Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has said that the company still believes Direct presentations to be an 'incredibly effective' way of sharing new info, despite the fact that it has now been almost ten months since the last major presentation.
That last show came in September 2019, with all other presentations since either being 'Mini' Directs or focusing on single games. Of course, the current pandemic will have contributed to the gap between shows - a presentation would very likely have been aired during E3 if the event hadn't been cancelled - and it could be seen as unwise to promise new game releases when global events are so uncertain.
Furukawa's words come from a new Japanese Q+A in which the president highlighted the Direct format's success, but also commented on future communications. He says that, as times change, it's possible that Directs could be scrapped in favour of 'better' methods (thanks to VGC for the translation):
"We feel Nintendo Directs are an incredibly effective way to present information directly to our customers in a very straight-forward way. Inversely, times change and so does the most effective way to promote products, so there is a chance that a new, better way to present this information comes about. So we always like to examine all of the possible ways to communicate this information to customers."
In the same Q+A, Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi provided an updated comment on where the company stands in terms of coronavirus-induced game delays. Thankfully, games planned for the near future remain unaffected, despite slight concerns going forward.
Can you think of a better format for game reveals than the current Nintendo Direct setup? How would you like to see Nintendo handle new announcements going forward? Share your thoughts with us below.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 101
Well... they could always give us free tickets to a conference. Very effective!
Even without Nintendo Direct, i have found some upcoming Switch games from playasia. 😊
Some of them are unexpected / very surprising titles for me. 😮
Aka leaks happen
@Emperor-Palpsy We would have to take work time a lot though.....
They'll replace them if they come up with something they think is better. I love Directs, but I trust Nintendo's judgement not to scrap them without a good reason.
@Anti-Matter Direct or no Direct there are always placeholders. Sometimes even years before games come out.
"so there is a chance that a new, better way to present this information comes about."
That's not more than logical. For instance if Nintendo would make a system that releases information directly to the Switch (or other gaming console) so you can see trailers of upcoming games without needing a phone or pc.
Article title is completely misleading.
I love Nintendo. The moment everyone else starts doing what they do, they lose interest and want to do something else.
@theJGG
On playasia, most of the upcoming games have their official cover art with very near release date.
Some of them are placeholder cover.
How about you just cc' me in all internal and partner emails? I'm happy to keep myself abreast of things that way with no extra effort from Nintendo, thank you Furukawa-san.
kthnxbi
They're sure as hell not effectively promoting their products without a Direct right now.
@Bolt_Strike That's just because of the pandemic. I think we'll get a Direct within the next 2 months.
Unwise to promise game releases when global events are so uncertain? The Last Of Us Part II says hello.
I think the future of VG presentation will be more interactive, as the medium is interactive. Maybe some kind of webpage where when you click on a presented game, a short cinematic trailer starts and after that you can play a small scene for 3 minutes or so in a cloud.
Nintendo used DIRECT!
It’s super effective!
Hmm, it's hard to think of what they could do.
Be on stage? Done that.
Online presentation? It's the current format.
What can be next?
The directs are extremely effective as it reaches the players at the same time no matter where you live.
I honestly cannot think of anything else that can be done.
@Falien More like:
"Nintendo used 'Brush-Off'. It pissed everyone off!"
@sanderev Things are opening back up and they've admitted their lineup is on schedule. The pandemic is no longer an excuse for the radio silence at this point.
@87th beside I think the delays are still due to COVID. Another game compamy(I can't recall if it was Capcom or something else) recently had to cancel an upcoming presentation due "to inability to get all required assets together". As these includes film/recording crew I suspect that might be the bottleneck(as the are the parts most likely to be provided by outside groups) for Directs as well.
@jump they don't necessarily feel the need, they just remind they could feel it anytime they spot something more to their liking. But at the moment, what are the alternatives? Social media don't sound like one because the Direct format is already merged with them by nature (a lot of it is a compilation of tweeted/facebooked trailers and release dates, and YouTube itself is a borderline social network).
Nintendo just reiterates their trademark "we do it because we feel like it but we won't if/when we don't" approach. Redundant on paper, but hey, both fans and investors are contingents known for recurrently (if not outright deliberately) forgetting to account for this approach, so this newspiece sure has an audience.
@Bolt_Strike Unless of course the pandemic results in deep and far-reaching economic consequences that are yet to materialize.
I see no problem with his remarks. Also, that headline is very misleading.
We don't need Nintendo directs when they are delivering the goods.
