Nintendo Is A Slave To Its Past Success, Says Gearbox President Randy Pitchford

Give free pineapples to all the super cute haters. There is a very good reason why this company has such a dedicated fanbase and that's because gameplay matters. Of which, Nintendo is a masterful creator.

Watch the swearing, please - Inkling

^Oops! Definitely was not paying attention to what board I was on.

Splatoon who?
Wiisports?
wiifit?
Monster Hunter?
Youkai Watch and other Level 5 best-sellers?

I think it needs to be a mixture of both. Splatoon shows that a new IP can be popular, but how popular it has been in reaching new fans is still up for debate. If you don't please your current fanbase, then you really have nothing as they are the ones who are most reliable. Nintendo's pursuit of the casual gamer with the Wii has sent a good portion of that existing fanbase away, and many have still yet to come back. And Nintendo has not done a lot to reach out to disenfranchised fans of series like Metroid or F-Zero, who would surely come back with if a solid title was offered.

Nintendo is indeed in a tough position because it needs new fans and it needs to really satisfy older ones. And it has been doing neither as of late.

Nintendo's problems are that they don't innovate anymore (even withing their established franchises) and weren't ready for the transition to HD games. I'm pretty sure they'll hit a home run with their next console but they need to stop rushing things. Therefore, they need 3rd party support or they will have to rush Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart, and Smash again.

I agree to a point, although I wouldn't class Federation Force as a new thing. Splatoon is a new thing. Federation Force is a rushed spin-off to an old thing. It would be great if they could strike a balance between new and old. I don't think a couple of new IPs each year is too much to ask.

@vonseux Monster Hunter isn't Nintendo (and is over 10 years old), Yo-Kai watch also isn't Nintendo.

All I know is he sure has an interest in Nintendo since he likes to talk about them a lot. Maybe he should shut those people up and bring one of his games over to Nintendo.

@Peach64 I know they aren't... but they sell A LOT of 3DSs.... youkai sold over 4 milions copies of a single game in japan

Yeah, because Randy Pitchford knows how to run a business properly and never make a bad game. Right?

But yeah, Nintendo is already trying to branch out and bring new IPs. Of course it doesn't help when fan response is less than promising (e.g. Codename S.T.E.A.M., Federation Force.)

@Peach64 "A couple" of new IPs each year is a lot to ask of a small gaming company with no third party support (that drives third party support away rather) but one is maybe a more reasonable request, or at least one every other year.

FE: Awakening, Splatoon, HyruleWarriors.

All this have reached new costumers by the bunch so he can't really say much.

I don't think putting new ideas in old-franchise packaging in an attempt to lure both new and veteran players will work. As a huge fan of Metroid Prime, I thought associating Federation Force with the name "Metroid Prime" was a horrible marketing strategy. They could create a new Metroid "branch" for this kind of game, without "tainting" the Prime series.

I do think Nintendo needs to heed this kind of advice and the success of games like "Splatoon" and "Code Name S.T.E.A.M." is proof of that. They need to stop living in the past and stop clinging to their old franchises. There's nothing wrong with reviving old stuff once in a while, but when you only stick to Mario, your fans start to lose interest. I loved the first-party diversity in the age of the N64 and NGC (even though those consoles were not huge commercial successes). Where's F-Zero, 1080º Snowboarding, Wave Racer, etc? Where are Retro's games? Where are the Rare-like studios that Nintendo should have created to fill in that gap?

Nintendo takes huge risks with hardware, but I wish they'd start doing the same with software.

Says the guy running the company that has over 60% of it's games titled either "Brother in Arms" or "Borderlands"....

I'm sick of the negativity and outrage.People do need to calm down.I'm quitting video game websites for a few months .I pre ordered Super Pokemon Mystery Dungeon ,and am currently deciding between Starfox Zero and Woolly World. I'm only looking at the official Nintendo website and MyNintendoNews.(Not the comment section) Things will be better in a few months.See you in late July/August!

@SFR79 Um, they innovate within their own franchises in every generation. They also ATTEMPT to innovate in the industry, but those set on Sony and Microsoft are ignoring it.

Holy... Why closing the article with Metroid Prime: Federation Force again!? Is this the NEW thing Nintendo needs? A mobile look-a-like multiplayer shooter on an handeld? This is gettin' ridicolous.
Nintendo needs a huge ActionRPG based on Zelda, a huge first person adventure game based on Metroid, an amazing racer based on F-Zero, a huge turn based RPG based on Fire Emblem to attract new gamers and to satisfy the aged ones and finally selling the Wii U.

Gearbox, the company that made its success by just copying games and releasing expansions? Oh please tell me more about branching out LOL

We need Nintendo to be Nintendo because everyone else is just trying to copy each other.

Gearbox?

I'm sorry but I can't take somebody from Gearbox seriously, a company known for screwing over fans of IPs just to fund their own little pet projects.

@NowhereMan11 we haven't seen any interesting use of the gamepad on their main franchises this generation, just fun and super quality games. Innovation takes time and without 3rd party support they have to balance things to be able to have a steady release schedule. At least they put quality above everything else.

The problem is Nintendo didnt attract new fans or excite their old ones. They have great game franchises, but are still reach ing out by just mainly making mario titles. More Starfox, Zelda, Metroid, F Zero, Pilotwings (which seems made for this console), Animal Crossing, heck even a good Mii based action game could work. Project Robot looked cool, where is that? Nintendo is innovative if they allow themselves to be.

Hand up who wishes they had Nintendo's money?

Ye...what I thought. There's no drama here.

I thought that the Wii WAS reaching new customers though...

@GrailUK Put's both hands up

Every day that passes I become more convinced that Nintendo should just abandon hardware and go full on third-party software developer.
I know it's considered blasphemy to speak of such things in a Nintendo website, but I just wish for more people to be able to experience the Nintendo magic!

I also don't find it funny when Reggie (and other Nintendo execs) straight up disregard or criticize their competition (e.g. Reggie's laughable comments on VR) and say things like "what fans want and say doesn't affect what we do". That is just messed up.

I don't consider any of the people on that panel in a position to make an informed evaluation of what Nintendo has accomplished. Its almost like they're suggestions are a guide of what NOT to do in order to be successful.

@theplotlessplot Like, Mario hasn't given me anything new in over a decade. I just want a Mario game that is visually interesting. That's why I'm so in love with Yoshi's Woolly World. It looks great. It's different. I would love to see Mario do something different, but it's always same-old-same-old.

@OneBagTravel I agree with you. Nintendo manages to make games from existing IPs and still make them look fresh, at least most of the times, and we need companies like this in the industry.
It can be really hard for Nintendo to bring out new franchises when they have a hefty catalogue of IPs under their belt. In order to get new customers, they need to up their marketing. That's why Splatoon has been able to do great, and quite frankly, it is the reason the PS4 and Xbox One are doing well.

Yup, listen to the Memebox man with his Boredermeme games.
Oh, did i forget to mention that these people are also backstabbing "things i may not mention here" ?

In all seriousness, yes, we all know that nintendo is the only major gaming company today that still makes games like they made them back then.
And guess what ? Thats not even a bad thing.

Thats why Nintendo still has known mascots. And thats a good thing too.
Its the old "actor" scheme. Mario is just a setpiece in many many different games of many different genres. And dont forget all Nintendos other well known frenchises.

The only thing that Nintendo is truely "guilty" of, is not reaching full potential with the assets at hand. Im not talking about going the Ubi route and start mass producing games, but there is so much wasted potential over the years,

Think of it, many of their titles are still considered the best of their genre; Platformers, Funracers, Action-Adventures and yet, they seem to not want to replicate that.
F-Zero is missed, it could set a new bar and tell sonys Wipeout to go F itself, Starfox was long overdue to strike that arcade itch, Metroid could have shown how a real action adventure looked like, Mario Sports games are way late, they could have profited off of online play.
A 10 people Mario Strikers ? Hell yes !

And all of that with kown IPs, known assets. Skip the concept phase, go right into planning mode. Thats almost a years worth of work skipped due to established Lore, Character design etc.
And people love it ! Thats the thing, its not like F-Zero, Metroid or STarFox are reaching saturation points anytime soon.
And yet, they simply wont go for it.

The major problem with all the "New IP" yapping is, that the old ones are so darn sought after. Just hear people moan about Metroid and F-Zero all day. They dont NEED new IPs, but they also dont do the old ones justice...

Thats like having a whole field of money trees in your backyard, but youre not interested in harvesting them...

@Mr_Action Same here! I'm in love with Woolly World and will be getting it on day one. Nintendo needs more stuff like Woolly World, Splatoon, etc. Less gimmicky hardware and more genuinely original games! I wish they focus on having a great piece of hardware in their next generation, with zero-to-no gimmicks, and just focus all their R&D on games. I hate that I have to have two consoles in order to get the best Nintendo games AND third-party games. Nintendo has the resources to make this right and I'm starting to think that it's only a question of blind company pride.

Nintendo would reach a wider audience if they had a console that could handle the "big hitters" like FIFA, COD, Ass Creed. I'm not a huge fan of these grey & brown yearly releases, however more gamers would buy the system if these were available. THEN people who usually only play COD or FIFA will maybe one day try a Zelda, Donkey Kong Country, Smash Bros etc.

I know it's been said time and time again, but the lack of power and the ability to handle big third party titles has limited Nintendo's reach. People only buy Nintendo hardware for Nintendo software.

Why do sites even post what Randy Pitchfork says. Borderlands got lucky the rest of their stuff is dire.

Aliens, Duke Nukem...All dross.

The problem with Nintendo is that people aren't willing to invest I'm pathetic tech and services to play their games.

Everyone Knows Mario but they aren't going to spend £300 to play a Mario game on a weak platform.

@SFR79
"Nintendo's problem is they don't innovate anymore"

I couldn't disagree more. This, right off the cusp of the most innovative shooter of all time- Splatoon. Even their hardware innovates. Every single generation- in fact they don't make hardware unless it innovates. And that innovation translates into the games. Look at how many games have utilized the Wiimote or 2nd screen to offer a new experience- a list to long to count.

