This week's investor briefing, in which Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima gave his first formal financial results presentation, was perceived as an opportunity to learn about some key short term products and long term company strategy. Details on the first Nintendo / DeNA smart device game - which has transpired to be more accurately considered as an 'app' - and the Club Nintendo replacement were anticipated, with both due rather soon. Well, we did learn about them, we just won't get to put them to the test until March 2016.
Let's kick off by acknowledging that the delays are, according to Kimishima-san, quite deliberate; well, in the case of Miitomo, at least. The communication app will also be heavily tied into our My Nintendo accounts, which will be delivered under the Nintendo Account banner. It seems a bit silly to have revealed the Club Nintendo successor and in the process introduced two terms to confuse people, but then we should remember that the presentation was targeted primarily at investors, not eager fans. Ultimately we'll all have 'My Nintendo' accounts, and 'Nintendo Account' will be the name of the service driving it all; think of it as a variation on Nintendo Network and Nintendo Network ID.
The delay of Miitomo has its roots in avoiding a clash with the busy gaming shopping season, according to Kimishima-san, but is also undoubtedly to accommodate the rather complex Club Nintendo successor. There has been talk, which is believable, that the latter service has proven to be rather challenging to finalise for Nintendo and DeNA. When you look at what My Nintendo will deliver that's hardly a surprise.
A key feature, which will surely involve a lot of infrastructure work internally and in partnership with other companies, is the ability to login with various accounts. We'll have the option of using our Nintendo Network ID, Facebook, Twitter or Google+ details. That's a big departure from how the Nintendo Network ID works, for example, and it's logical that working with other companies to integrate their systems can take time and throw up unexpected obstacles.
That's a great idea to implement, though, as it's all about convenience. Not many will instinctively remember their Nintendo Network ID login credentials as they're rarely required, but we suspect plenty remember their Google, Facebook or Twitter details more readily. The fact that the overall Nintendo Account system will also formalise the ability to browse and buy games online - which are then downloaded remotely to the Wii U or 3DS in question - is great; though this has been an option in North America for a little while, fully expanding the service globally and within a broader setup is definitely smart.
As we outlined separately, there's a lot about My Nintendo that seems hugely encouraging. The prospect of save data in the cloud, physical and virtual rewards (including game-specific DLC) based not only on purchases but also on play time, tying together our data from consoles and smart device apps - all of that sounds like the modern, fully connected service Nintendo needs. Both this and Miitomo seem designed to integrate Nintendo into our daily lives in a meaningful way, which is a vital step.
Should both of these products deliver then Nintendo will rightfully be able to claim that it's offering a leading reward and social system for its customers, too. Sony and Xbox One operate paid services such as PlayStation Plus and on-board system messaging, of course, but the My Account option from Nintendo seems to be particularly rewarding - in theory. There's no indication of any cost for the loyalty program, while Miitomo will be free to initially download, so Nintendo is ensuring that plenty should be tempted by the option to simply try out freebies. Fusing its social smart device app with a broader account system that links into dedicated platforms ultimately sounds like a clever strategy to attract more consumers towards Nintendo's consoles.
With all of this in mind, and the potential of what's been revealed, we're inclined to suggest that a delay is worth stomaching this time around. The strategy of releasing the new loyalty program with Miitomo is sensible, and the complexities of the former are best given time to ensure a smooth launch. Frankly, it wouldn't surprise us if a pre-launch drop of information on both of these services coincides with a reveal for NX in early 2016; after all, these products will likely be closely aligned.
Game delays this year on Wii U, particularly, have been hurtful to that system, yet delays to the Nintendo Account system and Miitomo are arguably less problematic. These are products and services that'll influence how we interact with Nintendo in the long term, so waiting a little longer right now is a sacrifice worth making.
[source nintendo.co.jp]
Comments 61
I'm definitely liking the sound of this, alot of these features on the ps4 work really well and am happy to see Nintendo finally attempt a modern interconnected infrastructure.
