Nintendo Plans Corporate Changes That Point to Diverse Business Moves

A Nintendo cafe? Count me in! Maybe MatPat can finally dine with Reggie like he's been wanting to.😄

Does this mean we'll finally get real life Stock Pot Inn's or Milk Bars like in Majora's Mask?

So QOL is still surviving, huh?

Medical devices?

Considering the success of a range of Dr Mario Catheters....

@Senpai_Bruh Sure, if you want shoddy, ramshackle rooms with an over apologetic receptionist who lets people steal reservations just because they share a name and are the same race.

I hope the US gets a park.
So...could we get a Nintendo restaurant?

I would love to see some awesome toys from Nintendo. Maybe they could bring back the Mach Rider toys.

I knew it, Nintendo are going to start operating love hotels again!

Honestly, it makes me think the reason they say the NX is not a replacement for Wii U is because it may be some kind of home computer or something. Instead of just a gaming console.

Bring back the love hotels.

Excellent, and quite interesting. Expansion is necessary for Nintendo. Why limit themselves to video games and hanafuda?

This sounds like the unorganized and unsuccessful Nintendo of the 1960s. Just keep gaming as your main priority Nintendo.

A Nintendo Chuck E. Cheese, make it happen!

@LegendOfPokemon A Nintendo Cafe would actually be a pretty good idea, since Cafes are also known as internet hotspots. That could be a nice place to meet other Nintendo fans, play handheld games online, and download Streetpass data.

@Bolt_Strike
What would it be called though? Caffè N?

@Bleed0range
That's a pretty cool idea! What if it's a phone like device with some physical buttons on it(away from the screen) that can connect to an Apple TV type device? Not exactly, but similar...

@Bolt_Strike That's a really interesting way to frame that and would make a ton of sense. I could see them investing in an existing place, perhaps, and making Nintendo a part of them as opposed to starting their own, but that would be pretty awesome. If they had good drinks and places to sit and hang out and such, I'd be more inclined to go there than anywhere else when I'm doing work, or reading, or hanging out with people, etc.

Looks like shareholders entering into panic mode and losing some faith in video games as the core business. As if they want to focus on their popular IPs while they can: films, parks, cafes, toys... In other words, the other Disney. Hey, I'd welcome a Nintendo Cruise Line.

My guess is that Nintendo is slowly losing confidence in gaming as a business for them and are trying to look for another business to make money from.

Nintendo's very own brand of Brain Bleach! Perfect for permanently erasing all those awful Other M memories.

Hmmm. . . . I'm half less worried than before and half more worried than ever. All this stuff might help Nintendo turn a profit but I'm not sure it's going to be the same company by the end of it.

I just want Nintendo to be basically like Disney but with its main business being the video games rather than the movies, and without all the junk like medical/health devices or eating establishments (unless they're specifically Nintendo/game focused).

It's really simple to me: Nintendo is supposed to be an entertainment company; that's where its strengths lie. That means I'm cool with it making games consoles, video games, movies, animations, playing cards, board games, toys, merchandise, opening Nintendo stores and Nintendo theme parks, and all that jazz, but just stuff that firmly fits under the "entertainment" umbrella only.

I guess we'll see how it all turns out.

Hasn't Nintendo always said they were more than a video game company anyway? All of this sorta falls in line with that statement. It's not like they haven't been involved in other ventures before.

It almost makes you wonder why they didn't do this sooner. They have IP. They have brand recognition. So why not? With the gaming landscape changing and production costs ballooning, it makes total sense to leverage the Nintendo name in other areas.

It all just screams out "3rd party" to me.

And the restaurant business is brutal. I've been to a lot of those themed restaurants in my life - they all open a branch on 57th ST in Manhattan eventually - - and more often than not they fail. "Breasturants" are the new thing now, but I can't imagine Nintnedo going that route, not even in Japan. Maybe a biker bar w/ Wario as the mascot. I do like licensing, but it has to make sense. Though a Dave & Busters could work, though they would probably want to team up w/ others, not sure there are enough Ntineod arcade games to carry an entire location.

Does seem like a lot all at once though, I would think expansion would go smoother a little at a time. Guess there's no time like the present, Kimishima is certainly a business first, a gamer, maybe never.

I guess Project Café wasn't the Wii U after all.

@rjejr yea I'm not too sure about the whole restaurant thing... Maybe perhaps if it was in Universal Studios or something? Though I'm sure Nintendo is playing the long game with these ventures. They surely wouldn't say, "Let's do all the things. AT ONCE!"