Even within franchises, each game seems to being something new. There are a few exceptions but even NSMBU included a brand new power up (entire game is affected by those acorn suit mechanics) and a god-mode of sorts.

I think their problem is they pander to the fans too much. Too much apologizing, too much taking requests. Even though I want a new Metroid Prime and a new F Zero (because that's what I'm familiar with) chasing those old formulas will not please existing fans- they'll just find something to complaint about anyways. StarFox Zero- oh there's no online, oh the graphics aren't good enough, etc etc.

That's why I prefer Nintedo to just do what they want. They're the masterminds not me. Every game they ever made I love, I didn't know I'd love it til after I played it. And the same will hold true now. They're making new classics, but everyone's too busy complaining about them not rehashing their old favorites to notice.

I agree it's time Nintendo started marketing to the rest of the gaming populace, because the current fanbase is letting top tier games fall by the wayside.

@Einherjar They have the resources to focus on making kickass new IPs and also invest greatly on reviving old ones. It's a great thing that Nintendo makes games like they used to and that it also has mascots, and all that jazz, but when your console only sells 10 million units in almost 3 years, that means absolutely nothing. When you spend more time peddling amiibo instead of announcing new and exciting games, you know you have a problem.

@MikeW Nintendo needs to work to get third party games. They need to make the NX do what an XBox and PS4 can do and get those third party games. Otherwise, people have no need to buy Nintendo.

If they got the third party games, it then becomes "Okay, but what system has the best first party games?" Then they get to make a choice. It's not Sony or Microsoft. It's Sony or Microsoft or Nintendo. The third party games that would be on every system are now on Nintendo too. If someone can only get on system, outside of hardcore Nintendo fans, why would anyone pick Nintendo if they're not getting a huge chunk of games? It makes no sense. Give people the third party games and great first party games. Give them great apps, like a useable Netflix app. And things like HBO Go, etc. That way they get the most out of their system. Nintendo needs to treat it like a person can only have one and make Nintendo the one thst can give them everything thry want.

@JaxonH you say they innovate yet you don't mention how they do it within this generation. My comment was related to how their hardware brings innovation to their gameplay however the Gamepad hasn't provided much of it with the current Wii U lineup.

And don't say Nintendo panders to their fans. They do whatever the hell they want all the time which most of the time is good (Super Mario Maker, Bayonetta 2, etc.), but currently is mostly bad (all new games announced in the Digital Event).

Splatoon is an example of a new game that could attract new audiences. To create more such games, they need lots of new talent. Making games that nobody has thought of yet will attract people that hadn't thought of buying Nintendo games.

@CamWFC91 Most gamers started with Nintendo. So, really I don't even think it's just a "Nintendo is lame, I wouldn't even try them" but a "If the choice comes down to Mass Effect or Metroid, I have to go with Mass Effect." But if Mass Effect was on the NX, then thst choice doesn't need to be made. Then those same people get to have two franchises they like on one system. So it makes sense for them to go with the NX instead of XBox or PS4.

@theplotlessplot Not at all, as the "toys 2 life" market is literally booming right now. They couldnt have made a better decision.
How they handled it is a whole other can of worms though.

And its not all about raw manpower. They surely can put out several games every quarter year, but there is only one Sakural, only one Miyamoto, only one Aonuma.
And if you work them to death, they will lose their artistic vision faster then you can say fuzzy pickles.

Its about proper spacing between releases, tackling the right release at the right time. Just look at Animal Crossing Party. A Proper Animal Crossing could have been the literal chillout lounge for Splatoon.
People play online sessions in splatoon, meet people online and go hang out in AC and talk about the match while fishing,

The right game at the right time for the right audience, and thats Nintendos biggest problem. They seem to miss that target.

@SFR79
Well lately they have started branching out but I still see a lot of "reaction" instead of action.

They let a few opportunities pass them by with the gamepad (DKC should have had bonus barrels blast you into the gamepad for the bonus stage or something) but still a lot of games that used it and will use it. Pikmin, Mario 3D World had all kinds of neat tricks that used it, Zelda Windwaker, Wii Sports Club Golf, Splatoon, Fatal Frame, Smash with the level editor was awesome, Xenoblade, Mario Maker...

Idk, I see StarFox and that was a total reaction to fans conplaints. Same for Earthbound, and Majoras Mask, etc

After looking at Gearbox's Metacritic page, I'm not sure if he fully understands the concept of "branching out." Anyways, in my attention, they need to focus on their already-existing IPs, AND try something new, which, if you weren't paying attention, they've already been doing that with games like Splatoon or Codename STEAM (though Splatoon was definitely more successful.).

Look at Nintendo's version of the shooter: Splatoon. Then look at more commonly played shooters: CoD, Battlefield. Look at something like Zelda, then look at the Witcher. Look at I think there you have the fundamental difference between Nintendo and the mass audience. Nintendo tries to make things that are colorful, fun, and family friendly. Everyone else makes brown and grey blood-fests or experiences that are "just like driving real cars!" I can already drive a real car. It's boring.

Nintendo doesn't go to great lengths to make themselves "cool." They lost being "cool" when the Playstation claimed that mantle in the mid-90s. Everyone started appealing to the id of pervy teenage boys, and Nintendo never really went in that direction.

That's why the Rotten tomatoes comoparison is so apt. The reason blockbusters don't do well on Rotten Tomatoes is because most of them are poorly written, poorly acted, extremely safe and predictable, and choc full of crazy special effects that distract from the underlying risklessness of the film. Good films are often not "cool," and do not attract mass audiences, but in terms of pushing the medium forward, they are absolutely critical.

So in essence, what this guy says in incongruous. He wants Nintendo to take risks and appeal to the masses. Those two things are incompatible. Nintendo frequently, almost pathologically, takes risks. That is why they are not the mass appeal company. They could turn Zelda into another grim, evil sandbox. They could stop reinventing Mario. They could make the inklings into brown zombie squids and put the emphasis on blood and death. They could just make another shiny black plastic box that sports even bigger numbers than last year's box, but they basically never do that. That is their strength and their weakness.

I don't mean to come off as a butthurt fanboy. I just think this discussion of Nintendo and its problems misses the point. Basically it's a big time developer doing creative, indie-style stuff with its hardware and software. Other hardware and AAA software companies are doing the safe thing and hitting the masses with the same thing from last year, and the year before that.

@Mr_Action True, however the Nintendo brand seems to be slightly poisonous to young people. My younger brother is at school and he says he can't even admit to his friends he plays Nintendo titles because he would be on the end of a lot of "banter" (ugh). How can Nintendo appeal to the teenager of today?...

@theplotlessplot I agree. Hopefully the NX is straight forward. No crazy controller. Just something like the Pro Controller. That way developers don't have to figure out how to incorporate Nintendo's controller into their game. The easier for them, the better.

I just realized there are a ton of mistakes in my screed above, but you get my point. Blockbusters do well because they appeal to the lowest common denominator. indie films are complicated and thoughtful, and a lot of people don't like that, even though it's important to the medium's ability to grow.

They should absolutely be trying new things! But that doesn't mean dropping free old things. Sony game us Uncharted, Ratchet & Clank, The Last Guardian, Shenmue and FF7 alongside Wattam, Dreams and Horizon.

The one does not need to exclude the other. Nintendo just need to trust their brands. Part of the reason Code Name S.T.E.A.M flopped was they seemed to doubt it from the off. It wasn't in their big event it was quietly announced later. It wasn't advertised. They didn't do a special Direct for it nearer release. Splatoon on the other hand, a huge success for them after receiving all that CNS didn't!

I keep harping on about it but I really think the Dillon universe could make a fantastic open world, 3D platformer. Yet it seems doomed to be stuck to the niche 3DS titles it originated in. Sakura/Hana Samurai could do similarity well given the chance.

I love the staple IPs, but it frustrates me to see others squandered. The new Metroid felt this way, throwing away what made it unique and the opportunity to create a fresh and exciting new IP.

I sincerely hope Splatoon doesn't end up on the "not Mario, too risky" pile.

@Einherjar I'm not saying that making amiibo was a bad decision. I think it was a great move and it's paying off, money-wise. I do feel that Nintendo has been focusing a lot (maybe a bit too much) on amiibo and amiibo-related functionality, as of late.

There are no new exciting 2015 titles on Wii U. Super Mario Maker, Yoshi and StarFox, although pretty amazing, were all already expected. In 2016 we have Zelda and...not a lot more. It feels like they're winding down Wii U development and focusing on NX, which might be a good thing, if the new console can regain third-party support.

But, yeah, Nintendo has been having the tendency to be underwhelming lately. We're expecting AC for Wii U and we get a digital board game. We're hoping for a new Metroid for Wii U and we get a co-op spin-off for the 3DS. It seems like they are out of sync with the fans that are keeping their business alive.

@Savino
I love Nintendo innovating with hardware. They just need reason to exist which the GamePad doesn't offer. They needed something bigger like, idk, something cool that the competition isn't doing, but still good.

Wii was great. It complemented the high end systems well. The thing was, though, it's innovation offset the idea of raw power simply due to the controller.

I feel with the gamepad, it wasn't enough to make a system with last gen technology. It was more complicated for the masses and those that might've appreciated the controller is too busy playing XBone or PS4 with their sweet, sweet graphics.

The gamepad, simply, was made for more sophisticated games but the Wii U is not a sophisticated system.

Pick on nintendo for doing the same thing every company has.

Real smooth Gearbox. Re-releasing Borderlands, that sounds like reinventing yourself.

Well, I haven't been a Nintendo fan for very long, and I'm not a huge fan, they sometimes annoy me. I'm not a Mario fan. I never played Nintendo games when I was a kid, because I wasn't allowed to play games and bought my first game (Pokémon Diamond) when I was 20. I got more into gaming when I met my BF a few years later. Anyway. Nintendo managed to reach me with Pokémon games, because I've always been a huge fan of the TV series.