To clarify for people: My Nintendo does not have it's own account like Club Nintendo did. My Nintendo is a service embedded in Nintendo Account, which is the overall account for Nintendo Network. NNIDs will serve as an ID for said Nintendo Account from March onward, rather than acting as the "account" itself like it is currently. Anything currently attached to the NNID should be absorbed into your Nintendo Account when you log in using your NNID.
Lets hope the delay brings something actually worth getting into. Having Club Nintendo linked to other accounts is something everyone else has been doing for years and will not sell systems beyond those already into Nintendo. That's just administrative type items, not exactly anything revolutionary.
The phone app/game looks terribly unappealing. I hope the Big N has something great planned for the NX, because thus far, the news were getting does nothing to reverse Nintendo's current sad position in the world of video games.
All this has led me to believe that the NX is definitely a crossover device. I remember that mariokart ad in japan where some guy was playing on what looked like a smaller wii u gamepad. I think that was the nx. Thats why it was blurred out. Why would they blur out a wii u gamepad? Makes no sense. Cant wait to be walking around with this and being rewarded for it aswell.
"My Nintendo" sounds like a Windows XP/7 folder name... like My Documents, or My Apps, for example. It's a very... early 2000s sounding name. Familiar to me, browser very catchy in 2015.
They'll certainly need the extra time to iron out any indescrepancies. Nintendo hasn't traditionally been very good with rolling out online infrastructures. I'm not keen on all this interconnectedness with social media platforms which record your every move... It will be interesting to see what circumvention is created by modders to bypass such an invasion of privacy. I will be particularly curious to see what scripts and trackers Nintendo employs when logging on through a PC. Not to mention, tons of people are going to be annoyed by constant game updates...
As for the smartphone app, it looks interesting to me, and I've been hankering for something which resembles the Wii's "Everyone Votes" Channel... Though I can't say how many people would give it a try outside of Japan. If I can't download the app through a PC web browsed or F-Droid, then I won't be getting it. Google tracks me enough with my phone just being turned on, I'm not going to open a Google Play account just for this.
Which reminds me... How are we going to download these apps outside of the NX, anyways?
@IceClimbers Great...I wonder how Nintendo is going to try explaining that one to the tech illiterate. They need to simplify it, or else we might see a second Wii U style explanation slip up on our hands.
@cloudrunner64
It was blurred out, so no one would mistake it for a brand name device that was currently on the market.
It's expensive to use someone's product in your marketing campaign and even more expensive to get sued for using a product or mock up that looks like a brand name product.
There was nothing disappointing or disastrous about this investors meeting unless you were expecting a massive short term gain.
Or a gamer who for some reason expected a massive game announcement at an investors meeting.
Nearly everything announced was part of a long term plan.
Short term investors are very fickle folk as is Wall Street.
Hell Apple's stock finally rebounded today and is up from where it started at the beginning of the week.
Yes Apple's stock took a beating when Apple's quarterly earnings on Tuesday weren't good enough for investors and Wall Street. They were really good quarterly numbers, but not record breaking.
@PlywoodStick It doesn't really need simplified. It just needs explained through something that isn't people translating an investors meeting. The press hasn't exactly been making things clear either. Even this site has been a bit unclear about it.
Basically all that people need to know is that Nintendo Account is your overall account that you can log in to via your NNID, or through social media accounts, and that everything is attached to this Nintendo Account, including the NNID, Miiverse, Nintendo eShop, Pokemon Bank, and My Nintendo.
honestly the delay in the new service doesn't effect me, I wasn't expecting it to go online till Nintendo starts talking about the NX. In a "the NX is the future this is now" sort of way
NOT TRUE. BECAUSE OF THIS DELAY, NINTENDO ARE DOOOOMED, DOOOOOOOOMED I SAY.
I'm new at this. Am I doing the overreacting at every piece of minor bad news by saying that 'Nintendo is doomed' correctly?
The big transition that will be pretty much impossible to please everyone (anyone?) with will be carrying over purchase information that is currently tied to hardware. Nintendo has to move past this somehow, but what a tangled mess that can be. (For instance, we have 4 accounts on our Wii U... who gets what?)
Also, the accounts have to work going forward and back, right? So, a year from now all my purchase information for my Wii U is in tact...
