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[Azure Dream]

he calls bob (of bob's game) an actual crazy person in this interview and then talks about mental health pressures independent developers face and how they should work together to support each other.

My feeling at the time was that he probably had emotional or psychiatric problems. I’m not a doctor and couldn’t diagnose anyone based just on those news stories, but that was the impression I got.

That's twisting his words a bit.

 

[Sadist]

Pretty cool interview.

Third party thing is a two-way street as well; Nintendo made their fair share of mistakes, but Adelman talks about consumers being burned on third party software in the past; I suppose he's talking about the Wii period in particular.

 

[Messofanego]

That's twisting his words a bit.

Yeah. I don't see anything contradictory with what he said about mental health. Most people here would have said Robert had problems. The actions spoke for themselves. He didn't insult the dude. And what he said about obsessing work on one project for a long time that there are bound to be personal issues makes sense. And he mentioned that he's not alone now that developers talk about stuff.

Highly creative people work in isolation for years at a time without knowing if they’ll ever finish their game or whether their game is even any good. There have been a lot of good open talks at Game Developer’s Conference that discuss this. One of my favorites was Matt Gilgenbach’s post mortem on Retro/Grade where he discussed how his OCD led him down a dark, downward spiral. It’s definitely a good thing that people are openly discussing this stuff so that developers realize they’re not alone.

 

[Of All Trades]

That's twisting his words a bit.

No, that's code for this guy is bananas. He's adding conditions to his statement to protect himself but if he didn't think something was wrong get would have said nothing.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Pretty much confirms my belief that Nintendo is run by a bunch of out of touch stubborn old men that are oblivious to the changes and current trends in the market. And clearly NoE and NoA have no autonomy at all. I actually feel sorry for those guys that come up with interesting ideas/plans and then have to come up against NCL to get anything pushed through.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

It's a minor miracle a game like Splatoon is being made and pushed like it has been.

I got the impression from the interview that he was talking specifically about console/os features, not games.

Clearly, game development teams have a great deal of autonomy and ability to experiment. Splatoon, Kid Icarus Uprising, Codename STEAM... what other AAA developers are still releasing games with this level of originality?

If the decision-by-comittee system DOES apply to games, it at least seems to be working.

 

[Calamari41]

It's kind of a miracle that the Wii was allowed to happen when you consider that it had to go through this bureaucracy.

 

[Oddduck]

It's kind of a miracle that the Wii was allowed to happen when you consider that it had to go through this bureaucracy.

Reminds me of this story regarding Nintendo buying the motion controller technology.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/378029/features/revolution-the-story-of-wii/

One final meeting was set up in early September 2001, this time with Quinn flying to Kyoto to pitch his motion controller to Nintendo.

They started talking and, right in front of me, it was growing into this really heated discussion. I was told by Yoshida, who was also in the room, that some executives were resistant to the idea of motion control, while others were completely sold by it.

"And then, in the middle of this debate that was getting louder and louder, Asada barked something and there was total silence. That was it. He decided to license our patents for motion control, as well as buy some of our company."

 

[Nightbird]

Reading all of this i feel bad for Iwata.
That Guy was once a Game Developer himself, he knows what's important and what not. But he still needs to bend over for those Dinosaurs in the higher Positions.
And then he has to try to sell a Product wich has been made based of the wishes of those Dinos.
Sure, he's not completly innocent, but i really really doubt he has the largest Role in the Hardware/OS-Department

 

[Triggerhappytel]

While it confirms that the rot is firmly rooted into the entire system, I don't think we can just let Miyamoto and Iwata off the hook entirely.

Ultimately they are still the two most influential members of the company, and we've seen their influence in running NOA and altering the cause of game development can have disastrous effects, and while they've both proven time and again that they're incredibly intelligent, and creative visionaries, they've also made statements and decisions that have pissed off customers and industry peers alike, and left their fingerprints all over some of Nintendo's biggest fumbles.