Nintendo will not reach many customers the way they reached me. They need games that can stand side-by-side with the new Assassin's Creed and make 50% of the people walking by to check out their game before they check out the new Assassin's Creed game. They need to realise that most gamers are adults.

@theplotlessplot Well, the switch to the NX was inevitable. And come to think of it, its roughly 4 years now.
Just think of it like that:
The WiiU had a horrible start, which costed it a lot of momentum to esteblish itself on the market.
In the eyes of critics, teh WiiU is also long dead and there is seemingly no way to change that, no matter what kinds of successes it produces.

So its not all that stupid to cut it early and focus on the next system to ensure that this thing will have a much more glorious start.
And if you like conspiracy theories:
What is the general perception of Nintendo ? That they, no matter what, cant compete with MS and Sony. So much so, that they arent even seen as a competitor.
So, imagine what might happen if the NX turns out to be a system, that blows both the PS4 and the One right out of the water while MS and Sony expected it the least ?
It would put them into peer pressure, would force them to pick up the pace wich could lead them to make errors.
Microsoft did it with kinekt, they wanted to ride the Wiis wave and sunk like an anker. And the one isnt doing all that well either.
Sony lost the handheld battle, by endangering their home console could also put them into a disadvantage.

All kinds of things could happen if the NX redeems everything that went wrong with the WiiU. Yes, its sad to see the WiiU, which i love dearly, die like this. But from a company perspective, its the better way to go.

Lets just file the WiiU under "Dreamcast Chapter 2". A glorious system overlooked by way too many people.

Randy pitchford saying this? The head of the company making 12000 borderlands dlc's? The head of the company that made alien colonial marines a game so bad it resulted in lawsuits in which both sega and gear box settled out of court with angry consumers? The guy who wanted to wipe people's characters in borderlands 2 because they figured out they could get as many gold keys as they wanted by editing a file in notepad? Don't put down a good idea from a bad person but sometimes an idiot yammering is just an idiot yammering.

"Randy Pitchford believes that the problem the firm has is that it is locked into serving its existing fans"

Oh yeah, their existing fans are ecstatic.

As usual, these are people offering a foot-deep analisys. Nothing to see here.

They need another new IP like Splatoon ASAP. Also the lack of sales on Codenamed STEAM isn't lack of marketing necessarily, it's just not that great a game. Intellegent Systems other series are far better overall and I think this may be majority of opinion. Otherwise it would grow due to word of mouth.

@CamWFC91 By not calling it Wii or Wii U? That'd be a good step. IMO, NX is a good name. It's kind of vague, which makes people curious, but also sounds cool. Wii just sounds childish.

Change things like Miis. Make them so you can personize them more with clothes, better hair and face options. Make the start-up layout more sleek and less bulky.

And give them the right games. Not only third party, but reimagine some games. Zelda Metroid, and Star Fox could all work as more mature/darker games. Give them super intense gameplay. Give them complex stories. Make there be choices that really matter and effect the game.

Resurrect and reimagine dead franchises. Hogan's Allley and Wild Gunman are good choices for a GTA or Call of Duty style games for Nintendo. They can be two flagship mature titles.

I can't completely disagree but I sometimes think its their insistence on making the visuals of their games appeal to kids that are too young to play their games that holds them back. By the time a child has any say over what presents it gets they will probably think most Nintendo games are too young for them.

I think every time they tried to be bold their
fans deserted them and bought the Mario branded filler instead but I also think they're stifling the creativity of their own dev teams by having them make things like Wii Party U.

To be perfectly honest though, I'm not sure why any of this 'terrible e3' is headline worthy. Almost straight after launch they admitted 3DS 'would be their main profit driver' which basically meant Wii U was getting scraps. They even slashed their targets down to a level that made it clear they don't expect many more sales.

It should try new things that AREN'T Federation Force.

Splatoon

I think a mixture of both would be a smart idea. Splatoon is a great example of a game ppl weren't sure on, but is quickly becoming a huge hit with Nintendo! I find Nintendo relies on Mario way too much, and even though I do love to see him once in awhile, I think they've play it safe too often and put him in stuff. As for Metroid prime federation force, it might have gotten a warmer reception if the game didn't have the tag "Metroid prime" on it to try and get us Metroid fans to get it, probably should have just called it federation force and explained it's within the universe of Metroid that it happens. Anyways, I think Randy is right, to a point.

They're the Mario company, and as long as Miyamoto is around, they're happy to be the Mario company. I'd be just as happy if they'd give Mario a rest for a few years. They can do much more as something like Splatoon proves.

And don't call Federation Force something new. They felt the need to slap Metroid on it. It would probably have been received better as something small, new, fun, and multiplayer.

I have mixed "Feelings" about this and also this is coming from Gearbox a.k.a. the company whos only good ip is borderlands... stfu gearbox

@shinokami

1. Classic franchise from NES days. Western localization only happened because SSB. And yeah, it's a great one for Strategy RPG fans.
2. An IP literally a month old. Can't say much yet.
3. Dynasty Warriors reskin.

With the exception of Splatoon Nintendo has made new ips but they sold horribly like Wonderful 101 which angers me and Code Name Steam.

No respect for kids who don't know Mickey Mouse. Like they said in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: "if there's no Mickey this poopoopalooza ain't Disney."

I'm not following the angle this news article is working on.
Nintendo is too obsessed with the old classics to be creative!
Alludes to their marketing practices?
Points out to Disney having the exact opposite problem (poor Mickey)

Were these supposed to be separate topics of discussion?
Isn't the overblown rejection of NOT-METROID proof we need more articles lamenting Nintendo's caught between a rock and hard place (hint hint), or that the fans need to calm the hell down and give something new a chance first? (hint hint)
eShop and retail gets plenty of titles I've never heard of and never get decent coverage (hint hint).
How could they know the Mouse if Disney capitalizing on Frozen and not doing anything FOR THEM with their classics? There's Kingdom Hearts, but that's assuming you already know these guys and love seeing them running around.

Exactly. People keep talking about how they want new stuff, but when it actually comes, they throw a fit over how it isn't Metroid Prime 4.

CRTL+F "aliens", one result.

I guess people aren't aware of how shady Pitchford actually is. Might wanna look up the history behind that game.

I would say that Nintendo's biggest issues right now are release timing and lack of third-party support.

The company has been releasing one or two new IPs along with each new generation, or just retooling existent ones (Animal Crossing and Pikmin in the GameCube years; the Touch Generations games, the Wii Series and some retro revivals like NSMB or Donkey Kong Country Returns last gen; and as of late, we've got Splatoon, Kid Icarus' relaunch and Fire Emblem's opening to a greater audience... and can't forget the current amiibo craze.).

I also think it's good that classics like Mario or Zelda are there as a bedrock for the Big N's consoles. But they should change reasonably with each new installment.

I'm not fond of playing the same thing again and again, but I don't like disposable franchises either. There must be some balance.

@NintyMan

Splatoon is only one game, that launched well after serious damage was done to the Wii U, and is unable to fix that damage alone. Nintendo immediately turned around for this E3 delving deeper into their "fan sellers" catalog with three games featuring Mario, two more Zelda announcements, and two titles with Metroid slapped in the title.

Essentially, Nintendo did one right thing with Splatoon, and immediately turned around and hid under their Mario-Zelda-Pokemon security blanket, just without the extra Pokemon this year.

@SparkOfSpirit

That's a childish ad hominem attack that does not actually address Pitchford's comments or argument. They are completely unrelated.

@luke88

Your lengthy list of daring new concepts certainly wins over the criticisms. Who knew 1 was such a big number?

@Mr_Action
"GTA or Call of Duty style games for Nintendo"

"what are Splatoon and Codename STEAM?"

He would have been right before E3 '14

Funny when some people automatically begin attacking the critic. He has a good point. It's not as simple though as Mario will fail, and it does ignore Splatoon, but I think his points have great merit.

@MewTheSmasher I bet you're one of those people who call Sony and Microsoft fans snobs. You might not want those kinds of games, but some people do. You can act like it not true, but it doesn't mean it's not.

@Zach The problem isn't the criticism it is the fact that the pot is calling the kettle black. Gearbox has exactly one card in it's deck, Borderlands. That replaced the previous card, Brothers in Arms.

I don't know if people will go back and buy their hardware after all of this but I do know there is a large group of women (mid twenties range) chomping at the bit for some Nintendo games on their phones, who still play stuff like Harvest Moon on their Wii's and REALLY want to check out what Universal Studio's is going to put in their parks from Nintendo. I think with those two moves people will be re-introduced to Nintendo again and there's potential to come back to the hardware after that. But that is in a few years time.

This is like watching the Country Club Boys get together to discuss how to further "develop" the surrounding community. I mean, sure, they contribute, but they're so indulged in their own personal matters and the relative comfort of their status, that they don't really know what's going on in the grassroots of the community. I've found comments from regular people (like us) to be more insightful than this.

@Darknyht Exactly! Shooter another shooter another one and another one........kinda see the same pattern

The day Mario, Zelda, DK and co. disappear is the day I stop playing video games. Simple as that. I'm sure they can live off past success as well as reach new customers. The budget is there to do both, and they actually seem to be doing both, sooo... no need to worry At the end of the day, fun gameplay wins. If Mario continues to deliver fun gameplay, then there is no reason that that trademark shouldn't be around.

@PlywoodStick The Country Club Boys sounds like the worst rap group in history.

These guys are really thinking in only one dimension. To appeal to as many possible people as possible, Nintendo created numerous IP's and franchises over time, slowly broadening their audience. Mario is one of many parts of Nintendo as a whole, and each part covers a certain isolated demographic in addition to a general fanbase.
Saying that Nintendo should've opened Mario to reach new audiences is like saying Final Fantasy should've been changed to... wait. Bad example, lemme try again.
Saying that Nintendo should've opened Mario to reach new audiences is like saying Call of Duty should've been striving for a PEGI6/E FOR EVERYONE rating. That's not how it works, and franchises can only change so much until they alienate the audience it already has. That's why other franchises cover such grounds. There's something to cover everyone's preferences, no single franchise is obligated or even able to achieve such an all-encompassing appeal. And that's great: limiting a franchise to a certain genre focus is what helps them improve and innovate themselves, and sometimes the whole genre.