If they can make it so I buy a new Wii U and just download all my games one day in the future, I'll know Nintendo has "done it". Not thinking this is going to happen, though. At best, I hope that things are smarter from the NX going forward.
I'm surprised that the My Nintendo service offers physical rewards again. I thought Club Nintendo was becoming a detriment because of all the shipping costs.
I like those features, but I am willing to wait. Give'em time to polish things up.
I'm okay waiting for My Nintendo, but I'm slightly irked that they had to tie Flipnote Studio's release with it (in the UK at least).
miitomo was delayed so it will come to the nx you idiots
As I have stated before:
If you are disappointed with this reveal, here is an FYI:
This game wasn't made for you.
That's right. It wasn't. Miitomo was not developed to cater to the consumers who currently use a Wii U or 3DS. The sooner people realize Nintendo is not making Mario Galaxy 3 on mobile, the better.
Rather, the game was made to cater to the millions of former Wii and DS owners who have now abandoned Nintendo hardware in favor of mobile gaming. Nintendo's mobile strategy is and likely always will be: How do we get more consumers to play on our dedicated hardware and software??
Now, do I think Miitomo will be the game that convinces the highly casual portion of the Wii and DS audience to immediately start jumping onboard the Wii U, 3DS, NX, and/or other future Nintendo hardware?? Probably not. I personally couldn't care less about this game (or application, as it barely resembles a game at all), and I understand why people are disappointed with its concept.
But I also couldn't care less about Candy Crush (which is a sentiment that many core gamers share), and that game generates millions of dollars every day. The people who have made Candy Crush the success that it currently is the audience that Nintendo is targeting with Miitomo. If you wee looking forward to playing high quality AAA Nintendo games, then buy a Wii U, buy a 3DS, and/or wait for the NX and buy it when it is released.
I just hope they do absorb the nnid information, if points are going to count for anything and you get them for playing/finishing games. I would want what I have already done on that account to mean something. It would be frustrating to be punished for playing through prior to the new account system being introduced
Probably better to have something finished to a useable degree than to implement something that doesn't work properly. Not too bothered about delays or that Miitomo is more of an app than a game. I was never going to move over to smartphone gaming anyway. This might be just a bit of fun and it kind of makes sense in terms of promoting a Nintendo presence on smartphones. I can understand that it's a necessary step for Nintendo in the current climate, even if I don't find it particularly inspiring at the moment.
im fine waiting either way...I wonder if miiverse on the NX will also be included somehow in their plans?
@crimsontadpoles welcome friend...your "DOOM" sounded a bit forced and it lacked the "zombie apocalypse end of the world" tone most whiny video game fanatics/ninty fanboys/ninty trolls and regular naysayers have...but i must say your delivery is impressive nonetheless! LOL!!!
March will be here before we know it. I'm very curious to see how the new account system works, hopefully its as good as we hoped.
But that Mii tomato game sounds like a load of rubbish!
@westman98
and we're all glad Mario Galaxy 3 isn't on mobile, eek
Im just glad Club Nintendo will still have physical rewards
Oh and that we're finally getting a PS4/iCloud like account system The future is going to be exciting!
I like the emphasis on the delay in the title, and then again talking about the game delays at the end of the article. Has there been anything since the switch to HD Nintendo hasn't delayed? It's just one delay after another with them, with everything they do. Well maybe some amiibo waves get out on time but those tend to be woefully understocked. And different times in different regions.
And thru all this all I read is - better a delayed game then a bad game, better a delayed Club Nintendo than a bad Club Nintendo, better a delayed app than a bad app.
How about Nintendo start getting their time projections right for once. Now wouldn't that be nice.
Delaydo Maybe I can type that right.
@crimsontadpoles Not enough bold text
@amiiboacid Best Comment Award, laughed heartily.
I really enjoy being rewarded with points for my purchases and has me hesitant to get games when I can wait and get the games likely cheaper at a later date with rewards. Should've kept Club Nintendo at least until the holidays. Just sayin it makes better sense.
I don't get it, people actually care about that free-to-play mobile game?
Lol. Club Nintendo had fans??????!