@Bolt_Strike the pandemic is very much still going on all over the world, and will be for the foreseeable future.
That's a major problem for all devs and companies everywhere.
It's gonna take longer than 3 months for it to fix this.
If they are efective, why change?
At the end of the day, the Direct is an advert. It’s an event that we all love and has it’s own personality and humour that other companies have trouble replicating, but it’s still an advert. And advertising moves on.
I think Nintendo’s biggest issue is frequency and content. When you’ve got lots of exciting products coming out every month, you can do a direct every month. But we all know there isn’t as much First Party or Triple A content coming to the Switch in the next few months as there was in the early days- the directs sold the Switch as we bought knowing there were lots of games coming. But now Nintendo has given up on endless teasing of games that won’t be out for 2 or 3 years and are instead showing us what will be with us this year. So you have to ask is it better for Nintendo to save it all up for a big reveal once every quarter, or just advertise games individually and make more of an effort of them on their own.
Basically, if you don’t have something to advertise, you don’t need to advertise.
How bout bringing back Nintendo Power, that would be super effective so we're getting news for Switch every issue instead of having to wait long months for a short presentation.
Don't fix what's not broken!
It will probably be push notifications through the Nintendo Mobile App.
@MrGawain I mean, we got their biggest game of 2020, animal crossing in March, Xenoblade remaster in May, clubhouse games(maybe a stretch) and a smash fighter in june, paper Mario in July...that's a pretty standard release schedule for the switch era. Theyve indicated more is coming, so idk. Same song and dance, just no direct.
Still Nintendo’s 2020 line up looks so sad
@sanderev Nintendo release and breaks up their direct game trailers and puts them on the switch under news already, usually takes them about 12 hours or so after the direct releases.
@status-204 @Corum True, but I'm talking about a more interactive way of doing that.
@87th Whistling past the grave of Club Nintendo.
@sanderev So presenting the information in a fun and interactive way on your switch, I like that thought. Perhaps a small something you download and it’s like a game that your run through as they show you what’s coming up. Maybe a quiz at the end and you will get gold coins for your time.
@retro_player_77 neat idea but going retro while great for nostalgia collectors it doesn’t really get the games out there. Perhaps they could do it as an e-magazine but not much fun for collectors.
Short of individual announcements I don’t see what else they do differently. Something like Stadia would be good for announcements if you could get a 5 min window to try out aspects of a new game. Or walk a virtual E3 (similar to how fortnite does concerts and trailers).
Like the direct format, but if they find something that gives the fans 30 to 40 min of news in an better way I be all for it
Let us all remember that this announcement is nothing more than Nintendo reminding the news industry of their eccentric ability to release in odd manners.
The lack of upcoming games is a problem, but it is not the problem here. The problem here is that Nintendo is not putting any effort into keeping its consumers informed of what is happening. could they show off anything for any game coming out soon? I've already gotten enough info about Paper Mario, I would rather my experience for that game not be spoiled anymore. But what else do they have? Anything else is preferable to absolute radio silence. And that is the problem. Nintendo is doing absolutely nothing to keep its fans engaged.
He has got a lovely friendly face.
It would be a shame if Directs were gone. This year has already shown that E3 is still needed when it becomes safe for E3 to return. Instead of lots of big announcements for an entire week there has been lots of silence for months. Summer of Gaming, Summer Game Fest, etc. have been very poor replacements so far.
@Bolt_Strike It's likely that 2020 was going to be barren for Switch even if the virus wasn't around.
@87th Just like they scrapped VC for a good reason? I don't trust Nintendo's judgement on anything not directly related to game development.
@JohnnyC And I'll raise you one Cyberpunk.
I’m sure we’ll see something after the release of Paper Mario. They don’t want to steal its thunder. But since Paper Mario isn’t for everyone I understand this. If they had released the supposed Mario collection for later this year - I know where my money is going.
Really the statement is meaningless. Thing change things evolve. There was a time when all our gaming news was from magazines, now the internet has taken over. Gaming news has to reach the gamer and as soon as Nintendo release this news, there are plenty of you tubers who will deliver it to us, as reviews, previews, discussions and opinions.
Whether Nintendo call their video, Direct or something else, makes little difference to the end result. Directs in recent times have been less region personal. They could just as easily email us all with links to what they want us to know.
The Direct done property is like the old Nintendo Magazines. We waited each month for the latest issue to keep us up to date. A Direct should be regular.
