Tag: Industry - Page 31
News E3 Confirmed for Los Angeles Until 2015
E3 2013 scheduled for 11-13 June
After E3 2012, rumours began to circulate that the gaming event of the year would change venue and relocate to Las Vegas. For those unaware, a big part of the L.A. Convention Centre will be involved in a major building project as it's constructed into the new Farmer's Field stadium. Some wondered whether the...
News Katsuya Eguchi: Wii U Design Philosophy is For Everyday Life
Wii U Pro controller designed so some gamers don't 'feel left out'
Katsuya Eguchi is one of Nintendo's prominent figures, with credits as far back as Super Mario Bros. 3 and senior leadership roles in some of the company's biggest titles, such as Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Sports Resort. Perhaps his most important role to date is his latest,...
News Mario Kicked Out by FIFA as UK's Top Seller Since 1996
Former rival Sonic slows down in 6th
If you read our earlier news about Mario & Sonic coming 3rd in today's UK charts, then you may have spotted the little fact about the Pokémon franchise being the 10th biggest seller in the UK over the last 15 years. Eurogamer.net has now been provided with the full top ten by GfK Chart-Track (copyright...
News GameStop Exploring Possibility of Second-Hand Digital Sales
This could affect us, Nintendo fans!
As you can tell from our tagline, it's with a sense of genuine delight that we can bring you news about potential industry changes with retail download software, and actually have an interest in the outcome. After so long lagging behind Sony, Microsoft and PC platforms in terms of full retail downloads, Nintendo...
News Michael Pachter Doubts 3DS XL's Powers of Revival
Put away those pitchforks
It's been an interesting week in the world of Nintendo and, in particular, its handhelds. First up we had Bing Gordon, a man with decades of experience in the video game industry at the highest level, sharing the view that Nintendo's on track to primarily focus on software. He even went so far as to say that "the handheld...
News Nintendo Financial Results: Console and Software Sales
How are they all doing?
Earlier on today we brought you the headline news that Nintendo reported a financial loss for the first quarter, which was very much expected. Despite some pre-results whispers, Nintendo didn't adjust its projections for returning a profit this financial year, showing a degree of confidence in the process. The financial...
News 3DS Retail Codes Being Sold Through Online Retailers
Codes only, no download card
While most of us wait until mid-August to see the Nintendo retail download machine kick into action, it's already up and running in Japan ahead of the arrival of New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Demon Training this weekend. It's now emerged, courtesy of Andriasang, that as well as download cards available from stores, online...
News Nintendo Confirms Financial Loss for First Quarter
Not a surprise
As you may recall, Nintendo announced its first annual loss in 30 years in April, as the company faced the music for problems with the 3DS launch and a declining Wii. It's just announced its results for the first quarter of this current financial year and, as anticipated, it's a loss. In the three months that ended 30th June this...
Talking Point Nintendo's Digital Pricing
Is it persuasive enough?
This week we’ve been given a glimpse of Nintendo’s plans for retail download pricing and incentives, both for Japan and North America. It all begins with New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Demon Training in Japan on 28th July, with North America and Europe joining in with Mario’s title on 19th and 17th August respectively...
News Bing Gordon: Nintendo's 'On Track' to Primarily Focus on Software
But not while Miyamoto's around
The evolution of inexpensive tablet computers with gaming potential, and the continuing 'will they/won't they' question of whether Apple or Google will enter the home console market means that Nintendo, and its competitors, face big challenges. Those challenges may have been in the mind of experienced industry figure...
News Fan Group 'Operation Zero' Attempts to Scare Nintendo of America
Into localising Fatal Frame 2, that is
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition arrived in Europe at the end of June, and despite a few flaws has been scaring gamers witless since. This isn't survival horror in the shoot-a-zombie-in-the-face Resident Evil sense, but exploring dark, creepy locales with nothing but a camera to protect you from malevolent ghosts...
News Yves Guillemot: Nintendo's 'Created Something Good' with Wii U
Nintendo 'taking lots of risks with the games they create'
When it came to judging console manufacturer's and publisher's efforts at E3, Ubisoft was the recipient of plenty of praise from attendees and those viewing on the web. Its own press conference may have included some sketchy, cringeworthy jokes — though that's not exactly rare at E3 —...