I don't think Gearbox is in any position to criticize Nintendo when they can't program themselves out of that FPS grave they dug for themselves. The lack of marketing is all that's really killing the Wii U. That, and the blatant ignorance about what it is and what it's capable of. New IPs are always welcome, but making a new property and making it a new type of game are two different things entirely.

I've never seen Nintendo directly involved with an exclusive shooter until Splatoon...well, unless you count StarFox Assault which I don't (Though I maintain its one of the best multiplayer games EVER). That was a huge risk, but it paid off handsomely for them. At this point, I guess Nintendo can just build on the formulas that other developers have been using to make their games a success and make new IPs with whatever they come up with.

Imagine what a GTA-style game handled by Nintendo would look like...

@kensredemption All sorts of good roles to be had there. If we want to comically Nintendo-ise it with existing IP, I see King Dedede as the protagonist, with hilarious roles for Daisy, Tetra, Slippy, Tharja, Wario, Morton Koopa, and Mr. Game and Watch as the crime lord.

While it does make sense to branch out its important to know that in this day and age releasing a whole new IP is usually one massive gamble considering rising development costs and how one good flop is enough to sink an average company

You know what Nintendo needs more of? Splatoon.

You know what Nintendo needs way less of? Zelda Triforce Heroes.

New IP, new ideas, younger development talent. In fact, guys like Miyamoto, Aonuma, and Tezuka are just holding the company back at this point.

Nintendo makes the kind of games I want to play. The only reason I bought a PS3 was for racing games, mainly GT5 and GT6. I love MK8, but I wish Nintendo would come out with a real racing simulator.

I could care less about GTA, COD, HALO, FallOut, Far Cry, A/C, The Witcher or Bloodborne.

Between Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft which ones actually makes money?

Say the guy with one game and 1000 DLCs.

It's hard to believe that some readers here on Nintendolife can agree with this guy.

What he says makes some sense. He is not speaking as a blindfolded fanboy with no sense of business. As it stands Nintendo will NEVER make HUGE profits as they once did with the current fan base.

All these so called great games don't mean a damn thing if the rewards are little. A great game selling 1m copies is a pitifully small payback for all the hard work. Last gen Nintendo's big games sold well over 8m minimum. That is a great reward for great games.
I am NOT saying that this is the norm but selling 9m+ consoles after 3 years and your best sellers is a fraction of the last gen is NOT the sign of a growing, progressive home console business. It's the signs of a dying one.

Splatoon may be a good game but it is NOT going to bring in the profits of a 4m seller, something Nintendo had so many of with the Wii.

If Nintendo are going to move forward they need to move away from this small core fanboy base.

10m people may have bought the Wii U but I seriously doubt even half that amount will return for the NX if things stay the same. The 5m+ that comes back is that fanboy core.

Any business would ideally like to keep it's existing userbase or customers and expand on that.

In Nintendo's case maybe it is best to ditch the 5m to gain 20m+.

Some people cannot bare to face reality and see what the sales are clearly proving.

Not that many gamers (core or otherwise) care about Nintendo's games on the Wii U, apart from a rapidly shrinking few.
Many of us LOVE these games. Apart from us no one else does.. at least not enough.
All you keep asking for are the same old games over and over again that the mass market don't want.

Nintendo cannot go on in the home console market like this catering for a pathetic minority. It is really that simple to see if you stop thinking about yourself and what you want for a minute, after that minute you can go back thinking about yourselves.

This is what he is pretty much trying to get at.

If anything, this e3 proves that Nintendo ISN'T catering to their core fans, if they were we wouldn't all be so pissed!

This was the main man involved in the fiasco that was Aliens Colonial Marines. I guarantee that Animal Party Amiibo Crossing Mash Up Trouser Festival will be better than that travesty ! Any opinion he has on gaming is now redundant. He wishes he could make a game as good as Nintendo. He dreams of earning a fragment of the respect and cash that Nintendo has.

New IP and innovation is a great thing for a company to have. However, it would be very foolish for Nintendo to abandon their established franchises while fans still love them and will still buy them. A combination of old and new brands would be the best way to appeal to as many people as possible.

These kids knew Frozen but not Mickey Mouse? Gross.

Coming from the guy that's primarily made Borderlands games for the past 6 years. Oh wait, there's also other fps's Duke Nukem Forever, and screwing people over with Aliens: Colonial Marines. The only non-fps thing they've done is remastering Homeworld, another developer's game and an already established classic. And he has the gall to say Nintendo should branch out more? What a joke.

I don't think the problem with not appealing to kids has as much to do with software as it does hardware, kids don't really want to play dedicated gaming devices anymore, they want to play it on smartphone. The DeNA merger should help a lot with that. Diversifying their IPs and making more games with Western appeal wouldn't hurt either, we need to see more IPs like Metroid on Nintendo consoles.

Personally though, I would like to see them go back to taking their IPs in bold new directions with new hardware and unique themes like they did before this gen (the N64, GC, and Wii eras were good at this), Nintendo just doesn't feel like Nintendo when they make games that are as subdued and rehashy as they are now.

@Yorumi Spot on with the marketing post. I appreciate that Nintendo cannot spend $50 million in six months like Sony and MS , but they could at least put some effort into it like they did for the 3DS. 1080 U , Wave Race U and Excitebike U with track editor ? Yes please !

@S-Miyahon my response had nothing to do with any of those games that you mentioned at all. Are those games you talked about they're IP? What I was talking about was home world and the brothers in arms series that was mentioned. Your reading comprehension shows your ignorance. I'm a nintendo and have been since I was a kid and always going to be but, I also own other systems and play games on them.

People aren't talking about it much anymore but the future prospect that Mario is leaving his consoles as mascot to be just another character on mobile in the eyes of mobile phone users is a huge, huge step for Nintendo. Yes, the hope is that they discover who Mario is, and where Mario is coming from, and will want to follow him back to those roots, but Nintendo has played a massive card here already.

@Gradius Frankly anyone in the industry who would have the gall to say this is as hypocritical because all of the big companies are doing it, there's no desire to innovate anymore. But it's especially upsetting in Nintendo's case because they have positioned themselves as "the innovators" and now they no longer live up to that standard.

They should be trying new things, of course they shoud. They should be doing it on the software side of things though, not so much on the hardware side.
Also, they don't necessarily need to "abuse" old IPs to do so, as proven, I think, by Splatoon. Federation Force is a good example for this, since they could probably have done this just as well without invoking Metroid at all, thus forgoing the problem that old times fans spontaneously combust. It's a little thing, but as we learned on Tuesday, it not so little as not to matter!

@Darknyht that's still a problem with the critic, not the criticism. Take who he is out of the equation and take the criticism at face value and he has good points, that's what I'm saying. Besides, one or two game series is more than I've made, and more than most of us have, so you could argue that we are in no position to judge his criticism or Nintendo itself. But Nintendo has been with us for a long time, and because we're gamers, we feel that entitles us to a position. As it does him - he just approaches it from a different set of experiences.

@Zach It is hard to take the critic serious when he has contributed very little to the industry as a whole and his company has done little to innovate it. It is more like a small fry trying to make news by sniping at a perceived weak industry giant.

Nintendo obviously is not trying to just please their fans. If they were, we wouldn't be seeing all the grief they are getting for the directions they have taken Star Fox, Metroid, and amiibo. They have been innovative and have attempted different things, but outside of the hardcore fans little recognition is given. How many copies of Bayonetta 2, W101, Fatal Frame and Devil's Third do you think will sell? I will guess they will sell about as many as Eternal Darkness, Geist and the "Mature" games of the Gamecube generation when Nintendo last tried to please the "hardcore" gamer.

If there is an anchor around Nintendo, it isn't innovation but attempting to support two consoles simultaneously. Once again, we see that all development has shifted from the Wii U focus of last year to a focus on N3DS this year.

@mjc0961 Him being in the equation = NL quotes him and you and others hate him. Him not being in the equation = judging his opinion on its own merits. Who cares anyway. Not me.

Uh, gearbox? Isn't this the company that turned the alien: colonial marines production into a Ponzi scheme? It's funny how patronizing these industry people are towards nintendo. Nintendo is probably the reason they got into the industry. Show a little respect!

Nintendo might be bringing out new IPs, but are they the kind to appeal to the "core" gaming audience Nintendo lacks? No, they aren't. Is the same audience who buys the new Assasin's Creed, Call of Duty, and EA Sports games every year going to be interested in Splatoon or Codename S.T.E.A.M.? They aren't right now, at least. Nintendo's new IPs are designed to appeal to people who already are Nintendo fans and have a Wii U or 3DS (but the 3DS is selling good so thats not really important). Nintendo needs to appeal to someone who doesn't already have their console, and they really aren't doing that right now. Be honest, who actually bought a Wii U for Splatoon?

Always the same old nonsense from people. Accusing Nintendo for a "lack of innovation" is just turning a blind eye to what the rest of the industry is doing.

If Nintendo is using stuff like Metroid Prime Federation Force to reach out to new fans and bring them to shore, those fans are going to drown. Not only that, their current fans are going to jump in to the water with them.

@Technosphile Well said

Federation Force doesn't count as a new thing. It doesn't have even a shred of originality or personality, It's a bland shooter with incredibly dated graphics. Or at least that's my opinion based on the extended gameplay from the Treehouse segments, but I'll wait to pass definitive judgment until reviews come out and/or I can test it out. I doubt my opinion will differ much from the current one, though.

I believe Splatoon to be a perfect example of what I expect a ''new thing'' to be, and FF sure is no Splatoon.

@Ralek85 The Metroid fanbase would've spontaneously combusted anyway after the announcement of no Metroid game on Wii U.

I just don't like them going down like this. I think the Digital Event is getting more hate then what is deserved. Yeah i hated the announcements too but maybe Nintendo didn't want to show products that weren't ready to be shown yet like the NX so they could be better revealed later. Now everyone is calling Wii U dead and expects the NXto be released next year just so Nintendo can compete.

