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[twothunder]

Because they likely weren't as far along in development as Splatoon was. I mean, they're still being referred to under the "Project" name, not even a full title. Splatoon was far enough in development to not be called Project Squid at the time.

Maybe a bit along in development, but no so far:

Yeah.Splatoon probably didn't have that much of an advantage in dev time.
It's just. Project guard and Robot just felt like almost a tech demo. Left very little of an impression.
Splatoon simply had a good gameplay concept and style that got it quite a bit of love even at 10% done

 

[Vena]

Maybe a bit along in development, but no so far:

Because they likely weren't as far along in development as Splatoon was. I mean, they're still being referred to under the "Project" name, not even a full title. Splatoon was far enough in development to not be called Project Squid at the time.

Splatoon was a lot further than 10%, it was 10% of the shipped product development (basically, a barely functioning vertical slice... the demos at that E3 were barely working and what was working was all that there was of the game at time, haha) but the game have been in Garage Development for a lot longer as the Tofu/Rabbits prototyping. By the time we saw the Squids, they had iterated through a lot of design and control prototypes, and the Squids had been well after Miyamoto had sat them down and told them that they had no personality for the project or seemingly much of an idea of what to do with it. (I recommend reading this article, shows you what Miyamoto generally does from day to day in his role. No he doesn't run around Sticker Staring every project... or any project for that matter.)

Giant Robo and co. were, on demonstration, where Splatoon was when it was Tofu. If they had shown Splatoon when it was Tofu, we probably would have been just as confused.

The question is if who ever is behind the projects has the talent and drive as the Splatoon trio did, because they took Miyamoto's criticisms and created a project with a personality and heart. But another group could take that same criticism and collapse and just be "Please let us use Mario!".

 

[KingSnake]

Splatoon was a lot further than 10%, it was 10% of the shipped product development but the game have been in Garage Development for a lot longer as the Tofu/Rabbits prototyping. By the time we saw the Squids, they had iterated through a lot of design and control prototypes, and the Squids had been well after Miyamoto had sat them down and told them that they had no personality for the project or seemingly much of an idea of what to do with it. (I recommend reading this article, shows you what Miyamoto generally does from day to day in his role. No he doesn't run around Sticker Staring every project... or any project for that matter.)

Giant Robo and co. were, on demonstration, where Splatoon was when it was Tofu.

It certainly looked like tofu. Too bad we haven't seen anything of them since. Maybe it would have been a better idea to present them at E3 2015 than 2014.

 

[Vena]

It certainly looked like tofu. Too bad we haven't seen anything of them since. Maybe it would have been a better idea to present them at E3 2015 than 2014.

Well they did present them only backstage, didn't they? They really just wanted to have the narrative of "stuff is coming", and that led to a lot of too-early reveals.

Which is why, now, I think they're not revealing anything until near launch again.

 

[KingSnake]

Well they did present them only backstage, didn't they? They really just wanted to have the narrative of "stuff is coming", and that led to a lot of too-early reveals.

Which is why, now, I think they're not revealing anything until near launch again.

Which is also wrong, as Splatoon proves.

 

[Vena]

Which is also wrong, as Splatoon proves.

I don't disagree. I do think they are also trying to build to a "surprising" E3 for fans though after last year's disappointment, which helps explain why they are keeping stuff close to the chest.

 

[jariw]

I don't disagree. I do think they are also trying to build to a "surprising" E3 for fans though after last year's disappointment, which helps explain why they are keeping stuff close to the chest.

Absolutely. And the E3 2014 was "bring as many Wii U titles as possible to show that there are lots of stuff after MK8", while the E3 2015 was a Mario celebration.

The problem with bringing "tofu projects" (like Giant Robot and Project Guard) to E3 is that gamers don't known how to interpret a game that is in an experimental stage. What will stay? What will change? And Nintendo isn't a good company to bring CGI trailers of future projects, since their software development process doesn't work like that. Just look at the difference between Yoshi's Woolly World's initial presentation compared to the final product.

 

[Hermii]

Official english translation of the Q&A is up.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203qa/index.html

 

[Joelstinton14]

Official english translation of the Q&A is up.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203qa/index.html

That first page is one massive tease.

