Nintendo Consoles Are Aimed At "Kids And Teens" Says Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi In Disputed Translation

This guy should take a note out of Microsoft's book. Sorry, but trying to dismiss something because you think "it's for kids" only shows the limit of your vision.

Microsoft's Phil Spencer, said recently that console wars are toxic and I agree with him. Let just people like what they want to play on.

I feel like Nintendo aims thier consoles and most products at 20-50 year olds who loved Nintendo when they were kids but also makes everything “kid friendly” at the same time.

Yawn. Another industry bod that doesn’t know his own market. This theory has been debunked more times than I care to remember - with actual numbers of the demographic that owns said consoles but still they hammer on “but it’s not life life graphics on a handful of games it MUST be aimed at kids” speaks more for their macho inability not to play anything that isn’t life like.

Another day another idiot and I completely disagree with the sentiments of the article too. With the Switch online and the retro controllers it’s clear Nintendo knows it own market and it’s not 12 year olds queuing up for SNES and NES games or Tetris online!!!

People who make lots of ***** games often say things like that.

@Strictlystyles True, Microsoft and Sony are mostly the 15-25 age range. Nintendo is the 7-70 age range, but with less specific catering to any age group.

In the end it's up to the gamer to pick the platform to play on. And all platforms have games to cater to all age groups.

40yrs old. Happy to be mistaken for a kid or teen for once...

Maybe he meant to say 'kids and teens (at heart)'

I know that just so everyone knows I'm an adult, I talk about taxes all the time, take lots of Metamucil and only watch adult films. /s

He was talking about why the platform suited a game he developed. He was not mocking the platform, this would mean that he was mocking his own game. There is nothing wrong with a videogame company targeting a younger market!

The reason for the Switch success is the console appeals to a wide audience, I would not listen to these so called industry insiders that much, for example look at Pachter.

One really stupid thing to say. Being unable to port a franchise to the switch is one thing, but justifying it like this is dumb. That would explain why Sega flopped and stopped making consoles with preconceptions like this

How do you do, fellow teens.

@Zuljaras : Now I'm hankering for a cosmetic surgery simulator.

Somebody make it happen!

The assumption that because a game has a certain aesthetic that is aimed at kids missies something, Nintendo has made into an art form the ability to craft games that are able to span generations of players, Sega have that magic too. The ability to be accessible but also devilishly precise to be able to perfect.
Also in terms of basic business acumen a wider range means more money in the bank.

Don’t worry, if you’re an old-ass gamer Nintendo sees you too, lol. They make good money off nostalgia from their long-time fans. Super Mario Game & Watch is only the latest case in point

@Damo Even at that point he is incorrect. Most people playing Switch games are young adults between 20-40 years. Where most kids are on their parent's phones and teens on the XBOX / PS5. Those are just factual numbers.

(Not saying there aren't kids / teens on the Switch or 20-40s on the XBOX / PS5. Systems aren't made for specific age groups)

To me, Nintendo is a lot like Lego:

4-99 years. And you can say "Lego is most used by kids", ignoring the entire "Adult Fans of Lego"-community

If this is a kids toy that is totally f.... up when the Switch has so many uncensored Pervy games games like Gal Gun

I think Nintendo consoles are aimed at people who just like fun games

It's probably about time I grew up then.

Yeah, he isn't saying this in a negative light. Which, there shouldn't be a negative stigma if your console targets kids and teens, that just means you're reaching out to a larger audience. And in a lot of cases, catering towards kids and teens doesn't affect the quality either. Nintendo's games prove that time after time.

In my experience on internet gaming communities, the people all uptight about the "maturity" of a game are usually the ones with maturity problems themselves.

Everything should be on the switch! EVERYTHING

Not really seeing what's wrong here, feel like people are just reading the clickbaity headline before looking into the article. Always wait before you jump ship with these kinds of translations too, things sometimes sound harsher than it seems (even though I dont see whats so harsh about this).

@Damo https://techjury.net/blog/video-game-demographics/#gref

5. The average gamer is 34 years old, owns a house and has children.
(Source: ESA)

Be honest, would you have guessed that 34 is the average age of gamers?

There is, however, a difference when it comes to men and women. The average female video game player is 36. The most active group among women are those between 18-35 – they make up 13% of the gaming community.

At the same time, the average male video game player is 34. The most active age group are boys under 18, representing 17% of all gamers.

With the Switch being the most popular console in the last few years, this would say enough about the Switch demographic.

Thats why sega is just capable of create tiny useless game gear.

Usual Sega rubbish they are kings of making stupid decisions. From 32xs , instant Saturn launch , to werehogs 06 booms , not doing anything with back catalogue, slow or not translating games for overseas etc. They arent on the ball at all and haven't been for years.

The creator of Super Monkey Ball say that Nintendo games are for kids.....interesting.

I think this was true in the past but the Switch definitely attracts a far wider audience. For me it's like I am simply attracted to it as a portable console.

@dew12333 that's a quick assumption and taken out of context.

Actually he's quite the impressive and prolific creator/developer. The quality and output of RGG studios is impressive considering the relatively low budget. And if you read about his humble beginnings quite a good hearted person.

@Damo Massive sales of the PS4? Are you forgetting the even more massive sales of the Switch. Because the Switch is steadily outpacing the PS4. I see the Switch in the end outselling the PS4 by far.

And the Lego part. Most +200 €/$ lego sets are bought and used by adults. And even Lego is noticing this trend more and more. Seeing the amount "collector" sets they have been releasing.

I am a cute 38 years old boy.

As someone in their 30s, I find the Switch to be the most adult friendly console. I can play it as I go to work, pick up and play when I have some free time, I can hit sleep mode and stop easily when I need to do something else.

Also, the prices for Switch games are not kid friendly. Full price games that are cheaper on other systems are not family friendly as families try to economize.

So yeah, the Switch is a system for the busy adult who wants to game but doesn't have the time to sit down in front of a tv (a TV which is probably shared by the family as well).

''Its aim'd at kids and teen'' but a bunch on BS Get REAL ya its true the switch GAMES are for a younger age group sotra, bc here we have games like breath of the wild that every one likes, But to say the switch itself is for kids and teen is just WOW, I think nintendo is a family console and it has always been that. ( I please don't bash me for this comment)

@nhSnork 30 year old child here!

@Damo did you read the article? I think the guy is wrong regardless of what game he designed. He didn't simply say, the consoles does well with kids, he didn't say, kids also like the consoles. These are true of PS and Xbox as well.

He simply says although a wide age range plays on the console, it's basically a console for kids and teens. He's saying regardless of who plays it, it's still a kid's console. That's just wrong.

Dude just stop you emberassing yourself right now.

38 year old child here

@Bunkerneath just a youngster add another 10 for me lol

@Damo,

No he said that Nintendo consoles are aimed at children, that's not the same thing as they sell well to a younger audience, his view is incorrect as is your interpretation of it.

Not suggesting he is having a go at Nintendo, as this type of throwaway comment is rife within the core gaming community, Nintendo is aimed at kids, when in fact they are a family orientated company that produced products with a wide ranging appeal.

And what age groups are Sega consoles targeted for? Oh, that's right, Sega doesn't MAKE consoles anymore. All they ever seem to make or talk about for the past two decades is Sonic. Remind me again what the target demographic for that franchise is again please, Mr. Nagano.

At least he can say his Yakuza series gets far more love from his company than the mountain of other beloved IPs fans would love (and pay) to play again. But he'd better remember the adage about people who live in glass houses.

And yes, I realize his statement is being taken (somewhat) out of context, but with headlines like that, them's fightin' words for a lot of gamers.

I guess making kids games is not Nagoshi's personal preference.
We have already so much issues in real life. Escaping them by collecting bananas in a ball on a steeply slope, sounds appealing to me.

Ah this pointless and boring old argument again! Sigh.

Wow, plenty of people getting offended here. I'd like to add that in Japan, I think his stance is absolutely right. Nintendo basically only advertise to kids here, and games consoles are still often viewed as being kids' toys. Mature titles often do worse on Nintendo platforms as well, so he may have a point.

Still, I don't get why people are so upset? If you disagree, okay great. No need for insults over a guy's opinion that doesn't even affect you.

@Damo kindly read the article or even the original posts. The "aimed for kids" is nintendo life's interpretation of what he said in one phrase for a title.

What he actually said is that nintendo is hardware for kids. Nintendo is for kids.

He's not saying it as a plus or a negative. He's saying it as an explanation for his decision making. Regardless of whatever games he's made, he's just wrong.

@Damo,

The Switch has no been on the market long enough to sell PS4 numbers, so you are not comparing the same things, the Switch has more than enough sales potential to sell or even surpass the PS4.

Don’t let Sega’s 90’s marketing that Nintendo is for babies give you a complex! Broadly speaking, business marketing has no shame, it’ll say anything to make a buck. Don’t worry about their talk of demographics or targets as it’s entirely representative of ad budgets, not the scope and reality of human enjoyment

@AtlanteanMan Old fashioned jabs at Sega. Nagoshi didn't even speak badly about the all precious Nintendo.

Sega had the bad luck of always being ahead of it's time! They basically made a Switch in the 90's with the Sega Nomad.

