Heh.The thing we know [about petitions] is that 100,000 signatures doesn’t mean 100,000 sales.
Reggie bringing the frankness.
I'm kinda glad we didn't localize it at first. The EU voice acting was phenomenal.
I'm kinda glad we didn't localize it at first. The EU voice acting was phenomenal.
Miiverse also ended up finally bringing us Earthbound.The Xenoblade thing is entirely plausible, but I don't for a minute believe that Nintendo thought "Wait a minute, even though we're currently putting out 50hz VC games in Europe, we could make more money if we switch to 60hz versions!" earlier this year, and I'm 100 percent confident that they would have carried on with their original plan if Miiverse hadn't exploded in protest at the time like it did.
If fan demand is strong enough to support something that's easily profitable and cost effective they're going to do it. Every company would.
I wonder how many copies of Xenoblade they actually made. It had to have been pretty low right?
Making it Gamestop exclusive was amazingly idiotic especially since the price has been inflated to insane levels.Originally Posted by Sheroking
How, exactly? It exceeded sales expectations here, released at a point where they were battling a software drought and whatever PR backlash they had was pretty well diffused by the time they released The Last Story.
How do you like your Regginator now?
Obviously a company has to make money first and foremost. That's how they become successful.Originally Posted by AlexMogil
Next time I get that "Nintendo cares about games and the gamers first" schlock I'm going to refer to this.
That doesn't mean that they can't also care about games and gamers and even have that factor in to how they're going to make money in the first place.
I do kind of lol at the prospect of them holding bets. Seems to me that localization doesn't just factor in stuff on this side of the pond.
Originally Posted by Hours Left
I think it's weird to strange to see people applauding this attitude considering the state of NoA right now. If this is the result of his "savvy business sense", then there is nothing to be cheering about.
There is merit in all types of games, not just ones that have the potential to be blockbusters, and to say that the only thing that matters is reaching a certain threshold of sales is extremely cold and narrow minded.
Attitudes like this is what cause the consumers to miss out an many great games, it's not something to be praised IMO.
Yep. One or two years ago people here would have destroyed him for that... Is not even a new excuse. I don't dislike Reggie as in tht time period but people here are being forgetful of past BS.
Wasn't he just pushing a petition yesterday re: sakurai? (obviously for PR reasons but still)
If Xenoblade didn't get localized, and after that there was a string of enthusiast/niche games left in Japan over a course of time, Reggie would for sure be gone and that direction would change.You're greatly overestimating enthusiasts as purchasers. Everyone cried for Bayonetta 2 and new IPs but very few are actually going to pony up to purchase those games.
Hell there's more bitching about games like Wonderful 101 and Bayo 2 as Wii U exclusives than there are clamors for buying said games.
I'm sure the long delay with Xenoblade did at least some damage.
Reggie just saying what most normal people already knew. Awareness campaigns are nice but localizing something solely on what your minority hardcore audience is a squeaky wheel about is not good business.
The question is: would they even have had that debate if it wasn't for Operation Rainfall? I'm not so sure.I wanted to bring Xenoblade here. The deal was, how much of a localization effort is it? How many units are we going to sell, are we going to make money? We were literally having this debate while Operation Rainfall was happening, and we were aware that there was interest for the game, but we had to make sure that it was a strong financial proposition.
Last edited by Draikin 2; Yesterday at 10:41 PM.
He's not saying that they'll only localize a game if its gonna sell like Mario, obviously they have different expectations for different titles. They are a business and they want to make money, so they have to determine how much of an investment it would be versus potential sales.Originally Posted by Hours Left
There is merit in all types of games, not just ones that have the potential to be blockbusters, and to say that the only thing that matters is reaching a certain threshold of sales is extremely cold and narrow minded.
IIRC X is getting a worldwide release, so they're already making up for it.Originally Posted by TheBaronOfNA
Yep. One or two years ago people here would have destroyed him for that... Is not even a new excuse. I don't dislike Reggie as in tht time period but people here are being forgetful of past BS.