Nintendo like to keep things under wraps, maybe because they were always announcing games releases then postponing the date, sometimes by a year. I can't see anything Nintendo, beyond Paper Mario. Ok Zelda and a couple of other games are in the pipeline. But it maybe a long pipeline.
But along with all the rubbish 3rd party releases there are some good AAA titles. Bioshock, Borderlands and Xcon, and that's just one company. Much to play on the Switch or a Playstation.
Nintendo should not keep things to close to it's chest or it is in danger of gamers jumping ship. I have not bought a single Nintendo game this year; I have bought 3rd party titles, but I'm not an AC fan and Nintendo have not published much so far this year, although I have ordered Paper Mario. I am seriously considering the PS5 and keeping the Switch for the occasional Zelda or In Mario title or a few retro handheld games.
If you eat well at home you should not need to look elsewhere.
but the Directs are already "a better way" to promote the Nintendo products, cancelling attendance of live presentantions years ago and replancing them with onlien presentatin makes sense. By cancelling online announcement do they just release a game without any promotin because what else they want to do
Nintendo used Direct....
It's Super Effective!!
I seriously hope Nintendo doesn't abandon Directs, surprise reveals suck thanks to the uncertainty they have.
@sanderev I was thinking the same thing. Most people who love directs have Nintendo consoles. Why not take advantage of that?
They could still announce the info later on regular media to increase their audience. But it gives that whole secret fan club vibe to get the info first.
What I don’t understand is that Nintendo must’ve had games in development that would’ve been shown at an E3 direct so even with that being cancelled where is all the new software?
Absolute fools. Microsoft and Sony still haven't grasped the effectiveness of Nintendo Direct style marketing videos. And now Nintendo is considering dropping the format that has brought themselves so much money and their fans so much joy. I'm interested to hear the new idea they have, but I don't think anything can top Nintendo Directs and dropping them is a huge mistake
@Falien Aw damn! You beat me to it.
Mysteron used Quick Attack!
It failed...
They are running out of gimmicks, it's about to all end soon, I'm 34 and nes is the first console I ever played back in the 80s and it was so magical but even with all the new games and new systems it's just not the same, we didnt have directs in the 80s and 90s and the snes and n64 sold very good
@ummyeahnintendo Did you not see the PS5 reveal? Also Sony has their own fornat Days of Play now.
Nintendo is just looking for the most effective way to promote new products. Also they are looking for a way to make new products as their release calendar seems like its on a coma something after animal crossing
I look forward to the day when Nintendo Directs are presented on a 3D hologram in my own living room!
I'll take the normal video presentations for now.
Nintendo, for heaven's sake, pull your dam socks up! It's been WAY too long now, the fans need some hype, our bodies are ready!
Sony, well done on FINALLY dropping the curtain on what we can expect, don't stop now though, a bit more is needed.
Microsoft.... yep, well done, just keep doing what you're doing
What are you doing Nintendo? Seriously? You have a good thing going, why tell consumers it might not be around forever. Nothing is around forever ... duh, that's neither news nor insightful. Also, what's with the marketing-speak language in general. If the point was to come off as just another soulless corporate entity, well, then mission accomplished.
Kinda baffled by that whole paragraph to be honest. Takahashi needs some professional help in terms of dodging an issue without opening a whole nother can of worms.
Optimistically this could end up being a neat idea. Supposing we all would have been weirded out by the idea of Directs in 2009? I just hope he doesn’t mean Twitter as a long term solution
For me a direct is a long advert with game announcements and footage. People around the world can watch it instantly. It doesn’t really look too hard to do with minimal cost and effort. Not sure why they would want to stop. Anyway if they want to tell me that 3D Mario collection is on its way then yay xxxx
@Hobbesyall supposedly there is an announcement coming out as soon as this week and then another one at the end of the month.
But yeah, barring some serious news, there really isn't much to get excited about. I hope there is something more than BOTW II and Mario remakes, granted, remakes would be cool for me bc I missed those.
@jump Maybe that’s just it. They’ve discovered a new way to communicate with the public. Like a lot of things, Nintendo related, the competition is catching on to something Nintendo has popularized, while they are ready to move on. 🤷🏾♂️
Damn. They were ahead of the curve and now many other companies have mimicked the use of Directs. I guess this is it and I wonder what’s next.
Nintendo Directs are perfect ways to present new games, especially at E3 because there's no need for an interpreter to tag along with what the presenter is saying. Also, ending off a Direct at such a high point during E3 makes the event itself a whole lot more enjoyable, whether it comes down to watching Nintendo Treehouse or attending the actual event.
