-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
How is Nintendo hurt by not doing an E3 press conference?
- Thread starter wildfire
- Start date
Well there was w101 and monolithsofts X.
You've been chanting this a lot. What makes you think that Journalists of all kinds have a hatred towards Nintendo because they can't sit in on a conference? According to you they will have the same amount of attention as others, so wouldn't they generate the same traffic/revenue as the others?
What makes you believe this?
Always-honest
Banned
I could imagine it will make the gap between them and journalists wider.
King Gilga
Member
I think it does hurt hype.
Me and my friends, we get together either irl or on a voip or some combination of the two and watch all the Console's E3 press conferences live together every year, Microsofts, Sonys, and Nintendos.
Last year none of us watched Nintendo's because all they had was a direct thing.
Last year none of us had any idea about anything Nintendo announced or did, or really cared, but we would have if they had a normal press conference like the others.
The big 3 used to do them for a reason, they brought up major hype even for people not invested in the platforms. I don't know if the hype was worth the costs, but it is what it is.
Me and my friends, we get together either irl or on a voip or some combination of the two and watch all the Console's E3 press conferences live together every year, Microsofts, Sonys, and Nintendos.
Last year none of us watched Nintendo's because all they had was a direct thing.
Last year none of us had any idea about anything Nintendo announced or did, or really cared, but we would have if they had a normal press conference like the others.
The big 3 used to do them for a reason, they brought up major hype even for people not invested in the platforms. I don't know if the hype was worth the costs, but it is what it is.
I want new IP from EAD.
They're refusing to cater to and interact directly with their fanbase at the largest gaming convention in the world, and it comes across as a refusal to attempt to compete with Sony and MS. At a time where Nintendo is talking about how they will change and grow in Ann attempt to reinvigorate the brand name, gamers don't want to see them behave the same way that they did last year. Maybe it won't hurt them, but sometimes perception is in fact reality
SJRB
Gold Member
Nintendo Direct reaches Nintendo fans. Who already have a Nintendo console/handheld. So who are not interesting from a marketing perspective.
E3 is about reaching EVERYONE. If you want to reach more people, get more people to buy your Wii U console, you hold a conference and show people why you are the best and why people should run to a store right now to buy a Wii U.
What you should not do, is cancel your conference and hide behind a Nintendo Direct.
E3 is about reaching EVERYONE. If you want to reach more people, get more people to buy your Wii U console, you hold a conference and show people why you are the best and why people should run to a store right now to buy a Wii U.
What you should not do, is cancel your conference and hide behind a Nintendo Direct.
michaelius
Banned
They create impression they are running away from directly competing because even they decided it's not worth making conference.
Because now journalists are just in the same spot that we are; watching a stream. We don't need to read their reports now to get additional info or more details, we directly have all the details without the hate that's been in almost every piece of nintendo news in the last couple of years.
Wow, completely misinformed. They had the BIGGEST booth last year and I'm sure they will have one just as big this year, and did you not see the announcement of the Smash Tournament as well as the Smash demos at Best Buy? They're interacting with their fans MORE than most other companies.
I'm gonna stop reading GAF today. Can't take it anymore.
GAF hype trains are a fun thing to be on but I can't count a single time in the past that Nintendo basically said "get hyped everyone" from the get go, with the exception of Sakurai teasing the Smash Direct, which ended up paying off anyway.
There was a huge air of indecisiveness when it came to last year but the fact that they're coming at it with such an angle of confidence compared to last year is a bit more reassuring. Granted, I'm not sold yet entirely but the idea is a lot more interesting this time around.
But Nintendo isn't doing this.
Why do people assume this is what they are doing? they are not "skipping" E3.
I can't believe this nonsense is again being discussed after last year.
Barry Burton
Member
The importance of the live press conference is being way overstated.
That had nothing to do with it
Are you saying if they dropped bombs on a youtube video, the PS4 would be selling less than the Vita?
FlashbladeGAF
Member
Gap was there way before the directs.
It's the very reason why Nintendo created the directs.
Maybe they've just realized the press does them no good? They're constantly critiqued at how they do literally everything down to the smallest detail, with everyone having an opinion about how they should steer the ship and what will bring the company back into favorable public perception. Maybe they just feel the press is part of the problem, and don't feel like wasting millions of dollars on an E3 press conference when they know they can give basically the same thing to an audience directly over the internet. Either way, I'm watching it on my computer monitor...
I don't get this argument at all. Only press is at E3 anyway. How does it hurt them if the press doesn't get a press conference but their fans get a Direct Digital Event? To the fans, it's the same exact thing, minus the journalists. They've obviously are of the opinion that public E3 press conferences aren't doing them any favors. It's expensive, and the journalists are just going to second guess everything they present anyway. We also should remember that they'll still be at E3. They just won't have a giant, whiz-bang press conference with fireworks and B-list celebrities and bad jokes and people talking about cross-media TV shows and Steven Spielberg tie-ins for an hour. They'll have Nintendo games, and hopefully lots of them.