The problem is Reggie has seen enough petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures that resulted in total and complete flops financially.
It's easy to sign a petition saying you "want" something. Then half that list never buys the game and half of the remainder wait until it's 20 bucks new or 5 dollar used to buy it.
Meanwhile Nintendo just burned a half million dollars on localization of a bomb.
the reality is you need to buy these games and get others to buy these games. If the last localization sold 8K copies Nintendo isn't going to localize the next one. If it sells 150k-250k maybe they will be willing to consider it a viable business.
It's easy to sign a petition saying you "want" something. Then half that list never buys the game and half of the remainder wait until it's 20 bucks new or 5 dollar used to buy it.
Meanwhile Nintendo just burned a half million dollars on localization of a bomb.
the reality is you need to buy these games and get others to buy these games. If the last localization sold 8K copies Nintendo isn't going to localize the next one. If it sells 150k-250k maybe they will be willing to consider it a viable business.
Yeah, don't know how he can make this claim, "I’m paid to make sure that we’re driving the business forward—so we’re aware of what’s happening, but in the end we’ve got to do what’s best for the company. The thing we know [about petitions] is that 100,000 signatures doesn’t mean 100,000 sales.",I'll tell you what. If Iwata goes, this dude better be right behind him.
when as the Chief Operating Officer he doesn't even have the Wii U sold on the world's largest online retailer in their most important home console region. Unless you think that not selling your console online is "driving the business forward", last I checked, more and more people are shopping online.
This is all logical from a business standpoint.
Someone else said that.Wasn't he just pushing a petition yesterday re: sakurai? (obviously for PR reasons but still)
I think you're overestimating how much control/power Reggie has.I'll tell you what. If Iwata goes, this dude better be right behind him.
I don't think he's saying there isn't, just that costs could vastly outweigh the benefit of something. Xenoblade is a long JRPG that needed tons of effort and money put into the localization, so they would need to weigh their options. Taking a loss on a single game is fine as bringing the game over at all can help the company's reputation and stuff, especially for a rich conglomerate with plenty of cash reserves, but taking multiple big losses is not a good idea no matter the context.Originally Posted by Hours Left
There is merit in all types of games, not just ones that have the potential to be blockbusters, and to say that the only thing that matters is reaching a certain threshold of sales is extremely cold and narrow minded.
Damn if I didn't love having a game were the characters inexplicably spoke like people I actually hear everyday. :)Originally Posted by MisterHero
Reggie bringing the frankness.
I'm kinda glad we didn't localize it at first. The EU voice acting was phenomenal.
They certainly did a damn fine job casting too. It's the only Nintendo game to feature a Doctor Who companion as a voice actor. :P
I'd be surprised if they started listening to what people are asking of them.
Have people forgotten that all these video game publishers are businesses? I never understood why people get butthurt over statements like this.
They had already clearly passed on it while it got a big PAL release, and then it saw a very rushed, half-assed release targeted at fans. Then they started licensing their games out to a third party publisher for the first time in many years. Of course they were affected by the campaign.Originally Posted by Draikin 2
The question is: would they even have had that debate if it wasn't for Operation Rainfall? I'm not so sure.
I honestly don't know why so many people are supporting him lately. He is a PR machine, through and through, that has constantly demonstrated that fan consideration is at the very bottom of his priorities.Originally Posted by TheBaronOfNA
Yep. One or two years ago people here would have destroyed him for that... Is not even a new excuse. I don't dislike Reggie as in tht time period but people here are being forgetful of past BS.
And it's not like supporters can point to any sort of recent success to back up his claims, NoA is so deep in the weeds, it's not even funny. There is a reason why Iwata was brought in.
"Frankness" and "honesty" don't mean much when they are not a mirror to any growth or success. And he is not even actually being honest. (RE: Operation Rainfall.) We're supposed to believe that piggybacking on the NoE release of Xenoblade was planned way in advance? Not buying it for one second.