People just getting mad at the headline without reading the context. He's not using it as an insult, he's talking about the development of Super Monkey Ball, and part of the reason it was made was because they felt Nintendo at that time was not doing a good job of providing for their core market.

Dark, depressing, violent games that often have criminal or post-apocalyptic themes have been pandemic (cough) across most platforms over the past decade-plus. An unnamed Japanese developer at E3 2010 remarked, "You Americans must really enjoy war" regarding the prevalence of first and third-person shooters on display. Given what 2020 has looked like, one might even suggest there's something to the notion that some people have not been merely desensitized but actually conditioned toward destructive and anarchic predilections.

Amongst all of that, playing a game that "looks like a videogame" with bright colors, upbeat, cheerful music, and family-friendly themes and content is TRUE escapism, and an immensely needed blast of fresh air. Thanks for once again reminding us why we love Nintendo.

@Peach64 There’s a preexisting narrative that Nintendo is for babies that’s been around since Sega’s 90’s marketing. People get their backs up about the topic at even the slightest hint of ‘Nintendo is for babies’, so it goes beyond any of the wording and nuance from this Sega employee in this article

Nintendo's games aren't aimed for kids, it's aimed for EVERYONE. Part of Nintendo's success is how their games are just as fun to play for both kids and adults.

I'm 27 years old (three months away from turning 28), and Nintendo is still my preferred console of choice. That's not to say that I don't enjoy Xbox and PlayStation (I do, and I have both), but when it comes to games that I am genuinely excited for, Nintendo blows both out of the water.

Nintendo is like the Disney of video games: there's something for everyone to enjoy. Kids can play cutesy games like Mario or Pokémon, and adults can play mature games like Skyrim, Doom, Bayonetta, or Wolfenstein. I enjoy both ends of that spectrum.

Out of touch and stereotypical. The teens want to play CoD and Red or Dead Redemp. 2 whilst the adults want to play Pokemon, LoZ & Mario . LOL.

TBF, adult gamers generally play the so called teen and child games (the properly made, good ones) as well as the mature games. A broad appreciation of gameplay and game design.

Anyway, it sounded like it was a mistranslation of the Japanese to English as well as restrictions in subtitle length. He DIDN'T EXACTLY say this. "In general, the Nintendo Switch performs strongly in the child & teen market...." Which also would mean it doesn't only as well....

Soon 33 years old. Enjoy Nintendo games as much as when I was a kid. Still a child at heart?

Judging from the responses in the comments I'd say he was completely right.

Must be some translation issue.
It's known that Nintendo Kids went to play Call of Duty on Sony and Xbox consoles 10-15 years ago, and later Fortnite.

Switch and Wii U have lots of the the old hardcore Nintendo fans from 1970's and 1980's. Xbox and PS didn't even exist back then.

Yup, it’s aimed at families. And has outsold the XB1 and PS4 in Japan. What does this tell us about the Japanese market?

I'm 36 years old man and only play kiddie games (with a few Teen games) on all 3 consoles (Nintendo, PlayStation and XBOX).
I have started build my Xbox 360 games library with Kinect games.

Btw, i don't see any appeal from SEGA machines (Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast) as SEGA in my eyes always tried so hard to be too edgy and oftenly failed miserable.
Their edginess never impressed me, only a few of their kiddie games that slightly impressed me.
I choose PS1 over than N64 and Dreamcast.

"Nintendo is for kids"
Yes, i only play kiddie games and so what ?
Who the heck cares if an adult people plays kiddie games only.

@Damo I think we all appreciate that there are times when you venture BTL into the comments section. It's an important part of a community.

Sometimes it's not a good idea though.

Like when you're trying to get between the community and its 5 minutes of hate shouting at the screens against our ancient enemies EASegsia. We have always been at war with EASegsia.

More seriously though. Of course it shouldn't be taken as a slight and probably wasn't meant as one (plus Nintendo should be targetting younger players - all major developers have neglected to properly do this for years) but you should certainly understand why many Nintendo fans will inevitably take it as one.

I agree video games are for kids

30-year-old manchild here, can confirm

@Gmiol @johnvboy No, he did not say that Nintendo consoles were for kids or aimed at kids. What he said was “今も結構広い年齢層で遊ばれているゲーム機だと思うんですけど、基本的にやはりキッズやティーンに強いハードだと思うんですね”, which makes no reference to who the consoles is made for or aimed at (translation linked below).

It’s simply a statement of which markets Nintendo consoles typically strong with. And yes, Nintendo consoles are indeed strong/popular in the kids and teens market. This is an objectively sound, entirely demonstrable, and unobjectionable statement.

Despite it being displayed at the top of the page, I’ll post a link to the full translation and breakdown of the remark. The poster has made the point as well as it can possibly be made.

https://twitter.com/aevanko/status/1335768216178585603?s=21

I remember when Sega was a fast paced arcade games and top tier JRPG factory. Now it only rehash those Yakuza games that are only popular because they're meme factories. I doubt people who discuss about the Yakuza games and post all those stupid gifs are older than teenagers.

We live in the year 2020 now and people still can't figure out Nintendo? What a joke.

@Sega: Stop talking, go away, and don’t come back until you have a new ‘Ages’ release schedule for the Switch.
Also, put some more games on the Mini Game Gears

I bought Dreamcast day one, also love genesis/mega drive, but the truth is SEGA failed at console market and looks they dont learned Very much since then.

@StuTwo All he actually said was that Nintendo is strong in the kids/teens market (though played by a wide age range of people). This is a perfectly reasonable and well-evidenced statement. It is not something to be taken as a slight, no matter where you stand on the gaming spectrum.

I’d like to reiterate that did not say Nintendo consoles were “for kids”. See the linked post.

https://twitter.com/aevanko/status/1335768216178585603?s=21

He's not exactly wrong.

@Maxz sorry but he says it's hardware for kids. I've seen the twitter posts, even had a few Japanese people translate it, all of them says, he meant it's hardware for kids.

This is another classic case of guess which commenters read the full article (including tweet embed) and which are personal reactions to the headline. An easy game to play.

Nintendo is traditionally a little younger demographically. I would say consoles in general are aimed at children and teens, some people like the hobby so much they keep on playing, depending on if the games suite their tastes still.

What they forget is the kids and teens have all grown up and still remember the best games they ever played.

"@Damo @sanderev PS4 has sold 106 million units globally so far, while the Xbox One is estimated to have sold 50 million. Switch is doing amazing, but it's by no means the market leader."

Switch sales by october 2020 were at 67 million. Placing it more than half of the PS4 sales. And a decent way beyond the XBOX ONE. And with the PS5 now released, I don't see that PS4 number grow very quickly.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/687059/nintendo-switch-unit-sales-worldwide/

"How many of those £200 sets do they sell in comparison to the cheaper sets which are available in pretty much every toy store and supermarket? Yes, adults buy Lego sets, but you can't seriously be arguing that they account for more revenue for Lego than kids?"

That is something I don't know or have numbers of. But let's say they sell 10.000 sets of 200 dollar. And 50.000 of the 20 dollar sets. Lego should be quite happy with their adult fans.

And. They are.

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/categories/adults-welcome?icmp=HP-SHQL-Standard-NO_QL_Adults_Welcome_new_HP-OP-NO-QJN5TN3F3T

@AndyC_MK84 People don't seem to like it when others say the things they enjoy are also enjoyed by children, and assume that such statements are mocking.

@sanderev
Guess i'm too old for the Ps4/Xbox 1 then im 34 eyeroll

Wait, my nintedo stuff jus fo kidz?! ARGH!! throws everything i care about from Nintendo in the trash

I have all 3 sooooooo

@Gmiol The above quote does categorically not state that. This is fact. There is zero mention of who the console in for in the above quote.

Now, there may be other quotes floating around by Mr. Nagoshi which do indeed state that he considers Nintendo consoles to be “for kids”. This is a very real possibility that I am not discounting, as Mr. Nagoshi has likely made many comments on the video game industry and I am not privy to all (or even many) of them. I am very willing to see these other comments, should they exist.

But, limiting the argument to the comment in question, “ キッズやティーンに強いハードだと思うんですね” = “Nintendo consoles are for kids” can be considered a very broad sweeping, highly generalised translation with a fair amount of creative licence at best, and a mistranslation at worst. “I think [Nintendo] hardware is strong with [the] kids and teens [markets]” is much straighter. ‘Straight’ translations don’t always make for ‘good’ translations - often quite the opposite - but it this case it helps to have the clarity.

Really though, please link me to anything you have. I’d be glad to see it! Not even in a combative, argumentative sense. I’m just genuinely interested.

@Maxz honestly it doesn’t matter whether he said “nah nah na nah nah Nintendo is for poohie baby kids”. At the end of the day it doesn’t change anything. Nintendo does skew younger than Sony or Microsoft and some “mature” franchises are far less successful on Nintendo hardware (for a number of reasons).

Personally I think Nintendo often underserves its younger audience.

But it does often hack away at the Nintendo fan base to be told it. Partly because many of us (though much older now) remember being teenagers and the peer pressure to not play Nintendo games because of that.