News Satoru Iwata: 'We Have Not Changed Our Strategy'
Return to profitability not far away
With Wii U getting closer, and various opinions swirling around about the system's capabilities and even Nintendo's long term future in the industry, Satoru Iwata has spoken to Gamasutra to once again outline Nintendo's philosophy and plans. On the subject of profitability, Iwata has reiterated that the company...
News Michael Pachter Admits That Wii U Pro Controller Comments Were an 'Educated Guess'
Oh dear
Earlier this week we shared comments from well-known — and polarising — industry analyst Michael Pachter, which were made at the Develop conference in Brighton. Pachter stated that he was unimpressed with the Wii U concept, but most notably claimed that Activision had pressured Nintendo to produce the Wii U Pro Controller, as it may have...
News Pokémon Company Was June's Top Publisher in Japan
We'll give you one guess why
While game and hardware sales information can be limited or tough to get hold of for Europe and North America, we can always rely on Japan to bare all and reveal the movers and shakers in the country. One monthly chart that normally sees Nintendo nestling in top spot has had a bit of a shake-up today, though the news is...
News Gearbox Interested in Bringing Borderlands 2 to Wii U
Lots of love, but no commitment yet
The developer response to Wii U has been remarkably mixed, with studios contradicting each other on a weekly basis in terms of the machine's capabilities and potential. One particularly vocal developer in the supporter's camp has been Gearbox, which has talked about the system's power and contributed plenty of...
News Nintendo Appoints New UK Marketing Director
Marketing leader
Nintendo has appointed Shelly Pearce as its UK marketing director. The role was vacated earlier this year when Dawn Paine left to become marketing vice president at Universal Pictures. Pearce joined Nintendo 14 years ago in 1998, and has been the head of European PR since 2002. Senior managers James Honeywell, Ben Taylor and Jo...
Talking Point 3DS XL's Media Potential
Look ma, no glasses!
One of the biggest shifts of the last generation has been the evolution of games consoles into entertainment centres, allowing almost all forms of media to be played back through your TV. It’s a far cry from the old cartridge systems when gaming ruled supreme, but thanks to their knowledge outside of video games both Microsoft...
News FIFA 13 Faces Licensing Dilemma with Rangers FC
What to do?
Many that follow football — or soccer — have more than likely heard about the troubles faced by Scottish Glasgow-based team Rangers FC. Despite being one half of the overwhelmingly dominant 'old firm', along with Celtic FC, Rangers got itself into trouble with the tax-man and lots of other people who were owed money. The club...
News Michael Pachter: Activision Demanded Wii U Pro Controller for CoD
Wii U 'a solution in search of a problem'
For those that didn't know, last week Brighton — South England — hosted the Develop conference, where many figures from the industry chewed the fat and debated the games industry. Being one of the big three console manufacturers that also has a new system on the way, it's only natural that the subject of...
News Dylan Cuthbert Talks Star Fox, Game Development and Miyamoto
Interested in returning to Star Fox in the future
Dylan Cuthbert is a name well-known to fans of the original Star Fox, as a member of the Argonaut development team that relocated to Nintendo HQ in Kyoto to work on the Super NES title. Cuthbert's had a long and successful career since, and his studio Q-Games was most recently seen on a Nintendo...
News Square Enix: Nintendo Works With a 'Different Perspective'
Going its own way
One debate that has swirled around Wii U is its graphical power and grunt, with many debating whether it's on par, stronger or potentially weaker than its Microsoft and Sony counterparts. One thing we do know is that it produces HD visuals and that Mario and company have never looked so pretty, all while coming out with its...
News Nintendo Determined to Beat Hackers with Wii U and 3DS
Pirates beware
Most will agree that, when it came to online functionality and security, Wii and DS were both below par. Hacking and modding on both systems appears to have been widespread, which not only led to issues with some online games but, most importantly for Nintendo, cost the company money due to the extensive number of pirated games on...
News 3DS Sales Momentum in U.S. and Europe is 'Not so Good'
Post-Holiday slump
When it comes to sales in Japan, 3DS has been the undisputed number one for a number of months, finishing top of the hardware charts and often out-selling all other consoles combined. The story elsewhere, however, isn't as rosy, and while we're probably not looking at poor sales of the level that prompted a significant price-drop...
News Iwata Expects Wii U to Last a Generation
Microsoft doesn't seem to agree
An obsession that has plagued video gaming since its earliest days is power, whether it was the 'BIT' wars of the 1990s or the current-day complexities of graphics processors. Wii has been a staggering success that has faded away in its twilight years, arguably because its lack of power has deprived it of many big...