@Einherjar I couldn't agree with anymore even if I tried. Nintendo have so many established franchises and IPs, they could make a killing off all of them every console iteration. But for some reason... nope, they won't do it.

There's always one Zelda title per console, goodness knows how many Mario games (including spin-offs) and that's about it. What about Star Fox, Metroid, Ice Climber, Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong, Pilotwings, Kirby, Fire Emblem, Punch Out, Animal Crossing, F-Zero and Pokemon. These IPs, which are nowhere to be seen (bar one) on the Wii U would make them an absolute fortune. Also, bring back Mario Strikers! That game was amazing fun.

Nintendo has problems but the interviewers didn't diagnose them correctly. Their problems are not enough 3rd party support for the Wii U and trying to cater almost exclusively to younger audiences. They're so afraid of any criticism from parents, or something, that they just end up seeming super kiddish. We want the Nintendo that brought over RE4 and Bayonetta and Devil's 3rd. The fact that they didn't include anything about Devil3 or Fatal Frame, or the fact that Star Fox looks very cartoonish, tell me that they don't want anything to do with seeming "adult".
And that sucks. You can do both Nintendo!!

Nintendo innovates with almost every game if they can. That's why Wind Waker was cel shaded, why skyward sword was motion controlled and didn't have an overworld in the traditional sense, look at Mario galaxy, even mario kart 8 (in a way). They get applauded for every innovation and even last year had the best E3 in a long time because they announced new IPs in Splatoon and Codename STEAM.

@Chris720 well asking for games like that sort of proves that Nintendo is indeed a slave to its past success. Chanting for reiterations of those games and what-not. Nintendo seems to only make new games if they have a new idea for that game and think it will be different and fun. If they don't have those, they won't release a sequel just for a sequels sake.

This interview comes at an interesting time because it seems like every other game series is trying to exclusively cater to its existing fans: elder scrolls, fable, mass effect, halo, COD, Assassin's Creed, Fifa, Forza, Gears of War, Final Fantasy, Fallout, Kingdom Hearts, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Metal Gear, Rainbow 6, Shenmue, Battlefront, Street Fighter, Tom Clancy, Uncharted, Deus Ex, Dark Souls, Doom

@coolaggro Tell that to NSMB, 3D World, Tropical Freeze, and Yoshi's Woolly World. Those games don't have new ideas that are different and fun.

@coolaggro But they're all franchises nearly everyone enjoys playing. Assassin's Creed for example, just gets better with every game (glitches aside) and I find the gameplay and story quite interesting and a lot of fun. Final Fantasy is just downright good fun, same with Fallout, Tomb Raider, Dark Souls, Elder Scrolls, Halo and Doom.

FIFA, Forza, CoD, Street Fighter etc. are literally the same game every year with very little to no change and based on the same mechanic.

Nintendo could easily do this with their own IPs.

I think it should be a mixture of both like previously mentioned, but I also think that they should bring back lesser known established IPs. I for one would love to see a new Ice climbers game, in which it plays like a mixture of Mario 64( where there would be open world with set boundaries and objectives, i.e obtaining lost vegetable) and Banjo and Kazooie( where there would be an emphasis on the dual aspect of the ice climbers and play that to their benefits, i.e being able to tether to walls by flinging the other character and 2 player co-op, since they'll always be in close proximity.)

@Chris720 Well, to be fair, even Mario games (the main ones) are limited to one, maybe two titles per console.
On the WiiU, we have one 2D and one 3D game. Both platformerns, yet vastly different.

And its ok for them to be a mainstay IP on each platform, its what theyre known for. Keep that going.

But youre absolutely right in that there are so many other legendary IPs just lying around, doing nothing at all.
Truth be told, you cant make all of them in a consoles lifespan. Nintendo is among the few devs that actually take more then a year to develop a game.

Now take an average console lifespan of 5 years and see how many projects that would be parallel. Its not possible, at least not if they want to uphold their quality standards, which is one of their strong points.

And thats where brand deals come into play. The plethora of Zelda handheld games ? Made by non other then Capcom.
Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong ? Retro. Recent Kirby and Yoshi outings ? FeelGood.

Sure, Sega showed that handing an IP to another dev can be devestating. But you can read whatever dev interview you want, Nintendo always had a very very close eye on them and made the right decisions to turn it into masterpieces.

This is the comfort zone Nintendo needs to come out of.
Lets face it, if Nintendo strikes a pertnership contract here and there, they wont even need biased 3rd Party support as they could simply overrun competition with quality first party titles, something the competition starts to lack. And in regards to 3rd Party software, they are scratching each others eyes out already about concole exclusive DLC deals etc.
You cant win this console war with quality, you have to win it with money.
And if you dont want to mess with stupid stuff like that, win it by offering a big library of games nowhere else to be found.
Just show the true meaning of exclusive software, they should be the reason to pick one console over the other anyways.

But enough rambling, fact is, the stuff Nintendo delivers plays in its own league. But its not reaching their full fanbase and thus, nowhere near their portfolios full potential.

@Project_Dolphin Yeah, I didn't really get the hype that Sony won the world with E3. But I have a Vita, and I wanted to see more than one game announced, so make of that what you will.

@Einherjar That's the problem Ninty have, they're too small in numbers to keep churning out games every year without fail. If they can buy out studios to build their games for them, they'd be laughing all the way to the bank.

Another thing they need to do is preorder bonuses, collectors editions etc. especially for their big name games like Zelda, just to give consumers even more of an incentive to get buying.

They could literally do anything and that's what I find so annoying, they don't seem to think outside their own little bubble. And their E3 stance needs to change, you need to get us hyped, you need to get us engaged with what you're making. I don't care if I don't see it until late 2016, I want to see something of it.

@Chris720 Believe it or not, but shenanigans like preorder bonuses drives more consumers away then it attracts them.
Just be glad that Nintendo isnt among those who abuse stuff like that, their collectors editions are already almost impossible to find.

And they dont need to buy out studios, they simply need partnership contracts. Buying out a studio isnt all that good for their morale, at least not as long as they offered a fusion themselfes.

For examples, look at Platinum. Sega hired them for 3 games in a fixed amount of time. The first one, Bayonetta was a blessing, the second title, Vanquish, still incredibly good, was less impressive. The third title, Anarchy Reigns, spiritual successor to Mad World, had "we are sick of this, lets get it over with" written all over it.
Or Monolith history. Contract with square, they pulled manpower and funding away from them (Xenogears) to make FF8. Under Namco, they worked on Xenosaga and they let them hanging with part 2, turning it into the black sheep of the series.
So no matter where these devs where under contract, their quality was inconsistant. Heck, look at Rare.

But under Nintendos wings, they are performing at peak performance all the way through. Bayonetta 2 surpassed its predecessor, Xenoblade was a technical marvel, X looks even better. And Rare dethroned Nintendo at their own game.

So they dont need to buy them out, most of them stay at their own will. Which results in far far better products.
If you want to see quality inconsistancies by forced labour and fatique, look no further then Sonic Team.

Putting out too much of the same wears studios down. The balance between too much and too little is very thing. But so far, yes, Nintendo slipped onto the too little side a little too often.

Not sure why so many are jumping in the hate train here. It 's a reasonable and valid statement. As a long time Nintendo fan it rings very true to me.

I love Nintendo but the fact is they are not doing so hot with the WiiU. Sure they've enough money to survive for some time, but that's not the point. That money won't last indefinitely and the share holders won't put up with this sort of decline in figures. People were worried about Nintendo going mobile if it proves more profitable? Well if they don't do something to make their consoles sell better in future they might have their hand forced. And none of us want that.

So instead if getting all huffy and spiteful toward this guy try taking in what he's saying, as he's saying it out of respect for Nintendo. They're not meeting the exceptionally high standards people expect of them. Standards we expect because they set them. It's a compliment really. We know they're better, we've seen it.

I feel there are far too many dismissing other games based in the fact that they aren't Nintendo, this is not a healthy mindset. This is not something that will help Nintendo or the industry as a whole. Fiercely defending everything they do is not constructive. They need their staples, of course, just like Xbox needs Halo or Playstation needs Uncharted, Nintendo needs Mario. But they need more than that. We know each iteration in those franchises brings something new, but we're already sold on them based on the fact it's that franchise. Others aren't. You know how some of you here look at Uncharted and say "it's just the same again"? Well you're wrong and that's exactly how others see Mario, and they're wrong too. Except Sony has made many other things to entice those doubters of their staple franchises in, Nintendo doesn't.

Splatoon is amazing yes. But it's one of two new IP from Nintendo on the WiiU. And as much as I love The Wonderful 101 it's hard to tout that as an example of Nintendo's new IPs when it's several years old now. Given Playstation gave us 4 new IPs this E3, granted most are set for 2016, that's kinda poor. The Sony presentation felt fresh, even though half of it was staple IPs. Nintendo's... well we all know how that went down so let's not speak of it.

Nintendo need to expand their studios and buy up new ones. They don't have enough to feed both consoles with the expected franchises as it is, let alone creating new ones too. Mixing up current franchises is fine, but it can't be everything you offer. Not if you want to stay relevant, and I want them to stay relevant for as long as possible.

I think the biggest thing that needs to change, whether Nintendo fans want to hear it or not, is Nintendo needs to deliver a console with NX that is significantly more powerful than what's out there and it has to bend over backwards to get real third party support. It needs to get the best versions of GTA, Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Dishonored, Hitman, Deus Ex, etc. The majority of Nintendo fans may not care for these games but they are popular and many others do enjoy them. If Nintendo had all the best versions of third party games, along with its own older franchises and some new IPs like Splatoon, the only way Nintendo be stopped from massive success would be if it stopped itself.

Sony's E3 presentation was mostly smoke and mirrors. Most of the new big titles won't be out in 2016, 2017 seems more likely.

@Mr_Zurkon Pretty much everything Sony does is smoke and mirrors trickery.
Just look back to the PS4 / One reveals. Sony won by doing absolutely nothing...and got praised like the second comming.