Actually the whole thing is /o\ . But it does re-confirm a few details and it seems they have a clear idea going forward what they are doing with the new gaming platform. Just appears to me communication is going well in house so to speak.

And it seems communication is the theme of the NX, with ease of access between all the nintendo devices.

 

[FZZ]

Official english translation of the Q&A is up.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203qa/index.html

Kimishima's answers are so bare bones compared to Iwata's

Damn this is really gonna be Nintendo pre-2004 again isn't it

 

[takriel]

This E3 will be great. Zelda U and hopefully NX reveal. Damn!

 

[Graphics Horse]

When are they going to release miitomo, is that still this Q?

This E3 will be great. Zelda U and hopefully NX reveal. Damn!

NX will definitely be shown at e3 if not before then.

 

[KingBroly]

Kimishima's answers are so bare bones compared to Iwata's

Damn this is really gonna be Nintendo pre-2004 again isn't it

A couple of things:
1 - He has to be careful because it's an unannounced/unrevealed platform

2 - He may not be President past later this year, so he's bigger holding cards close to his chest

 

[Eolz]

A couple of things:
1 - He has to be careful because it's an unannounced/unrevealed platform

2 - He may not be President past later this year, so he's bigger holding cards close to his chest

I'm sure he'll still be president for a good two years. As he saif, he needs to be reelected, and while he doesn't really want to be the president for a long time, they still need to prepare the next one internally.

 

[maxcriden]

A couple of things:
1 - He has to be careful because it's an unannounced/unrevealed platform

2 - He may not be President past later this year, so he's bigger holding cards close to his chest

I'm sure he'll still be president for a good two years. As he saif, he needs to be reelected, and while he doesn't really want to be the president for a long time, they still need to prepare the next one internally.

He's already said he has every intention of being the President going forward. He wants to foster internal development at Nintendo but there's no reason to think Kimi-san plans to step down after two years.

 

[TheJoRu]

Official english translation of the Q&A is up.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203qa/index.html

Not a whole lot of information overall, but it did slightly clarify, at least for me, about the 3DS being "a major pillar in the next fiscal year" (which was "the next period" in another translation). I could definitely see there being a holiday season this year with a new mainline Pokémon-game for 3DS and Paper Mario (maybe September/October) and Zelda U for the Wii U, before launching either one or both NX-hardware before March 31st 2017.

I can't answer why, but I just can't see them launching NX this calendar year. It's just a hunch.

 

[KingSnake]

NX not launching during holidays 2016 has no chance in providing "Nintendo-like profits" for the next FY which ends in March 2017.

And of course 3ds "will continue to be a major pillar of our business in the coming fiscal year". There is half of the next FY that is based just on 3ds and Wii U.

 

[DaSorcerer7]

NX not launching during holidays 2016 has no chance in providing "Nintendo-like profits" for the next FY which ends in March 2017.

Agreed. They have to launch it this holiday season.

 

[TLZ]

Not a whole lot of information overall, but it did slightly clarify, at least for me, about the 3DS being "a major pillar in the next fiscal year" (which was "the next period" in another translation). I could definitely see there being a holiday season this year with a new mainline Pokémon-game for 3DS and Paper Mario (maybe September/October) and Zelda U for the Wii U, before launching either one or both NX-hardware before March 31st 2017.

I can't answer why, but I just can't see them launching NX this calendar year. It's just a hunch.

We will know soon, at the end of this fiscal year ending March 2016.

 

[McHuj]

Not a whole lot of information overall, but it did slightly clarify, at least for me, about the 3DS being "a major pillar in the next fiscal year" (which was "the next period" in another translation). I could definitely see there being a holiday season this year with a new mainline Pokémon-game for 3DS and Paper Mario (maybe September/October) and Zelda U for the Wii U, before launching either one or both NX-hardware before March 31st 2017.

I can't answer why, but I just can't see them launching NX this calendar year. It's just a hunch.

So they're going to sit out the holiday season and launch a new platform in February/March of next year?

3DS will be a major pillar because there are a lot of units out there and as long as Nintendo supports it, the software will sell. It's not going to disappear when a new platform with a very small and limited install base launches at the tail end of the next fiscal year.

 

[The_Lump]

I would be astounded if we didn't see at least one of the NX devices this calendar year (ie by end of 2016). Launching both after the holiday period would just be plain silly.