My advice to anyone would be: grow up and have fun.

@AndyC_MK84
Now i start to support 3 different machines.
I have GBA games, NDS, 3DS, Gamecube games, Wii, Wii U, Switch for Nintendo machines.
I have PS1 games, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP for Sony machines.
Now i have two Xbox 360 Kinect games (still games only, machine bought later after i get salary).
But still All my games are 95% Kiddie games even on PlayStation and Xbox 360 machines (5% for few Teen games).

I guess games like control, the wicher 3, borderlands, serious sam and others are for kids then. This dude is stuck in 1994. Who is he even

If it ain't Sega showing us how to make no money, it's their developers telling us they have no intentions of getting any money.

Hilarious.

What's the easiest way the make money?

Make a product aimed at kids.

NLife quotes, “I’ve been so annoyed recently with “Yakuza creator says Nintendo is for kids/teens” headlines.”

NLife proceeds the name article “Nintendo Consoles are aimed at kids and teens says [Yakuza creator]”

@StuTwo I mean, I absolutely agree with you, but given the number of people who have here taken the mistranslation of his comments to heart, I’d argue that it really does matter what he said and how it comes across.

The statements

“While Nintendo hardware is enjoyed by a wide range of age groups, it finds particular strengths in the kids and teens markets”

and

“Nintendo is for babies”

would understandably provoke very different reactions amongst gaming communities. The injustice here (if you’ll forgive me for using such a grandiose word), is that he’s being lampooned as if he’s said the latter, when what he actually said was much, much closer to the former.

Essentially he’s being chastised for something he didn’t even say, and that’s just... sad to see. Genuinely. He made a perfectly reasonable statement, and then everything thereafter was out of his control. Imagine being throttled by words you didn’t even utter. Maybe there are other statements I don’t know about, but this whole thing is just a sorry affair.

Sega also thought back in the 90's that RPGs weren't worth exporting because everyone just prefers sports and fighting games, and we saw how well that turned out for them in the 3D era.

I would argue that the Switch is a console that suits adults with a busy schedule. I spend way more time playing this than my PC. I simply don't have the time to invest playing at home.

@Maxz,

I am going off what the article said, if it's incorrect then fair enough.

"Nintendo Consoles Are Aimed At "Kids And Teens" Says Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi"

This is the articles headline, so you can see where the confusion is coming from.

@Damo,

I never said it was an insult, and I am not being cute suggesting a fact, the PS4 has been on the market for longer than the Switch, and has had multiple price drops, the Switch is well on track with it's sales performance, to perform similar to the PS4.

“Our view of the 'Game Boy experience' is that it's a great babysitting tool, something young kids do on airplanes, but no self-respecting twenty-something is going to be sitting on an airplane with one of those. He's too old for that.”

-Sony CEO, 2006

lol (dont let the marketing get ya!)

@Damo,

You do not seem to be reading my comment, I said they are a family orientated company that appeals to a wider audience.

@johnvboy The article mentions that the translation is disputed and displays the breakdown of the translation bang in the centre for the reader to examine. This is part of the article’s contents, and therefore should be considered as part of the article itself. It is - arguably - the most important part of the article, as it details what was said rather than what appeared for a few seconds in the space-constrained subtitles under a video.

Going back to the source is vital in these sorts of disputes, otherwise misinterpretations are liable to spiral out of control. As the above comment section is testament to.

“I said they are a family orientated company that appeals to a wider audience.”

This is not a million miles away from what Mr. Nagoshi’s original quote (although “family-oriented” could be substituted for “strong with younger markets”), so it doesn’t sound as though there’s any real disagreement going on. Which is why it’s sad to see a somewhat oversimplified and misleading translation lead to so much unnecessary discord in the community.

@Maxz,

To be honest I do not see it as an insult, but the article is ambiguous at best.

The article is well aware of it's impact.

@johnvboy I can indeed see where the confusion stems from. To be fair, the strap-line references the disputed translation, but the headline taken in isolation is pretty unequivocal.

I'm nearly 50 still playing Nintendo and PlayStation. If I'm a big kid so be it:)

@Maxz,

As I have said even if the headline was his view, I would still have taken little offence.

I don't see anything controversial or insulting by what he said.

Nintendo make very kid friendly first party games. As such, the system attracts that audience.

Having third party games like Doom and Resident Evil on the Switch doesn't cancel out the direction of the first party games.

He made a kid friendly game and chose the family of systems that had a strong line up of similarly designed games.

You choosing to play on the system, or the games, that are kid friendly doesn't make you a child and pointing out that the system is kid friendly isn't calling you a child.

@Zuljaras He looks like a wannabe gangster. But I guess he is behind Yakuza

Nintendo fans still getting bent out of shape in 2020 when someone points out that Nintendo’s demo skews younger.

Kids system? I couldn't care less. Why isn't he making Super Monkey Ball 3 or a new F-ZERO for it?

Yakuza would have been great on Wii U, though they completely messed it up by cancelling the international version.

I think the SWITCH has done pretty well with the balance of E E10+ games and T and M games way better than PS4 and XBOX ONE and console wars are interesting but I can't fully relate bc in 2010-2015 I owned a Wii,PS3,and a 360 and now I own a SWITCH am getting a PS4 and play XBOX all the time and while I don't think one is "best" I play the SWITCH the most

So is there someone or someplace out there that has a proper translation? I feel like tracking that down and clarifying the situation would be important to understanding the situation. If there are some translations out there that seek to clarify what was said, then maybe including them in the article would help. As it stands, when I read what the quote this particular article says, it sounds exactly how it's supposedly being misinterpreted as and can rightfully see where the confusion is.

I also don't think the pointing out that Nintendo seeks to include a wide range of age groups is necessarily the issue. It's the idea that their consoles are developed FOR kids is a sticky point. It's a tired and lame narrative that is obviously not entirely accurate, with there being much more to it.

@SKTTR I used to play a lot of super monkey ball as a kid on my Wii and 3DS but I played the one at Chuck E. Cheeses the most I played it like 10 times every time I went there and I still go there to play it now(I still remember getting pissed that I could never win that jackpot mini-game when u go super fast down that green slide and I finally won it like a week ago) and I hear a lot of good things about F-ZERO but I've only played the one for SNES and that one track in Mario kart 8 DELUXE I've also played Captain (falcon or Falcon I always screw his name up) but never played any other F-ZERO games I'd appreciate it if he just ported the other games to SWITCH bc I haven't played them and they look fun

@Damo Which of those sets have higher margins, you think?
You really think 10 year olds are the target market for technic?

I can't say I'm a fan, except monkey ball. SMB1 single player was a masterpiece.

I'm honestly confused. As an adult, I came extremely close, but never unlocked the fabled master mode.

If that game was for children, there's no way I want to play 'adult videogames'.

Sounds creepy just to say out loud. 'Adult videogames'.

Ahh yes the very same Nintendo that's Gamecube was once home to the extremely 'kiddy friendly' exclusive, Resident Evil 4! 😂 😂

I'm admittedly quite a big fan of a lot of Nagoshi's work. (not so much his recent offerings) Yet nowadays he seems to have had some sort of horrific, bottox influenced, permatanned, colossal mid life crisis! He actually looks like he's just stepped straight out of one his own Yakuza games! So him personally making statements about Nintendo's identity as a brand, well frankly, it's just utterly ridiculous and quite hypocritical on his part.

No. I definitely prefered him in the early 1990's, early 2000's when he was still regularly contributing to EDGE, all whilst him and his teams were working on Stella games like Daytona, Super Monkey Ball, Fzero GX, just to name but a few.

Put simply, I really don't know how to take him anymore as a developer. The Yakuza franchise is definitely a mixed bag (some games are great, others are distinctly average at best) time he stopped whitening his teeth and got down to either working on some fresh I.P's, or simply getting permission from Nintendo and remastering the sublime FZero GX. Or the incredible Super Monkey Ball.

I love his games, he’s a total visionary. His plastic surgery is wack though.

@dew12333 ‘ People who make lots of ***** games often say things like that.’

You mean five star games? 😉

A worthy note: The sole focus of the Mega Drive/Genesis sales push was 'teens'. This dude is just too edgy.

@SMUGSLOTH69 You played the wrong ones. It's Super Monkey Ball 2 and F-ZERO GX (both on the Gamecube) that were Nagoshi's masterpieces.

I dunno what there is to even argue about. That's like arguing whether Disney is "aimed at kids and teens". Of course it is. This doesn't make any (or all) of their output akin to Paw Control. Kids friendly is probably a better way to put, but it's really the same differrence. I will say this though: I would love for Nintendo to recognize that they have huge fanbase of adults, who might be open to more, in particular more mature takes on their beloved IPs and characters. Zelda really could do with a entry that is focused solely on adults.
I would love to really get a mature tale about link, that dives into his personality, the struggles of being "the savior" and all of that. I would complete a picture of the franchise for me, that has been forming in my mind for a quarter century now. Because yeah, the characterisation in Zelda game is superficial at best, but I always ... wanted to believe there is more to it.