That being said, Directs are also a perfect way to capture the anticipation of games through suspense and expectations. Paper Mario: The Origami King was definitely something that would've been a lot more appropriate in a Direct instead of a surprise YouTube upload.
Game-specific Directs also come to mind, because while they still hype up a certain franchise, players will know half the time what is going to be presented, whereas in regular Directs we would only know that we'd get information on the already-announced games while being kept in suspense for the to-be-announced games.
Nintendo will be making a big mistake if they were to discontinue Directs. Yes, it might cost more to time and money to produce Directs, but the payoff has never been a complete failure and it's certainly far more superior to the other methods that other companies use.
@sanderev then why have playstation and xbox have major events? That excuse doesnt really work anymore
I would like it if they released some free demos for a week ,but I don't know if that is the most effective way to do it. But I bet Nintendo is going to find a great way to release this info.
I remember when Nintendo first announced that they were abandoning a show floor reveal and instead going for a Direct style presentation there were many people who responded with absolute contempt, but now look where we are. If Nintendo Directs go away, I trust Nintendo to replace them with something just as fun.
@Hobbesyall We still don't know what the "big holiday game" is. They always have a big holiday game to promote. Animal Crossing will be high on the holiday marketing list, but they'll likely have something to promote at that time, that isn't Pokemon this year. But I imagine that's the ONLY thing still really coming we don't know about. 2020 is a lost year overall though, and it was going to be a lost year for Nintendo with PS5/XSeX landing, regardless of the plague.
@jump Nintendo is a company filled with artists. They do change for the sake of change, even if that means leaving success for failure.
@Emperor-Palpsy except in a world where conferences don't exist......
Did he just proclaim the death of Directs??
@geni53yr7 Nintendo has been doomed since the launch of the NES. Yet still here they are.
The magic of Switch isn't gone. It's the console I play 60-70% of the time, and I have X1X and PS4 Pro. I still have a game backlog.
The "magic" that's gone is the magic of being a Nintendo fan and following the company and the products....not the products themselves. Iwata spoiled us with quirky inclusive activities that brought us to the operations of the company's leaders. It was fun to follow and be a part of Nintendo's culture during the Iwata era. Prior to Iwata, NCL was off-limits and invisible....an iron fist in an iron glove via Yamauchi that we never heard of. A small marketing group in NoA gave us Nintendo Power....we had something monthly to follow with Nintendo and be "plugged in." What changed is under Furukawa/Bowser Nintendo has become an entirely invisible corporate entity like Activision or EA. Or Sony. They are a company you are their consumer, buy what is on shelves, don't ask questions, you don't need to know anything about the company, here's an 800 number and a call center in Bangalore, knock yourself out in the phone loop.
Following Nintendo the company isn't fun anymore. It's annoying more than anything. But the games and consoles themselves are still fun.
Sony was never a fun company to follow. It's the epitome of corporate bureaucracy. Layden & Yoshida made it slightly almost fun, briefly, but that was that.
Right now the only fun gaming companies to follow are, ironically, Microsoft, with Spencer being kind of the "new Iwata" in approach, and Ubisoft....when has Guillemot ever not been fun to follow?
I’ve always thought that making e3 demos available to all switch owners.... for a super limited time.... would be amazing. I understand they like to keep those in a controlled environment with a rep overseeing gameplay. But I think the customers who would tune in and download those would understand That there are going to be some bugs. I just think it would be a great way to make e3 more exciting for the majority that can’t attend.
Imagine it’s a live presentation on the switch. But instead of watching gameplay videos. U get to quickly play a short 5 minute segment... and then the live show moves on.
Obviously the tech isn’t there yet, but one day, it would be Wild if they could do that.
Who says Directs are gone for good?
When they said NES online games wouldn't be released on a monthly basis forever they stopped releasing them that often (and SNES ones were never monthly updated). So... Maybe this means there will be no more Directs.
But if they think it's that effective... Why stop now?
@westman98 The comment section it seems. I interpreted it as they're carrying on with them until they have a better idea. They can be a kneejerk bunch, don't know if you've noticed...
Maybe they'll do Nintendo Indirect instead.
@Sky1Eagle1 Like a demo disk from the 90's, but for a limited time only? I actually think that's possible to do.
@Metrazi My best friend's, friends, cousin's, uncle, who works at Nintendo retweeted a tweet from this guy he works with announcing Mario Odyssey 2!