I'd imagine they could develop more arcade games if they wanted to. Heck, I wouldn't mind seeing an arcade version of Smash Bros. Or a new F Zero or Waverace Arcade game. Or even updated versions of classics like the original Donkey Kong.

I wonder if they could license their IPs to SquareEnix or Atlus so that we can get a decent RPG! Just... putting my dreams out there...

About time, if you ask me.
Diversification and growth are always welcome.

@DiscoGentleman agreed. Like I said in an earlier comment, I'm surprised they didn't do this sooner. Kimishima is a business minded fellow. Of course he'd want to diversify and leverage the Nintendo name in other ways. In no way does that mean they've lost confidence in the gaming industry.

This is more evidence of Nintendo preparing to put much less focus on the core gaming business.

Nintendo themed cereal....that what I want

@Kirk I'm with you there. I've never understood how QoL works with Nintendo's idea, and now this? As long as video games is the center, I think it's alright, but these sure are curious moves.

@DarkKirby does Microsoft put less emphasis on other areas because of Xbox? Or Sony because of Playstation? Why can't a company expand, without it meaning something terrible. I mean granted Nintendo is a much smaller company when compared to their contemporaries, but that doesn't mean they can't expand if they do it smartly.

I'm not sure why using their IP in other ways means they are essentially jumping ship.

@Syrek24
I see this as a drastically less gaming focused Nintendo. For you to call somebody else out saying that they're a snob for being worried about their passion is an abomination. Nintendo is currently showing apathy in a situation where they are suffering more than the SNES CD-ROM being stolen by Sony and as well Square and Enix both joining Sony on their system. That led to grounds for Nintendo still suffering third parties today.

I'm getting to hate Kimishima more and more everyday. We have had the NX get delayed, Zelda get delayed, Star Fox get delayed. And in the meantime we have movies, restaurants, theme parks. I want games. I want to stop being the one person at work that still supports Nintendo while everybody else is laughing at me for supporting them. I want to be the one who shows off a great exclusive unable to be accessed on Xbox or Playstation.

I know I asked a whole lot, but is it really that much to ask that a game company show me some games I'm interested in?

@Sir_JBizzle
Nintendo does not have the manpower to diversify their focuses. If they would purchase some other companies to focus on those merging into the main focus of the company then yeah it would be able to work better.

In the meantime a lot of fans see the same as I. More things to worry about and still the same number of staff. Why are Zelda remakes being brought over to Greco? Why was Star Fox made by Platinum?

@DiscoGentleman are you hiring your disco skills for the staff parties?

@Bleed0range maybe it a 2 in 1 tablet that is also is a laptop that runs on Android.

@bezerker99 also the Wii u

Take the pregnant wife for an ultrasound echo, to find out it's gonna be a little baby mario!

@Yorumi @LordGeovanni surely the the folks that handle the games wouldn't be handling the expansion hence the word expansion. Much like Sony and Microsoft have department heads, or really almost every company in existence, so would Nintendo's other ventures, I'd imagine.

Also, like I said in another comment, it's long term thinking. I wouldn't think they would jump into all these new ventures at once. It's something that takes planning.

The Wii U wasn't successful from jump, Kimishima knew that it wouldn't be, as been documented. Naturally upon becoming president he would kill it and kill it swiftly. So I wasn't at all surprised about that. This is just speculation on my part, but I imagine everyone at Nintendo started moving development towards NX, hence the severe lack of Wii U output and one could argue it effected 3DS output as well. Which would also explain why they contracted out their work.

@Tasuki

"It's just another evolution phase for Nintendo that's all. People need to realize Nintendo started as a card company, got into toys and other things and then video games you don't stay around for 100 years without evolving."

You have capsulized my thoughts in two simple sentences.

@Senpai_Bruh If they make a bar or inn exactly like in Majora's Mask I'd have to visit them.

I'm going to assume the people who think Nintendo diversifying is a bad thing are the same ones who said the Kyoto-based company would fail because "they only maek vidya gaemz!"

Either way, diversification is a good sign, it means they are able and willing to expand. If it means they are able to counteract any possible losses in the console space then good on them.

@Yorumi

Now Miyamoto can LITERALLY upend tea tables!

Ill see myself out...

Movies were fine, but... this? Is Nintendo turning into the next Sony? Can't they focus on games?