If so they were dellusional.
Ha club Nintendo....
I was hoping the replacement for Club Nintendo would come out this year. It sucks they're delaying it to go together with Miitomo for like 4-5 months but eh. I just hope it turns out better than Club.
there was never real club nintendo in Finland so i hope this new system finally allows digital rewards also for people in small countries
Haven't purchased one boxed game from Nintendo after the discontinuation of Club Nintendo.
@retro_player_22
Uh the one hundred million and probably billion people that download them on smartphones/tablets? The Miitomo app is targeted on iOS and Android users who play on that platform first and foremost.
Edit:
I tried playing on tablets and smartphones before. It's not for me. Also it drains my phone battery quickly. But I will download the MyNintendo app and the Miitomo app for sure. And I agree with @rjejr. They need to rename it for the western crowd. MiiFriends or Miitomo World sounds better.
@crimsontadpoles
Needs even more and longer "DOOMED"s. Otherwise you are doing a fine job
The reason for the delays they keep throwing out cracks me up. So they can 'more fully focus on pushing what's ready for holiday 2015'. That completely makes sense...but WHAT exactly are they focusing on? That's what gets me. They have delayed every single big game until next year. Are hey pushing Triforce Heros and Happy Home Designer? SO pathetic.
Anyway, I just hope (extremely likely in vain) that they retroactively credit us for the play time we have already done once the new program launches. I mean, I'm SURE they won't, but it just makes me sad since I chose to jump back in with a Nintendo home console on one of their off generations and I have dumped CRAP loads of time into the U and my 3DS...but just now am kind of running out of time in my life for games...just as they get their crap together...
@DarkJamD The Netherlands is smaller but we had clubnintendo (welp we are the 6th largest gaming market in europe after the big 5, uk, germany , spain, France and Italy ) so yeah in that case finland is smaller but in size the netherlands is much smaller
@rjejr Well they're always in time with the delayed game ANNOUNCEMENT
I find it fascinating how they can apparently have games lined up for release we didn't know about,no deadline, but yet still delay games in the public spotlight? It's just plain weird to manage fan expectations like that....
Oh, and 'delaydo' just made me giggle on the bus to work in the rain.....thanks for that
@westman98 Let me get this straight: If you're a 3DS-user hoping for a decent mobile Nintendo game, Miitomo isn't for you, if you're part of the "highly casual" portion of Wii/DS users that started playing mobile games instead, it's not really for you either, so that leaves people who are less casual but still abandoned Nintendo for mobile, and people who never cared about Nintendo in the first place.
How is this "Kids' facebook"-app (Sorry, nobody above age 10 will be caught dead using this) going to get any of those people to drop $150 on a 3DS and $40 per game for the real Nintendo experience?
I understand Nintendo trying to push people to Nintendo hardware, but an outlay of $150+ is a pretty steep hurdle to push people over, especially with no major new games coming and the competition doing a holiday advertising blitz (Lots of "Assassin's creed: Syndicate"-ads on TV here in Holland)
@MysticX and the occasional fallout 4 commercials (they are really advertising here for once arent they ) But to be fair watch disney XD or Nickelodeon and you get slapped in the face with new supermario bros 2, splatoon, mariokart 8 , pokemon(especially this one omg) , tomodachi life commercials.
To be honest nintendo needs to advertise more on Adult channels (like the wii commercials, they were good) If Twillight princess hd is a thing advertise it on adult channels *od dammit. SRRY a lil rant here
@MysticX and the occasional fallout 4 commercials (they are really advertising here for once arent they ) But to be fair watch disney XD or Nickelodeon and you get slapped in the face with new supermario bros 2, splatoon, mariokart 8 , pokemon(especially this one omg) , tomodachi life.
To be honest nintendo needs to advertise more on Adult channels (like the wii commercials, they were good) If Twillight princess hd is a thing advertise it on adult channels *od dammit. SRRY a lil rant here
@Idunno123 It has to do with whom your distributor was. Bergsala/enigma is the distributor of nintendo products in the nordic countries, most european countries have Nintendo of Europe as their distributor.