I don't get this argument at all. Only press is at E3 anyway. How does it hurt them if the press doesn't get a press conference but their fans get a Direct Digital Event? To the fans, it's the same exact thing, minus the journalists. They've obviously are of the opinion that public E3 press conferences aren't doing them any favors. It's expensive, and the journalists are just going to second guess everything they present anyway. We also should remember that they'll still be at E3. They just won't have a giant, whiz-bang press conference with fireworks and B-list celebrities and bad jokes and people talking about cross-media TV shows and Steven Spielberg tie-ins for an hour. They'll have Nintendo games, and hopefully lots of them.
IdreamofHIME
Member
When you got nothing to show, you don't spend money to show it.
Huh? What's the difference between watching a live stream of a conference or watching the live stream of Nintendo's thing concerning the information we get? It's not like Nintendo's not going to be at the show, where the press will still be giving us additional information from things we are not there to experience or see.
I didn't say they were; read the sentence again.
If anything I would say that they've been interacting more with fans through the directs and e3 demos.
Why would they not hype their own events though? They want as much exposure as possible, even if it's a crappy lineup.
Captain Europe
Member
They're going to reach more of the mainstream with the Best Buy demos than an E3 stage presentations, people are overestimating E3.
Super Mario 3D World.
Mario Kart 8.
Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze.
Smash Bros.
Yeah last year was totally boring...
Super Mario 3D World.
Mario Kart 8.
Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze.
Smash Bros.
Yeah last year was totally boring...
TheBaronOfNA
Banned
That helps them little if the news only reach the already loyal.
Isn't that exactly what the Smash Invitational and Best Buy demos are? It's not like their games won't be on the show floor for the press to play. If anything it seems like Nintendo has the most fanbase interaction of the big 3, but it's overlooked because they don't hype up their stuff very well (Just look at the Wii U). They don't need a conference but they do need to get people hyped up about their live stream. The Mega 64 video is a good start but they still have a long way to go.
I agree with the presentation angle but that doesn't mean that there can't be a compromise in the way of live presentation vs. pre-recorded ones.
Case in point; this YouTube-only video with 14 million views about showing how to share games with friends.
Because we've seen journalists react to this?
And Nintendo Directs
Saw one during the Smash direct who complained that they disliked the Direct format because they didn't know which information to parse as important.
Or the Polygon article earlier today where they talked about not being able to live-blog/stream because they were just like the fans.
Clearly the press will still cover it, but they are no longer the keys we need as consumers. They are just as blinded by anything as we are so of course it makes their job harder. They can't pre-write stories, and it isn't easy to write stories while the show is going on incase you miss an announcement.
It just forces them to have to do more work.
Basically, this. It's seems really weird to me though that they've bought the Nokia Theatre for the day and aren't using it for a press conference.
Additional details and info only provided in conferences, (which by the way are open for the public to see too right?) Is that what you honestly believe?
Despite conferences being able to be viewed by the public, post-e3 articles are HUGE despite the massive showings they generate, even when it is mainly rehashing.
"We" still won't get all the details as journalists will be able to go to Nintendo's booth and do the same as journalists will be able to. Hands-on experiences, interviews, and more. The average person watching the stream will still be hindered the same content that journalists/bloggers/regular attendees can get at E3.
That's not what I said at all. Press conferences help get information out far better than youtube videos.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
In response to the question, I'm not sure they are... but last year Nintendo had both technical issues with their presentation and had essentially no content. Like, I don't think a 60 minute livestream is all that different than a 60 minute stage presentation. Sony or Nintendo or MS could easily do a pre-recorded livestream and still do a great job of interfacing with journalists and getting the message out... but a 35 minute livestream is definitely weaker than a 90 minute stage presentation, right? So for me, my main concern is "Do we take this as a proxy for Nintendo not having much of a lineup?" or alternatively "Do we assume that the amount and quality of content they have has no connection to how they choose to present it?"
In response to the OP, I basically think what's listed there is a bunch of nonsense. I don't understand the methodology at all. You googled some random search terms and then looked through the first few pages of results to check what got covered? That's an extremely bad way to try to figure out the amount of coverage something got, especially in hind sight.
In response to the OP, I basically think what's listed there is a bunch of nonsense. I don't understand the methodology at all. You googled some random search terms and then looked through the first few pages of results to check what got covered? That's an extremely bad way to try to figure out the amount of coverage something got, especially in hind sight.
They'll probably do a press only event like last year.
I think it hurts them more than many think, ecpecially in the long run (5 years+). Look back at how Nintendo blattered how they werent competing with sony and or microsoft (not only graphically). Because of that silence-attitude; them continually saying they arent competing, ultimately led to nintendo being forgotten by the press during the late wii generation. Many articles went on and on about the ''HD twins'' while nintendo was forgotten.