Id love it if Nintendo took the Dave and Busters business model but replaced Arcade Cabinets with home consoles and couches/chairs. Groups of 2 to 6 could gather and game together, with the agreement that if yoy bring leas than 6 your party will be rounded out by others.

They could have waitresses bring you food, coffee and beverages, including alcohol.

A bar where the gaming couches are the centerpiece, not a dance floor.

@Yorumi

Haha. For sure. Does every 10,000th customer maybe get the real Miyamoto, though?

@Yorumi

"could they give one single tiny bit of positive news?"

I see that more of a matter of perspective than anything else. The Wii U, yes, is all but dead but it's not like we didn't get SOME great games out of the thing (which again, can be highly subjective depending on who you ask for instance, I think Star Fox and MP10 are great) one thing has always constant when it come to Nintendo, their new systems are always shrouded in mystery. They've always held their cards close their chest.

Sure, they're not showing the NX at E3, but good news is that said they are going to reveal it. How is that not positive news. So they aren't showing it at E3, big whoop. There's no rulebook saying they have to reveal it there. I'd rather them reveal it when they are ready and have a slate of games to be excited about and ready to play day one, then show it at E3 before they are ready and have another Wii U on our hands. Which seems to be one of your complaints. In a way, just dropping the Wii U and rebooting is just fine with me if we get a potentially better system out of it (fingers crossed)

Also, we know NX is coming. These new ventures is just another announcement that could be years down the line, just like the NX was when it was announced. I'm not really worried until there is something to be worried about. I will give you this though, I can totally see how the support dropping for Wii U would upset some, but in no way was it sudden. Anybody who was paying attention could see that from a long way off. Which I would imagine is most most of us here. Even the most hardcore Nintendo fanboy defenders.

I'm reminded of a line from one of the soundtracks from The World Ends With You: "How many companies want to sell us MORE services and products? Can't we share???"

There are limits to growth. There is always a beginning hidden cost, and eventually a cruel cost of doing business against the workers (and potentially also their families). Growing out every which way without restraint ensures that misery and cut jobs will be seen at the end of it. We just don't always get to see that. That doesn't mean diversification is bad, it just means that if you want your business to remain focused and sharp, you need to have limits on how far you go.

But then again, this is capitalism in action we're talking about, here... So many people say, "This is fortifying the ability of the business to survive.". And what of the workers? What about ensuring their ability to survive? Nintendo has been fairly good about not falling into the dire pitfalls of unfettered growth that Sony has fallen into. But if they overstretch themselves, then they will end up losing their traditions and become just another evil company that lays off thousands of regular people while the executives live comfortably.

Iwata was not such a person. I don't know about Kimishima, but I guess we will see soon enough...

@Yorumi I mean none of this is 'assuring' anyone. Nintendo didn't announce this, they just updated something on their web page, eagle-eyed fans found it, and now it's doing the internet news rounds.

@Yorumi You're also forgetting, THEY NEVER BLOOMIN' WELL SAID THAT THEY'D SHOW THE NX AT E3. All of that was hearsay; extrapolated, misguided fan speculation and expectation. Potentially it could have been mistranslations or other media misunderstandings.

@Sir_JBizzle It was the management part of the restaurant line that stood out to me. What does Ntinod know about "managing" a restaurant? They own a retail store in Manhattan - Nintendo NYC - but it's in store only, it doens't even have online. And in the UK the online store is big deal but they' don't have a B&M store. But let's open and run a restaurant!! Suuuurrrreeee....

Some things just need to be licensed, let others manage it. Focus on making good games so people will want to go to your restaurant and buy products at your store. I think the same goes for their movie venture as well. Disney can make Marvel and Star wars movies, Disney has been making movies practically since movies existed. But they shut down Avalanche and are getting out of games. So like that, but in reverse order.

@tjhiphop They implied it at E3 2015. They never promised anything, sure, but it's still a bit disconcerting, since Nintendo has never, ever missed an opportunity like this before. It makes one wonder if it has something to do with the current management acting defensively within the current market...

@Yorumi Nintendo has a lot more outside influence now. In addition to the DeNA capital alliance fundamentally changing how Nintendo will do business with the NX and mobile/handhelds, certain executives outside of Nintendo are now higher up on the ladder than the President of both NoA and NoE.