Really, all this tells us is what we already knew; Nintendo needs to clean house and get some strong leadership, that actually understands the industry they're in, in place, while retiring anyone unwilling to modernise, including Iwata and Miyamoto, if need be.

I agree with your comments. If anything Adelman's comments damn Iwata for taking so long to change and for not getting executives who understand the modern internet and market outside of Japan. It's all very well having a board who are not simply yes men, but at the same time he needs people who won't just be resistant to change purely because they're outdated.

 

[entremet]

Basically saying about how the slow drip is better for each game, and is also the only way it can be done since contrary to belief, a lot of work goes into the VC titles and they're not just sitting on them.

The Wii VC emulation is seriously impressive, including native res support. I think the 3DS and Wii U NES emulation isn't as good, though.

 

[foltzie1]

if I could convince Iawata to do one thing it would be to setup a PS4, a X1, and a steam machine at Nintendo HQ and encourage folks to try out the beta on each system from time to time to know what is and isn't working.

 

[John Harker]

I really, really agree with this. So many seem to believe the lack of third parties only comes down to "lacking dat 8GBDDR5", which is probably the least important reason.

Yup. I've been saying it for years too.

Nintendo exists because of their first party software and are always a little hesitant to invest in growing other brands that they see as directly competing for their market share. That's why you'll get some support for a zombi u and a just dance and not a Rayman legends. (Can't think of too many other recent examples unless we are talking eShop, which nintendo has a different approach for these days... They offer merchandising directly next to mario and Zelda on this platform as a way to help digital sales because they know they need to grow that platform and they don't make big bank off it yet that they see that as canniblization, I'd guess).

Third parties want some form of reassurances of profitability, and they get a lot more help from Ms and Sony whose bread and butter are services and revenue from their networks and royalties based on volume... so they have more means to support with development or marketing.

 

[foltzie1]

I know Microsoft also has a team of technical people that will go work with a studio for a few weeks or even months to help them make their games as good as they can be on those platforms.

There is no reason Nintendo could not do the exact same thing and offer Nintendo IP to companies as console exclusives (which to their credit they did try on the Gamecube).

 

[Dr. Zoidberg]

What Wii U should have been according to this thread:

...basically turn it into a generic MS / Sony machine

That plus Nintendo's first-party exclusives, of course. In fact I think that's EXACTLY what most gamers want, if NeoGAF is anything to go by. They want access to Nintendo games without having to buy extra hardware. That means either Nintendo has to go third party OR they get with the times: hardware, infrastructure, and third-party relations-wise. Since most people have given up on the former, they are hoping for the latter. Of course neither is realistic at this point.

 

[Vitacat]

Good article. Help to answer a lot of "why" questions about Nintendo's general slowness and timidity especially with other regions i.e. NA.

 

[Sylverstone14]

No, that's code for this guy is bananas. He's adding conditions to his statement to protect himself but if he didn't think something was wrong get would have said nothing.

Still seems like quite a reach.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Nintendo is fucked up , its a miracle that anything gets done with that management

 

[Vena]

Fun article to read but I feel like much of this was already known, this just puts it all in one place.

That said, I am not a fan of Dan nor do I think as highly of him as many here. I think he did some good stuff for the eShop but, honestly, he did a lot of really shitty stuff too. I feel like the eShop and the whole digital front became better after he was gone as tiering actually came into being but we're still shackled with his drip feed.

Don't know if he ever came out and said that, but one could easily assume so considering his sudden silence on social media after he made a disparaging comment regarding region-locking. Super shitty.

Kind of funny that Trinen is all over social media, as is Treehouse. I think Dan was stepping on toes with more than just his stances on the networks, especially since his stance on region locking isn't exactly something company is trying to hide at this point.

 

[Roberto Larcos]

That plus Nintendo's first-party exclusives, of course. In fact I think that's EXACTLY what most gamers want, if NeoGAF is anything to go by. They want access to Nintendo games without having to buy extra hardware. That means either Nintendo has to go third party OR they get with the times: hardware, infrastructure, and third-party relations-wise. Since most people have given up on the former, they are hoping for the latter. Of course neither is realistic at this point.

