Tag: Business - Page 8
"That was a huge risk for Marvel, but they did it and look at them now"
Two leading Hollywood producers are of the opinion that Nintendo should get into movies on its own terms, emulating the trailblazing approach taken by comic giant Marvel. Dissatisfied with outside attempts to adapt its properties for the big screen, Marvel put the rights to ten...
"Nintendo will not be acquired, I think that much is certain"
Nintendo has had something of a rollercoaster year as far as its share price is concerned. Speculation surrounding the NX as well as the expectation (and subsequent delay) of the company's first smartphone app Miitomo have resulted in value of its shares dropping and
News Activision's 2015 Figures Show Slight Growth, But Skylanders And Guitar Hero Underperform
Skylanders faced "greater competition" in the Toys to Life genre
Things are on the up for what is arguably the world's biggest publisher of video games. Activision has reported its full-year earnings for 2015, and results show a slight increase in sales, operating income and net income. Revenues hit $4.6 billion, which is up from the $4.4 billion...
News Quality Of Life Device Not Fit To Be Sold As "A Nintendo Product" At The Moment, Says Kimishima
"If it could be released, we’d release it"
Nintendo's Quality of Life initiative was one of Satoru Iwata's personal legacies, an attempt to enrich the lives of consumers and improve their overall well being while simultaneously providing Nintendo with another valuable revenue stream. It was expected to launch last year but we've heard precious...
News Tatsumi Kimishima Is Aiming To Quadruple Nintendo's Operating Profits
Smartphone games, theme parks and DLC expected to contribute to growth
Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has spoken recently about his plans for the company, and one of his boldest aims is to increase Nintendo's operating profit to around 100 billion Yen a year (approx $855 million) - more than four times what the firm achieved last financial...
News Catalis Group Acquires Curve Digital To Create "Major New British Games Publisher"
Former Eidos man Dominic Wheatley is bullish about the move
British publisher and developer Curve Digital - the company behind titles like Hydroventure: Spin Cycle and Stealth Inc. 2 - has been acquired by The Catalis Group, a move which effectively creates a massive new force in British games publishing. The Catalis Group - which includes Kuju...
News Japanese Games Market Falls To Lowest Point In 26 Years, But Full Picture Remains Elusive
Down 13 percent year-on-year, but digital data isn't included
According to data supplied by Famitsu, the Japanese games market has hit its lowest point since 1989. In 2015, games in Japan generated ¥321bn - a 13 percent decline on 2014's total of ¥368.55bn. Sales of games dropped 16 percent to ¥191bn, while games hardware was down to to ¥130bn...
News Japanese Analyst Claims NX Could Launch As Early As October, Will Eat Into Wii U And 3DS Sales
"Concept" announcement between March and May, official unveiling in June
Comments from Nomura Securities analyst Junko Yamamura have lent additional weight to existing claims that Nintendo is looking to launch its new NX console this year. Yamamura says that the console's "concept" -
News Code Of Princess And Yumi's Odd Odyssey Studio Agatsuma Is No More
Dissolved as of today, liquidation happening next year
Japanese firm Agatsuma Entertainment has revealed that it is closing its doors. The publisher of Code of Princess and Yumi's Odd Odyssey, Agatsuma has been officially dissolved as of today. Liquidation will occur on March 31st, 2016. The firm was perhaps best known for assisting with...
News Nintendo's Move To Smartphones Helped It Top Japan's Gaming Stock Market
DeNA deal and Splatoon success kept things ticking over in 2015
Nintendo may have endured a difficult 2015 with delayed titles and underperforming hardware, but on the Japanese stock market the company has been dominant, outpacing Sony and other traditional game publishers. This robust performance is largely down to Nintendo's deal with DeNA, which...
News Sega Slashes Full-Year Net Profit Projection By 90 Percent
19 billion Yen down to 2 billion Yen
Japanese gaming veteran Sega has lowered its revenue and profit forecasts for the end of this fiscal year, citing increased competition and development delays for the revised projections. Sega's revenue forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2016 has dropped by 65 billion Yen to 355 billion Yen. The impact on...
News NX Won't Be The Next Version Of Wii Or Wii U, Says Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima
"It's something unique and different"
NX is expected to launch next year, but we still know very little about the new console - although rumours are circulating that it will combine Nintendo's domestic and portable hardware interests. In an interview with Time, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima stopped short of giving away any solid details...
Rumour Universal Making Massive Land-Grab In Florida To Add Third Theme Park
Could this be the Nintendo theme park?