I'm not sure how much Kimishima is changing up how Nintendo works behind the scenes, but the whole thing reeks of a few higher ups changing the company structure to their liking. Completely different from how it used to be run, with Minoru Arakawa being right under Hiroshi Yamauchi when Nintendo was smaller... Such is the effect of widening growth policies.

@LetsGoRetro Game truck. Only bigger. I've been to 3 parties that have had these, always a hit.

@Yorumi you can't delay something that never had a release date in the first place. Zelda on the other hand... Yea. That's almost always delayed, so that was highly expected.

As far as Iwata, well to put it as gently as possible, he's not the president anymore, so perhaps the new brass felt it wasn't ready to be revealed? Who knows... To be fair, we got NX details earlier than E3. That it's coming in 2017, Zelda is a NX game and that more details are coming at an indeterminate date. that's more info than what we had 2 years ago

@PlywoodStick "Such is the effect of widening growth policies."

And having your cult of personality President up and die on you unexpectedly while your company is getting hammered by shareholders and the media for a failing system. Replace the late gamer at heart with the businessman at heart, things are gonna change, and change takes time. And lots of people don't like change.

@rjejr Nice image choice, it reminds people just how far Microsoft has come with regards to backwards compatibility (the first Black Ops game came to XB1 yesterday via BC).

@rjejr I agree, and I don't dislike change. In fact, I like it. But I, along with most people, dislike bad change. The place I work at has changed a lot over the years, for example, but it has overall been for the better. But we're a small operation, and it's a lot easier to screw up a big business than a small one. Especially when the branches start turning into trees themselves. And furthermore, when foreign trees start melding and morphing into and onto the original tree. That's not natural growth. Nature always prunes the branches one way or another when they get too big, so it's kinder to limit the branches in the first place, and let other trees have their space.

Sooooo....even less games?

@Senpai_Bruh milk bars better have cereal!

@Bleed0range if its a tablet or a laptop I'd be fine with that!

@Grumblevolcano Man, you've taken that pic to heights I could never have intended, I barely figured it out after reading your comment 3 times. My intention was basic caveman - game truck, good.

I find this fascinating, especially the Medical thing because QOL was never fully shown its full potential. I know Wii balance boards and Wii remotes have been used in medical facilities already so i'm guessing Nintendo might want to try to make some money of that. It would be sad to see Wii technology that could be used to help people go to waste...

Sometimes its good for a company to diversify as long as it doesn't deviate too far from it's original purpose(In this case video games)

@PlywoodStick Too many GMO's at Nintendo HQ.

Is Nintendo done with amiibo after they release Cloud??

@rjejr LOL! The traditional agricultural type of GMO's are fine, it's the synthetic ones I'm worried about. Not that there's no such thing as a good synthetic one, but it takes a lot of work to splice glow in the dark fungus/algae with an oak. (Or a cherry blossom, in this case)

@LetsGoRetro a bar? Not likely! Alcohol is for adults and in the us Nintendo only cares about kids!

So this means there is still hope that these braindead managers in charge of the eShop get laid off and Nintendo will start with competitive prices and perhaps ...yes perhaps .....even real rewards?

And if youre at it already, sue these monkeys on the way out for sabotaging your brand.

@3MonthBeef This is what I was exactly thinking. In this market thats getting more and more competitive and crowded. Nintendo needs to start finding other streams of revenue

"Management and investment in stores", does that mean Nintendo will finally open more Nintendo Store around the World? I don't see why they would change the Nintendo World Store to Nintendo NY if they aren't planning on expanding to make more stores like Nintendo Paris, Nintendo Toronto, etc.

@LegendOfPokemon @Bolt_Strike I could see a Café au N being opened in Tokyo (at least first maybe more later), but I see a huge problem with this, Nintendo probably doesn't want large groups (for example) of Monster Hunter to come and play for 4 hour sessions (or more) but only buy 1 drink while there are a ton of people outside waiting for a table. As it's a Nintendo cafe, it will be a great place to meet and play with other Nintendo gamers, so this will happen. Unless they implement a 1 hour time limit?

@Yorumi

"They won't put their core franchises on mobile."

Nintendo NEVER said that. In fact, they said the exact opposite from the beginning - that all of their IP are on the table for mobile.

Edit: Also, Iwata NEVER said that they'd talk about NX at E3 2016. When NX was first announced, Iwata said that "they'd share more details next year." He did not specify E3. Reggie didn't specify E3 either at last year's E3. It was always just "sometime in 2016."

You're letting your emotions and paranoia affect your memory.