So all of these things being delayed till March...hmm, does that mean this NX is going to be arriving then?
Anyways, the mobile game has been on the news already, with all news coverage stating that it will be available November. Now, with this game slated for March, shouldn't nintendo be making this up, because there will be a lot of people complaining about it if it's not out by November now. Just another backwards step for nintendo in their long line of delays.
Sometimes I think nintendo needs some younger blood into their team. The delays are what is hurting them the most, not the systems. The 3DS wasn't ready at launch, with the fact that it took several months for the E-Shop to even come onto it and several more months for any really good game. The Wii U took a while for a really good title to come on it too. Nintendo just needs to realize that they can't rush a system out, have nothing really good or appealing on it at launch, show off games that will be on it, then have those games that they show off come out almost a year down the road. This is what ends up making consumers mad...spending a lot of money on a console to not have anything come out on it...this is the one thing I'm mad with the PS4, even though I still love the system, it's going into 2 years before the games start lavishing on it and coming out in boat loads.
Then nintendo announces that they are working on another system. Every time they do this, the year before that system comes out, you barely see anything come out or get worked on with their current systems, expecting to keep people that bought that system happy with nothing out for a year. That's a bad business decision that they have done sine the N64 era, which saw only a few titles released in it's final year...then the gamecube had no first party releases in it's final year...then the wii, now...3DS and Wii U...come on nintendo, you have the man power and you have the money. I love your systems and games, but there needs to be some thought into these matters.
I certainly appreciate the desire for quality,but Nintendo really needs to start improving their production line and work ethic. It makes you look unreliable if every single project keeps suffering from delays,
I don't think the "Mario Galaxy 3" isn't going to be on mobile comment is fair. I think a blue ocean strategy should excite everybody. I think the Wii was successful because gamers and non-gamers alike wanted to see what motion control was all about and Wii Sports was the perfect vehicle to show that realization to the world.
As such, I just thought a true online only Animal Crossing with beefed up social integration made too much sense. Me as a gamer would be excited about a new Animal Crossing. I think you could hit the social media demographic on phones excited about that as it's something similar to what they are doing, but different enough to want to add it to their usual phone time. As it stands, I have no desire to have Miitomo and I'm not sure why the people glued to facebook/twitter or whatever would give Miitomo a chance since they are already getting their social media itch.
I also think that essentially giving up on the Wii U with hurt them badly with the NX. I've bought every Nintendo at launch since the Gamecube (except for 3DS) so I'm Nintendo's core demographic. And I've already decided that I need to not buy the NX at launch because I want to see if they are going to get enough market penetration to stick with the NX and bring the games I want in a system. And for average Joe who ignored the Wii U already, I think the further you are off their mind, the less likely they will consider an NX.
Just in time for StarFox!
I feel like a lot of the mobile games will be able to interact somehow with console games and be inspired by the source material, if this does happen Star Fox would be the perfect first try, but I hope they would have some unique games that don't have a console game alongside them too.
Does anyone think its only natural for Nintendo to, either on their own or through partnership, develop their own smartphone? Microsoft and Sony already have their phones, it could compete and I would buy it, as long as it was still android, I'd be very wary if they developed their own system, windows phones taught me this.
I have no real interest in Miitomo so far, not big on social media, but I'm happy Nintendo seems to be going all-out entering into the smart phone realm.
The delays are always disappointing but here is the thing, this is how Nintendo is now. They jump the gun on release dates and/or, they don't seem to give adequate time to prepare for something. Really, with the end of Club Nintendo, they should have been pushing the new service and should have almost had it ready. We are now 4 months since that service ended (North America) and now they are talking more delays. Yes, people can argue that something delayed is eventually good where as something rush and bad, is bad forever but you can't seriously argue this for everything. I am sorry Nintendo but you need to do better before you're obsolete, you're losing what little fans you have left.
I just thought of something...
What if... They used the whole smartphone situation and brought back Game & Watch? That was STOOPID popular in it's day, and G&W is easily "pick-up and play"...
Just an Idea...
@MysticX This is just one component of the bigger picture. On the surface- yes, it's disappointing. But let's see how it integrates with other mobile games, social media and even the consoles.