I have an Xbox One right now, but if Nintendo had a console with similar power and third party support, I would absolutely go for it.

They should have scrapped the Wii U before release. Sony's PS4 announcement was 3 months afterwards, and look at the reception of that compared to the Wii U. We all know Nintendo's sitting on a pile of cash from the Wii miracle, so why not invest it? Sony did, and now the PS4 makes money hand over fist. Nintendo? They'll struggle to break even this gen, and will lose relevance.

If Nintendo hadn't shipped the Wii U.... if they waited, and released next to the PS4 and Xbox One, with hardware that was comparable to both, with a new 3D Mario, with Wind Waker HD, with a New Super Mario Bros, with Super Luigi... that would have destroyed the launch titles of the Xbox One and PS4. A reminder, all of these games came out in the year between the Wii U's release and the PS4 / Xbox One release. Their exclusives? Knack, Dead Rising 3, Ryse, Killzone SF and Forza 5. Nintendo could have had real momentum going into 2014 and 2015, instead of a stillbirth. And if they didn't have a gimmicky controller, and the architecture was the same as the other 'next-gen' consoles, and they had that momentum (and maybe threw some money towards third parties), then those third parties would be making Nintendo games.

It's all about momentum in the console space, and Nintendo have very little at the moment. And as much as you can pray for a miracle, you make your own luck. Looking back at Nintendo's most successful consoles, they weren't gimmicky at all, they played games.e

 

[taps]

It's kind of a miracle that the Wii was allowed to happen when you consider that it had to go through this bureaucracy.

Would it have gotten through Sony/MS bureacracy?

 

[xevis]

Nintendo has too many people at the top who do not understand the modern industry, and thus are dead weight with too much power. Again, something a lot of us had already assumed.

I rather like the way Nintendo operates and I'm rather happy they're not chasing the same market as Sony et al.

I like that I can just buy a game pop in the disc and play.

I like that their games are the most polished and accessible in the industry.

I like that their games are varied and whimsical and don't ask me to stab people in the neck.

I like that in their games single-player comes first.

I like that their online experiences have no voice chat.

I like that they don't devalue their games into the ground with endless sales.

I like that they don't have invasive DRM.

Basically I like Nintendo just the way it is.

 

[Hot Coldman]

I rather like the way Nintendo operates and I'm rather happy they're not chasing the same market as Sony et al.

I like that I can just buy a game pop in the disc and play.

I like that their games are the most polished and accessible in the industry.

I like that their games are varied and whimsical and don't ask me to stab people in the neck.

I like that in their games single-player comes first.

I like that their online experiences have no voice chat.

I like that they don't devalue their games into the ground with endless sales.

I like that they don't have invasive DRM.

Basically I like Nintendo just the way it is.

Now imagine you could have all of that, AND be able to redownload your games onto any console

like, you don't lose Nintendo's straightforward nature just because they keep up with the god damn digital standards that have been around like 10 years now

 

[xevis]

Now imagine you could have all of that, AND be able to redownload your games onto any console

like, you don't lose Nintendo's straightforward nature just because they keep up with the god damn digital standards that have been around like 10 years now

Sure, that would be great. So too would be an end to region locking. But I'll take both of these negatives and possibly others if it means Nintendo stays more like it is now and tries less to be like a "modern" game company.

 

[ArchedThunder]

Yikes, the whole damn company needs a shake up.

 

[-MB-]

I rather like the way Nintendo operates and I'm rather happy they're not chasing the same market as Sony et al.

I like that I can just buy a game pop in the disc and play.

I like that their games are the most polished and accessible in the industry.

I like that their games are varied and whimsical and don't ask me to stab people in the neck.

I like that in their games single-player comes first.

I like that their online experiences have no voice chat.

I like that they don't devalue their games into the ground with endless sales.

I like that they don't have invasive DRM.

Basically I like Nintendo just the way it is.