@IronMan28 exactly, it's nearly impossible for a company to survive in only market space.

@Senpai_Bruh I don't drink, but I'd buy a bottle of Chateau Romani in a heart-beat.XD

I hope they bring back Nintendo breakfast cereal and the Captain N Saturday morning cartoon. Seriously, as a kid these sort of ventures kept me hooked on Nintendo.

Good. Because it's the same single source of income that destroyed Venezuela. Nintendo needs to diversify, else it won't survive the decade.

@Blastcorp64 MegaMan's horrible character design aside, man I loved Captain N! I still would have loved to see him as a character or at the very least a trophy in Smash!

@Sleepingmudkip

All the markets Nintendo is looking at are crowded and competetive. Most companies specialize in one market because it's easier to do one thing well instead of 20 things well. Especially when they've shown they can do that one thing well and they haven't shown they can do the other 19 things well.

@3MonthBeef

Nintendo has made the most money of all time in the video game market. They even made money last year on terrible sales. I think most people just want them to continue to make money on video games and could care less about their other ventures.

But if you want them to become Sony, they will have to invest alot of their cash on hand to grow that much. So I hope they are successful because masssive growth in unrelated businesses is a risky plan.

Nintendo games on PC?!?!?!?!?

@Socar

I would personally love that. Nintendo still makes great games so I could see them being a succesful third party whereas Sega was not. But Nintendo made a ton of money on the Wii so they aren't willing to give up hardware yet. I think the NX and the subsequent console would have to fail before Nintendo would move third party. I think that is at least a 50/50 of happening.

Nintendo = Doomed AF

@IceClimbers I think your idea of "beginning" is a little late in the game. Years ago Iwata said they would never put their franchises on mobile, it would be short term game by sacrificing the long term viability of the company. That's probably what Yourimi was referring to. And there really is no other way to interpret what Iwata said, he seeded pretty adamant about keeping Nintendo off of mobile.

http://gamerant.com/satoru-iwata-nintendo-mobile-kyle-104237/

@cleveland124 Ughh.....that's not what I meant.

How about some Healthy Hotels Nintendo?

@cleveland124 First I know all markets are crowded to a degree but medical technology market doesn't play by the same rules as the video game market. If Nintendo can utilize and advance/enhance the technology it already has from the Wii era it can be successful in the medical field. Beside Nintendo has already dabbled in the medical field it's not like it's something entirely new to them.

Second Nintendo isn't doing 20 things. It's doing what it's reasonable(beside the cafe which is out of left field)
-theme parks and movies are not unrealistic for a company built on name recognition.

@rjejr Yorumi was definitely referring to after the mobile plans were announced. That part of comment #38 that I quoted came right after the "oh well the mobile games won't be games really just advertisements."

While it's true that Iwata definitely resisted mobile, it's pretty clear that they would have been forced to cave in eventually.

@rjejr

Whoa! Ive never seen or heard of this and i am super bummed that thats the case! Looks awesome!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

People who want to play Nintendo games without buying a Nintendo console are getting their wishes granted.

@Yorumi

The quality of their games aren't dropping, your standards are just too high.

"Includes medical devices"

Lol, they can't even get their first QOL product on the market!!

@Mario-Man-Child It's depressing to see how many armchair analysts need to do a course on introduction to marketing and a course of introduction to business.

(Yes, despite it also seeming like Nintendo should have sent their people on the same course prior to the Wii U)

@Sleepingmudkip They've probably been encouraged by the success and interest in the Pokemon-themed cafes. Not too long after launching in Japan they've already expanded to Singapore.

They've also done other collaborations/partnerships so the results were probably pleasing enough for Nintendo to enter that market sector in a bigger way.
http://kotaku.com/visiting-tokyos-super-mario-cafes-1713298771
http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/illustration/camille-walala-turns-london-cafe-into-paper-mario-themed-diner-for-nintendo/

@ironside1911 Given that indies have been quoted to be very happy with eShop and their sales there exactly why do you believe Nintendo's eShop staff should be fired? There is zero business justification for this.

Psst... i have an idea.
How about... Animal Crossing New Leaf anime series ?

@PlywoodStick "splice glow in the dark fungus/algae with an oak"

Kirby had to fight off Nintndo's new overlord to get Planet Robobot released on time.