I would also love a kind of "Old Man Loga" take on someone like Samus. A bit of more cynical look at an older Samus. I just think these are interesting avenues to explore and by sticking to that whole "kid friendly" approach through out Nintendo is very much putting shackles on their own creativity. That's just an unfortunate truth.

I bring up Logan because I think that was a case in point for Superhero movies. If you are shooting for a particular form of "mass appeal", you have to compromise your artistic output to fit a particular mold. That just limits what you can do. Wolverine was never more alive and real as compelling character as when he was fighting for that girl and paying the ultimate price. It was compelling stuff, way beyond anything else based around a Marvel IP.

The same could one day be true for Link or Samus. Here is to hoping.

@SKTTR oh I didn't know which ones he made or even who he was when you commented I just assumed he did the work for all of the games for both of those series

@Maxz The Japanese you yourself posted says "nintendo hardware is for kids & teens". I've asked the Japanese friends I have, they say that's what it said. Just to make sure, I even Google translated it, & it says the same thing.

You're just trying to be convoluted and trying to come up with meaning that doesn't exist.

@YANDMAN

Well did have his own column in EDGE, way back in the early 2000's

It's the old Catch 22. There's not many adult games on Nintendo hardware, because there aren't many adult games on Nintendo hardware. Someone has to break the cycle. I'm in my 50s now and have a Switch as it's the only current handheld system. If there was another system that gave me handheld access to the Sony/Microsoft catalogues, I'd probably have that. I'm here for the games, not who makes them, but I do wish Nintendo would acknlowedge that some of us have grown up.

I'm just used to it by now

@SMUGSLOTH69 I think Nagoshi also made the first Super Monkey Ball, but the second adds so much to it. The first felt limited, like a straight arcade port, but the second was a full-fledged console game with tons of stages. After that Super Monkey Ball tried to evolve (Wii/DS era) and failed.

F-ZERO GX and F-ZERO AX (Arcade) was the first time Nintendo and Sega worked together on a game, and it was stellar. It's debatable which one is better, F-ZERO X (N64) or F-ZERO GX, as both have their strengths, but F-ZERO (SNES) and the GBA games have a very different feel, like a completely different kind of racer with "classic" gameplay instead of "modern" gameplay.

Anyway, I couldn't find a modern futuristic racer on the same level as F-ZERO GX in the last 17 years. All were more or less disappointing in one way or another (mostly controls). Same for Super Monkey Ball, nothing in that franchise reached the level of the 17-year old Super Monkey Ball 2, though Hudson Soft's two Kororinpa / Marbles! Balance Challenge games were alright.

I think Nintendo gets a bit of an identity crisis in that they really have marketed primarily toward the family/kids market since the beginning. Consoles were "toys" after all. He's not wrong about the GCN era. Starting with Wii their identity shifted and they had a mix of kids and "non-gamers" of older ages.

Switch they clearly upped their age groups to the 20-40 crowd and were very consistent in their marketing toward largely "grown gamers on the go" more or less. But they, internally aren't as consistent, with the Animal Crossing producers talking about the target group having been "kids and young girls" and seeming almost apologetic that that target market was missed while the 20-40 group was mostly the one playing the game.

So there are parts of Nintendo internally that are doing the games=toys for kids mentality, and seem confused by the fact that that isn't actually their market anymore. The hardware marketers seem aware of the real market.

So he's kind of not wrong in some regards.

But more to the point, everyone does realize that the originator of the entire "Nintendo is for kids" image is a product of Sega's marketing in the 90's right? I mean what other opinion is the guy going to have? He works at the company that invented the whole kiddy Nintendo meme to begin with!

@sanderev He didn’t dismiss anything. He acknowledged that a variety of age ranges play Nintendo systems, and added to that sentence that he believes Nintendo mainly markets to kids. Where is the dismissal in that?

@Stocksy Did you read what he actually said, or did you read the headline and plummet to the comments, ‘cause that’s what it sounds like most of you are doing! LOL

I made Yakuza: Like a Dragon my handheld game via Shadow PC. Happy to have gotten it native on Switch instead.

The graphics and gameplay make more sense on Switch than DOOM Eternal does.

No way that all 70 million Switch owners are kids.

I think he’s right, and if you don’t agree just remember that it’s his opinion and you don’t need to get offended even when I think it’s true honestly

@sanderev listen to this guy he's a genius

Man SEGA can be such an idiot sometimes

Eh. At least Nintendo still actually makes consoles. They also go for a blue ocean strategy (appealing to children, young adults, seniors, and even women).

@Gmiol No it doesn’t. It does not. A blanket statement claiming that Nintendo consoles were outright “for kids” or “aimed at kids” would likely include “子供向け/キッズ向け” or something similar. But you can tell that Nagoshi is carefully choosing his words so as not to make this sort of sweeping statement.

The reason the subsequent translations sound more convoluted than the initial one is that the original Japanese was more convoluted. Certainly more so than just “Nintendo is for kids”. This is exactly the sort of blanket remark that Nagoshi sounds like he is deliberately trying to avoid, which is why he leads into the statement by saying that Nintendo consoles are enjoyed by many age ranges, and that they are “strong with” kids and teens rather than explicitly “made for”. And he’s not wrong.

The next statement Nagoshi makes is that Nintendo were putting effort into the kids market at the time, which is true, but is still a fair way off the declaration that “Nintendo is for kids”. You can interpret the gist of ‘Nintendo being strong with the kids/teens market and putting effort into that market at the time of Super Monkey Ball’s release’ as such, but it is not the same statement.

I can’t do any more to convince you, but would encourage you to ask your Japanese friends about the difference in nuance between 「キッズ向け」 and 「キッズやティーンに強い」. I highly doubt, if pushed, that they would stay the statements are exactly the same. And, again, if you have anything concrete you can show to convince me, I’d be very interested in seeing it. All creditable linked sources welcome.

@Agramonte Gameplay yes. the unoptimized graphics choke even high end PCs though. And it's not even an HDR game on XSX, yet has often questionable framerate. He's the creative, not the technical guy, but dang....

Love the game. It's an utter masterpiece in every way. But I'm convinced whoever built the engine also designed the 32X.

switch is selling all types of records... how is this a) a bad thing
b) not profitable c) something you want to avoid

He's not wrong, the translation bothered me too. These game companies need to hire Gaijin Hunter to do their translation work. He's been doing effectively free PR for them for years.

This is a holdover from the 90s, when Nintendo did cater specifically to kids and family friendliness only, such as changing the blood to sweat in Mortal Kombat 1. (Fatalities were inexplicably but thankfully to my young eyes left in place). However, they began breaking this mold even back then, as subsequent MK games were kept fully in tact. Also, do I really need to point out that Resident Evil 4, in the running with Skyrim and Tetris as most ported game ever, debuted on the Gamecube, and was Gamecube only for quite awhile? Nintendo caters to pretty much all groups, which yes...means they cater to kids too. Big deal. I like having a wide range of types of games. I do mostly stick to more M rated types, but having Mario and Zelda around for when I want something lighthearted is a range the other two big boys on the block don't have.

Everything should be on the switch! EVERYTHING

@sandman89 Yeah; like all the Metroid, F-Zero, and Wave Race games...

Love the fact in one picture he has a couple of trophy girls... Like what does he think he looks like? Triad gang leader extraordinaire. Reality: Makes games about infant monkeys rolling on spheres.

kindly read the article or even the original posts.

@Gmiol Are you trolling or something? He wrote the freakin' article, as he said above. Seriously, I find it hard to agree with Damo in general, but here you've made him look a sage. Ignored.

@SKTTR well reading this makes me want a new monkey ball but a real one not something along the lines of banana blitz and it has to have tons of characters,stages,music,modes,options,and just generally tons of content even a story mode and TT mode which should both have tons and tons of replayability y'know have high replay value and a great ost and a physical release with a pre-order bonus of aiai in a plastic ball

@Gmiol Out of curiosity, I plugged

“任天堂プラットフォームは今も結構広い年齢層で遊ばれているゲーム機だと思うんですけど、基本的にやはりキッズやティーンに強いハードだと思うんですね。“

into Google Translate myself, and what popped out was

“I think the Nintendo platform is still a game console that is played by a wide range of age groups, but basically I think it's hard for kids and teens.”

So, according to Google Translate Nintendo consoles are not in fact “aimed at children”, but are actually difficult for them. They are, to quote “hard for kids and teens” (which matches neither the original translation nor the following translation).

So now you have three translations to choose from. One in direct contrast to the original (Google’s), and one which is essentially a more accurately worded and less sweeping version of it.

Which to choose... decisions, decisions...

Just because there are so many kids / family / all-ages friendly games doesn't mean Nintendo is only that. Especially during an era where Nintendo released Killer Instinct, Perfect Dark, Eternal Darkness, Geist, and bought up (timed-)exclusive rights for DOOM 64, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Zero, the Resident Evil 1 remake, killer7, and later down the road Madworld, GTA: Chinatown Wars, the whole Fatal Frame / Project Zero franchise, Bayonetta, and many more.

Nintendo doesn't shy away from good games, doesn't matter if they're horror or brutal. In fact we got many of the best in an exclusive or deluxe form.