I agree with the above aside from the last, They could stand to do some things better, like the marketing and account stuff. And it be good if they tried to diversify a bit more and set up several more dev studios to increase their output to the extend they can support 2 systems with sufficient new releases throughout the entire existence of both handheld and console.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

I really, really agree with this. So many seem to believe the lack of third parties only comes down to "lacking dat 8GBDDR5", which is probably the least important reason.

Well...

I know you can’t speak for other employees, but was there ever a feeling at Nintendo of America’s licensing department of: “Man, it would be so much easier to convince third party companies to support these platforms if we had more powerful hardware.”

Did you personally wish Wii U and 3DS had been more powerful? For example: The 3DS doesn’t currently support Unity and Web Framework, which makes it difficult to attract more indie developers to that platform.

Adelman: I think it would definitely be easier to get third party support if only because publishers wouldn’t need to set up a separate team specifically for the Wii U or 3DS version. If you ask any developer what they want, they’ll always say, more RAM, faster CPU, faster GPU – just more power. That’s always the case for any system – even PS4 and Xbox One, and they’re only a little more than a year old at this point. And of course I would have loved to have Unity working on 3DS, since there are so many great indie games that were developed using that technology.

 

[Stilton Disco]

I rather like the way Nintendo operates and I'm rather happy they're not chasing the same market as Sony et al.

I like that I can just buy a game pop in the disc and play.

I like that their games are the most polished and accessible in the industry.

I like that their games are varied and whimsical and don't ask me to stab people in the neck.

I like that in their games single-player comes first.

I like that their online experiences have no voice chat.

I like that they don't devalue their games into the ground with endless sales.

I like that they don't have invasive DRM.

Basically I like Nintendo just the way it is.

Or, basically, 'Fuck you, got mine'.

 

[-MB-]

Or, basically, 'Fuck you, got mine'.

Like everyone who wants them to go all MS and SOny route or 3rd party aren't doing this for potential self interest?

 

[VariantX]

So, basically wait until the old guard dies off/retires before any new ideas or changes can be implemented faster than a snails pace? Of course, that's assuming the successors aren't groomed into continuing to do the same as their predecessors. I'm betting this old guard is part why they don't have things like community interaction like other companies do.

 

[TheSlySoul]

Yeah, I read this on Kotaku earlier.
Really puts in light why the recent NA stuff has been a mess.
I am a firm believer that Nintendo should boot out all the traditionalists and put some new fresh faces. It would at least be interesting to see how they would shake up the company.

Haven't read the article yet, but OP's highlights explain so much about why Nintendo always seems to operate in Cloudcuckooland. I have a friend who works for a government-contracted IT company, and he's always telling me about how the most senior officer always shoots down reasonable ideas, ignores technical realities, and generally makes his life way harder than it needs to be just because he was a colonel or whatever and is the type that doesn't understand modern technology but will never admit that he is wrong. Nintendo sounds like a company full of these types.

It may not be the whole story, but honestly, I don't know what I expected.

I cannot say much, but you are right on point. It is much, much easier to get funding from investors than the government. Trust me, we want to have the latest tech and such.

 

[JCX]

Like everyone who wants them to go all MS and SOny route or 3rd party aren't doing this for potential self interest?

We already had the first, it's called Gamecube. Worked out great for them.

 

[Amir0x]

*dp*

 

[Amir0x]

Refreshingly honest appraisal of Nintendo's issues in the modern game world and very insightful. Gonna save this one for future reference, great stuff.

I rather like the way Nintendo operates and I'm rather happy they're not chasing the same market as Sony et al.

I like that I can just buy a game pop in the disc and play.

I like that their games are the most polished and accessible in the industry.

I like that their games are varied and whimsical and don't ask me to stab people in the neck.

I like that in their games single-player comes first.

I like that their online experiences have no voice chat.

I like that they don't have invasive DRM.

Basically I like Nintendo just the way it is.