@3MonthBeef

All systems lose a part of their fan base as they age. Nintendo was supposed to have an advantage at picking up young video game users because of their family focus video games. I guess the question I have is what do you think Nintendo does well and what do they not do well? I would think drawing in younger gamers would be a strength and not a weakness as you are stating.

I guess it depends on what they are doing on the medical side. I don't classify some rehab facilities using a Wii as Nintendo having experience in that field. I mean rehab patients go bowling as part of their rehab. Does that mean bowling centers have experience in the medical industry? If you are saying Nintendo release a Wii like fitness device than okay. If you are saying they know how to release a piece of equipment used in hospitals than that requires alot of work and investment.

@Sleepingmudkip

It depends how they do the theme parks. My worry is this would have been a great idea 10-20 years ago, but that their brand is at an all time low and it may not be a great idea now. I'd put all my effort on making NX successful and then try to piggy back on that success. I mean they can't sell a reasonably priced video game console so why would people pay more for a premium experience?

@IceClimbers "While it's true that Iwata definitely resisted mobile, it's pretty clear that they would have been forced to cave in eventually."

Eventually, like over ...

I think anyone who grew up with video game movies of the 80s/90s can attest that it always sounds great on paper, but ends up like crap (or becomes meme bait) in practice. It's usually the same way with animation, it either doesn't get completed (e.g. the Fire Emblem anime) or ruins the source material (e.g. the Valkyria Chronicles anime). The only one I can think of off the top of my head that truly took the source material, went with a different direction than the game, and turned out fairly decent, was the Earthworm Jim cartoon. (But that didn't last too long, one short season.)

As for the whole theme park thing, I think that's one of those things where people interested in attending as customers (like the Nintendo Life community) are excited about it... However... To actually work at such a place would probably be as potentially horrible as working for any other theme park.

Anyone who has actually worked for a theme park, especially the grunt work, would probably roll their eyes and think, "woopdy FREAKIN' DOO..." at the prospect of yet another big name theme park. There's always, always someone amongst the workers who gets the short end of the stick in those arrangements. And I personally would not want to create a situation just for short ends to be passed out like candy, if Nintendo got as big as Disney theme park wise. So I would say... Just don't bother, it's not worth the hassle.

Many of the same sentiments for the restaurant business. It sounds great to a potential customer, but if you actually WORK for a restaurant, and have to deal with awful behavior from clients/customers often, and have to clean up after them, and not screw up anything while working quickly... Again, anyone who has worked in the restaurant business can tell you that unless the gig you got going is REALLY lucky, it's not fun. At all.

@LetsGoRetro No need to be bummed, Nintendo could still pull it off, they aren't the only ones.

https://www.gametruckparty.com/

http://rollingvideogames.com/

Here's a list.

http://mommypoppins.com/kids/video-game-truck-birthday-parties-in-your-driveway

@Neon_Blues Or maybe a lot of people's standards have dropped without them realizing it....

@PlywoodStick

Remember the horrible Nintendo movies from then. If the new movies are like those they will definitely drive people away from Nintendo.

@Syrek24 @IceClimbers You two sound like the viscerally emotional ones to me... Yorumi might be a bit overly critical, but he has a point. Some people here seem to be living in fairy tale land when it comes to Nintendo, and dogpile against critical perspectives. (The like distribution says it all.)

@3MonthBeef Right, so... How much money and property has Sony bled after getting too big and falling, and how many workers laid off? Now, how much of each for Nintendo?

And really? Do we really want Nintendo to return to being monopolistic and downright nasty, as Microsoft has a long history of after growing so big?

There is always a hidden cost to any company that grows as big as Sony or Microsoft. (Well, not so hidden for the workers who get laid off, or potential competitors who get crushed.) The last business focused CEO, Hiroshi Yamauchi, was a tyrant. But the one good thing he did was focus on the gaming market once the technology was there, and the engineers such as Gumpei Yokoi were ready for it. He had the knack for having a good idea what would sell (although the branches outside of the video game and hanafuda markets didn't last long.)

Now that the gamer CEO is gone, and a business CEO is back in, many wonder what it will entail. Some people even thought Kimishima would only be an interim executive for a year, because they didn't think he was suited for a long term holder of the position... So much for that.

@Yoshi I can assure you that won't happen with the hotel rooms. Nintendo will just delay construction for 3-4 years!

I know people are done arguing over this, but... the phrase "eating establishments" was added, but it merely replaced a pre-existing phrase that included restaurants and cafes. This is not a brand new plan. This is a revision for brevity.