I think not having a press conference will bite them in the ass in the long run, as the media coverage on Nintendo was severely lacking last year compared to Sony/MS. Add to that the many comments on forums saying that nintendo didnt even attend last years E3. Alltough that is factually wrong, it doesnt change the general perception the gaming audience/these people have towards Nintendo. They NEED to have a press conference, make funny jokes, hype the games up and just be in the picture as much as possible. This silent/different covering just doesnt work with these weak wiiu sales.
TL;DR: Nintendo needs to be aggressive with theire stance and marketing. That means attending E3 with big coverage and a press conference which captures the minds of journalists and ultimately gamers. they need to show the big guns, while making a big fuss about it so that everyone on the internet knows what they are up to. To be honest, I cant even remember last years E3 of nintendo while I can remember those of Sony/MS.
Not attending E3 with a pres conference and instead going with directs all year while keeping the rest of the year COMPLETELY FUCKING SILENT is not the way to go. The general gaming audience will forget about you in the long run.
I think not having a press conference will bite them in the ass in the long run, as the media coverage on Nintendo was severely lacking last year compared to Sony/MS. Add to that the many comments on forums saying that nintendo didnt even attend last years E3. Alltough that is factually wrong, it doesnt change the general perception the gaming audience/these people have towards Nintendo. They NEED to have a press conference, make funny jokes, hype the games up and just be in the picture as much as possible. This silent/different covering just doesnt work with these weak wiiu sales.
TL;DR: Nintendo needs to be aggressive with theire stance and marketing. That means attending E3 with big coverage and a press conference which captures the minds of journalists and ultimately gamers. they need to show the big guns, while making a big fuss about it so that everyone on the internet knows what they are up to. To be honest, I cant even remember last years E3 of nintendo while I can remember those of Sony/MS.
Not attending E3 with a pres conference and instead going with directs all year while keeping the rest of the year COMPLETELY FUCKING SILENT is not the way to go. The general gaming audience will forget about you in the long run.
AdmiralMikey
Member
When you're already in last place, doing less than your competition to reach a larger audience doesn't help you. That's why no live press conference hurts Nintendo.
The common gaming enthusiasts of the internet will be watching the Nintendo Direct, along with Sony & Microsoft's press conferences. The everyday people who happen to stumble upon gaming news on tech blogs, Wired, CNN Tech, whatever, won't be reading about Nintendo come E3. They'll pretty much only be reading what happened at Sony and Microsoft's press conferences. But hey, at least they won't know that the Wii U's sales numbers are faltering, because they'll barely know what a Wii U is at all.
The common gaming enthusiasts of the internet will be watching the Nintendo Direct, along with Sony & Microsoft's press conferences. The everyday people who happen to stumble upon gaming news on tech blogs, Wired, CNN Tech, whatever, won't be reading about Nintendo come E3. They'll pretty much only be reading what happened at Sony and Microsoft's press conferences. But hey, at least they won't know that the Wii U's sales numbers are faltering, because they'll barely know what a Wii U is at all.
Commanche Raisin Toast
Member
I think to major news outlets beyond gaming sites the E3 stuff will be the bright and shiny event they'll use to pivot big news bites off of.
The Nintendo announcements will just seem like a string of normal news bits not attached to any major event or trade show, thus implying less importance.
Ouya setting up in the parking lot across the street is a bad example but same concept IMO.
The Nintendo announcements will just seem like a string of normal news bits not attached to any major event or trade show, thus implying less importance.
Ouya setting up in the parking lot across the street is a bad example but same concept IMO.
Ye damn, Nintendo is having a direct to customer video and hyping it on the social networks to show nothing.
Some people are just trying way too hard.
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
People crave drama at E3, good or bad. That's what makes it an event and not just another stale press release. Synergy and crowd reaction matter. Watching just another Direct is underwhelming, even if new titles are announced. E3 is a time when all eyes turn on the major videogame manufacturers, and if you don't have a real presence it looks shoddy. The conference is a big part of that. Remember when they tried to scale E3 down a few years back? Everyone hated it.
Sure, I'm not saying that a pre-recorded video has to necessarily be worse than a live conference, though I think there's something about the atmosphere of a live audience and huge stage that makes it hard to pull off. It's just difficult to imagine how well the Brawl or Twilight Princess E3 reveals would have been received if they were videos played during a Nintendo Direct, which is mainly just Iwata in front of a drab, white background.
I think Microsoft had the only televised E3 presentation?
That's the one me and my coworkers were talking about.
As for Sony and Nintendo, I didn't learn about their presentations until later on.
There is better paced, better presented and directed to the consumers. It's also quite cheaper. That's the difference.
