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NX will launch in March 2017 globally, won't be at E3 (focusing on Zelda instead)

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Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
I won't point and laugh at anyone because that's rude, but also because I thought they'd probably go for a Holiday 2017 release period. I suspected March as a possibility however, due to the 3DS being precedent.

I couldn't believe they'd go that long given the lack of anything with mainstream appeal on the Wii U for 2016 and not much on 3DS beyond Pokemon and MH (which are big releases, even though I don't care for them).

Just seems odd to be so irrelevant in the console space for all of 2016, when the Wii U has been barely relevant over it's life period.

Just seems like they're desperate and really had to scramble to figure out how to recover from the Wii U debacle.
 

Ogodei

Member
I won't point and laugh at anyone because that's rude, but also because I thought they'd probably go for a Holiday 2017 release period. I suspected March as a possibility however, due to the 3DS being precedent.

Holiday 2017 wouldn't work. March '17 barely works (really, doesn't work at all for the Wii U which is going to be a painful non-factor this holiday season. If you thought last year or 2013 were bad... But Pokemon is as strong an anchor as you can ask for if you're looking at it from a company-wide perspective). That's why we were insisting on this holiday, because it really doesn't leave them with much, although the strongest insistence there was before the Pokemon Sun/Moon announcement.
 

bachikarn

Member
I'd like to take this time to point and laugh at ALL THE PEOPLE who said Nintendo will launch the NX this year :p I always knew 2017 would be when their new system would come out.

2017 made the most sense in every aspect of Nintendo as a company even after Iwata passing away. They're not known for quickly restructuring their goals either; this has probably been the plan for a while now.

You really thought it would come out Spring 2017 and not Holiday 2017? I see no reason why March 2017 makes sense. If they wanted to wait, it should be Holiday 2017. It is more likely that they tried to get it out for 2016 but couldn't.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
In another thread someone posted some pretty good reasons for Nintendo holding back to March from an insider developer point of view:

Launching Holiday 2016 just puts them lost in the fray of the VR jerkoff and PS4K.

Holiday 2017 means ports competing with existing console dev time and supply constraints

March 2017 (and Nintendo has launched multiple successful hardware in March) gives them an E3 between launch and holiday, gets them out of the 2016 clusterfuck, lets them account for the 4K if they so desire, developers aren't making the NX version of late 16 / early 17 hardware at the same time as other consoles, they have a GDC, PAX East, E3, PAX Prime that they can openly have hardware and playable demos at.

March 2017 also gets them Destiny 2 in September 2017, instead of Destiny 2 Months After It Already Came Out.

Ubisoft has paused AssCreed for 2016 and won't be releasing one this holiday, so Nintendo isn't missing out on a major Ubi title either for not making this year.

*developer hat on* Strategically, this all makes sense. It makes sense for ports, it makes sense for hardware supply, it makes sense because they can let Sony talk themselves ragged for E3 2016 and then be the main attraction for GDC, PAX East, E3 2017, and PAX Prime going into Holiday 2017.

*developer inside baseball hat on top of developer hat* Also, by releasing at the start of most everyone's fiscal year, they won't suffer from what happened to the Wii U, where a bunch of companies pushed U titles back into fiscal 2013 to make their numbers look better. Developers spin down during December and January, so why put the NX in that position anyway.

Plus they can make retailers happy by exhausting all of their Wii U supply this holiday. Not gonna bet money but wouldn't be surprised to see a farewell Wii U bundle that acts as a soft price cut to empty out the warehouses and retail channel.

The way I see this explanation, Nintendo might be trying to skip the sort of rushed holiday launch gaming hardware seems to be going through recently, both financially and development-wise.

New console launches tend to have somewhat weak software lineups more often than not. Console libraries usually don't hit their stride until the first holiday after launch. On top of that, all the gen-8 consoles had to launch with their operating systems and other features coming in basically right out of the oven, taking weeks afterwards to get everything really ready. A similar thing tends to happen in regards to retail supply.

I see this explanation as Nintendo deciding to skip that messy initial holiday launch period and launch in Spring which is probably less chaotic. For both Nintendo and developers it's also probably better to have games out right at the start of a fiscal year.

Here's another post:

E3 is more than the show floor. It's also where companies meet behind closed doors or at hotels or go out to dinner together and sign deals, purchase lots, buy in to games, etc. Like people don't think about it much but games can live or die on if Gamestop and Wal Mart and Target and Best Buy want to carry them, all the big box stores have a sort of concept approval on any game that comes out at retail. And it's one of the times all the execs are all together.

So while Nintendo may only have Zelda on the floor for the press they'll definitely be showing NX and talking contracts, retail buy ins, etc behind closed doors somewhere with publishers and retailers.

Basically speculating that NX in one form or another will be behind closed doors, shown to developers and retailers.
 