They weren posting losses when Xenoblade localisation was up in the air still though.Problem is Nintendo is bleeding money right now. They can't afford to take any more short term losses. Their shareholders are already gonna be frothing at the mouth after this holiday fails.
Drive your business forward by making an ecosystem where your games that aren't Mario Zelda and Wii ___ games sell.
But, then he goes on to basically say it DOES affect what they do? They saw Operation Rainfall and saw that the interest was there. Bam.
Sure, the decision is still theirs to make, but it does affect what they do.
Sure, the decision is still theirs to make, but it does affect what they do.
Do a Kickstarter. If those 100,000 people signed up to spend $59.99, would that make a difference?
I love the idea of Kickstarter and I think it should be utilized for localization and bringing obscure titles from Japan over here. Find where your budget and work would be, who to hire, and run a campaign. If it doesn't happen it's the fans fault.
I love the idea of Kickstarter and I think it should be utilized for localization and bringing obscure titles from Japan over here. Find where your budget and work would be, who to hire, and run a campaign. If it doesn't happen it's the fans fault.
He is not expecting every game to be a blockbuster, I'm sure they weren't expecting Xenoblade to be one. He's talking about breaking even, if after you do you marketing homework and realize you can't break even you don't do it, I don't think this is a difficult concept to grasp.Originally Posted by Hours Left
There is merit in all types of games, not just ones that have the potential to be blockbusters, and to say that the only thing that matters is reaching a certain threshold of sales is extremely cold and narrow minded.
When you're debating having nothing release instead of Xenoblade....i'm glad Wii U is tanking currently.
I suppose the good news now is that NoA isn't insisting on doing their own localizations anymore and is willing to piggyback off of NoE's work, as in the case of Xenoblade and Bravely Default, so things should be a bit better in the future. That being said, Reggie isn't really saying anything wrong here, and despite situations where games were pretty much done for localization, like Earthbound Zero, Giftpia, and ASH, I'm sure the bean counters thought differently.
I'm with you on this one. Honestly, Jeff Bezos at Amazon got it right when he talked about the importance of building a base of customer trust at the expense of profits in the last episode of 60 minutes. It's called playing the long game.Still think hes not totally right here.
Sure, 100,000 signatures don translate to 100,000 sales necessarily.
But to me it is also about creating some goodwill, and they would be investing in the future too.
Not everything needs to turn an immediate profit, sometimes u need to build a fanbase to work off.
Obviously price is only one factor in building that trust. In games, I'd say that fanbase is equally important. I think building a strong library of games can pay off more long-term(Kart, NSMB, etc), as long as they are careful with revisions/sequels that deter interest from the initial releases over time (Call of Duty). Don't underestimate the evangelists! I have almost zero interest in localized titles, but I can't disregard what might be missed if they never try.In the long run if you take care of customers that is taking care of shareholders. We do price elasticity studies and every time the math tells us to raise prices.
- Why don’t you do it?
- Because doing so would erode trust and that erosion of trust would cost us much more in the long term.
If their "marketing homework" is them scrambling to bring over the PAL version of Xenoblade after fan fervor and then claiming that was the plan from the start, then I think they need to stay after class.He is not expecting every game to be a blockbuster, I'm sure they weren't expecting Xenoblade to be one. He's talking about breaking even, if after you do you marketing homework and realize you can't break even you don't do it, I don't think this is a difficult concept to grasp.
I think this needs to be reiterated. Decisions which made sense in isolation - not localizing games because of low projected sales - result in North America having huge, gigantic software droughts that led Wii gamers to look for greener pastures, and may have contributed to the Wii U's performance so far.Still think hes not totally right here.
Sure, 100,000 signatures don translate to 100,000 sales necessarily.
But to me it is also about creating some goodwill, and they would be investing in the future too.