And it's a total non-issue on Switch. Almost any edgy game is accepted/uncensored.

Sega also thought back in the 90's that RPGs weren't worth exporting because everyone just prefers sports and fighting games, and we saw how well that turned out for them in the 3D era.

@marioguy20 Dragon Quest V, Dragon Quest VI, Trials of Mana, Romancing SaGa, Romancing SaGa 2, Romancing SaGa 3, Romancing SaGa 4, Shin Megami Tensei, Shin Megami Tensei II, Tales of Phantasia, Star Ocean...

Yeah, one could almost say that my SNES missed its vocation. And not by any choice of mine.

If the translation is disputed why not show the original? Some of us can speak Japanese ya know!

To me anyone that makes light of Nintendo Switch and their wide array of game offering is why they no longer are in business anymore. Hint And to those saying Switch in Japan is for kids really if that was the case why is it so hard to get. Obviously those buying aren't kids anymore. These are the people whom are no longer at Marketing anymore. The more audience you get the better your survival and bottom are to increase R&D to get more games and increase the likely people will accept it more. Take the USA market you can hardly find a Switch as the Holiday come closer and closer. That should tell you the appeal of the Switch isn't just kids. The other Day at GS, I found a couple in their 30's buying a refurbished Switch because they were all gone even the ACNH Switch were also gone. So anyone dismissing it's only a kids game clearly has lost any credit they once had.

At this point it doesn't surprise me if Sega ever go bankrupt. I may be a Switch owner but I also grew up with the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn as well. What a way to shot down any respect Sega Switch players have for this joke of a company.

@Damo switch was aimed more toward older teens to adults this time around instead of just focusing on kids plus we have so many rated m games on the switch including ecchi games as well which are not kid friendly either.

@SMUGSLOTH69 I know you're smug, and all; I accept that. Yet I must ask: can you maybe use the return key and periods to delineate your thoughts? I find your posts hard to read.

@Zuljaras his face kinda reminds me of those traditional Japanese masks.

@Zuljaras Fr lmaooo

This is a translation error that’s been blown out of proportion. He’s not saying the Switch is for kids, but that the Switch has a larger audience of younger players.

Big difference.

Classic sega after kids..

@tameshiyaku I may be making the same assumption as the person that wrote the headline, but anyway that sideways criticism is often said but not completely true.

@brunojenso lol, very good. However I am calling censorship here cause I didn't write that!!

...but it is for kids and teens.

I can't take this guy seriously.

It's not that he's wrong- a large part of Nintendo's focus IS INDEED younger players, but that's changing very quickly with the Switch, which now caters to 30 year olds more than any other demographic. Why? Because busy adults appreciate the hybrid advantages. Kids do too, of course, it's just that... it's not ONLY kids. It's not PRIMARILY kids. Not anymore.

He uses this as an excuse to not bring Yakuza, despite so many 3rd party games outselling other platform versions, be it Resident Evil Revelations Collection, Okami HD, Immortals Fenyx Rising, etc. And even the ones that don't, they still do well enough to justify the port.

He's in that childish, "I'm too cool and my games are too cool for that kid-focused platform" mindset. Ya know, the same mindset we see from 12 year old fanboys on the internet. And that's my issue.

It's not that he's wrong about Nintendo catering to kids, but this isn't 1997 anymore, or even 2010. The Switch caters to everyone, be it kids, adults, and everyone in between. And deep down, I think he knows that. He just has an immature fanboy mindset that's looking for justification to keep holding Sony's belt. I bet he was fuming when corporate overrode his authority to force an Xbox port of Yakuza. If he had his way, everything would be Sony exclusive forever. He's stuck in a 15 year old mindset from the early 2000's

Isn't Sega like, losing money at the moment?

@Strictlystyles so, aimed at everyone...?

Based on observations of my own children, Nintendo's current products definitely appeal to young players. One of the best reasons to stick to a winning formula, like Mario Kart, is that new players are born every day.

The truth is all video games are aimed at kids and teens (teens are what they mean by “Mature”). Those of us who are older (I’m 47) are engaging in childish activities by continuing to play video games. Nothing wrong with that, it’s called fun. But make no mistake: gaming is childish.

Yeah Nintendo in general are a business aimed at a younger audience. Not everything they do, but as a whole, yes, they are.

What exactly is wrong with that?

Why is that an insult?

Does making games for adults mean success? Because Nintendo's main money maker (software development) is very successful.

Im trying to see the bad in what he said but i can't.

I see lots of kids getting their knickers in a twist because they want to grow up fast and stop being referred to as kids, but they'll get over that as adults.

This statement isn't an insult, it's the truth and it's a very good thing that it is like this.

Here's something to consider.

if Nintendo didn't focus on kids, the future of video games would be limited, it would be bleak and eventually it could even die out.

The future of EVERYTHING in this world belongs to the kids.

Why is it seen as a negative to cater to the needs of our future?

"Oh look these are silly kids games"... why because it's a kids game, does it make it silly?

It's something that honestly has to stop, and I'll put my damn hands up too, im guilty of it myself, it really has to stop, because it makes kids feel ashamed of playing games that are:

1) good for them, good for learning ect...
2) aimed at them.

@COVIDberry sorry I suck at typing stuff and also do you wish for a better new monkey ball also while making my profile name I was kinda choosing randomly kinda

So many people getting bent out of shape over a comment.

Nintendo obviously targets a younger demographic than the other systems and its the kid friendly games that sell.yes there are ports of Doom, Witcher etc but these don't sell anywhere near as well as the younger rated Nintendo exclusives.

I'm not offended by this, in fact I fully agree with the statement, when I've had a hard day its always the switch I grab - Animal Crossing isn't going to raise my adrenaline levels before bed like a few rounds on CoD, Mario Kart fills me with joy whereas Forza brings out my competitive streak.

Gaming shouldn't be an us vs them mentality (console wars died out years ago, its just the plebs who keep the flame wars open). I view the consoles as different flavours of an exceptional hobby and each console plays its part like any other hobby.

Some nights you want to chill with a fine single malt after a hard day, other nights you want to crack open the black label sambuca and F*** stuff up. Doesn't mean one is better than the other, both serve a different purpose.

@sanderev that's not at what he said or how he meant it.

Hmm. It's almost as if most of you didn't read the full article.

Cor the NDF are out in force here today, Lol.
Is Nintendo aimed at Kids ? Yes i think so, even the Switch adverts which have Tens and younger adults in show them like young children. I think NAGOSHI has been stuck in Yakuza land for to long though, though i like the series i do wish he would think of a fresh idea which is not connected to the franchise.
When Sega went third party they split the games across the platforms, and yes the Gamecube got a lot of more coulorfull games aimed towards kids or younger adults ad teens.Monkey Ball , Skies of Arcadia , Billy Hatcher , Sonic Heroes . the other consoles got Sega's more mature orientated games , not that there games are overly mature around this time.
Sega is a legend in gaming, and without them Nintendo would not be what it is today, and why you ask, Because without all those early battles between Nintendo and Sega made both companies work hard. at being the best they could be. If Nintendo had been left to there own devices against the likes of Atari and Collecovision then i don't think we would have the software we have today from Nintendo . Nintendo do best when pushed in the corner.
There's this attitude towards Sega that their a shadow of there former self because of their mishaps in the console business. But look into it and your see there biggest downfall was the constant bickering between Sega Japan and Sega America .Also that they seemed to develop way more consoles then they actually released , Two Dreamcast to release one. Variations of the Megadrive and nomad and just the one released , Another Saturn console never released . They burnt money.
Yes there sitting on many IP's but slowly through collaborations and deals new games have arrived. Look at the Ages collection on Switch and 3DS. Switch got Streets of Rage 4, Panzer Dragoon, Sonic Racing, Sonic Mania,Sonic Forces, and more on the way.
People forget that Sega is a huge company, their huge in the PC market. Football Manager , Total War Series, Alien Isolation, the forthcoming Too Human. All Sega Studios.
I'm sure of Sega decided to never release another game on a Nintendo platform the cries would come.
Because where you might not care for the likes of EA releasing games on your favoured platform , trust me Nintendo's platform without Sega games would add a avoid to the platform.
Is the Nintendo aimed at Kids to a degree, Yes , but is that a bad thing?
No of course not because what better place to start gaming then on a Nintendo Platform in this day and age.
I dread the day when the likes of the big corps like Sony and Microsoft ,Google and Amazon are the only gaming platforms we have and they have swallowed up all the big studios.
Nintendo is not perfect and often take two steps back for every one forward. And rely on selling the same game again and again to gullible fans. Admit it we have all done it!
But to get upset over a remark from a developer and the remarks i see in opposition is disturbing , this is one of guys who can call the shots as to what is released on whatever platform.
Nintendo needs support from as many devs as possible and Sega is a important one.
Can you imagine a world without the likes of Nintendo ,Sega Intellavision (Launching again in 2021) These are the last true video game legends. A sad day it would be.
I rest my case
Long Live Nintendo
Long Live Sega

@Maxz SMH, really you didn't get the Google translation? I'm not shocked because it seems you got your own agenda ongoing. hardware = hard. Lol you really didn't figure that out? Smh.