I agree that getting both is unlikely, if only for the logistical complications of launching two products in such a short space of time (unless one were to come out before summer - which isn't happening either).

My money is on a new handheld for Holiday 2016, with the console getting a tentative "early 2017" launch window.....which will inevitably slip to "TBC 2017" and eventually become "Holiday 2017".

Spoiler

Will get a late port of Zelda nevertheless

 

[Neoxon]

So they're going to sit out the holiday season and launch a new platform in February/March of next year?

3DS will be a major pillar because there are a lot of units out there and as long as Nintendo supports it, the software will sell. It's not going to disappear when a new platform with a very small and limited install base launches at the tail end of the next fiscal year.

But the minute the NX Handheld comes out (if Nintendo is going the shared platform route like speculated & rumored), interest in the 3DS will begin to fade. Some interest may stay if the NX Handheld isn't backwards compatible with 3DS games, but not much. This is why I'm hoping that, if we are getting the NX Handheld this year, that we get Pokémon Z during September or October (assuming that it stays on the 3DS exclusively) so the game won't get lost in the NX hype.

 

[DrWong]

I can't answer why, but I just can't see them launching NX this calendar year. It's just a hunch.

NX not launching during holidays 2016 has no chance in providing "Nintendo-like profits" for the next FY which ends in March 2017.

And of course 3ds "will continue to be a major pillar of our business in the coming fiscal year". There is half of the next FY that is based just on 3ds and Wii U.

I would be astounded if we didn't see at least one of the NX devices this calendar year (ie by end of 2016). Launching both after the holiday period would just be plain silly.[/SPOILER]

They will only release the patented supplementary Cloud device this winter, compatible with Wii U and let's say also the N3DS and it'll bring some hardware boost/gimmick/new features and then release the 2 new base hardware (console/handheld) next year.

 

[KingSnake]

If the launches are several months away, it makes more sense to launch the console during the holiday (where the consoles get a much bigger boost) and to launch the handheld in spring than the other way around. Also from the spending habits is better to launch the more expensive product during holiday. A cheaper handheld is much easier to sell well anytime during the year.

I still think they will launch together though (max 1-2 months away, both in 2016).

They will only release the patented supplementary Cloud device this winter, compatible with Wii U and let's say also the N3DS and it'll bring some hardware boost/gimmick/new features and then release the 2 new base hardware (console/handheld) next year.

As long as they share the library you can only something as "new" just once. The impact just wears off after the first launch.

 

[TheJoRu]

NX not launching during holidays 2016 has no chance in providing "Nintendo-like profits" for the next FY which ends in March 2017.

To be honest, I don't think they're particularly concerned with NX pulling in lots of profit in FY16/17. That's what the smartphone business is for, and all the rest of the initiatives they'll be doing. Instead I think the focus will be to have a successful launch. If they have games like Zelda U, a Paper Mario and (I'm speculating) a new Pokémon game to sell next holiday I wouldn't want to release brand new hardware at the same time as well. There are obviously a thousand other things that will affect what it will finally be, but I don't see why it can't or shouldn't be in February/March 2017, like a bunch of other Nintendo hardware in their history.

 

[KingSnake]

To be honest, I don't think they're particularly concerned with NX pulling in lots of profit in FY16/17. That's what the smartphone business is for, and all the rest of the initiatives they'll be doing. Instead I think the focus will be to have a successful launch. If they have games like Zelda U, a Paper Mario and (I'm speculating) a new Pokémon game to sell next holiday I wouldn't want to release brand new hardware at the same time as well. There are obviously a thousand other things that will affect what it will finally be, but I don't see why it can't or shouldn't be in February/March 2017, like a bunch of other Nintendo hardware in their history.

It just was quoted earlier in this very thread:

The question was to pick one area with which we will be able to achieve Nintendo-like profits, but I would like to suggest two areas. One area is our NX business, and another is our business for smart devices.

Or do you think Kimishima is lying to the investors?

 

[Graphics Horse]

To be honest their 'project giant robot' and 'project guard' timescales have always seemed like bare faced lies to investors.

 

[KingSnake]

To be honest their 'project giant robot' and 'project guard' timescales have always seemed like bare faced lies to investors.

It's one thing lying about some games nobody cares about and other thing to lie about money.