@outsider83 Nintendo is going to provide the sleep sensor for free. Then every night when you're asleep it will send out promotional messages DIRECTLY into your mind.
Honestly I'd be really excited if they went back to traditional live press conferences around E3 time. There's something about the energy in a packed room with audience members that conveys a unique level of excitement that Directs will never capture imo
Since Iwata passing I don’t really care how the deliver announcements. They could just release the games and I’d be fine
I enjoy the Nintendo Directs. They could deliver those announcements a little more frequently, though...
They barely do Nintendo Directs anymore as it is, and they wanna replace them with something else already?! GTFO! Show us some f___ing games already!
@JohnnyC that's because of other issues not the pandemic.
@JesWood13 only because of the pandemic.
To be honest, social media is a very effective communication way as well. I was on Instagram when a Nintendo trailer for the new Paper Mario showed up in my feed.
Maybe they're thinking of making announcements exclusive to the Nintendo Online Subscription. Then they can add trailers to that instead of virtual console games.
@Bolt_Strike right now? Heck, Nintendo has rarely ever effectively promoted their products.
Whatever they do, I'm sure others will copy.
@Dirty0814 the Directs are virtual. The format is probably one of the most pandemic friendly approaches going.
The truth is they have nothing to talk about/don't know how to effectively talk about what they have.
So are they trying to scrap Nintendo Directs? Iwata's legacy would disappear forever if that happened since Iwata was the face of Nintendo Directs. Please understand
So, are they gone forever? What will replace them? Uh.. I can't come to a final verdict about this yet, so I hope they talk more about it soon.
Nintendo Directs are a good way to satisfy a lot of people, so long as you have one announcement that pleases a certain niche of people, everyone will end up having a good time.
...So, change something because times change, got it. I still like the Directs, no matter how many folks have aped it.
The only switch game i bought in 2020 is a Pokemon dlc and indies. I
will get Xenoblade and paper mario when i do better with my backlog. Or if reviews are good for paper mario i get it on launch or slightly after. Speaking of this i hope the mario remakes are on and not just a rumor. Otherwise i can't see any big games coming out this year. If nothing is said by Sept 1st than 2020 could be a washout and no one wants that. But even so nintendo could get the game of the year for animal crossing which i haven't bought and do not think i will like. Ah who am i kidding it will more than likely go to, the game which a few are saying is overated the Last of Us 2. Which i have got and it is slightly overrated but nowhere near as bad as everyone says.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/06/random_miss_nintendo_directs_check_out_this_crowd-pleasing_nontendo_direct_presentation
This video made me remember...
The surprise at seeing something the first time, the excitement of watching it live and not knowing what could be announced next, the one more thing...
A lot actually. Whatever Nintendo is planning for the future, I hope it still has the same feel a Nintendo Direct has, probably accompanied by even better stuff. Personally, I would love to all the next video presentations to be like those Digital Events of E3 2014 and 2015, where apart from world premieres and trailers, there are developer interviews, some fun segments like puppets and stop-motion, and all that.
The only way better than Nintendo Direct that I can think of for delivering news on new and upcoming games would be for the guys from the "Wii would like to play" commercials to drive up to my house and tell me about it in person
If they can think of something better than Nintendo directs I’m cool with it but I doubt they will anytime soon.
I suppose they don't really need a direct if they only plan on releasing Animal Crossing and, some months later, Paper Mario. It would be a very short presentation.
@87th The good thing about directs is that people who don't own a Switch can watch them as well. If they did some sort of a "show" through the Switch, then they would lose a lot of possible future Switch owners. I wonder what they are thinking. I'd like to see a direct right about now!
As far as Nintendo advertising videos go, I do like the Nintendo Direct format, though I still miss Mr. Iwata. But I also like the bite-sized chunks that they push out via Switch's "News" feed, because it's easier to navigate to the games that you're most interested in.
I still find Nintendo Minute annoying, but I have watched it anyway.
i will be very sad if Nintendo decide to ditch completely the Nintendo Direct format, Nintendo Direct is still Nintendo best way to promote it games, doing a similar reveal, to the Paper Mario ia not good, Nintendo Direct is more impactful, since when Nintendo anounce that is going to be a Nintendo Direct we wait in antecipation to see the games Nintendo is going to reveal, also we can speculate is Nintendo going to show more of Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2 in the next Nintendo Direct they do?what suprises reveal we can expect for a Nintendo Direct?if Nintendo ditch completely the Nintendo Direct format we gonna lose this aspect.
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