News Satoru Iwata: 'Deep' Online Services May Have a Cost
'Ordinary' services should be free
Satoru Iwata has recently chaired the latest Nintendo Shareholder's AGM, and as expected faced some tough questions about the future of the company and its plans. One subject that came up was online services, primarily whether the enhanced functionality on Wii U and the developing role of Nintendo Network on 3DS...
News Wii Has Featured Fewer New IPs Than Rivals
Is anyone surprised?
It's a fairly common perception that Nintendo is typically happy to reproduce its existing IPs rather than develop new characters or franchises. That theory was put to the test over at Gamespot, where the numbers of new franchises per year were calculated for Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3, restricted to each company's own developed or...
News Nintendo of America Appoints New Digital Strategy Executive
Meet Duncan Orrell-Jones
To show it's serious about a digital future, Nintendo of America has created a role — senior vice president of network business — and appointed Duncan Orrell-Jones to the new position. Orrell-Jones will lead the company's digital strategy for 3DS and Wii U in North America, reporting directly to Nintendo of America...
News SEGA Europe Closes Five Offices, Shifts Focus to Digital
Sea change
SEGA Europe has closed regional offices in Spain, Germany, France, Benelux and Australia as it changes focus from retail to digital. SEGA Europe will now shift its priorities to developing new and existing digital content while its retail games will stick to established IP like Sonic the Hedgehog, Aliens, Football Manager and Total War,...
News Retailers Confidently Predict Wii U Will Cost £250, or Less
Pricing could lead to a 'sure success'
With the launch of Wii U creeping ever closer, key details of price and release date are still under wraps, leading to the usual range of predictions and guesses. We've seen speculative prices ranging from £199 on Amazon UK — since removed — to €399 on Amazon Germany, though the latter has since dropped...
Talking Point 3DS XL - Why Now?
The timing is both predictable and strange
The upcoming release of 3DS XL, the sizeable update to the original model, is hardly a surprise. Nintendo has constantly iterated its handhelds in an effort to attract more consumers and, to put it bluntly, make a lot of money: we can’t even argue that the XL is arriving earlier than expected, as the gap...
News Reggie Fils-Aime: Fanbase Demands Are 'Insatiable'
Don't worry, he still loves you
Reggie Fils-Aime was a busy man during E3, leading Nintendo's main press conference and persistently spreading the word about Wii U and 3DS. As is expected, a lot of what was said was towing the company line, but in a more relaxed exchange with Kotaku, the Nintendo of America boss shared his views on the expectation...
News Nintendo UK Boss David Yarnton to Leave Nintendo
Pastures new
Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton is to leave the company after nearly 20 years of service. Yarnton took the position of general manager in September 2003, steering the UK ship during the successful Wii and DS eras and overseeing the launch of 3DS last year. Before taking up the UK position Yarnton served as director of sales...
Talking Point Are E3 Conferences a Dying Breed?
E3 is changing
9am PDT, Tuesday, E3 week. For Nintendo fans, this time and date is akin to New Year's Day, ringing in the next big batch of games Nintendo has to offer and beginning a week-long celebration of all things gaming. Nintendo’s E3 press conference has created some magical moments over the years, from the reveal of The Legend of Zelda:...
News Ubisoft Expects Five Million Wii U Consoles in First Six Months
Doesn't consider the console to be a risk
Ubisoft has recently taken up the role as a major third-party cheerleader for Wii U, and in a recent interview with Reuters, the company's CEO Yves Guillemot continued to talk up the system and its launch prospects. Guillemot had this to say about his expectation that Nintendo will manufacture five million...
News Yoshinori Ono Still Overworked Despite Health Scare
Strong arm tactics
On a press tour of Asia earlier this year, Yoshinori Ono was admitted to hospital and stepped down from his role as Street Fighter producer following the health scare. While you might have expected Ono's hectic work schedule to slow down after the incident, a new interview with Eurogamer.net reveals that's not the case. Ono...
News ShopTo Lists Wii U at Speculative £280
Games listed at under £40
Nintendo stated that it would not be unveiling the price or release date for Wii U at E3, and sure enough it steered away from those details. Lack of information never keeps online retailers down, however, as ShopTo.net has posted product pages and estimated prices for Wii U and some of its biggest announced titles. The...