The google translation is "but basically I think it's hardware for kids and teens."

Umm, I really think that when a game is released, it may have a target audience. But besides that,

When a game is released, shouldn’t it be enjoyed form the ages of like...7 to 99??

I suppose I’m struggling to see why there’s gotta be a demographic calculus here.

@COVIDberry Final Fantasy 4, Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Secret Of Mana, Secret Of Evermore, Mario RPG, Paladin's Quest, Mystic Quest, Illusion Of Gaia, Soul Blazer, Ogre Battle, Lufia, Lufia 2, Breath Of Fire, Breath Of Fire 2, Terranigma, Ys 3, 7th Saga and many more came here outside of Japan.

Lmao. A lot of people butt hurt about this comment.

@COVIDberry how's is he a sage when he disagrees with the article? Lol. 😆 Really I don't get you.

Edit: Maybe the writer should read his own article then.

Look at him, Gary Numan should have used protection during his japanese tour

@Damo "Cheaper"
Every Lego is expensive on Brazil.
EVERY SINGLE ONE.
THERE IS NO MIDDLE, ONLY 90 REAIS UP.

@MarcusIsCool 3 to infinity, an old 100 year old man can enjoy Super Mario too.

@KITG_GROUP I think that too in most parts, except that Sega is that good.
Like, I love Sonic, Sonic Mania was my favorite game from all times but they are an alive failure.
But Sony, only do M rated games, most of are gorey and boring to look.
Microsoft exists, that is their best point.
Nintendo is have incredible devs, BUT GOD HOW THE PRESIDENT FROM JAPANESE NINTENDO IS DUMB.
Still, everyone of them have their qualities.
Sega have good remasters and great franchises
Sony have an incredible hardware, that have much to be developed in.
Microsoft exists and owns Rare, but they made the Kinect, an evolution in many senses (Yeah I like the Kinect judge me)
Nintendo have their IPs, Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, etc. and incredible devs, like Miyamoto, Sakurai, etc.
Everyone is good and are trying, I prefer the colorful.

@ConradoOak yeah I’m sure. Hell I should edit my comment, the way people live these days if they’re healthy, may be up to 125 in the near future. Who knows.

@Gmiol The fact that ハード = hardware is and not ‘hard/difficult’ is obvious to anyone with a degree of context and linguistic competence. The fact that Google Translate couldn’t figure that out it evidence of the service’s limitations. If Google Translate genuinely considered the the word to represent the noun ‘hardware’ it would have used the noun ‘hardware’. Instead it opted for the word ‘hard’, which in English is primarily an adjective and almost never considered a noun. Google Translate has opted for entirely the wrong word class. The one reading what they want to read into the translation is you.

Over the course of this thread you have found yourself in opposition with everyone from the article’s author to every Japanese speaker who has commented, all while failing to present any evidence of your own. And all this seemingly due to your desire to take offence at a relatively innocuous comment about Nintendo consoles that was never even uttered.

All points have been made and there is nothing more to be said.

@Maxz Hmmmm, I implore you to go through the comments again because actually the only person I'm in opposition to is Damo and it's about the translation of what was said by Toshihiro Nagoshi.

My point is SEGA EUR got the translation RIGHT. And evidence? Just read the Sega's official translation in the article itself. That's what I told Damo. I mean which and which Japanese speakers am I opposing here?

Other replies of mine, even towards you, is a reply to my reply to Damo & is mainly about the affirmation of my support of the sega's official translation.

Also, I'm not the only one in disagreement with the author. Heck 80% of the comments are in disagreement with him!

Toshihiro Nagoshi said what he said and he knew what he said & sega got that translation, right!

Edit: you can watch the video yourself, https://youtu.be/q3oA9zyvkEM those are professional translations, not something google translate came up with. The interview and translation are done by professionals and they got the translation spot on.

and also do you wish for a better new monkey ball

@SMUGSLOTH69 I've been trying to track down a fairly-priced copy of Super Monkey Ball 1 or 2 for my much-appreciated old GameCube since I learned about the franchise last year. Of course that effort has been delayed by la COVID dix-neuf, but I might be able to answer your question once I've played one of the games. I mean, they at least look fun...

Final Fantasy 4, Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger... Terranigma, Ys 3, 7th Saga and many more came here outside of Japan.

@marioguy20 Team World or Team North America (the list you just gave) vs. Team Japan (my list) would make an interesting battle, wouldn't it?

I mean, only this year, I learned about Clock Tower (1995), which I suppose we cannot label as a JRPG, but "my" team is pretty damned strong, don't you think?

@KITG_GROUP I award you notional points for using "cor" appropriately in a post. And not that bloody "cor blimey" stuff some people related to this forum use.

I agree with most of your thoughts above.

@sanderev So which console is nagoshi representing on the "console war"you mentioned?

@Damo exactly this!
Nintendo fanboys are getting waay to triggered here.

I would love for Nintendo to recognize that they have huge fanbase of adults, who might be open to more, in particular more mature takes on their beloved IPs and characters.

I would love to really get a mature tale about link, that dives into his personality, the struggles of being "the savior" and all of that. I would complete a picture of the franchise for me, that has been forming in my mind for a quarter century now.

I would also love a kind of "Old Man Loga" take on someone like Samus. A bit of more cynical look at an older Samus.

@Ralek85 Great post. Twilight Princess, and some of BOTW, were tantalizing to me in the way you are describing: looking at some of the implications of what has been laid down in the lore.

Zelda's overarching Buddhist concepts interest me as an adult, and the presence and aesthetic of ruins in the original games interested me as a kid. When I first played Wind Waker, I was pleased and hopeful that a more conscious use of themes would find their way into the games.

(SPOILERS AHEAD) I've never forgetten the first time I read Ganondorf's lines about the Hylians "drifting on this sea like fallen leaves on a forgotten pool", or of course "My country lay within a vast desert". That game had some self-awareness. A more serious Zelda could be fascinating! There was a decent analysis of WW story themes from Gamasutra a while back (and there some fair others online): https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DanMerrill/20100307/4608/The_Philosophy_of_The_Wind_Waker__Part_One.php

As for Samus, your idea is interesting, but her current iteration alone is enough for me. I always felt she led a lonely life; Metroid games don't glorify violence or conquest per se, and she has the vibe of a survivor to me. I think we're much more likely to see a Metroid story of the kind of we'd like than a Zelda one...

EDIT: This Eurogamer article about WW has something worthy to say as well: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-04-15-retrospective-the-legend-of-zelda-the-wind-waker

@COVIDberry oh so maybe you'll just end up wanting remastered SWITCH ports of the first two with some new content

@Gmiol With respect, your opinion on the accuracy of the initial translation carries zero weight as by your own admission, you do not speak the language in question. Furthermore, the only source you have provided is a Google Translate translation, which itself contains a glaring error and needs to be edited to make it mean what you want.

https://youtu.be/Hm9nQBYghY4

@Heavyarms55 You may well have already seen it (it’s the following tweet to the one linked above) but the original quote (and video) is here:

https://twitter.com/aevanko/status/1335768677233278977?s=21

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts align with @itarou ‘s, mine, Game Explain’s, and Adam Evanko’s.

Sega has no room to talk.

Aimed at doesn't mean that's the audience, Nintendo games notoriously have a 30 year old demographic while games like GTA and Call of Duty have a young teen to literal child age range.

Colorful characters don't always attract children, contrary to popular belief. Pixar films make more money from adult ticket sales than children ticket sales, that's all I'm gonna say.

Not as badly as before but he's not wrong. Nintendo is the Disney of gaming.

@SMUGSLOTH69 No, I can't say that as yet. I'm just saying I want to play the "classics", the ones in the franchise that most people seem to really like, before I talk about new ones. People don't seem to like the Wii version, so I want to go with the ones that have the best "rep" in order to give it a shot. Also, I really like picking up games for my old GameCube, so remasters aren't what I am personally looking for, haha.

I am 40 years old and owner of a powerful laptop that i use it more for my job than for gaming, a ps4 that it usually is off and a switch for my gaming.
I play video games from my 7... I have played almost everything.
My result is that Nintendo is the most expensive video games company but also has THE BEST VIDEO GAMES.
That some people we don't like bloodthirsty games is not mean that we are kids.

@Maxz I'll have to skim through the comments tomorrow to find the rest of the your conversation to see if this matches you guys or not...

But reading what the tweet says we his comment, I'd take the first part as him saying that Nintendo as a platform has games that can be played by a wide age range or age group however...

I'm a little unsure on exactly why he means by 強いハード in this context. But I think he is saying the difficulty lines up more with kids and teens.

The use of foreign loan words occasionally trips me up because they often don't match exactly what they mean in the language they come from. I read 強いハード and if I take it literally I think of it as "strong hard" which obviously makes no sense.

I lived 5 years in Japan but I'm still always learning. I could probably live there another 15 and still be learning more. XD

My Japanese is a mixture of textbook learning and life as an ALT in Japan and just things I pick up from TV. So I often find I know uncommon phrases better than some stuff that a kid should know in Japan at times.

@Heavyarms55 ハード in this case is a contraction of ハードウェア/hardware. So, “ キッズやティーンに強いハード” would be “hardware that is strong with kids and teens.