 

[TheJoRu]

It just was quoted earlier in this very thread:

Or do you think Kimishima is lying to the investors?

Thanks for the passive-aggressiveness. Anyway, he says later in his answer:

I don't have any further details to share about the next fiscal year at this time, but we will explain about our plan and when we will aim to achieve Nintendo-like profits at a future date.

So my interpretation is that, while the question does mention the next fiscal year being a step ("being a step" also important here) towards Nintendo-like profits, Kimishima in his answer doesn't really want to go into too much detail about what that constitutes or exactly when this will be achieved. The gist of it is that yes, smartphone business and NX will be key parts in achieving Nintendo-like profits, but whether NX will become a huge part of that already starting next fiscal year or mostly in the future is not something he's going to tell you now (he'll tell you in May, though).

Also, it's not like a launch in February/March 2017 would not help profits a lot. The shipments would be slightly smaller, but still pretty huge. Also, I mentioned previously not wanting to overshadow potential big 3DS/Wii U holiday titles by launching a new platform. That's lost software revenue and profits if that happens. You might also run into not being able to satisfy demand by launching in the holidays, as well as the risk of not having enough launch software or big droughts in the months after launch. These are of course only risks, and don't have to be problems in reality, but there are many factors to consider, not just "we sell a lot during the holidays, so holiday launch has to happen".

 

[KingSnake]

Thanks for the passive-aggressiveness. Anyway, he says later in his answer:



So my interpretation is that, while the question does mention the next fiscal year being a step ("being a step" also important here) towards Nintendo-like profits, Kimishima in his answer doesn't really want to go into too much detail about what that constitutes or exactly when this will be achieved. The gist of it is that yes, smartphone business and NX will be key parts in achieving Nintendo-like profits, but whether NX will become a huge part of that already starting next fiscal year or mostly in the future is not something he's going to tell you now (he'll tell you in May, though).

Also, it's not like a launch in February/March 2017 would not help profits a lot. The shipments would be slightly smaller, but still pretty huge. Also, I mentioned previously not wanting to overshadow potential big 3DS/Wii U holiday titles by launching a new platform. That's lost software revenue and profits if that happens. You might also run into not being able to satisfy demand by launching in the holidays, as well as the risk of not having enough launch software or big droughts in the months after launch. These are of course only risks, and don't have to be problems in reality, but there are many factors to consider, not just "we sell a lot during the holidays, so holiday launch has to happen".

He doesn't want to get into more details because they haven't yet revealed NX and the other mobile games besides Miitomo, so he can't really talk about details now.

 

[TheJoRu]

He doesn't want to get into more details because they haven't yet revealed NX and the other mobile games besides Miitomo, so he can't really talk about details now.

Exactly, so we can't really say that a holiday 2016-release is very crucial for them to succeed with their plans, because well...we don't really know their plan in detail. We'll just have to wait and see, as has been the case with Nintendo for quite some time now. *impatient finger tapping*

 

[DaSorcerer7]

Exactly, so we can't really say that a holiday 2016-release is very crucial for them to succeed with their plans, because well...we don't really know their plan in detail. We'll just have to wait and see, as has been the case with Nintendo for quite some time now. *impatient finger tapping*

I would think that having a new product out by the time of the biggest shopping period of the year would be crucial in order to hit "Nintendo like profit" margins.

 

[KingSnake]

Exactly, so we can't really say that a holiday 2016-release is very crucial for them to succeed with their plans, because well...we don't really know their plan in detail. We'll just have to wait and see, as has been the case with Nintendo for quite some time now. *impatient finger tapping*

Have you seen how much more is Nintendo selling during holidays compared to the other periods during the year? They can't have significant profits out of NX without a holiday.

 

[Pancake Mix]

Pretty sure the answer to question 3 explicitly confirms a launch by March 2017.

Q3:With regards to the financial performance, I believe you said that the fiscal year ending in March 2016 has been about balancing revenue and expenses, while the next fiscal year (ending in March 2017) will be a step towards aiming for Nintendo-like profits. Have these priorities changed at all? It seems like a lot of new endeavors, such as smart device business and amiibo sales, will need to go smoothly in order to realize Nintendo-like profits. If you had to provide one example of an area where you can be sure to achieve Nintendo-like profits, what would that be?