A lot of your bulletpoint list is no different from any other console manufacturer. Both Microsoft and Sony have tons of varied and whimsical games that don't require you to stab someone in the back and they all have very heavily focused single player experience products. The Order is coming out in just a few weeks now, for example, and that has no multiplayer to speak of. But what Sony and Microsoft tend to do better is also mix in OTHER products more often, games Nintendo simply will never touch at all due to their philosophy of game design.

Which means that while Sony and Microsoft have no problem building games like Tearaway and LittleBigPlanet and Knack and Viva Pinata and Banjo and Fable, they also are building games Nintendo won't ever touch like Bloodborne or Halo.

That variety not only is good for the systems potential market impact - greater variety and filling of idiosyncratic niches means more potential to grab gamers - but it's also good for the players, because they have a wider range of output out front.

And because Nintendo's outreach to third parties is so poor, they can't even rely on them to fill in the blanks with the games Nintendo won't touch. Which means that far from being a benefit, the Wii U is simply a wasteland for those products. The system is demonstrably worse off for it, because it's not like it wasn't always getting those Nintendo games... now it's just not getting all these other games with different tones and gameplay whatsoever. They're not gaining something in that exchange, they're losing something.

It's the same thing with voice chat. In a game that has voice chat, you could just shut it off if you don't like it. It doesn't impact you at all. But voice chat indisputably has wide ranging strategic impact in competitive games. So again the market loses something that wouldn't have impacted you anyway, and competitive gamers leave the Wii U marketplace and go to other pastures, the system sells less, therefore less compelling software you like ends up coming to the platform. You have to think big picture. These sorts of comments are amazingly shortsighted by any standard.

This following bulletpoint though is just insane frankly though. It just made me think maybe you should value your place as a consumer a bit more:

I like that they don't devalue their games into the ground with endless sales.

Because how in the world does it help you, as a consumer, to have games consistently priced high because Nintendo refuses to be competitive and give gamers price drop values? Do you work for Nintendo? Do you own Nintendo stock? Maybe you do own Nintendo stock and you feel that keeping prices high means the company might be in better shape for your stock returns. But outside of that, I can't imagine a motivation for such a statement. It's like literally someone stabbing themselves in the stomach just because they have a somewhat irrational preference for a particular corporation. It's just weird man!

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I rather like the way Nintendo operates and I'm rather happy they're not chasing the same market as Sony et al.

I like that I can just buy a game pop in the disc and play.

I like that their games are the most polished and accessible in the industry.

I like that their games are varied and whimsical and don't ask me to stab people in the neck.

I like that in their games single-player comes first.

I like that their online experiences have no voice chat.

I like that they don't devalue their games into the ground with endless sales.

I like that they don't have invasive DRM.

Basically I like Nintendo just the way it is.

Asking for some improvements does not mean that these things have to go away.

 

[666]

I dunno, the Wii was the biggest risk in gaming history and it worked out fine.

 

[xevis]

Both Microsoft and Sony have tons of varied and whimsical games that don't require you to stab someone in the back and they all have very heavily focused single player experience products. But what Sony and Microsoft tend to do better is also mix in OTHER products more often, games Nintendo simply will never touch at all due to their philosophy of game design.

Sure, diversity is great. The difference though is that with Sony and MS shooting and stabbing and violence come first and whimsy second. Nintendo meanwhile publishes grimdark games but their core focus is something else: interesting ludic experiences that anyone can enjoy. Nintendo gets that their core business is making interactive toys while I feel like Sony and MS want to make interactive Michael Bay movies.

It's the same thing with voice chat. In a game that has voice chat, you could just shut it off if you don't like it. It doesn't impact you at all.

Sure it does. As per The Greater Internet Fuckwad theory, give people anonymity and a platform and some of them will turn into abrasive dicks. I could just ignore it, true, but the behaviour is bullshit and i'd prefer my games not to enable it in the first place. Besides, voice chat is usually not a core part of the ludic experience so the game is usually not diminished from omitting the feature. If voice chat is important to you though it's certainly not difficult to organise a separate chat with your friends before starting the game.

cause how in the world does it help you, as a consumer, to have games consistently priced high because Nintendo refuses to be competitive and give gamers price drop values? Do you work for Nintendo? Do you own Nintendo stock?

