finalflame
Member
Google owns Niantic.
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Reuters: Nintendo shares soar as new Pokemon mobile game captures hearts
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Google owns Niantic.
Bots are better than you
Banned
Not anymore, as far as i know.
wild wild rice
Member
They've said they won't abandon making console games, but time will tell.
As much as GAF generally obsesses over the business end of video games, I think people overlook that there are creative and artistic people in the business who like to create things regardless of what investors or the buying public thinks. "A business exists to make money and wouldn't exists without making money and video games is a business not an art form" is 100% true. But don't overestimate that there are still humans who take joy in creating and aren't always thinking about $$$. Why do you think some of the answers at these investors meetings are so evasive, such non-answers? Part of me believes it's because Nintendo (or creators in general) still value creativity and aren't always obsessing over what's going to increase the bottom line.
finalflame
Member
You're right; seems like they spun them off when they restructured as Alphabet, only to later invest $20m in seed funding alongside Nintendo and TPC.
So I guess Google owns a part of Niantic.
Father_Brain
Banned
Their messaging on this has been somewhat confused, admittedly, but it seems to me that they see mobile as a revenue stream in its own right, not merely a promotional platform for the hardware business.
They own a third of the Pokemon company. They're connected with every decision they make.
Ah, always thought they just had a partnership with Pokemon Company. Since I always see alot of comments, like. "Its not Nintendos decision, its up to Pokemon Company", etc. Ok, anyways good to know.
Shikamaru Ninja
任天å ã® å¿è
They own a stake of the publisher (TPC) and the IP (Pokemon). Nintendo is also the developer of Pokemon Go Plus - a companion accessory.
StarStabbedMoon
Member
not really
Exterminieren
Banned
Nintendo has a stake in the Pokémon Company, but it's still largely independent in terms of decision-making- the whole point is that it can leverage this incredibly successful brand in a way that Nintendo never would. We have had mobile F2P Pokémon games for years, and Nintendo would never do that themselves.
StarStabbedMoon
Member
Those comments are generally exaggerated, out of an effort to disconnect Pokemon's success from Nintendo.
So what's stopping them not releasing Pokemon on the PS or Xbox? Or does Nintendo own a enough to say no to it?
I really doubt that.
Probably because the Pokemon IP is split split between Game Freak, Creatures, and Nintendo with the latter having some veto power on the thing.
OricWindstar
Member
You can buy items that make Pokemon easier to catch and heal your Pokemon. Basically, you can purchase the in game currency to make the leveling up process easier.
Straight Edge
Member
An entire floor of my office is playing this.
Ohh boy the console wars are real, even now on phones hahahaha.
Exterminieren
Banned
Largely, not wholly.
Yeah, Nintendo would put the brakes on if Game Freak tried to put the series on Vita or whatever (they have a significant stake in both the company and the IP), but there's a large degree of autonomy there. If it were solely up to Nintendo, Game Freak wouldn't be putting out DS games after the 3DS has been out for a year and a half.
Literally everyone is playing this on my Facebook feeds, tomorrow night i'm heading to a party/gatho and I guarentee for the first time ever someone will be talking about pokemon.
Yet i can't download the damn thing because I am on IOS 7 still, Weighing up whether to have a sluggish IOS 9 phone and Pokemon or miss out on the Pokemon buzz and have a responsive enough phone.
Yet i can't download the damn thing because I am on IOS 7 still, Weighing up whether to have a sluggish IOS 9 phone and Pokemon or miss out on the Pokemon buzz and have a responsive enough phone.
Otakumegane
Member
Vinny must be gleeful.
To be fair, Nintendo was more involved with this game than they are with other Pokémon mobile games.
Linkstrikesback
Member
They wouldn't even release a proper pokemon game on Wii for one, and if they were going to do a mainline pokemon on consoles, that would have been the time.
But yes, Nintendo would block that immediately.