Adam Evanko’s breakdown (see the tweet in the article or here) completely nails it, so I’d recommend giving that a skim first before diving into the repetitive ramblings that I’ve filled up the comment section with.

Apparently he said they do well with kids and younger gamers, not so much they make games for them. Maybe the translator likes their console wars lol.

@COVIDberry Thanks for sharing those links, interesting reads for sure. And yeah, I absolutely agree with your points about Zelda. It's not like these games don't have a rich background and thematic/philosophical themes, they sure do, but sadly the games do a rather poor job of exploring these. In fact, they seem to intentionally only tease them and then gloss over the deeper implications.

As for Samus, and really my whole point in general, is not necessarily to include more violence or other "mature" content in that regard, but to make the franchises feel less status-quo-bound. In one word I want to see consequences, characters taking out of their usual element. Watching the Mandalorian, I kept thinking how much I would love a Metroid game (or even show) modelled on similar themes and ideas.

In regards to your interesting observation about Buddhist influences, I feel yes, that would certainly be most interesting to be explored, but it also speaks to my greater point here about Nintendo's games in general and what I was just trying to say. Maybe "consequences" or "continuity" are the right terms to describe it. With Nintendo things are constantly rebirthed, but they rarely carry over consequences from previous lifes. There are a few exceptions, and sure there are timelines for Zelda and such, but I never felt the whole thing came together, progressed and did not start at scratch.

@COVIDberry This could be a boon in and of itself, as this allowed some characters to age (again, Old Man Logan was just the first thing popping in my mind here), and with this aging progress, other thematic ideas would almost automatically come to the forefront.

I'm NOT saying that classic Zelda games about a young Hero Link need or should go away, just that I would appreciate, like I said, additional takes on that. One of my favourite aspects of Ocarina of Time was the whole idea of the time travel, getting older Link, peeking into the future, getting that desolated, decidedly not farily tale world. But all of this was very narrowly confined to what the game allowed it to be, which was not all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Also, not gonna lie, I'd love to see the mechanics change with the themes as well. Like taking some influences from Dark SOuls could not hurt. We don't need to go grim-dark, but there is certainly room for improvement in terms of combat in particular. Again, an older, more seasoned and maybe less naive Link would not just act differently, see the world differently, but also fight differently, would he not?

I just feel it would be immensely satisfying for longtime fans and players to see Link grow up besides them. That does not take away from nostalgia being a pleasant feeling booting up these games nowadays, and there is more to them than that for sure, as all of this is not diss of great games like BotW, but ... I can imagine quite a bit more here and the time seems ripe to me. That's why I brought up "Logan". That is a MAJOR character of vast popular appeal, and he was allowed to age and ... end. Jackman has become the most well known incarnation of Wolverine. Starting from a young'ish and angry version of himself until ... something completly different. He is no longer a static character. He is not recast as soon as he quits or is to old to fill the role, like most of these characters (think James Bond, Spider-Man and such). He is given a real arc as a person. I think that is easily the greatest achievement of Fox's X-Men movies. Does this mean Link has to die? No, not at all, what it does mean is that Link should seem mortal for a moment. Not just a recurring idea, but a person that is just a manifastation of said idea. People though ... people change and they CAN die.

Will Wolverine be recast and brought back eventually? Absolutely, and I want him to at some point. But for now he more than caricature of a character. He had an actual tangible fictional life, with beginning, middle and end. I do love that, I truly do.

I doubt Nintendo is going to take this to heart anytime soon though, which is a shame, as I imagine it would also be a boon to their creative teams to allow for some other directions to be taken, some creative muscles long dormant being flexed!

Nintendo fans having a meltdown over nothing are pathetic. It’s well known that Nintendo aim for younger audience. The guy isn’t wrong.

Even iwata admit this: https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/7302-iwata-we-havent-targeted-children-enough?amp

What exactly do you mean by "older players" ?
I'm 39 and don't particularly enjoy games like Doom and Wolfenstein as I primarily find 1st person shooters boring.
I reckon I'm not alone and many from the 70's/80's generation like other challenges which perhaps resonate in what we were given in our childhood, just now with better graphics.
I believe the "adult" genre like 1st person shooters are aiming at the teen market. Thus it is quite ridiculous to label Nintendo as a kids console. The teen kids I know of, all prefer the "adult" consoles, where they sit 12 hours a day and play the same boring "adult" games. Meanwhile the friends of mine around the same 40's enjoy Nintendo and those games you can't really get on "adult" consoles.
Now what does that tell you?

@jermasaurus,

Well for one you do not seem to understand irony, as this situation is far from ironic.

And as I have said, I have no issues with the whole thing, people can believe what they want, but Nintendo is a company looking to cater for the widest possible demographic, I would say in the past they have always gone for the family market.

Also mentioning people getting wound up by different opinions, then to get obviously upset when people have different opinions is strange.

I think Nintendo covers the biggest age target group out of the big 3. There's truly something for everyone, and just because their own games are family friendly (colourful, non-violent) doesn't mean it's not for adults in the slightest.

I'm 31 and regularly switch between Dark Souls Remastered, Splatoon 2, DOOM and Mario Odyssey for example.

At this point the audience is baked into Nintendo. They tried releasing Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed and they don't sell the numbers as they do on the other consoles. But then people don't buy an XBX to play Just Dance.

Or Japanese games for that matter.

@Maxz My source is Sega Europe's official translation which is done by professional translators. I never said google translate is my source. If so then google translate is also your source as well since you claimed to use it. I don't get why you're intentionally twisting what I say

GameXplainn and the others aren't professional translators including Damo. And these sources you quote are based on itarou's tweets and even GameXplain & others take both sides. All they say is that it might be Sega's official translation or the other.

& Google translate isn't wrong. As an IT personnel, even I have used soft & hard to refer physical & non-physical computer components. The word hard refers to physical ex. Hard drive, hardware, hard copy, hard error etc. Hard generally refers to physical in computing

One more thing, stop that shifty behavior. It isn't fair. I'm not intentionally discrediting you, don't do the same to me - ex. Claiming the source I provide is google translate knowing full well it isn't. Claiming I'm jumping on everyone because I'm butthurt. Etc.

Me, who switched from PS4 to Nintendo Switch at 25 and loves Mario Odyssey, Party games, and Zelda the most:

"Maybe I am a teenager..."

@Damo I'm gonna side with the Official translation which is included in the article over you. If sega official translation says so, then it is so unless they themselves recant it.

@itarou I did a little translation in the university as a minor. (French & English). It's not as simple as just understanding both languages. Ex. I know Japanese people can be overly polite & even with criticizing they say things nicer than they mean it. Their words are generally more polite than the sentiment they seek to put across (I schooled for a year in tokyo). A professional translator will ensure english translated to Japanese add the necessary politenesses and the excess politenesses will be removed when translating japanese to english.

I know translators take a lot of things into account, not just the words. As such someone who simply speak both languages will definitely be at odds with translations to and from the two languages in question.

I think y'all are being way too harsh on the translator since you speak both languages. Knowing what I know about translation, I believe the sentiment he wished to put across is that which was translated

I'm just a big kid... It's probably just my ADHD and autism though...

I wish nintendo life would stop posting silly divisive articles like these. It just triggers ridiculousness in the comments and creates a negative community. This isn't IGN.

@Mr-Glissando There you go

@Gmiol I do apologise if I’ve been too harsh on you. Genuinely. But I’d implore you to consider that if so many voices are finding fault with the initial translation, then there may well be something off about it.

You’ve complained about having your words twisted, personally. So I hope you can appreciate why so many people feel like Mr. Nagoshi’s statement should be reported accurately. Because if sucks having your being attacked for something you didn’t even say.

Now, no part of me believes that Mr. Nagoshi’s words were deliberately being twisted by the translator. I even doubt that the translator actually misunderstood what was originally said. I just feel they chose a way of summarising his comments that was misleading and invited controversy. And the key word here is summarise. Because as much as the translator was being paid to ‘translate’ the spoken text, they were also being paid to condense it into a digestible form that could play out in real time under the video. This makes translation for subtitles a different art to translating written passages without time pressure. In this case, I think their choice of words was unfortunate, but I do sympathise with them. I’m certainly not calling for their head on a stick.

If there’s one thing your experience with other languages should have taught you, it’s that translating is not necessarily a straightforward process. And the more divergent the languages are (JPN->ENG being a fairly extreme case), the more creative leaps are necessary on behalf of the translator in order to produce something that works in the target language. Sometimes things fail. Here is the Japanese Wikipedia page for Harry Potter, which dedicates a surprising amount of space entirely to translation issues into the Japanese version. This is the official translation one of the best selling children’s books of all time, for an audience almost twice that if the author’s home country. And yet, there are mistakes. Made by professionals, because professionals are still human.

I’m not asking you to put your faith in me, or any other commentator or Twitter user. But given the issues many people have found surrounding the original summary of Nagoshi’s words, I would at least encourage you to suspend judgement until things have been officially cleared up. It’s perfectly reasonable for you to wait for an official statement from Sega to clarifying things. But in the mean time, I would ask you to refrain from attacking the man at the centre of all this. Because, as you know, it’s not fun having your words twisted, and it’s not fun being attacked for something you didn’t say.

