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How lazy is Nintendo of Australia?

O

oconnomiyaki

Member
So I bought Batman: Arkham Origins. A week after launch, the DLC codes still cannot be redeemed in the eShop and the Club Nintendo codes don't work. People on MiiVerse say it's fine in other regions, to the point where Australians and Kiwis are going onto the UK store to redeem their codes.

Nintendo of Australia has always been pretty lazy with getting the Club Nintendo codes registered in the system, but the DLC codes?

At times it's like they can't be bothered with their own console. Must have some pretty awesome redundancy packages there.
 
M

McSpidey

Member
Think of the laziest thing we've ever discovered, then make it terrible too and multiply them by eachother every second until the universe ends..and you still won't be close.
 
S

Squidofman

Member
It's a tough case.

They are lazy. And inept. Trying to deal with them on a PR side of things is like talking to ghosts.

But then, they can also only work with what they've got. And the resources - and access - they have is extremely limited. It's literally just a small office in Melbourne with a few staff.
 
S

Satchel

Banned
Squidofman said:
It's a tough case.

They are lazy. And inept. Trying to deal with them on a PR side of things is like talking to ghosts.

But then, they can also only work with what they've got. And the resources - and access - they have is extremely limited. It's literally just a small office in Melbourne with a few staff.
Click to expand...


It's not THAT small. It wouldn't be out in Mulgrave if it was only "small".

They'd be closer to the city if it was that small.
 
E

EvB

Member
I always felt sorry for Australia, back in the N64 days when PAL regions would wait 2 years longer for a game, Australia would always be last.

Except for 1080 snowboarding, that's the one Bone you were thrown.
 
T

toddhunter

Member
SwiftDeath said:
There's a Nintendo of Australia?
Click to expand...

Yeah, they are the ones who looked at that Wii U price drop that is critical to the platform getting some sort of momentum and said "nah, the price is just fine".

They are the ones who look at great promotions such as the buy 2 get 1 3DS game the rest of the world gets and thinks "not important".

They are the ones who no doubt push for region locking to be kept so they can charge crazy prices for games and make the eshop a complete waste of time by making everything well above retail.

They are the people who I contacted about such issues and claimed they didn't really know why it all happens and suggested they only get told about those things from the higher up Nintendos.

But don't get me started.
 
C

catmincer

Member
Nintendo of Aus use the Europe directs so they're at ridiculous times in the middle of the night. Also NOAus are totally awesome compared to the old Nintendo distributers in NZ. They did not have DS consoles on launch day! I had to wait nearly a week to get my pre-ordered DS. Then there was the whole Gamecube fiasco where it was on the shelves for maybe a year before nearly every retailer dropped it. It sucks being a Nintendo owner in this part of the world.

Also as ToddHunter said, they offered a promotion with a free game when you buy an OG 3DS but NOT an XL? This promotion was in July! I just don't get it.
 
B

Box of Bunnies

Banned
toddhunter said:
make the eshop a complete waste of time by making everything well above retail.
Click to expand...

Apart from a few outliers (EO4 and Soul Hackers), everything on the eShop is at RRP. It's not the eShop "making everything well above retail" if it's retail outlets undercutting the RRP.

catmincer said:
Nintendo of Aus use the Europe directs so they're at ridiculous times in the middle of the night.
Click to expand...

They're usually at 11-12 PM here which isn't bad for us. I guess it is with the extra couple hours for futurian New Zealanders though.
 
K

KAP151

Member
Squidofman said:
It's a tough case.

They are lazy. And inept. Trying to deal with them on a PR side of things is like talking to ghosts.

But then, they can also only work with what they've got. And the resources - and access - they have is extremely limited. It's literally just a small office in Melbourne with a few staff.
Click to expand...

Its certainly not small at all. I got past their office more than a dozen times a week. It's actually pretty big. Granted a lot of it is Warehouse/Storage, but its a got a decent sized office space too.
 
T

toddhunter

Member
Box of Bunnies said:
Apart from a few outliers (EO4 and Soul Hackers), everything on the eShop is at RRP. It's not the eShop "making everything well above retail" if it's retail outlets undercutting the RRP.
Click to expand...

If you can buy everything a lot cheaper everywhere, that is exactly what "making everything well above retail" means. Still having old games at $70 is a joke.

Just because EB Games can rip people off too that doesn't make it all ok.
 
P

Poimandres

Member
Nintendo of Australia basically don't exist.

It's shocking how few people here even know the Wii U exists here. Friends of mine in their mid 20's, all of whom owned a Wii, have never even heard of it. There are no adverts, no appealing bundles, game prices are high etc...
 
D

Dalibor_San

Member
mdtauk said:
WTF??? As others have said had no idea this even existed. NoAus never do Nintendo Directs. Never do special websites or promotional materials.
Click to expand...

Nope they are only there to impede the price-drops Nintendo of America/Europe give out, I was so dirty at Nintendo when Nintendo of Australia was not going to be giving out a price-cut for the Wii U unlike the rest of the world.

However That is probably a decision from Japan, so I'm confused...oh well Next-Gen should keep me occupied until there is a price-drop in Australia.
 