Now those medical devices... that's a new potential business. Hope QoL returns one day.

@Yorumi I'll again say too high of standards.

Video game hype is crazy high these days, and when a game doesn't meet the hype, it gets ridiculed.

Not to mention that a game of a particular series, gets compared to what people believe is the best game in the series. All Zeldas get compared to Ocarina of Time for example.

I also think people put way too much stock in story. Xenoblade Chronicles X got flack for not having as good a story as the first game, when i don't think that should matter. Xenoblade Chronicles X's world was designed to be more open than the first game, and story had to be sacrificed to do it.

And speaking of stories, people are wanting stories in games that don't need them. I will forever be confused as to why people want a story driven Mario game.

@Yorumi Clearly you take video games way too seriously. I bet you'd even argue that they should replace movies, and sports too.

I'm not gonna lie, there have been some cash grab games, like Amiibo Festival, but I see nothing wrong with Star Fox Zero, and people would've liked Ultra Smash had it been released for $20.

That would be nice if they could open some more Nintendo Stores...

and what about developing games for the consoles you sold us????

They never said NX will be at that dying event called E3. In the fall they will have an event to show what this new platform is.

@3MonthBeef I agree, good insight. Moving past falling from the position of King of the tech world, it seems that Sony is settling into their new position with a renewed focus on gaming. So hopefully they'll become accustomed and comfortable with their new position.

And yeah, for the insurance business, it will make big bucks in most countries if the company can afford it in the first place. (And limits operations in countries like Denmark, that have a substantial single payer system... )

@mhsillen Yes, in the autumn... Followed by people buying a PS4 Neo instead, because they'll have planned for that holiday expenditure during the spring/summer. And then... How many people will have enough money after the holidays (and tax returns) to buy an NX a few months later? During one of the worst sales months of the year?

@jsty3105 Zero justification? Perhaps in lala-land but in the real world that joke of an eShop is overcharging and ripping off people (44.95 mario kart on 3ds). These people should be fired and flip burger and I dont care if some are happy to spend 3.99 on some indy titles - never mentioned this.

@3MonthBeef

There is big $ in medical device manufacturing. Nintendo and Dena makes sense because it's licensing their game IP. I struggle to see what Nintendo can bring from an innovation standpoint to healthcare. And honestly it's fluff until they release a product in that arena so there isn't much point talking about that potential.

My point isn't that Nintendo can't diversify. Handheld issues aside, their 2 biggest competitors (Sony/Microsoft) are experiencing growth right now. So Nintendo's failure to grow is a management issue to me. I'm skeptical that a company with management issues should enter new businesses until they fix their existing issues. No disrespect but there is no google = nintendo comparison. To me I see this as an acknowlegment that Nintendo is struggling in games and they don't know how to fix it. If this was 2008 at the height of the Wii, I'd probably say cool. Coming this way, now? I feel like it's further proof they just don't know what they are doing. And that doesn't instill confidence to me that they will be successful doing it.

QoL, she lives again. I thought the headman said they were shelving that for now? Guess they've found a re-purpose (or simply "purpose") for it once again...

@3MonthBeef

They should have certainly been planning for the future then. All markets change over time and they have done poorly responding to those changes in the video game market. But they were flush with cash then which would make sense to invest it yes. There are absolutely better times to enact change than others. Sure not everybody will understand the reasons for the change. Success or failure will dictate if it was the right move. Management's job is to know the market best and make the right decisions at the right time. Again, based on Nintendo's recent track record surrounding change there is reason for skepticism.

@cleveland124 what you mean Nintendo can't diversify. This is a perfect time to diversify. If the NX is another less then satisfied product then Nintendo can at least fall back on something. Nintendo obviously won't be handling movies and theme parks alone and will partner with people like universal and stuff to get the things to the standard you expect from a branded park.

Yes there big money in medical technology which is why this could be a very good gamble. As seen before Nintendo already has the technology used in video games that could if fully utilized to be used in the medical field for therapy or training purposes(links of proof below). It's a logical next step. Video game market looks to be going through a huge change soon as consoles/games get more expensive and people are getting less money and time.

jdc.jefferson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1678&context=hpn

www.foxnews.com/story/2009/06/17/nintendo-wii-could-help-doctors-prep-for-surgery.html

http://kotaku.com/5792648/pokewalker-more-accurate-than-other-pedometers-in-university-study

@Sleepingmudkip LOL, Faux News basically reporting that playing Trauma Center could help real surgeons perform well... That's like claiming that playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero can help a real guitarist play a real guitar well, or someone playing an FPS can train someone to use real guns... Utter stupidity. It can slightly improve one's hand eye coordination and ability to multitask, but real skills have to be developed hands on.