But thats the current state of affairs in the gaming world.
Take Sony announcment with a grain of salt, look for fineprint in everything Microsoft says and dont try to understand Nintendos way of doing things, just roll with it.

Overall, Nintendo is the most fair and consumer friendly, then comes Sony, the most relyable in terms of software, but with incompetent services and last is Microsoft, shady deals, mostly anti consumer and untrustworthy.

@liveswired Word bro. I love Nintendo. Have a 3DS and bought my brother a Wii U at launch. I am a diehard fan on a budget that was waiting for the inevitable moment when I HAD to buy my own...never happened. This generation even diehard fans on a budget settled for playing major releases at friends' houses. 10 fans to a console!

@Project_Dolphin A strawman's argument. I guess then that if the first thing that comes out for NX is a 2D sidescroller, for you that'll revolutionize the whole videogame industry.

Games in the vein of FF have been done to death and far better than it, be it for the same system or others. If you want quick 3DS examples, look at the co-op in RE Revelations and Mercenaries.

First off, WTF at his kids not knowing Mickey Mouse. My three year old niece knows Mickey, Minnie, Tom & Jerry, Scooby Doo, Superman, and a host of other pop culture characters beyond her years because we don't keep her in a freaking bubble.

Secondly, he'd have a point... if Nintendo were actually doing what he thinks they're doing. The Internet and so-called industry experts seem to have a warped perception of who the hardcore Nintendo fan actually is and what their wants are (ironically it's similar to the perception they have of SEGA fans) and it shows here with his comments.

Metriod and Animal Crossing have by far been the two most requested franchises to make their Wii U appearance. No one has been jumping up and down asking for a 3DS Federation spinoff or an amiibo party game with AC characters slapped on it. People have been asking for console entries for a traditional Fire Emblem and Pokemon Stadium/Colosseum/Snap but I don't remember anyone asking for a Skylanders crossover. Fans have embraced new IP like Splatoon that Nintendo itself embraced but were cold on W101 and Codename Steam which Nintendo sent out to sink or swim. Fans have also been clamoring for lesser known IP's like F-zero, Sin and Punishment, Eternal Darkness, and Advance Wars to make their appearance this generation. None of which have. If the Wii U library actually reflected Nintendo pandering strictly to it's core fanbase, there'd be a lot more of the franchises mentioned and a lot less Mario and Wii.

Instead, Nintendo has been trying to pander to a mass audience that simply isn't there anymore with the same bag of tricks. They need to appease the fans they have left with a diversified library of staple IPs while also trying to reel in new ones by extending their marketing reach and creating new exciting IPs. There's no reason it has to be a either/or situation.

@Einherjar pretty much, as much as I like my playstation the way Sony handles themselves and messages to he public drives me crazy.

@LoveSugoi I will say disney doesn't use Mickey as much as they should. He makes an occasional appearance in games, parades etc, but is more in the background for them. At least it seems that way to me.

@Mr_Zurkon Dont tell me.
I too own all of their systems. Had to repair my PS4 half a year after purchase, had a 2 hour call with customer service because a cross buy article wasnt available on all platforms for me, constant PSN issues, untrustworthy server security...

Sony is the pinacle when it comes to "we respect our customers, we just dont really care that much about them"
They are not anti-consumer, but lets put it that way:
Nintendo is the one that carries a fire extinguisher everywhere they go, safety first even though it slows them down.
Sony wouldnt start a fire, but should you catch it, they wont raise a finger to extinguish it and MS goes out of their way to set you on fire whenever they are not stopped by others.

@Mr_Zurkon

True. I'd say my niece knows Mickey and Minnie mainly through the merchandise we buy her and the occasional viewing of Mickey Clubhouse on Disney Junior. She benefits from being in a house full of 90's/80's kids so we make sure she gets a healthy dose of Disney Renaissance to go with along with the current Frozen and Tinkerbell climate.

Its pretty sad that guy's kids didn't know who Mickey Mouse was. You can't go anywhere without seeing his face on something, like in grocery stores.

If there's any person in this industry who is worse at relating to people than Nintendo, it's Randy Pitchfork. Hopefully they can turn themselves around, and hopefully without having to stoop down to Gearboxes disgusting level

I think that old and new can survive together. And we never know when the "new" may be an old thing. Like Fire Emblem, few people care or know the series before awakening. But Awakening was an amazing hit.
So the real thing is, nobody can fully predict the industry, and focus on new stuff only or on classics only is the right way to fall.

@Pigeon my point is that nintendo makes shhtloads of money with new brands and third party games. Not just mario and friends.

Says the guy who can't find success outside of Boarderlands.

Mr. Pitchford's statement is a reflection of much of the industry as a whole, not just Nintendo. To me, it seems like almost every publisher around relies on their established franchises, with one or two new IPs that go out and become substantial successes. Here are some examples

Nintendo
Old IPs: Super Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, Smash Bros., Pokémon, Donkey Kong Country, Animal Crossing, Yoshi, Mario & Luigi, Paper Mario, Fire Emblem, StarFox, Metroid (lol) etc.
New IPs this generation: Splatoon, Tomadachi Life (in the west)

Activision:
Old IPs: Call of Duty, Skylanders, attempting to revive Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk Pro Skater (due to declining Call of Duty and Skylanders sales)
New IPs this generation: Destiny

Ubisoft:
Old IPs: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, the Tom Clancy games, Just Dance
New IPs this generation: Watch_Dogs, maybe The Crew

Take-Two:
Old IPs: Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, WWE 2K
New IPs this generation: Evolve (pretty much evaporated after launch)

EA:
Old IPs: EA Sports (FIFA, Madden NFL, NHL, NBA Live, PGA), Battlefield, The Sims, Need for Speed
New IPs: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, TitanFall

Okay, I have to call bs on that guy's kids not knowing who Mickey Mouse is. I refuse to believe that's even remotely possible.

@westman98

Other new IP's by Nintendo over the last 5 years include:
-Code Name S.T.E.A.M.
-Tokyo Crash Mobs
-Harmoknight
-Dillon's Rolling Western
-Ketzal's Corridors
-Sakura Samurai
-Pushmo/Crashmo
-Freakyforms
-Fluidity
-Nintendo Land
-SiNG Party
-The Wonderful 101
-Steel Diver
-Snowpack Park
-Eco Shooter
-The Last Story
-Pandora's Tower
-FlingSmash
-Wii Party
-Xenoblade
-Bonsai Barber
-Rock N' Roll Climber
-Pop-Up Pursuit
-ThruSpace
-AquaSpace
-You, Me, and the Cubes

People love franchises and characters from games they loved. Gearbox hasn't done anything good. They don't deserve to comment about Nintendo's history.

I read one article [on the internet] which says Nintendo's presentation didn't have the "good impact", because they don't keep doing the same stuff over and over again, say they are innovators. Then I read another article which is around the idea that Nintendo doesn't innovate enough, that they keep doing same stuff. Yet, N's success, I believe, is because they always present what is familiar in new and innovative ways... And they are creating new IP's... Splatoon, S.T.E.A.M. are just two that were released in the very last month...

Nintendo are in a bit of sticky patch as they are trying catering to their core base, but only just, and are at least attempting new things, IE Splatoon, but they don't go far enough. They are lacking in some areas and could do with some fresh ideas, but to say they don't innovate or lacking new ideas when the rest of the industry is even worse is just plain ignorant. A lot of the games revealed at E3 from all publishers were just updates and glorified versions of past games. Doom looked fantastic but it just another FPS. They're remaking FFVII. Microsoft are copying backwards compatibility. Uncharted 4 is Uncharted 1,2 & 3 but slicker with nicer graphics...I could go on. Only the Skyman game really looked to be something new.

Nintendo's biggest problem is that the appeal of their games doesn't reach the casual crowd, who are hell bent on FPS games, destruction & violence. Their marketing is awful and excuses with working with HD is now wearing thin. Their attempt with Starfox is poor. The inferior graphics is acceptable and using gyro controls with the Gamepad screen is exciting and worth exploring but the biggest issue for me is the "reimagining" of Starfox 64. That's just pure laziness, it's like their trying to justify the Gamepad but shoehorning it into an old game. Using the 64's audio is also poor, although this could've done just for demo. Although I do think the Gamepad is great.

Nintendo shouldn't ditch their core franchises, but they should be careful on how often they release them. Mario does appear far too much and not enough is seen of their other ones, Metroid, Pilotwings, F-Zero etc. They should bring on more developer studios to branch out their portfolio in areas where Nintendo is simple not great at. There needs to be more games with more variety so that different gamers with different tastes will buy their consoles.

That makes no sense to me. The games that have released sell in ridiculous amounts. Splatoon happened and it has no ties to Nintendo's biggest mascots.

Pitchford is a hack. After that MOBA they're making sells in lukewarm numbers, he'll have 2K churning out another Borderlands with small improvements because they can't think of a way to evolve their game in a meaningful way.

And as for that other idiot, your kids dont know who mickey mouse is because you never showed them, instead you probably played Frozen for them over and over. It isnt some difficult mystery to understand.

@earthboundlink: great and apt comment!

There are two things holding the wii u back from Day One, and they have nothing to do with Nintendo's ability to make great games:
1. The name. Wii U connotes it is an amped up version of the Wii. Some families I know say "we already have a Wii". And I actually just read a comment referring to the Wii U as "a second generation Wii". It is it's own deal; it's a big deal, but the Wii U moniker obscures that.

2. The hardware is "too different" for mass 3rd party support. Developers making games for the masses apparently have trouble with the nuances of the Wii U and especially the gamepad. That i see as a testimony as to how different the Wii U is from other systems, but it does not help with 3rd party titles. Shame b/c Captain Toad and Splatoon demonstrate the capabilities of the gamepad.

Bittom Line: Nintendo is like an awesome college rock band that is more artist than commercial that puts out great tunes that the dedicated will enjoy but the masses might only know by reference. And this debate is getting as futile as arguing politcs.....