@ULTRA-64 "on the bus to work in the rain"
Well under those circumstances it shouldn't take much to get a laugh, but you are most welcome. I had jury duty yesterday, worse than work.
"It's just plain weird to manage fan expectations like that...."
I think it's weird to manage A COMPANY like that. Everything gets a date and then it gets delayed. I can't begin to imagine what a pain it must be to work in their forecasting and financials departments. How do they have any idea how to budget for anything? All those back offices must have very big paper shredders.
@Captain_Gonru OMG ROFL
(trying to blend us in w/ the millennials)
@Splatburst "MiiFriends or Miitomo World"
I could live w/ any of those. But now I wonder if they fear the "Friends" name after "Words with Friends" and whatever other millions of clones their may be using "Friends" in the title. How about "Meet-a-Mii". I keep pronouncing it "Meat-Oh-mo", rhymes w/ Whack-a-mole, b/c I don't like it, might as well make it work. It is all about meeting other peoples Mii's, yes?
As long as they get it all sorted and right the delay is fine by me.
One of the easier Nintendo delays to deal with, I'd say.
@rjejr jury duty would have been a whole lot worse if there was somebody from Nintendo's business planning dept in there with you! You'd be there for years while they made their mind up and delayed all decisions..
Kimishima says both Miitomo and Nintendo Account & My Nintendo are pretty much ready to go. They only delayed Miitomo to have more time to explain it, and due to wanting to launch Nintendo Account and My Nintendo at the same time as Miitomo, delayed those as well.
@ikki5 No, this is how the entire industry is now. You either don't have adequate time to complete a project, resulting in games with less content or just flat out broken games requiring massive day one patches, or you delay it. Delays are the better option everytime.
If people get this flustered over delays, then video games are losing fans, not just Nintendo, and this industry is royally screwed.
@MysticX
Miitomo is for people who bough a Wii and DS last gen, then skipped on the Wii U and 3DS this gen due to the rapidly expanding mobile market. Think of all the people who bough a Wii and DS to play Wii Fit and Brain Training rather than Zelda and Smash Bros. That is who Miitomo is targeted to.
Now, do I think Miitomo is going to be the game/app that makes those type of consumers that I just described suddenly want to buy Nintendo hardware and software? Probably not. But people need to understand: Nintendo will treat the mobile market like a giant advertising platform, not as their core business. Their core business is still Wii U and 3DS, and will soon be the NX.
I do agree that Nintendo holiday lineup this year is lacking, but apparently the company still has unannounced Wii U and 3DS holiday titles for this year, as well as another Nintendo Direct for this year (where they will presumably announce those unannounced game). I don't know...anything is possible.
BTW Assassin's Creed Syndicate recently posted the worst launch sales ever for a new mainline AssCreed game, so it seems like all that advertising didn't really help much.
I sense a poll incoming.
@IceClimbers In terms of delays, Nintendo is at the top of the list compared to every other system. Yeah, sure, the other things get delays however the biggest problem with Nintendo is it has nothing coming to it to make up for the delays while the other systems do. Even more so that it is not no longer just games that Nintendo is delaying now.
@mjc0961
Atleast Sony has games though. I never understood why people say exclusive games are the only thing that matter. If exclusive games were the only thing that mattered, why is it that people who bought the Wii U complain of lack of games? Sure, they give you more reason to buy a system. But that is the difference, Sony has games coming to it, Nintendo, it is basically Nintendo and the delays are much more noticed. Nintendo doesn't have a very good Christmas either just so you know since It's holiday released became Tennis and Xenoblade (which is a niche game and is really only new to here, Also, let me remind you that Xenoblade WAS a delayed title). Everything else is an indie game or another title that was delayed.
this game makes perfect sense as a first app, in a sense you'll be creating your new accounts and then a virtual version of you that will be part of every move that you make from then on and also have a life of it's on through this app while Nintendo will be monitoring your hobbies and stuff you like to create better products suited for you, same thing companies like Facebook is doing while you think you're "communicating with friends" but you rather unwittingly let them intrude your privacy instead.
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