@Yorumi I don't know how much you know about PR but what you've described is definitely not PR

@ironside1911 tut tut. People nowadays are so quick to call for someone to be fired. If you're young, shame on you. If you're not, then you really should know better.

@PlywoodStick This news about surgeons was carried by other news outlets too. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/08/wii-will-develop-surgical-skills/

it was eventually covered by the BBC as well in a special programme focused on videogames

@PlywoodStick in its current state no. But if Nintendo improved on the technology it could help surgeons practice some skills would actually performing on a body.

There a clear difference between using motion controls to improve skills and coordination, and playing a normal gaming controller to improve skills. You comparison to guitar hero and FPS clearly unwarranted because those are entirely different then the wii. Of course playing COD won't help you shoot a real gun...

@jsty3105 Im not young. Tut tut , shame on you to turn a blind eye on everything. Shame on you helping them to rip off .. dont give me that indy games stuff, im talking about the price politics and this garbage rewards and yes, for that young or old, people should get fired... disgusting to see this

The way I see it they would use the principle and the technology they've already developed with motion controls to make a much more serious training tool rather than a "waggle a wiimote" type entertainment device. To branch out and find other sources of revenue from the devices they've created is a smart move. To sit back and just let it be used for games could be considered a missed revenue opportunity.

@ironside1911 Well then, you really should know better. Nobody deserves to get fired over pricing policy. You might as well fire everyone operating digital stores while you're at it.

It's more disgusting you want someone to be fired.

@jsty3105 This is Nintendolife. You will see some amazingly outlandish opinions over a form of light entertainment that just beggars belief. Sometimes I check in just to laugh at the outcry over the most trivial things.

@jsty3105 Ah really? What you are saying is basically "its alright...dont complain about ripping off .. its nintendo" .. I dont think you happen to speak with alot of people in the normal world but that eShop - whoever is running it deserves to get fired cause someone makes these decisions on a weekly basis ... while you are it, claim some more fantastic rewards, will make you feel like u won the lottery if you already feel blessed just defending a scam

@ironside1911 Nope. But it's incredible how bitter and mean spirited you are. You want someone to lose their job - because of the price of digital video games.

Go waste your energies elsewhere - Other companies like Ubisoft, Microsoft, and Sony, are waiting to hear your complaints too. Your complaints are curiously one-sided and completely focused on the eShop.

http://venturebeat.com/2015/07/09/ubisoft-explains-why-digital-game-prices-stay-so-high-for-so-long-on-consoles/

@jsty3105 Yes I want that and what you want? You want these clowns to continue ripping off people instead of adapting to a fair loyalty program like others. You better go and waste your "energies" elsewhere... what is this? A Nintendo Prison? And yes, its focused on the eShop and im not the only one no matter how many times you reply with ZERO just claiming its all PERFECTLY FINE... go spread your propaganda elsewhere... youre the same kind that would let people die on the street of hunger and then point to some stats... well done, nintendo-slave

Well that escalated quickly.

@jsty3105 I rarely use the eshop, but when I have I've picked up some amazing deals. Splatoon was dirt cheap when it came out, I got Tekken for £6.50 and Zombi U was only £7.

I'm optimistic to see Nintendo's future!

@jsty3105 Well... What results did that idea turn out?

@Sleepingmudkip Well, those same sorts of media outlets have claimed that games can be used as murder training devices. (Especially in the 90s and 00s) There's no merit to their claims, and works like the book Grand Theft Childhood find the results to be inconclusive leaning towards gaming related behavior merely being a reflection of behavior elsewhere.

And yes, some people have claimed that Guitar Hero helped them learn to play guitar, just like it could be claimed that a Wiimote can help surgeons as much as or more than practicing using real scalpels and lasers on cadavers... Yeah, right...

@PlywoodStick I mean i guess if you think university of Arizona own website would lie about the wii https://asunow.asu.edu/content/%E2%80%98wii%E2%80%99-bit-technology-aids-medical-education

I also forgot to mention the wii was used in a study to help parkinson http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/content/parkinsons-and-wii

Though if you still think all of this are lies or fake I guess