@Quorthon well, when the "1" is splatoon it is a bigger number than it might otherwise be if the "1" was not splatoon. 😜

@S-Miyahon

Actually, as was once pointed out to me on this site, Nintendo owns Wonderful 101.

I'm also pretty sure Nintendo owns Dillon's Rolling Western. They did act as publisher on those games. That some games were developed by a third party does not mean they are owned by said third party. For instance, Eternal Darkness was made by Silicon Knights (when they mattered), but the game is owned by Nintendo.

@Yorumi

While I completely agree that they definitely need to do a better job advertising and promoting themselves and their games, I don't think it'll necessarily work if they're sticking to their security blanket games. I think a big part of what helped Splatoon was that it's something fresh and different. It stands out. Nintendo pretty heavily promoted Mario 3D World and Mario Kart, and I don't think it affected the sales there at all. It's pretty obvious that, outside of "core" Nintendo fans/fanboys, nobody gives a crap about Mario these days.

I think that, regardless of advertising, most gamers are just plain tired of Nintendo's over-use of Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon games.

As I've long noted, a new Zelda used to be a huge deal--the entire industry paid attention, like with Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker. But since Ocarina of Time, Nintendo has been increasingly working towards releasing any kind of Zelda game as frequently as possible, and while it's not specifically an annual franchise (like Madden or Call of Duty, which launch in the same period every year), Zelda games still find their way to retail almost every single year since Ocarina of Time launched, missing only about 3 or 4 years since then. The last time we had a year without a Zelda, that year was literally bookended by years with 2 Zeldas each.

The difference between Zelda and Call of Duty (besides launch dates) is that Nintendo is obviously all-too-content to treat the franchise like a filler, all too happy to shove "Zelda" to retail with side-games, off-shoots, spin-offs, and seemingly endless remakes and ports. Both 2015 and 2016 are now slated to see two Zelda releases each year.

To Nintendo, it doesn't matter. Just get something on store shelves every year year in the Zelda universe. Sadly, it now seems like they are applying this annoying concept to Metroid as well.

@bluedogrulez

The Wii U hardware isn't exactly "too different," but "too dated" and pointless. Captain Toad didn't impress me with it's GamePad use. All it did was show that Captain Toad should've been on a platform where you're always looking at the touch-screen. What's funny is that Captain Toad would be the perfect game to usher in Nintendo's mobile era. But to sell the GamePad? Hardly. It didn't do anything so drastically different that it couldn't be done on any other touch-screen platform or on any other platform with a controller, where you use buttons to activate controls otherwise used in touch.

And again, the dated hardware. The Wii U launched unable to easily handle Unreal 4, and even if Unreal 4 is recobbled to work on the system for the not-Castlevania game (keep forgetting the title), that doesn't mean companies are going to care to bring their abundant U4 games to the console.

Nintendo fans are fond of ad hominem attacks against developers and publishers, calling them lazy for not wasting millions of dollars rebuilding engines just for Nintendo's hardware where 3rd party games don't sell anyway. These are corporations, and they need to consider their bottom line and weigh the cost versus profit of doing all this work. And frankly, it's bad business to spend more money developing on Nintendo systems, where they are almost always guarenteed lower sales than on PC, Xbox, or Playstation, utterly regardless of quality.

Arguably the biggest problem with the Wii U is that, at the end of the day, it's utterly pointless. It changed nothing, it improved nothing, the GamePad features were not more immersive and did not create truly better gameplay. The Wii U was a bad stop-gap machine to fill space between Wii and when Nintendo makes an actual console for this generation, which, by the time it launches, may be too late.

so? xbox and playstation are as well. It's all shooting games with them. If it aint broke don't fix it

Nintendo is no longer in fashion. That is the only issue period. People scream innovate...Nintendo does every gen with hardware and then marrying the software to it. People scream create new IP. Nintendo does and they don't get bought. People scream make the old stuff. Then you hear about how Nintendo is the Mario company. People also want Nintendo to make unsound business decisions...a company isn't a fan club. If your favorite franchise doesn't sell well they aren't going to throw a ton of games at it for the SAME reasons third parties don't want to put games on Nintendo systems...it doesn't make them money.

Thing is the mainstream view is on realistic, gritty experiences that are made quickly. Nintendo just doesn't do that. So because of that they will always be behind the curve with mainstream. There is nothing wrong with that but it does mean that until there is a shift in what consumers want Nintendo will be "behind".

Either way Nintendo as a company will be fine. If they have to reinvent themselves and move to something else they will...video games are not the end all be all. I don't want it to come to that of course but so long as they make a product I like and can use I'll be a Nintendo customer.

@MikeW
We shall see what kind of market there really is for such when the sales for the Rare collection on the XB1 rolls around. If Sega's success (or lack thereof) is any indicator, Nintendo must stay a hardware company because otherwise these types of experiences would be lost forever, underneath the gray, green, and gravel grit of annualized war-based shooters and sports franchises.

@Ryu_Niiyama

It seems to me that you don't actually understand the gaming industry as a whole. Frankly, the "gritty experiences made quickly" comment is woefully ignorant of how this industry actually works. Even Call of Duty has now moved to a rotating 3-year development cycle. There's nothing "quick" about that. There are three studios working on Call of Duty games now, alternating releases. Ubisoft spent years working on Watch Dogs and The Division. "Quick" is what we saw take up most of Nintendo's dismal E3 showcase--small, simple, throw-away games to be churned out quickly, slap the Zelda or Metroid or Animal Crossing name on the front, and feed it to the fanboys. Barring the word "gritty," you described Nintendo, not the rest of the industry.

People scream to innovate? Nintendo innovates? Nintendo makes gimmicks and banks on them. Actual innovations improve things and are adopted by the wider public and industry. Like the Analog stick, or better yet, the modernized dual-analog sticks as innovated and improved by Sony and Microsoft. You know how you know the clickable modern analog sticks were an innovation? Even Nintendo adopted them.

But the Wii Remote? The GamePad? These didn't add to gaming. These didn't improve things or make older things better. They were gimmicks--passing fads. Hell, the GamePad didn't even reach "fad" level. It's just a failed gimmick that never caught on while changing and improving nothing.

If anything, Pitchford's comments highlight the problem Nintendo has in reaching anyone with their own hardware. Going completely third party, as they are starting to step into that role with their mobile games, would allow them to finally reach the wider audience so many of their games deserve. The big problem--and the one that has plagued them for a long time--is that people are no longer interested in wasting money on Nintendo's hardware. But if those games were on other consoles, they would more likely sell far better.

Mr. Pitchford is absolutely correct. As I always say, though, for all the sense he and thousands of others make, you still have that 10,000-ft wide marble wall named Iwata that continues to completely prevent or, at minimum, impede any real progress Nintendo can make. I'm always hoping they can return to their former glory but in my mind, those days are over. Nintendo's no different than any other entity in their position: they've failed to — and have been reluctant to — evolve, and now they're scrambling trying to catch up:

• HD gaming a generation late
• Finally recognizing their online pales in comparison via the recent DeNa partnership

And in a sense, it's really too late but if they don't hit a home run with the NX...

Silly theory.

Playing videogames is like somebody going to an place. "Kids" ( or the grown ups now ) could say they have been up and down when there imaginations have been super charged from the presentation of videogames. A great way to get lost in time and space to avoid people from making choices like voting or going to city council.

It seems to please people Nintendo will need to do the whole Metroid: Fusion & Metroid Prime bit. Dually releasing old and new at the same time - or at least having them announced in the same window. That way, everyone can go, "Yay, Nintendo still loves my favorite franchise!" and "Nintendo is innovating with their powerful IP!". There is no other way than that.

They should be doing both and they already have been long before Randy Pitchford made that remark. How quickly has everyone forgot the 7th generation where Nintendo was supposedly holding up a middle finger to their fans due to focusing on casual titles to actually draw in new players?

I'd argue some of the fans are the biggest problem, whenever Nintendo has brought in a larger audience or tried you have a set of fans bawling over the how Nintendo did it even if its an optional game mode(casual mode in Fire Emblem), a spin off(Federation Force) or a new IP(Codename:S.T.E.A.M instead of a "precious remake).

Now when their system sales are the lowest and still experimenting with more IP as usual(Codename: S.T.E.A.M, Pushmo, Splatoon,etc.) and even changing up their major series in major ways like Fire Emblem:Awakening, Sticker Star... They're suddenly a slave to their past and need to bring in more new fans?

The only thing agree with is Randy Pitchford is that Nintendo do need new fans, but they should always be making new fans and it's not really impressive feat to point that out.

Straight talk. I am nothing less than amazed at how woefully out-of-touch Nintendo have shown themselves to be at their worst moments for almost a decade now. This latest E3 snafu should've been a surprise only to the most ardent of fanboys... and chances are, even that contingent will realize how they messed up long before Nintendo brass ever does.

Mostly, I think Nintendo are just a tiny bit afraid of anyone bursting the bubble in which they find themselves. Sure, it allows for a continuance of superlative game experiences with that unique, timeless Nintendo touch, but it also locks them into the same mindset they had when they ruled the market back in the '90s. The wii's success was the last thing Nintendo needed to deal with their perpetual egotrip; they don't even understand why it became the success that it was. They just had the luck of unleashing the right gimmick at the right time.

For better or worse, the wants of gamers have changed dramatically, whereas Nintendo are pretty much exactly where they were in the mid-'90s, only without the commercial success to show for it. Nintendo deserves better than close-minded old men who think they can still party like it's 1993.

"We're always trying to invent the new thing"

That's basically what Nintendo does in each generation. Of course they also reheat old games and ideas, but usually Big N stands for Innovation. I can't see where Borderlands did innovate...

"Anna and Elsa, the stars of Frozen - one of the biggest movies of all-time" What, really? Never heard or seen anything from it. So I guess it can't be one of the biggest movies of all time...

@Solid_Stannis I couldn't agree more.

Okay, Gearbox does screw things up, but when you consider the game pictured at the top of the page is still sold for five bucks/euros, you gotta admit Pitchford has got a point.