That's a fair point, but one would expect that journalists that go to cover the whole E3 do their job. Maybe that's asking too much...
all dis
Exterminieren
Banned
What motivation is there for IGN to promote or hype up the Digital Show? Or Kotaku, or Gametrailers, or whoever the hell else?
E3 being gaming Christmas isn't just a platitude- it's one of the highest periods of traffic and therefore revenue that gaming sites get. The bigger gaming sites run their own streams of the conferences, and can leverage them for advertising revenue and their own content. They simply cannot do that with Directs or whatever the equivalent is- they can link to or embed the stream, but that's absolutely nowhere near as helpful to them, so space and promotion that would go to a live Nintendo conference goes to someone else?
Believe it or believe it not, gaming media is a business. If Nintendo aren't willing to interact with these businesses, Nintendo will not be supported by them. It's quite simple.
E3 being gaming Christmas isn't just a platitude- it's one of the highest periods of traffic and therefore revenue that gaming sites get. The bigger gaming sites run their own streams of the conferences, and can leverage them for advertising revenue and their own content. They simply cannot do that with Directs or whatever the equivalent is- they can link to or embed the stream, but that's absolutely nowhere near as helpful to them, so space and promotion that would go to a live Nintendo conference goes to someone else?
Believe it or believe it not, gaming media is a business. If Nintendo aren't willing to interact with these businesses, Nintendo will not be supported by them. It's quite simple.
Nymphae
Banned
I mean in some way it could negatively impact them. For me personally, they've just continued to lose relevance in my gaming time, and NOT seeing them at the biggest gaming news event of the year certainly won't help their exposure to people like me. If I saw an amazing Nintendo game via E3 coverage, I might be inclined to check out their console. Otherwise, I'm not actively seeking out Nintendo news, so I barely ever see any. I don't see how it could possibly be beneficial for them to not do something for E3.
That's the thing - they didn't really do that last year. They came up with a relatively vague press release that didn't really say much other than them having "mini-conferences" or some sort.
This year we get a Mega64 video telling everything in great detail, an elaborate press release with multiple bullet points that practically scream "be there", and a splash page which is pretty much saying that this is "for the gamers".
I can't speak for the content Nintendo will show, but the confidence going into it as far as presentation goes doesn't seem to be void on a mere account of them not doing a press conference. If nothing else, if they can prove that the content is appealing in any circumstance then it will have been an effective showing.
True, I can agree with that. I too get my kicks from watching a hyped up audience reacting, and I hope that not branding this year's show as a "Direct" means that there can be a much better presentation in play to mitigate the lack of an audience.
So journalists are speaking they don't like the Direct format, much like many others who are just regular viewers? Okay, but what does this mean, that Nintendo's E3 will be generating less hype? It's pretty much a given, and is one of the plethora of reasons why Nintendo should opt-in for a conference.
Consumers have some inside scoop now that they're doing it online? Are you ignoring their huge booth that will allow journalists the same exact advantage as they would if they held a conference?
" Wow, screw those journalists that they get the news first so they can inform those who miss out on stuff. If people don't watch the conference live like I do, the public should have to wait as they aren't hardcore gamers who are dedicated to watching livestreams like myself."
Pretty much.
Is having a prerecorded direct to the consumer recording that difference from a live one?
That is the only difference from Sony or MS or thier previous E3s.
flyinpiranha
Member
I don't give a shit if E3 presentations are song and pony shows. I like them. They tried to take it away from the public and it sucked. I don't even know what Nintendo did. I enjoyed Sony's and MS's conference though. As well as the others.
To me, not going to E3 is bad business. I'm going to go out of my way in order to look at what Nintendo has to offer, they need to bring it to me. I'll be watching E3. This is not my problem, it's theirs.
Nintendo directs are for Nintendo fans from all the ones I watched, they aren't reaching out to a 'new' audience by doing something for Nintendo, by Nintendo, where you only find out about it through Nintendo channels.
Of course, it's huge. I want to see the developers talk without editing, I don't care if it's scripted. I could watch a video of some of the speakers I enjoy but I'd rather see them in person. Live is almost always better. It's more personal. What a silly question. There's a reason that tons of scientists, politicians, artists, almost everybody in every medium have live shows and presentations.
To me, not going to E3 is bad business. I'm going to go out of my way in order to look at what Nintendo has to offer, they need to bring it to me. I'll be watching E3. This is not my problem, it's theirs.
Nintendo directs are for Nintendo fans from all the ones I watched, they aren't reaching out to a 'new' audience by doing something for Nintendo, by Nintendo, where you only find out about it through Nintendo channels.
Of course, it's huge. I want to see the developers talk without editing, I don't care if it's scripted. I could watch a video of some of the speakers I enjoy but I'd rather see them in person. Live is almost always better. It's more personal. What a silly question. There's a reason that tons of scientists, politicians, artists, almost everybody in every medium have live shows and presentations.