As well as branching out into the smartphone gaming business in 2016, Nintendo is also looking to leverage its properties by hooking up with Universal Studios, with the aim of creating a theme park featuring the likes of Mario and company. That particular deal was inked earlier this year, and Universal is now...
News Nintendo's Share Value on the Rebound Following Poor Reaction to Miitomo
Nerves settled?
Not too long ago Nintendo unveiled some key points in its smart device strategy to investors, but in the process confirmed that its first app - Miitomo - and loyalty program 'My Nintendo' (part of a new 'Nintendo Account') would be delayed until March 2016. Both were originally expected this year, so that delay and the nature of...
News SNK Playmore Ditches Pachinko Machines To Focus Entirely On Video Games
You know, just like it used to
SNK Playmore has announced that it is abandoning the manufacture of Pachinko machines in favour of focusing totally on video games and smartphone titles. The company began making Pachinko units when it was acquired by Aruze in 2000, a company famous for its Pachinko machines. SNK would file for bankruptcy in 2001 but...
News EA Will Evaluate "Any And All Opportunities" When It Comes To Nintendo And NX
"We’ve had a tremendous relationship with them over the years"
Electronic Arts is one of the industry's publishing veterans and has been known to make-or-break the fortunes of consoles in the past. The company threw its weight behind the Mega Drive / Genesis during the 16-bit era and helped Sega score a notable victory over Nintendo, but by the...
News Nintendo Is Unique, Different And Does Its Own Thing, Says Xbox Marketing Boss
"I guess we'll react to that when we know more"
Nintendo has a reputation of innovation within the games industry which runs all the way back to the '80s, when the company blazed a trail with its Game & Watch series - the first hardware to showcase the now-commonplace D-pad. Since then, we've seen the company embrace cutting-edge tech ahead of...
News Nintendo Expecting Mobile Business To Eclipse Wii And DS Era Profits In Three Years
Available in 8 languages, over 100 countries
Nintendo's smartphone plans became a little more real this week with the announcement of the company's first smartphone title, Miitomo. The news was tempered slightly by the revelation that the game - if one can call it that - will be delayed until March next year so that Nintendo has time to properly...
News Analysts Wonder If Super Mario Can Save Nintendo
"I do think that Super Mario will be a driver for mobile revenue"
American business publication Fortune has recently asked the big question 'Can Super Mario save Nintendo from itself?' and to answer that question has consulted the wisdom of several analysts including Nintendo Life reader favourite Michael Pachter. With Super Mario Maker seemingly...
News This Is The Last Real Console Cycle, Proclaims Industry Analyst Michael Pachter
"The console installed base is as big as it's ever going to get"
We could see the end of dedicated games hardware in the near future, states Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter. Speaking at DICE Europe last week, the outspoken industry expert tackled the issue of the end of the console era, and pointed out that in terms of pure sales figures, this...
News Konami Denies That It Is Walking Away From AAA Game Development
...for the second time this year
We recently reported on rumours that suggested veteran publisher Konami was abandoning AAA console development with the exception of its Pro Evolution Soccer series. The report - published by French site Gameblog but seemingly verified by ot
News Don't Count Nintendo Out, Says Former Xbox Boss Robbie Bach
"Nintendo - with great respect - is a toy company, and always has been"
With the Wii U look set to sell less units that the GameCube and the 3DS falling short of the commercial performance of its immediate predecessor the DS, many industry analysts have characterised Nintendo as a company in decline. However, former Xbox boss Robbie Bach - who spent...
Rumour New Report Suggests That Konami Has All But Abandoned Console Development
PES and Metal Gear Online are the only titles spared
With the incredible commercial and critical success of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain you'd think that publisher Konami would be feeling pretty pleased about its home console output, but it would appear that earlier reports regarding the company exiting the domestic arena are true...
Talking Point Sweeping Internal Changes Show That Nintendo Is Ready To Tackle New Challenges
Structural shifts and fresh promotions are just part of a wider plan
Yoshiaki Koizumi is one of the key beneficiaries of the merger of EAD and SPD While this week's big news is certainly the appointment of Tatsumi Kimishima as Nintendo's new president, it was the changes taking place behind the scenes which will have piqued the interest of seasoned...
Not against the idea of outside executives taking over in the future
It's been a notable 24 hours for Nintendo, with the company announcing that Tatsumi Kimishima will take over as President on 16th September, with Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda taking on new titles as Creative and Technology Fellows and seemingly being integrated closely in the...