Nintendo is damned if they do and damned if they don't. They release a Mario game and people are 'oh another Mario game, why don't they do something different?'. If they do something different then people are like 'where's Mario?'.

As for attracting new customers, I'm not sure how they could do that unless they have an appealing new concept (like the Wii), or more horsepower than Xbox/Playstation. There is a mindset with people that they'll buy the FIFAs and CODs on Xbox/PS because they're better on there, or because their friends all play them on there. After 2 gens of that it'll be a tough nut to crack.

I wish someone would have mentioned the new experience of Aliens Colonial Marines on Wii U to Randy Pitchford.

Let me make one point, I own a PC, Xbox One, and have owned Sony, Sega, and other Nintendo consoles and handheld from the past. I love all platforms and games there is no reason for arguing, trolling, picking sides, it just makes our industry look bad. Anyways, honestly Nintendo is giving up on the Wii U. The lack of marketing, third party support, and ignorance towards listening to the community caught up to the them. If it was not for the 3DS, who knows where Nintendo would be. Grant it, I have supported them on and off since I got my first GBC, but I think Nintendo needs to support and finish out the Wii U's life cycle properly. I currently own the Wii U and the New 3DS (so do not attack me trolls) but Nintendo needs to stop living in the past. The handheld titles are great but the only reason I have a Wii U is for Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. (thank god for DLC) or it would collect dust. If the NX does not live up the hype, proclaim an actual online/chat serivce worth using (I have friends that talk over PS4 just to cooperate for Splatoon and other co-op games) or have specs greater than the Xbox One or PS4 then Nintendo will be nothing but a walk down nostalgia road like my Genesis and Dreamcast games. I just want Nintendo to put their arrogance away and do how Sony rebounded from the PS3 to PS4 and how Microsoft is focusing on games and attempting to care and win back their Xbox fanbase. Just give the fans that something and the console they deserve and continue with the first and more second party titles, and win back those third parties!!!!

The Wii U was ill conceived, I think everyone can see that now.

Looks unlikely to me that Nintendo can pull it back with the NX, though many didn't foresee the success of the Wii after the GameCube.

Most likely I think they'll become a very different company. An established brand like Disney who still have an occasional hit, but are generally a shadow of what they were.

Whatever happens, Nintendo's classics will live on.

@Solid_Stannis

"Nintendo deserves better than close-minded old men who think they can still party like it's 1993."

You could substitute 'Japan' for 'Nintendo' there.

I don't believe "please existing fans" and "gain new fans" are mutually exclusive.

@Project_Dolphin All great games. I agree with you there.

It just seems like Iwata is your best friend and you would go to any extreme possible to defend him.

This is a company that has milked it's most loyal fan base with multiple iterations of the same hardware. Is now taking part in dlc practices. A company that is dropping support of the Wii u when it only survived a fraction of the time of the 360 and PS3. I spent a @ss load of money of my wii u and all the digital & retail games I've purchased since it's lack luster launch. I've bought 3 3ds units and gave the other launch unit and xl unit to my friend's so I'd finally have friends to play Mario kart with since the game cube days.

It really bothers me that you think Nintendo is any better than Microsoft or Sony.

@ekreig
I love Boderlands but yes the headline of this is hilarious. The article makes sense but besides the first Boderlands when have come up with anything new? Even Boderlandx is a 3D shooter version of Diablo. He is kinda talking out of his arse.

I think nintendo's been trying new things for a long time. Eternal Darkness, Pikmin (during gamecube era), Animal Crossing (gamecube era), Chibi Robo (gamecube era), Custom Robo, Pokemon (gameboy era), Battalion Wars, Advance Wars, Odama (gamecube era), Nintendo Land...the list can go on. They've also been hiding many games from their past...Startropics, Faxanandu and some others, but it seems that every time they try something new, unless they advertise the heck out of it, it ends up being a failure, where the games that are old and keep on coming out, turn out to be big sellers and hits...going back to where it's nintendo's fans that are mainly buying the games.

It's true that nintendo needs to reach out to a wider audience, but when it's the old franchises that sell the most, it makes it tough to try and make something new, that could possibly lose the company money. Nintendo is a great company, it's just that there are too many rumors and hatred towards them, that their image is being ruined to newer generations. I'm 35, and it's becoming amazing that many younger people don't even like nintendo, when they have been the ones who started so much, and basically are the game masters after Atari almost ruined the game industry. Many of the newer generations don't care about that though...just like Disney, just like Stephen Spielberg films, who always used to have hits with anything that they brought out to theaters...times have changed, and these companies and people need to follow, or else they're going to fall into the dust.

I love nintendo, and have been a loyal fan since the NES, but I'm sorry to say, that I've been a little disappointed in the Wii U...games are good, but not ones that I've played to death like their previous systems...gamecube being my favorite nintendo system for the new franchises that it pulled out. I'm really hoping that their next console brings them back to the world's eyes...many great games, new games, 3rd party support, hardcore gamer fanbase, stronger fanbase and...the most important part...MUCH LOVE!

I find it hilarious when people mention something like I only have two games worth having on Wii U.

So Bayonnetta 2 isn't your thing. Fine. Wonderful 101 isn't your thing. Fine. A version of Tekken with freaking Smash like powerups in one mode isn't your thing. Neat. The first original survival horror on a console in decades isn't your thing. Great!

Instead of remakes of games from in some cases just months ago, a remake of one of the best Zelda games in WindWaker that was on the Gamecube isn't your thing. Outstanding! A great art program isn't your thing. A 3D 4 player Mario isn't your thing and I hear all those Mario games are the exact same anyway right?

Well that Mario Maker isn't interesting, it's just another Mario game, AGAIN! Fatal Frame must be Garbage. All games on Nintendo systems are kiddy and easy, Razor's Edge does't exist.

Monster Hunter Ultmate 3 wasn't.. well I just can't get into that. Pikmen 3? Another milked franchise! Splatoon doesn't have voicechat so there is no way it can be good or innovative.

Oh yeah the eshop, the only game on there is the letter.

The Wii U has lots of things that could be improved. Connecting with friends online without having to basically use some other form of communication. More 3rd part support. Full features in series like COD when they were on the system.

But to say stuff like the system has only 1 or 2 games to play. The only good game to play yet to come out is Zelda.

They must have the absolute worst taste in games or be be really ignorant.

They have NO right to judge Nintendo when they developed Duke Nukem Forever, a game based on a hugely popular series. At least Nintendo can still make good games based off awesome series, unlike Gearbox Software.

"Nintendo's gotten really good at talking to Nintendo customers."

I don't agree with this statement.

@LUIGITORNADO NOA certainly has communication issues. My new 3ds was in and out of repair since it's feb launch till now. I kept getting a error message In the middle of my gameplay sessions and NOA said their tech team couldn't figure out the problem. I even had a manager request that I cease calling them since no resolution could be found.

The problem was a defective memory card. A service rep for NOA said that checking the sd card was a standard procedure in the the repair process. I even asked them if they had checked the sd card for defects but it seems obvious that they didn't.

communication at its worst. I lost so much faith in the company after that whole ordeal.

@Superryanworld I think they are. They constantly come out with quality games you can't find anywhere else.

Meanwhile, almost everything from Sony and Microsoft I can get on my PC half off.

@Kalmaro Fair enough. I've been considering getting into pc gaming. Better performance and cheaper software doesn't sound like a bad deal.

@S-Miyahon
Just because they didn't make it doesn't mean they don't own...
With that said, you apparently don't know what 3rd party means. It's the development and release of a game without the console manufacturer's involvement. 2nd party games are games owned by an external developer, but published by the console manufacturer as an exclusive (Bayonetta 2).

Tokyo Crash Mobs- Developed by Nitendo/Mitchell, owned by Nintendo (1st party)
Dillon's Rolling Western- Developed by Vanpool/Nintendo, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
Sakura Samurai- Developed by Grounding Inc., owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
Ketzal's Corridors- Developed by Keys Factory, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
Freakyforms- Developed by Asobism, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
Fluidity- Developed by Curve Digital, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
Sing Party- Developed by Nintendo, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
W101- Developed by Platinum, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
The Last Story- Developed by Mystwalker, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
Pandora's Tower- Developed by Ganbarion, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)
Flingsmash- Developed, owned by Nintendo (1st party)
Bonsai Barber- Developed by Zoonami, owned by Nintendo (1st party)
ThruSpace- Developed by Keys Factory, owned by Nintendo (1st party)
AquaSpace- Developed by Paon, owned by Nintendo (1st party)
You, Me and the Cubes- Developed by Nintendo, owned by Nintendo (1st Party)

PS:
Do your research before saying something stupid.

@BlueNitrous Disaster: Day of Crisis, Geist, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, The Last Story, Pandora's Tower...

All of these games were published by Nintendo during the GC-Wii era.

I think Splatoon is an excellent example that Nintendo can both please it's existing fan base and appeal to new customers. Also, the mobile strategy they outlined this year is geared towards attracting a new audience of gamers as well.

If your kids don't even know who Mickey Mouse is, then you're at least partially to blame as a parent.

@noctowl The small disc/No DVD/ console design may had a lot to do with it. Thanks for your arrogance though

Well, it works and we buy it. So of course Nintendo is using past ideas, it works and it's what people want. You've got to remember that the kids who had the Super Nintendo are all grown up now and they want that same experience. I do think Nintendo should use this to their advantage to branch out to more audiences. Get kids interested in Mario again.

@vonseux All of which appeal to the current audience, thank you for proving his point...

You know, it would be nice to see them try something mature. And by "mature" I don't mind boobs, blood, big muscular space marines.
Whenever Nintendo tries to do mature, they usually succeed (Twilight Princess is the best selling Zelda title, Majora's Mask often being considered the best Zelda game by fans, Metroid as a whole since Super [sans that one game that doesn't exist], especially the Prime series, F-Zero GX...)

The kiddy artsy thing you're doing with Zelda is alright and all, but...as evidenced by the reaction to the E3 2014 video, most people would've prefered a realistic game. Not the fourth cell-shaded game in a row.