What a huge mistake Nintendo is probably making. To not even show the new console at the biggest game show of the year is perplexing. I don't even know what to expect from Nintendo at this years show. Nothing? Seems unlikely they'll announce games for a console that they won't show, so where does that leave us? A Nintendo direct that only talks about Zelda? Come on.
 
And they're failing because of it.

They don't need to be a different company all together at all. They just need to work on their branding and marketing in the West.

Sony is a Japanese company too, and has plenty of Japanese games that have little or no appeal in the West. But they were wise enough to give their American and European wings more sway in marketing in those territories and they've thus done a much better job keeping up with Western trends.

Conversely, you have MS that did well (at least last gen) in the west, but has failed to have any success in Japan. Things could have been better if they'd had a Japanese wing that could focus on branding and marketing there.

Anyway, I think Nintendo needs to change little beyond letting their western wings handle branding and marketing in those regions, and spending some money to buy up some western devs or exclusives to help round out the library in those regions.

I don't think you quite appreciate just how expensive, and how drastic a change with respect to Western development, the bolded part would be.
 

Vibranium

Banned
I don't think you quite appreciate just how expensive, and how drastic a change with respect to Western development, the bolded part would be.

NoA is getting a lot of money by selling most of their stake in the Seattle Mariners though. I'd buy Next Level Games to start with.

Of course, NCL won't give them any freedom with it.
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
I have an exclusive first look at the graphic capabilities of the NX to show you all.











GRqiVm9.gif
 
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Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Is that what you would like them to do for selfish reasons, or what you think is the best strategy going forward? Because the "I'll probably peace out if not" implies that you are biased in your analysis.

I try to keep personal wishes out of discussions, my posts are more about predicting what Nintendo actually will do, rather than say what I think they should do. That's why I can more easily predict their decisions and why I'm not baffled by them like the rest of the community.

Like, I want Metroid Prime too, as much as any other, but I'm not gonna sit here and say they're delusional because it is a niche franchise for an audience that's no longer present.

Both. Clearly their current approach has long been failing, given the declines in hardware sales every generation post NES sans the big Wii/DS blip.

I grew up a Nintendo diehard, but I'm mainly a western gamer now. That's pretty representative of the entire market as Nintendo's declining sales, the low sales of platformers and cartoonish art styles on Sony/MS platforms, and the types of games that dominate sales on those platforms.

If they want to survive as a hardware maker, they have to rebrand their image and marketing in the west, and broaden their software library beyond the types of games featured on the Wii and Wii U. It doesn't mean abandon or reduce those types of games, just finally invest in some western devs to supplement their library.

But honestly, I'm just not sure there's a big console market for them anymore. The market has just shifted too far away from the Nintendo approach. The portable market (that hasn't gone to mobile) seems more amenable to their type of games as those tend to be people who have little to no interest in the current western AAA games on Sony/MS.


The puppets were awesome and creative and reflect the company. That was slick as shit non-cheap entertainment. You obviously thought it was shit but that saved the presentation for me. Too bad they didn't have the goods to go with it.

And they got made fun of by lots of other people and reinforced the "Nintendo is kiddy" trolling. That's the problem with their Directs. They only appeal to their existing base. It's too much preaching to the choir. Those people would tune in just as often to more serious/"hip" presentations and those wouldn't turn off a large portion of the core gamer/"Nintendo is for kids" crowd.
 

Vibranium

Banned
Anyways, I can wait for NX, however painful it may be, I'm really curious if the 3D Mario game will be ready for launch now, they certainly have more dev time.
 

Mory Dunz

Member
NoA is getting a lot of money by selling most of their stake in the Seattle Mariners though. I'd buy Next Level Games to start with.

Can NoA do anything with that? Do they have autonomy at all? I really can't see them start negociating for western franchises now or something.
 

Boke1879

Member
I don't know. I just think them launching in March just isn't going to do it any favors. Of course it'll sell to the Nintendo hardcore and launching with Zelda is the best thing the could do, but launching after the holidays while the competition increases their units sold and benefiting from price cuts and bundles.

Will the people outside the core Nintendo audience care 3-4 months later when NX launches?
 

Hale-XF11

Member
Man, it still feels weird not having bought a Nintendo console. I don't think they'll win me back, but I won't rule them out if they can bring the goods this time around.
 
I think that, strategically, releasing the console in March is a good idea because ps4 and psvr are going to otherwise steal too much of their thunder. BUT.. not revealing the console at E3??? I think that's just ridiculous and it makes me really worried about what the NX is going to be. I'm afraid that Nintendo is just not confident enough in their new system and its concept.

So many people and media outlets are going to be there at E3 dying to know a bit about the NX. Nintendo would be the complete center of attention and it seems just crazy to me why Nintendo would not capitalize on that.

psvr has already been fully revealed and it will only be really making the front pages when it's released and the PS4K.. well, to be honest, it might be a very controversial announcement but in the end it's just going to be another ps4 so I'm pretty convinced that they would not be able to overshadow the NX announcement at e3.