Not everything needs to turn an immediate profit, sometimes u need to build a fanbase to work off.
The point applies to universal accounts (which would have short term costs for for Nintendo, but earn long term goodwill) and other aspects of business as well.
Short term thinking leads to statements like "We had to destroy the village in order to save it."
We've got to do what (we think) is best for the company.
It isn't Reggie's fault at all, but holding back games on the Wii, and then refocusing on more core-focused games on the WiiU seems like a terrible idea. Letting you core fanbase down one generation, and then expecting an audience to come back for the next generation is short-sided. I am not saying something like Captain Rainbow or Mother 3 coming out in other territories would have made the WiiU, but at least it would have giving hardcore Nintendo fans more faith in the Nintendo brand name.
I suppose in their minds, no amount of games would have been enough to satisfy the fanbase, but then when Nintendo also isn't offering anything completely new, what else is there? I loved my Wii, and I love my 3DS, but it is hard to to be a super fan of Nintendo sometimes when they make good games, and then refuse to localize them or make their systems region free.
I suppose in their minds, no amount of games would have been enough to satisfy the fanbase, but then when Nintendo also isn't offering anything completely new, what else is there? I loved my Wii, and I love my 3DS, but it is hard to to be a super fan of Nintendo sometimes when they make good games, and then refuse to localize them or make their systems region free.
What is your knowledge about localization prices? I have no idea but something tells me it's not free. Something also tells me the people at NoA know much more about it than you or I.Originally Posted by Hours Left
If their "marketing homework" is them scrambling to bring over the PAL version of Xenoblade after fan fervor and then claiming that was the plan from the start, then I think they need to stay after class.
The rest is PR, who cares about PR we know is not real.
I agree with this completely.Still think hes not totally right here.
Sure, 100,000 signatures don translate to 100,000 sales necessarily.
But to me it is also about creating some goodwill, and they would be investing in the future too.
Not everything needs to turn an immediate profit, sometimes u need to build a fanbase to work off.
Investments in smaller games can provide dividends beyond ones that are strictly financial. People need to actually want to buy something, not be goaded into it under threat of "buy this, or you'll never see anything like it again".
Trust and a positive fan/business relationship are key to long term success.
I'm not sure what your point is here. Obviously localization is not free, but Reggie just claimed that they had plans to release Xenoblade even before Operation Rainfall was really switched into high gear. I don't see how anyone can think that's the truth considering what actually happened.What is your knowledge about localization prices? I have no idea but something tells me it's not free. Something also tells me the people at NoA know much more about it than you or I.
The rest is PR, who cares about PR we know is not real.
NoA passed on it, and NoE picked it up. People got pissed off and banded together. NoA responded with a shoddy retailer exclusive release using NoE's work. If we are to believe that was the plan from the start, that's even more reason to doubt Reggie's business sense.
Last edited by Hours Left; Yesterday at 11:00 PM.
It's odd for them to say that fans don't affect what they do when, well, I'm one hundred percent certain they do to an extent. Naturally, if they want to make a profit they have to gauge audience interest, and fan protests/petitions are one way to see interest. I think what he's trying to say is closer to "we won't automatically do something because of fan campaigns", which is obvious. But to suggest that they have no impact whatsoever is absolutely ludicrous.
Also I find it amusing that this is comic right after he jokingly suggested that Sakurai might put him in Smash Bros. if he got 100,000 signatures.
Also I find it amusing that this is comic right after he jokingly suggested that Sakurai might put him in Smash Bros. if he got 100,000 signatures.
It's an honest response, and I think it's fair. Sometimes what we want isn't best for business unfortunately.
I don't think that's what he's saying, really. What I think he's saying is that a petition or things like that won't change minds. It has to be financially viable.It's odd for them to say that fans don't affect what they do when, well, I'm one hundred percent certain they do to an extent.]
So Nintendo doesn't care what I want? Two can play that game.
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