chance because of how much copying and how much hateful comments were directed at Nintendo by rival developers. Now, using common sense, we can actually see that that will probably never happen as a big company like Nintendo can not simply disappear. SEGA didn't disappear, and they weren't even close to being as big as Nintendo now!
Look at Ubisoft: These people have been with Nintendo for so long and they make so much profit off the products they give to Nintendo's consoles. It's weird how other game developers can't see this, and they can't follow the example.
Also, some developers amaze me by saying that the Wii U will do poorly before hand only because all that they release onto the Wii U at the moment is already released ports or shovelware. Why would they think it would sell well? Who would think that Avengers; a port from a KINECT game would sell well? I bet Watch Dogs will be a blast, and hopefully because of exactly how good it will perform and how good it will sell, developers will come to senses and release more titles for the Wii U.
I think these types of 'developer speeches from heart' need to stop as they obviously aren't getting good feedback.
By the way, does anyone else see the ABSOLUTELY identical thing happening with the Wii U and the PS4 and the 3DS and Vita?
3DS/Wii U: Released before Sony's consoles.
Sony announces ultra-powerful Vita and PS4
Vita and PS4 come out without reasonable prices
Sony fans obtain Vita, Sony fans are disappointed.
Nintendo starts wrapping around Vita with their awesome releases for the 3DS and many then decide to buy the 3DS.
3DS also was thought to be a DS with 3D just like the Wii U was thought to be a Wii controller.
3DS = Wins
Vita = Loses
Deja Vu Anyone?

You know, if Nintendo drops out of the hardware race, they should partner up with Sony. Nintendo has the charm that makes Nintendo great, and Sony has the hardware to back it up. Couple that with Nintendo's owning the handheld market and you have a 1-2-3 punch.