Talking Point Tatsumi Kimishima Is A Safe Pair Of Hands In Changing Times
New boss could hint at a more western-focused Nintendo
Earlier today it was confirmed that Nintendo's new president is Tatsumi Kimishima, a 65-year-old veteran who has previously held several senior roles within the company. While many believed that one of the interim bosses Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda would be given the nod, Kimishima does, o
News Tatsumi Kimishima Named As New Nintendo President
Former Nintendo of America boss gets the nod
Since the tragic and untimely passing of Satoru Iwata, there has been much speculation about who will assume his role as President of Nintendo. Since Iwata's death the company has been overseen jointly by Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda, and many felt that one of the pair would eventually take up the...
News Nintendo Continues to Consider the Prospects of the Movie Industry
"We'll potentially be looking at things like movies in the future"
When video game movies are highlighted, there's often an air of negativity around the end results. The response to the Super Mario Bros. movie wasn't overwhelmingly positive in the '90s, and in broader terms we've seen commercial successes with Resident Evil but also a whole load...
News Core Console Market Bigger Than Ever, Despite The Impact Of The "Wii Bubble"
Bodes well for Nintendo NX
EEDAR VP of Insights Patrick Walker has pointed out that the core home console market is bigger than ever, citing impressive launch sale figures for the PS4 and Xbox One systems. The news flies in the face of claims that the rise of smartphones and tablets has put the console market in danger. However, sales data points...
News SNK Playmore's New Chinese Owners Aim To "Do A Marvel" With Its Famous Franchises
$63.5 million paid for 81.25 percent of the gaming veteran
SNK Playmore has been acquired by a group of Chinese investors, Gameindustry.biz is reporting. Ledo Millennium has paid $63.5 million for 81.25 percent of the company's shares, purchased from former SNK CEO Eikichi Kawasaki and his wife Natsuyo Kawasaki. Chinese companies Oriental...
News Nintendo Is Licensing Hudson Soft IP From Konami
New Momotaro Dentetsu title in development
Earlier this morning, we posted some rather worrying news regarding the current situation at Konami, including claims that staff are being used as cleaners and security guards. If there's one positive to come out of the whole situation it's that Konami is so disinterested in harnessing its catalogue of IP...
News Scathing Nikkei Report Hints At Shameful Treatment Of Staff By Dictatorial Konami Management
"Useless" employees used as cleaners and security guards
All is not well in the world of Konami. Recent rumours have suggested that the Japanese veteran could be planning a move out of the home gaming business, and the company's recent treatment of Hideo Kojima - surely its most famous staffer - has raised eyebrows throughout the industry. However,...
News Genyo Takeda The Likely Choice For Nintendo President, Analysts Claim
More likely than Shigeru Miyamoto
Following the tragic death of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata there has been much speculation on who will take on his role within the company. Shigeru Miyamoto's name has been brought up - a logical choice, given his fame in the games industry - but it would appear that the smart money is on Genyo Takeda, who gave a...
News Industry Analysts Speculate On Nintendo's Future And Satoru Iwata's Possible Successor
"Iwata was infectiously enthusiastic about Nintendo"
Following the tragic loss of Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata last week, it was inevitable that thoughts would quickly turn to Nintendo's future. Beyond his business leadership, and the successes he delivered, Satoru Iwata will also be remembered for his humour and humility when fulfilling...
News Nintendo NX Will Avoid The Launch Issues Which Plagued 3DS And Wii U, Claims Iwata
"We intend to offer NX through a Nintendo-like solution"
The officially translated notes for Nintendo's 75th AGM are in, and unsurprisingly Satoru Iwata spends a lot of time talking about Nintendo NX, the company's next gaming system. During the Q&A session, Iwata was asked some rather direct questions about how Nintendo intends to avoid a...
News Nintendo Isn't Talking About NX Because It Doesn't Want Rivals To Steal Its Ideas
"The NX is new hardware, and will start from 0"
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has claimed that Nintendo has to keep quiet on NX because it believes that competitors will steal the unique ideas it is cooking up for its next console. Much has been written about the forthcoming console but we still don't have a solid NX release date. However, during...
News Konami Not Turning Its Back On Consoles After All, Says Sorry For Causing Such A Fuss
Japanese company admits "conjecture" has caused "anxiety"
We recently reported on an interview with Konami boss Hideki Hayakawa which stated that the company was putting all of its eggs in the basket marked "mobile". However, these comments were translated from what was little more than a summary of the interview and the full, official transcript -...
News Nintendo of America's Newest Recruit Is Bowser
But not the one you're thinking of
Nintendo of America has a new Vice President of Sales with a name that will be instantly familiar with fans of Mario. Before you get your hopes up, it's not who you think. Doug Bowser - not that Bowser - joins Nintendo from Electronic Arts, where he was employed as Vice President of Global Business Planning. He...