The question was to pick one area with which we will be able to achieve Nintendo-like profits, but I would like to suggest two areas. One area is our NX business,and another is our business for smart devices.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203qa/index.html

 

[Oblivion]

Official english translation of the Q&A is up.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203qa/index.html

Man this Kimishima guy seems to embody the idea of a faceless corporation.

Iwata may have been a suit, but he was warm and endearing. This new guy's nothing like him.

 

[Herb Alpert]

Man this Kimishima guy seems to embody the idea of a faceless corporation.

Iwata may have been a suit, but he was warm and endearing. This new guy's nothing like him.

I'm afraid we won't see him doing strange things during directs.
Remember the Wii street U or the fight between iwata and fils-aime...

 

[Pandy]

Official english translation of the Q&A is up.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/160203qa/index.html

Q6 answer was interesting, I thought, about getting their devs to take more of the limelight.

I'd expect more lead devs to be introducing their own games in Directs or at presentations, rather than Kimishima doing the lion's share of the talking the way Iwata did, as well as lead devs having more of a social media presence.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

There are actually some notable pieces of information.

- Reconfirmation that NX is a platform and not a specific machine
To achieve Nintendo-like profits, one important factor will be establishing a solid launch for our NX and smart device businesses.

- Younger Developers at the Forefront of Nintendo
The ideas of our young employees are also key to our ability to transition to the next generation and to continue to produce exciting ideas. It is important to structure our organization so that these young people can take active roles. We have worked to establish such an organization; one that will allow our employees to reach their full potential in many different areas. It may be difficult to see from outside of the company, but we have made major changes to our organization. For example, our game developers have not had much of a public presence in the past, but we would like to create more and more opportunities for you to get to know them in the future.

- QoL is not Dead!
"I would also like to touch on the QOL (Quality of Life) program today. We do not feel that we are currently at a stage where we can commercialize a product that deals with sleep and fatigue, so we are not planning to launch any products in this area in the fiscal year ending in March 2016. However, we do believe there is potential in the QOL sector, so we will continue to consider further development in this area."

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Man this Kimishima guy seems to embody the idea of a faceless corporation.

Iwata may have been a suit, but he was warm and endearing. This new guy's nothing like him.

It's almost like Nintendo's a business or something. Hey, as long as he's not greedy he'll be fine.

 

[Oblivion]

It's almost like Nintendo's a business or something.

That was the same when Iwata was in charge too.

 

[TheJoRu]

Have you seen how much more is Nintendo selling during holidays compared to the other periods during the year? They can't have significant profits out of NX without a holiday.

I would think that having a new product out by the time of the biggest shopping period of the year would be crucial in order to hit "Nintendo like profit" margins.

You're overly obsessed with the idea that they are destining NX to be a huge contributor to the Nintendo-like profits already by the end of FY16/17. The important thing for them I believe is to be able to say at the end of the fiscal year that "the launch of NX was a success, and coupled with our blossoming smartphone business we have taken key steps in continuous Nintendo-like profits in the future". Obviously the NX will provide lots of profit the next fiscal year regardless of whether it's 2016 or early 2017 (but yes, more so if it's in the holiday), but if a 2017-release is deemed more viable it will be still preferred if there are long-term benefits and the early profit levels are still considered good. A holiday release with a poor launch lineup, low supply (not meeting demand), long droughts in the months after, and a launch that overshadows important 3DS/Wii U holiday software is not a good launch. In the long run you may end up with a NX business that doesn't contribute much to these so sought Nintendo-like profits.

Again, those problems may not occur, and the NX could very well successfully launch in holiday 2016. The chances are high. Though, also important to note is that profit isn't just about revenue. Costs also needs to be balanced. Depending on their planning prioritizing a 2017-release might be better to avoid huge investments that would've had to be made to get the product out before holiday. A successful launch in spring that proves to be cost-effective and doesn't cause big problems (Xbox 360 RROD was a big problem, for example) is also a way to achieve whatever profit goals they are setting for the next fiscal year.

 

[KingSnake]

I think you don't have the same understanding for "Nintendo-like profits". Or you bet too much on the smartphone business. For now everybody (including DeNA) is a bit reluctant in setting too high expectations on the smartphone business revenues on short term.

Edit: my whole assumption is based on the fact that Kimishima knows what he's talking about in front of investors.