News Nintendo Shares Drop After E3 Press Conference
Shareholders are unimpressed
Nintendo's E3 press conference prompted a mixed reaction from the attendees and viewers around the internet, with the Wii U-focused presentation apparently failing to gain widespread support and praise. That same reaction has been reflected in the Japanese stock market since it opened today, with the company's shares...
Feature Retro Console Launches - NES
Sharing the power
In recent weeks we’ve written about console launches such as Wii, 3DS and GameCube. This is all because we’re currently gearing up for the Wii U launch later this year, and E3 promises to build hype and excitement to astronomical levels. In the coming months most of us will learn all about Wii U online with various websites...
News 3DS Passes Six Million Sales in Japan
And in 'The Americas', probably
We all know that 3DS has been doing well in Japan recently, consistently out-performing all other consoles combined on a weekly basis. Nevertheless, it's just passed yet another landmark — six millions sales. As reported by Andriasang, retail tracker Enterbrain has confirmed that it passed the mark last week, with...
News Retailers Call for Summer Blockbusters
Too many games in Q4
Last December we complained about the overcrowded Holiday release schedule, making the simple point that being bombarded with too many games in the approach to Christmas was bad for gamers and publishers alike. The final three months of the year may be wonderfully exciting if you have deep pockets and a lot of spare time, but...
News Peter Molyneux Wants More From 'Lacklustre Wii U'
Better specifications and big games needed
As Nintendo's press conference at E3 gets closer, many will be focusing on what the company has to say about Wii U. News about the console has been slow to come through, and we've had plenty of contradictory comments from developers regarding what the system can do in terms of graphics and performance. It...
News SEGA Won't Be Attending Gamescom
Joins Nintendo as major absentee
Gamescom is Europe's equivalent to E3, the biggest consumer and trade show for video games in the region. It's set to take place in Cologne, Germany from 15-19th August, though it will do so without two of the biggest names in the industry. Nintendo has already confirmed that it won't be attending this year, instead...
News Analyst Calls for Mario on Non-Nintendo Platforms
Is that a flying pig?
After today's financial reports confirmed major losses for Nintendo, there are once again calls for the company to take its greatest IP treasures onto other platforms, such as smartphones and tablets. We've heard this all before, with investors saying similar things when Nintendo dropped the 3DS retail price. It's as likely now...
News Nintendo Posts First Annual Loss in 30 Years
But lower than expected
Nintendo made a 43 billion Yen net loss in the past financial year. A straight currency conversion puts the loss at $529m USD or £327m GBP. The company had originally predicted a 65 billion Yen net loss, but clawed back some of the deficit with strong software, particularly in Japan. The Yen also devalued compared to the...
News GAME Getting Back On Its Feet After Takeover
Reward cards and trade-in deals return
In recent weeks we've reported on the troubles at UK retailer GAME Group, with a number of high profile titles on Nintendo systems not being stocked and the company eventually going into administration, with over 2000 jobs lost. While our thoughts and best wishes are with those staff, there was positive news...
News Sonic Designer Hirokazu Yasuhara Joins Nintendo
It's just not natural
Hirokazu Yasuhara, an instrumental member of Sonic Team during the 1990s, has taken a new role at Nintendo of America. Yasuhara — sometimes known as Carol Yas — was game planner on the original Sonic the Hedgehog before directing and designing the best of the hedgehog's 16-bit adventures. His final game at SEGA was...
News Baker and OpCapita Deal Saves GAME
Better late than never
GAME has left administration after less than a week. Investment firm OpCapita negotiated a sale of the company's UK assets to Baker Acquisitions Limited, bringing GAME Group out of administration and providing it with the necessary capital to continue trading over the near future. Baker has confirmed there are no more plans...
News SEGA to Cancel Games, Focus on Existing IP
Dark days
SEGA has revealed it's to slim down its Western operations and cancel some games to combat an operating loss in the current financial year. The publisher hasn't stated which games will be cancelled but did reveal its desire to focus on strong-selling IPs such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Football Manager, Total War and Aliens. From our list of...
News Mobile Dev: "Iwata Makes Me Fear for Nintendo's Future"
Troubled times
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said last year that Nintendo is not interested in producing free-to-play software, displeasing Ben Cousins, director of free-to-play software company Ngmoco. Speaking to Develop, Cousins discussed his belief that console manufacturers are frightened of free to play games: The only platform where...