News Capcom Hoping For "Aggressive Digital Download Sales" Of Remastered Classics
Remember when new games were a thing?
Industry veteran Capcom has revealed that remastering past titles will be a key part of its business moving forward. In a recent Q&A session, the firm pointed to the success of the recent Resident Evil HD remaster, which became the fastest-selling title in PlayStation Network history. Capcom is planning...
News Mobile Is Konami's Future, According To President Hideki Hayakawa
"We will pursue mobile games aggressively"
Konami president Hideki Hayakawa has been speaking to Nikkei Trendy Net about the company's future, giving the strongest indication yet of how the firm's business is changing. Hayakawa states that smart devices represent the core focus of Konami's business moving forward. The success of Konami's current...
News Konami And Square Enix Post Positive Financials, Despite A Lack Of Major Console Releases
A sign of the times?
Japanese publishers Konami and Square Enix have both reported positive financial results for the past year, despite the fact that neither company has released all that many AAA console titles during this period. Konami has reported a 147 percent increase in net profit for the year ending March. Profits reached 9.5bn Yen, which...
News Stella Glow Developer Imageepoch Has Gone Bust
Western release presumably unaffected
Japanese studio Imageepoch - famous for its RPGs - has been in the news a lot recently. On the positive side, the company's latest 3DS title, Stella Glow, has been confirmed for a Western release by publisher Atlus. Less encouraging is the news regarding Imageepoch's president Ryoei Mikage, who went missing
News Nintendo Ditches Plans To Create New Hardware For The Chinese Market
Dedicated console no longer in the works
Tokyo-based games consultant Serkan Toto has told Nikkei that Nintendo has decided against producing unique hardware for the Chinese market. The plans were revealed last year, with Nintendo seemingly poised to take advantage of China's removal of a ban on games consoles. Rather than launch the Wii U in that...
Talking Point Is Konami About To Exit The Console Game Business?
Nintendo's old ally could be leaving the industry it helped to grow
Konami has been in the headlines a lot lately. First up were those troublesome rumours regarding the impending departure of Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series and arguably the Japanese company's most valuable and famous employee. It would appear that Kojima is set to...
News Konami Removes Its Listing from the New York Stock Exchange
Will raise eyebrows, but doesn't mean imminent doom
Some of the Nintendo Life team on the wrong side of 30-years-old recall the days when Konami was a true powerhouse brand in gaming. The Castlevania franchise was hugely popular, Pro Evolution Soccer was the mainstream choice ahead of EA's FIFA - really, that was a thing - and Hideo Kojima could get...
News Nintendo's Mobile Partner DeNA Lays Off Significant Number Of North American Staff
San Francisco and Vancouver offices impacted in "reshape" of operations
Japanese mobile company DeNA has laid off a significant number of North American employees, it has been revealed today. The job losses are taking place at the company's San Francisco and Vancouver offices, and while exact numbers aren't forthcoming at the moment, the layoffs...
News Analyst Thinks Nintendo Is Already Winding Down Wii U Ahead Of Nintendo NX Launch
"The Wii U is on the wrong side of the bell curve"
It goes without saying that the Wii U hasn't been the success Nintendo had hoped for, with just under 10 million total hardware sales since launch - that's around half the amount of systems that Sony has shifted, and the PS4 is a year younger than Nintendo's machine. With the recent announcement of...
News DeNA Hopes To Bring In $25 Million Per Month Via Its Relationship With Nintendo
Nintendo could be getting 70 percent of profits
Nintendo's first mobile phone game is expected to launch later this year, and partner DeNA has been talking up its expectations on the potential profitability of this joint venture. Speaking to Reuters, DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu stated that while targets
News Microsoft Once Had Some Pretty Wild Ideas, Including Making Xbox Free And Buying Nintendo
"Name a bad idea and it was something we had to deal with"
Back when Microsoft was looking at entering the home gaming market and working on the first Xbox console, people within the company had some pretty far out ideas - precious few of which actually came to pass, thankfully. Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz, Oddworld Inhabitants' Lorne Lanning has...
News Satoru Iwata And DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu Discuss Nintendo's Mobile Future
"DeNA attacked Nintendo with a passion, so we were impressed by them"
Following the flurry of Nintendo news from two days ago, a Q&A featuring Nintendo's CEO Satoru Iwata and DeNA's CEO Isao Moriyasu was posted on Nintendo's corporate website, largely discussing the role DeNA and Nintendo will each play when producing mobile games with one...