It's true. It's part of the reason why TPC has veto power on the use of the Pokémon Amiibos. Granted, they've been loosening up as of late (see the recent 3DS Kirby game), but they've been previously locking the Pokémon Amiibos out of use in other games besides Smash & half-assed support in Super Mario Maker. Sakurai also goes to The Pokémon Company in discussing the use of characters in Smash games.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Nintendo completely owns the trademark for the characters associated to Pokémon, so it's kind of a weird situation. But yes, TPC can't take the franchise anywhere but Nintendo systems & mobile.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
Yeah it's clearly not, it's not by chance Pokemon has never ended up on a rival system and it took this long for a sizeable effort on mobiles. The company itself was created by Nintendo and it's co-owners to manage the multimedia franchise since Nintendo etc couldn't effectively do that themselves (it's not some random thing Nintendo bought stakes in, Niintendo significantly contributed to the company's foundation, they also have sizeable stakes in pretty much all of the other parters). The franchise itself generated the same a amount of revenue as Star Wars did in 2015, to give you an idea of how massive it is, it's not some small affair by any stretch of the imagination
The Pokemon company isn't a separate competing entity, Nintendo very much has it's claws in it on every level, from having a stake on the trademark, ownership of a third of the company and sizable shares in both of the other owners to ensure it's interests are fulfilled. The reason why the Pokemon company has so much autonomy is because that's the entire purpose of the creation of the company. To manage a massive multimedia company and generate as much income as possible, something Nintendo and it's partners at the point of it's creation was poorly equipped to do. Nintendo through having so much stake within the company benefits from the company maximising profits even if it doesn't follow exactly what Nintendo and the other companies want to do which would be a bureacratic nightmare, and wouldn't aide effeciency at all. The franchise is massive success and revenue earner, thus aren't going to try to meddle with it with a 10 foot barge pole. The only time it would is if they signifcantly go against Nintendo's own interests and profitability.
The Horror the horror
Banned
Why is it whenever a Pokemon game blows up, undercover port-beggars come out the woodwork?
Nintendo's mobile initiative is meant to supplement their dedicated gaming devices, not replace them. Plus, while Nintendo did have a hand in Pokémon GO, this isn't officially part of said mobile initiative.
That depends on if Game Freak is willing to go down that path (which I'm not sure about, but they are not exactly keen on making main Pokémon games for home consoles). Either way, it'd take their next handheld bombing hard for that to happen.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
So silly that it took them so long to embrace mobile. Especially with Pokemon since the whole franchise was based around being portable, trading with people out and about etc.
I get that they want to sell hardware, including portable gaming machines, but at some point they have to recognize that the ship has sailed on that market now that nearly everyone has hardware far more powerful than the handhelds they put out in their pockets.
If they were smart they'd just sell peripherals for smartphones that hold the phone and add analog sticks, buttons and triggers and set up an app that works like Amazon's Kindle and Music apps where purchases have to be made on their webstore rather than in App to avoid the 30% couple to Apple/Google/MS.
That would open their portable games up to a huge market, the peripherals would be highly profitable as those things always sell at huge markups while dedicated gaming hardware doesn't etc.
I get that they want to sell hardware, including portable gaming machines, but at some point they have to recognize that the ship has sailed on that market now that nearly everyone has hardware far more powerful than the handhelds they put out in their pockets.
If they were smart they'd just sell peripherals for smartphones that hold the phone and add analog sticks, buttons and triggers and set up an app that works like Amazon's Kindle and Music apps where purchases have to be made on their webstore rather than in App to avoid the 30% couple to Apple/Google/MS.
That would open their portable games up to a huge market, the peripherals would be highly profitable as those things always sell at huge markups while dedicated gaming hardware doesn't etc.
Acerac
Banned
It's got my lazy ass biking through town at all hours, and I'm seeing plenty of others doing likewise.
It's sure not the deepest game out there, but I've been having a hell of a lot of fun with it. The social aspect is an awesome bonus.
PreyingShark
Member
Right now there's a family loudly playing Pokémon Go right outside my house.
So this whole thing sounds legit.
So this whole thing sounds legit.
This is going to look real silly if the game flames out by the end of the month. Lets see how the game does over time before asking Nintendo to burn down hardware plans.
You angry?
I'd get no work done for a week. I'd be hiding in our lab on my iPad.
Clockwork5
Member
They are up 9%. That is a surge.They are basically back up to what they were three months ago, not exactly a surge..
Purple Cheeto
Member
7 day and 30 day retention metrics are pretty standard bench marks in mobile games. Having a great first few days is kinda not the same level of importance to your long term financial goals in the mobile space as it is in the console space where everything is front loaded.
If people aren't still playing and spending money on this game next month then it is a failure in typical mobile terms.
LegendofLex
Member
No, but it's a good case study for how their mobile initiative ought to work if they execute correctly.
With the kind of buzz this getting, i cant even see what the guy is seeing, this cant die that easy.
Father_Brain
Banned
It's not going to be "full-fledged," in that I'm sure it'll play differently from the mainline console/handheld entries, but the initial PR was pretty clear that it and Fire Emblem are actual games, unlike Miitomo.
From the sounds of it, the Animal Crossing app is gonna interface with whatever Animal Crossing game is coming to the NX. So the AC mobile game may be more of a supplementary app than anything else.
Coffee Dog
Banned
People are talking about this at work. This game is a casual juggernaut.
Will be interesting to see the future of Pokemon now that the whole JRPG structure of the series has proven itself both irrelevant and potentially constraining to its appeal and ability to generate cash.
Will be interesting to see the future of Pokemon now that the whole JRPG structure of the series has proven itself both irrelevant and potentially constraining to its appeal and ability to generate cash.