I don't need to have a vested interest in the company to recognise that the entertainment I enjoy has value and is made by people who need to eat. I feel the tendency for games to be devalued to almost zero on places like Steam is pushing the industry toward making games that are exploitative of human psychology and I find that tendency abhorrent. Basically I don't begrudge Nintendo the money they charge as long as they keep making the games I love.

 

[VariantX]

Asking for some improvements does not mean that these things have to go away.

Exactly.

Giving the customer more personal control over their accounts wont make any of that go away. Expanding your software library to appeal to other markets wont make any of that go away. Removing region locks wont make any of those things go away. Nintendo could be better than anyone else in every way except having cash to burn but they limit themselves with backwards thinking coming from the top.

 

[xevis]

Or, basically, 'Fuck you, got mine'.

That's mean, guy. Please don't put words in my mouth. I was just offering a counterpoint to the argument that Nintendo is out of touch. I'm saying that maybe not all "progress" in games has been positive.

 

[jimi_dini]

Nintendo is fucked up , its a miracle that anything gets done with that management

Something has to be responsible for the Nintendo polish + high quality. Maybe one of the reasons is "group decision making".

that creates a culture where everyone is an advisor and no one is a decision maker – but almost everyone has veto power.

Which actually can be a good thing.

it winds up being that the most senior executives at the company cut their teeth during NES and Super NES days

Almost sounds as if that is meant to be a bad thing.

Ideas often get shut down prematurely just because some people with the power to veto an idea simply don’t understand it.

Maybe Adelman simply didn't understand why certain ideas were shut down.

 

[foxuzamaki]

Yup. I've been saying it for years too.

Nintendo exists because of their first party software and are always a little hesitant to invest in growing other brands that they see as directly competing for their market share. That's why you'll get some support for a zombi u and a just dance and not a Rayman legends. (Can't think of too many other recent examples unless we are talking eShop, which nintendo has a different approach for these days... They offer merchandising directly next to mario and Zelda on this platform as a way to help digital sales because they know they need to grow that platform and they don't make big bank off it yet that they see that as canniblization, I'd guess).

Third parties want some form of reassurances of profitability, and they get a lot more help from Ms and Sony whose bread and butter are services and revenue from their networks and royalties based on volume... so they have more means to support with development or marketing.

Would it be smart for nintendo to do what sony and MS does and not have it be dterimental to their revenue?

 

[Gonzo The Great]

I don't need to have a vested interest in the company to recognise that the entertainment I enjoy has value and is made by people who need to eat. I feel the tendency for games to be devalued to almost zero on places like Steam is pushing the industry toward making games that are exploitative of human psychology and I find that tendency abhorrent. Basically I don't begrudge Nintendo the money they charge as long as they keep making the games I love.

You don't need one, but judging by your post history, you have one. Nintendo is now the only company in the industry that is putting food into their employee's mouths because they refuse to put their games on sale. You heard it here first. You've used the word "I" several times, but what you fail to realize, or, rather, acknowledge, is that the average consumer doesn't share that opinion. Otherwise the Wii U wouldn't be one of the biggest flops in gaming history. Praising the status quo because it caters to your needs alone is a very myopic and selfish viewpoint.

 

[xevis]

Nintendo is now the only company in the industry that is putting food into their employee's mouths because they refuse to put their games on sale. You heard it here first.

Perhaps you noticed a strange sound while you were posting this comment? That sound was the sound of my point as it flew over your head.

Praising the status quo because it caters to your needs alone is a very myopic and selfish viewpoint.

I think this point is bullshit. It's bullshit in the first instance because you're trying to guilt me into not having an opinion; as if my "myopic" and "selfish" preferences somehow negatively affect others. It's also bullshit because this is not a zero sum game. My "win" is not your "loss". The market caters for all types of audiences; old, young, core, casual, retro -- whatever. You can have yours and I can have mine.