Let’s hope Sega does clarify things themselves soon. Because this whole thing really is just a storm in a teacup that has spiralled out of control.

Yeah, 99% of Nintendo games are family friendly, with the likes of Mario and Kirby. But there is 1 series that are not made for kids: Fire Emblem. Fire Emblem is not that appealing to kids because of it's general themes of war and strategic turn based combat. (IT'S JUST ANIME CHESS) most kids when they play games they want an Action packed, super fast passed experience.

Also Fire Emblem is rated T so yeah...

@Maxz Ah, that makes perfect sense.

@LatsaSpege Long live XENOBLADE and Fire Emblem 😁👍👍

@COVIDberry oh well tell me how the experience goes when you're done also wish for more GameCube SWITCH ports.

@Strictlystyles Well, they sure as heck don’t encourage GF to do that with Pokémon games anymore. They’re making the stories and gameplay so easy and straightforward, likely to be accessible for kids even though they have more older fans. I miss the old puzzles that used to add to the fun.

Another day, another bunch of eternally offended snowflakes get outraged at a minor comment that is generally true. It is beyond embarrassing.

Nintendo has and always will be for ALL AGES. It's not geared directly towards kids, rather family friendly games you can play WITH your kids. simple concept. this guy is an idiot.

I know too many simpletons who think 'all ages' and 'for kids' are the same thing when they're not. Nintendo products are like Pixar films...sure, they're for kids on the surface, but adults can and often do enjoy them too.

Besides, see what happens when a little kid tries to play Metroid or F-Zero...a game doesn't have to have gore or foul language to be made for a more mature, experienced gamer.

I think he's correct. If you consider systems like Genesis/SNES/PS/Xbox to appeal to adults then the look and feel of Nintendo hardware from Gamecube up to Wii U is generally neutral, leaning slightly towards the younger end of the market if you take different colours into consideration. That stopped with the Switch but came back if you take into account certain colourways of the Switch Lite.

And isn't it a fact that Nintendo switched to their "blue ocean" strategy around the time of the Gamecube/Wii? I seem to remember they experimented with Donkey Konga to gauge whether people would play games with an unusual controller or not; then we got the Wii because it was successful.

For some reason phrases like 'All ages' and 'Everyone' translates to 'Just kids' for some gamers. I'm actually surprised this is still being said 30 years since I first heard it and 7 generations ago. Yet every Nintendo system had a decent presence of rated 'M' games (after ratings were a thing, of course). It seems like many adults say these things attempt to degrade or make the system less appealing just because it is inclusive to all ages. I must say to them, (pun intended) grow up!

@NEStalgia You mean Like a Dragon.

I only have it installed on Shadow PC. I run my games at 600p and Medium so I have no problems with Streaming. I guess If I had any hick-ups probably blamed the connection.

But yeah, that sounds awful. Maybe the engine is the real issue.

@Agramonte At 600p it's probably not causing too much issue. But yeah, the engine is a real dog. It runs awful on everything. On Series X it runs at either 4k and a choppy, stuttery 30 or DRS at "usually 60fps" but with huge graphics LOD and distance cuts that aren't worth it for a JRPG. And that's without any RTX or HDR. The PS5 version isn't out yet, and will probably be better just by being newer, but probably not by much, as it apparently isn't so hot on PC either. Heck, it was performing better on the X than a lot of supposedly better PC setups.

FWIW, I noticed the beginning of the game is actually the worst for fps. It actually smooths out more at night in Kamurocho, and is a lot more stable in Yokohama.

Fantastic, fantastic game. But terrible technology under it, unfortunately. Great enough game to overlook though.

So many people in the comments calling this man like he's just full Business and money. Have these people ever PLAYED a Yakuza game? Also this translation is outdated.

@dew12333 bro the Yakuza games are awesome.

@Gmiol ah yes. Cuz Google Translate is always reliable.

He’s not entirely wrong (if that’s what he said).

I'm just pissed at the guy for having an opinion about a console maker making games, I wish Sega would make another console

Are we really gonna care about the opinion of a man that has gone and done that to his face? LMAO. I love the Yakuza games, but c'mon.

@MakkaroniOni Those games aren't published or made by nintendo, they're just allowed on their consoles.

Why is everyone acting like it's an insult for a game to be for kids? It just means that the game is more accessible.

I don't get why people are so offended by the comment.
While not exhaustively, but Nintendo does target at younger audience compare to PlayStation. And I think it's not a bad thing to say in my opinion.
I'm less hesitate to let my nephews to play on my Switch than PS4 because I know they will be able to handle any game they choose to play on Switch.

There is really no reason to take it personal against Nagoshi.

@JazzyBeat that’s just bad development, not really intentionally dumbing down the game for a younger audience.

@Parmandur
No I think most of their games are specifically aimed at older nostalgia filled gamers, and it makes sense because these are the people buying most of the product (and I don’t mean parents buying for their kids). It’s just a plus that everything is kid friendly by design.

@Strictlystyles I have zero nostalgia for Pikmin (I was playing Halo on my Xbox at the time), buy my kids are all over Pikmin 3 Deluxe, a game that came out on the Wii U before they were born. The broad appeal is broader than you may think.

hes right.....if he was talking about nintendo in early 90's lol

Now excuse me while i got play Omega labyrinth lol

@Damo

Nah, it is just a dumb statement. As there are just as many kids if not more clamoring for the other systems at any given time. Just looking at my friends with kids & neices/nephews Christmas lists & requests show that. They're not rushing out to black friday sales & ready to battle with scalpers for a friggin' toy for themselves. Not to mention that these same "kid" games are doing just as good or better on the other systems when you look at the numbers.

Most often doing MUCH better than even most of the exclusives that the media & others be stroking. So I guess it goes back to the basics of video gaming roots of ultimately being a kids hobby that adults adopted. Once the dude bros, faux matures & adults, neck beards & such get over themselves & realize that it's okay to love a kids hobby & enjoy their toy without trying to rationalize it this hobby will be better off.

@QuanQual

Maybe not offended as they are rolling their eyes at the dead horse cliche from the early 90's & the sheer stupidity in & of the commenr. As sony has just as much kid friendly fare as Nintendo or anyone else. Heck, their premier game right now is a guy that swings from webs, crawls around on walls in spandex & has been a staple of Saturday morning cartoons & on kids underoos forever. Ironically it seems to be the mandren, incel & neckbeards types with action figures, funko pop dolls, anime chicks & comic book characters littering their walls & rooms that are the ones constantly going on about "dis iz mehture" & dis iz kiddy" in my experiences. Numbers prove that they're are just as many if not more kids wanting & gaming on say a sony console as a Nintendo one.

Which as you state isn't a negative. Especially to these companies. As they won't get nearly as close to the numbers that they want without the kids or the casuals. No matter what the deluded " hardcore" (snickers) gamer base want to believe or tell themselves.

@Damo

The funny thing about all that is that those massive ps4 sales are definitely fueled by kids & casuals. Just look at how the E to T games numbers dwarf those of many of the M titles on that platform. And even more surprising is how outside of the COD's, GTA's & such most of the M rated games aren't even pushing too great the numbers considering the supposed overwhelming amount of adults. Selling 2-4 million at best to 104 million plus supposed mature adult gamers isn't that great when a whack kid friendly game like knack or lbp3 can sell about 2 themselves. And I'm only saying that as far this argument and comparison safe. Selling 2-4 million of anything is nothing to sneeze at

@Aneira

☝️👏👏👏

@SuperWeird

DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! Something I've been saying all along and about appropriate an answer as any Finally someone else gets it! 👏👏👏

Doesn't that guy's face remind you of the Anonymous mask, lol. OAN: It's common knowledge that Ninty's games have always been more kid friendly not that anything is wrong w/ it.

@Stocksy Mr. Nagoshi is an exceptionally intelligent individual. His talent is among the highest in the videogame industry.
You referring to such a professional as "idiot" for not sharing your opinion clearly shows your immense degree of stupidity.
Grow up, kid.

@urbanman2004 He didn't mean it in an offensive way. Just that Nintendo creates more products aimed at very young users. Like you say, nothing wrong with it.
Don't know why so many Westerners nowadays get offended so easily.

@dew12333
Mr. Nagoshi has made superb games like Daytona USA, Ryu ga Gotoku (Yakuza), Scud Race, etc., and also participated actively in the creation of Shenmue. He is a true genius.
Of course, a petulant brat like you cannot have the intelligence or maturity to appreciate Mr. Nagoshi's talent, but at least I wanted to point it out.

@hamanuma What are you talking a/b "offended"? It's apparent you have a hard time picking up humor so please for the sake of God try not to make another blanket statement singling out "Westerners" because it comes across as ignorant and makes you lose all credibility.

@hamanuma haha. I think your comment who needs to grow up. I’ll stop short of personal insults because you clearly have issues. Just know help is out there. Reach out.

@hamanuma I'll like what I like and you like what you like!
As for your personality, I think your message to me shows us your better side.