N

NewGame

Banned
Nintendo of Australia are run by like, 60 year olds who have little grasp on what it is they are actually selling, what promotions are avalible and what the 'internet does' in regards to the eShop.

For example, when I called Nintendo about Monster Hunter Ultimate asking questions a week before it's launch like

- What time is it available on the eShop? | Dunno!
- How much does it cost? | Dunno!
- Is there any promotion or reward for buying both versions? | Dunno!
- What's the blocks for the download? | Oh let me look that up... *WHAT KINDA POKEMON ARE YOU HOW DO YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DOOO, SHARE WITH ME YOUR SECRETS DEEP INSI* Hey you still there? We dunno.
 
P

prawnmatic

Member
There's a Nintendoworld store (or at least a Nintendo-themed EB) here in Melbourne. I went there to try and get a Wii Fit meter on launch day but they didn't know what I was talking about. Had to look it up on their system to find that it is a Special Order item and they're only getting them in for those who order them.

I went to my local JB hi-fi and they had half a dozen. Never been easy being a Nintendo fan in Australia.
 
O

one_kill

Member
I haven't had any problems with NOAus just yet. The only qualm I have is with regard to Club Nintendo rewards. I want those Mario Kart trophies.
 
A

Aquamarine

Member
KAP151 said:
Its certainly not small at all. I got past their office more than a dozen times a week. It's actually pretty big. Granted a lot of it is Warehouse/Storage, but its a got a decent sized office space too.
Click to expand...

The question is...how much do they actually do outside of managing stock / relations with distributors, retailers + licensing agencies?

They don't seem to have their own localization team, and from what I've heard, marketing in Australia isn't comprehensive at the slightest.
 
T

trinest

Member
I just want to say that the abbreviation for Nintendo of Australia, isn't NoAus or whatever. It is NAL, which means Nintendo Australia Limited. Thus they are both limited in how they preform and their company classification.

Aquamarine said:
The question is...how much do they actually do outside of managing stock / relations with distributors, retailers + licensing agencies?

They don't seem to have their own localization team, and from what I've heard, marketing in Australia isn't comprehensive at the slightest.
Click to expand...

In the past few years probably nothing, I say their marketing and PR section defiantly isn't as big as it used to be in the late 00s. Back then they were doing proper competitions, tours and more communication with the community, while not as good as it could be was 100x better then what the company has become.
 
R

runnin_blue

Banned
Yeah Aussie Club Nintendo is a joke.

In fact, Nintendo Australia as a whole is disgraceful. I picture their office in my head as a pimply teenager working from his mum's basement.
 
E

explodet

Member
runnin_blue said:
Yeah Aussie Club Nintendo is a joke.

In fact, Nintendo Australia as a whole is disgraceful. I picture their office in my head as a pimply teenager working from his mum's basement.
Click to expand...
gahiggidy.jpg
Click to expand...
.
 
E

edotherocket

Member
The selection of products on the Australian Club Nintendo is so depressing. There's tote bags, stickers, bookmarks and shoe laces. I'd say the average item is probably worth a dollar, maybe less.

I appreciated that they turned up to PAX Melbourne though. It was cool playing the new Mario game early.
 
M

Madao

Member
even some countries without official Nintendo presence have better Nintendo product supplies and prices.

seems like they just hate australia.
 
C

codswallop

Member
I don't think they're lazy. Just hamstrung and incompetent.

They're pretty much distributors in Australia, always have been. Occasionally you'll see a display or crappy competition during school holidays. I remember coming about 15th in a SMB competition once upon a time. Knocked out in the first round either way.
 
K

Kujo

Member
We didn't even get the Wii U price cut.

And we just got Nintendo Selects, and they're old titles. And they're twice the price of PS3's Essentials lineup. Yay
 
L

Lyriell

Member
I could tell you some stories about Nintendo Australia...

But I'm afraid the ghost of Yamauchi will claw his way out of my WiiU and kill me Ring style...

(ps. RIP Yamauchi. You were a duder)

Let's leave it at this...

The dude in charge of Nintendo Australia...? well they have a Japanese exec who visits every now and then and they hold all the strings.
 
A

Aquamarine

Member
Lyriell said:
I could tell you some stories about Nintendo Australia...

But I'm afraid the ghost of Yamauchi will claw his way out of my WiiU and kill me Ring style...

(ps. RIP Yamauchi. You were a duder)

Let's leave it at this...

The dude in charge of Nintendo Australia...? well they have a Japanese exec who visits every now and then and they hold all the strings.
Click to expand...

Three questions!

A) Is it the famous Japanese executive who commonly appears as the main presenter of Nintendo Directs?

B) Is it one of those super-powerful people who runs Nintendo on its Board of Directors?

C) Is it the head of a division? Or a middle level manager?
 
O

oconnomiyaki

Member
edotherocket said:
The selection of products on the Australian Club Nintendo is so depressing. There's tote bags, stickers, bookmarks and shoe laces. I'd say the average item is probably worth a dollar, maybe less.
Click to expand...

wonzo said:
you best not be hatin on the pikmin tote bag
Click to expand...

Yeah, those tote bags are pretty cool. I had enough stars to cash in for three of them (and still have change) and we use them as reusable bags for the supermarket.

But on the customs sticker, they listed them as being worth AU$30 each. No way, man.
 
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