Look, I'm just trying to offer a counterpoint here. All I'm saying is that not all modern trends in gaming are necessarily positive and not everything Nintendo does (or doesn't do) is necessarily stupid or going against consumer preferences.

 

[LunaticPuma]

You don't need one, but judging by your post history, you have one. Nintendo is now the only company in the industry that is putting food into their employee's mouths because they refuse to put their games on sale. You heard it here first. You've used the word "I" several times, but what you fail to realize, or, rather, acknowledge, is that the average consumer doesn't share that opinion. Otherwise the Wii U wouldn't be one of the biggest flops in gaming history. Praising the status quo because it caters to your needs alone is a very myopic and selfish viewpoint.

Game pricing has nothing to do with the Wii U's market position.

I agree that Nintendo's pricing practices are better in the long run both for consumer and company.

 

[-MB-]

You don't need one, but judging by your post history, you have one. Nintendo is now the only company in the industry that is putting food into their employee's mouths because they refuse to put their games on sale. You heard it here first. You've used the word "I" several times, but what you fail to realize, or, rather, acknowledge, is that the average consumer doesn't share that opinion. Otherwise the Wii U wouldn't be one of the biggest flops in gaming history. Praising the status quo because it caters to your needs alone is a very myopic and selfish viewpoint.

Looking at your post history, you seem to have one yourself just as much as he does.

 

[John Harker]

Would it be smart for nintendo to do what sony and MS does and not have it be dterimental to their revenue?

just give out like $5-$10MM to every major third party game, for some form of exclusive messaging?
given what their returns would be on that, I'm not sure they can afford that, no!

 

[-MB-]

just give out like $5-$10MM to every major third party game, for some form of exclusive messaging?
given what their returns would be on that, I'm not sure they can afford that, no!

All the 3rd party exclusive deals in the world would not change the perception of a Nintendo console, if Nintendo continues making the types of games they do now, most consumers who are into Xbox or Playstation consoles
would keep on seeing Nintendo and their systems as kiddy and not buy it.
They would have to start making western focused, more cinematic mature games and have Mario etc be side projects for it to work,
at that point they might as well not be Nintendo anymore and call themselves MS/Sony lite

 

[Gonzo The Great]

I think this point is bullshit. It's bullshit in the first instance because you're trying to guilt me into not having an opinion; as if my "myopic" and "selfish" preferences somehow negatively affect others. It's also bullshit because this is not a zero sum game. My "win" is not your "loss". The market caters for all types of audiences; old, young, core, casual, retro -- whatever. You can have yours and I can have mine.

Look, I'm just trying to offer a counterpoint here. All I'm saying is that not all modern trends in gaming are necessarily positive and not everything Nintendo does (or doesn't do) is necessarily stupid or going against consumer preferences.

A counterpoint to what? Your opinion doesn't matter. My opinion doesn't matter. Businesses are in the business to make money, and the market has spoken. The Wii U is an undesirable product. It could be because it doesn't have enough violent games. It could be because of its archaic online infrastructure. It could be because multiplayer doesn't come first. Or it could be a combination of all three. Liking the way they operate isn't going to make their losses go away.

Game pricing has nothing to do with the Wii U's market position.

I agree that Nintendo's pricing practices are better in the long run both for consumer and company.

Nobody said it was. Their refusal to put their digital games on sale is just another example of how out of touch they are with industry. And people are defending it! Amazing. Charging $4.99 for an NES ROM dump when people can download AAA games on Steam for 90% off is in no way better for the consumer. I'd argue that it's not even better for Nintendo. Maximizing profit is important, but they also need to realize that putting games on sale can reinvigorate consumer interest in otherwise undesirable products. Would you spend $4.99 on Urban Champion? I doubt it.

Looking at your post history, you seem to have one yourself just as much as he does.

Really? Is that why I only post in Nintendo related threads? Or am I not allowed to criticize a company I love? I want them to succeed. Anybody who defends the status quo is defending a ¥571.726 billion loss in 2014.