So, the only explanation for me is that Nintendo is not really confident in the NX capturing the attention of the market and they are going to continue baking it until is ready while, at the same time, avoiding a holiday season in which Sony is going to make a killing anyway.
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
No NX at E3 is somewhere beyond insane, a dimension to which words can't break through, in which matter holds no form.

Are they trying to out-Sega, Sega?
 

TheBear

Member
So the Wii U is done. I should really buy the next Nintendo console at the end of it's lifecycle so I can buy the 5 games worth owning and sell it again.
 

2thepoint

Junior Member
Who watches an E3 stageshow that wouldn't watch a Nintendo direct? They both target the same E3 audience, and most of the people who watch the stage shows in the room are industry people and plants. Remember the Xbox One reveal?

The electric energy of a live show like Sony E3 13 and 15 beat the shit out of a static and sterile Nintendo Direct - they are good for relaying information, but personally, not appropriate for an event like E3.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
The electric energy of a live show like Sony E3 13 and 15 beat the shit out of a static and sterile Nintendo Direct - they are good for relaying information, but personally, not appropriate for an event like E3.

The only thing that bothers me about a live show is that I know the company paid for those cheers.
 

2thepoint

Junior Member
The only thing that bothers me about a live show is that I know the company paid for those cheers.

Judging by the reactions to E3 2015, in particular Sony's announcements, I doubt those cheers were manufactured at all - there was people crying in the audience.

I distinctly remember someone doing detective work on the Xbox One Reveal and finding prerecorded cheers - not a great look.
 
Judging by the reactions to E3 2015, in particular Sony's announcements, I doubt those cheers were manufactured at all - there was people crying in the audience.

I distinctly remember someone doing detective work on the Xbox One Reveal and finding prerecorded cheers - not a great look.

In fact dare I say they wasted money that time because the cheers they paid for got drowned out by the cheers they got for free.
 

Padinn

Member
I was initially disappointed, but looking at it, I think it's the right move for Nintendo. Gives them a chance to set themselves apart. Sure, having it at E3 would have been great, but is the world/press really going to ignore Nintendo when they choose to reveal this thing?

I think this gives them a legit shot to release a powerhouse console, particularly if they go with a Zen core.
 

2thepoint

Junior Member
In fact dare I say they wasted money that time because the cheers they paid for got drowned out by the cheers they got for free.

See, even if people write it off as fan service, I was genuinely in disbelief at what happened at that Sony conference - it was the best I've ever seen and that whole E3 last Summer was just flowing with excitement.

I don't understand at all how Nintendo, with such great things coming, seem to constantly fuck up everything.

It's like they are intentionally destroying any excitement.

You have Sony and Microsoft like 2 Lamborghinis revving up furiously at the traffic lights ready to take off, and Nintendo in a broken down and dilapidated ice cream van with a Mario sticker on it saying ''Please understand''.

Just kind of unbelievable.
 
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Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
I wonder if Nintendo will reveal the NX reveal date during the e3 digital event?

If they're only having Zelda playable, are they even having a digital event? There doesn't seem to be much to announce that hasn't already been revealed for Wii U or 3DS. If they had something else major it would be playable too I'd think given whatever it is would need to be out before March.
 
I'm sure this has been pointed out already, but it's incredibly amusing that the reason Zelda Wii U wasn't shown at past E3's was because they wanted to focus on games coming out that year. Now, Zelda Wii U is one of the only games being shown, and it's not coming out till next year. Heh.
 

Vena

Member
If they're only having Zelda playable, are they even having a digital event? There doesn't seem to be much to announce that hasn't already been revealed for Wii U or 3DS. If they had something else major it would be playable too I'd think given whatever it is would need to be out before March.

I feel like, reading this thread, that I slipped into an alternate reality:

WiiU: Paper Mario, Mother 3, Zelda U, maybe some other small project.

3DS: Pokemon, *N-Stars leaked game*, late localizations: Dragon Quest VII/VIII and anything else they may yet choose to localize, Monster Hunter, potentially more YW, potentially Monster Hunter Stories.

They still have a lot of stuff left over to make into an event if they choose when you stop pretending that the 3DS doesn't exist.
 
As nuts as this all seems, I have faith in Nintendo showing us it was worth doing this if you know what I mean.

As in, I would think them skipping NX at E3 means they have something "better" planned, as skipping E3 for NX seems unthinkable, surely they have something worthy or even better planned for the unveiling?

Most importantly, is that they make sure it's all worth it. Stellar line-up at launch and early on, hardware that's satisfactory as in utilizing lessons learned from Wii U, etc.

I do wonder what this means for 3rd-parties, if they can start announcing NX versions of multiplatform games, if not, hopefully they can soon.
 

tr00per

Member
Unexpected, but there is a possibility of new wii U titles announced at e3 for the rest of 2016. And also for them to have their own nx event later this year

The Investor Q&A starts in half an hour right? When we get slides and everything? We might get some clarification?


Who would have this information? Is it one of those things we have to wait a day or two wbe translated?
 
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