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Pachter: "I don't know why Iwata is still employed"; should bring old games to mobile

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The thing is that this generation's children aren't consuming on game consoles anymore, they're getting their needs from tablets now. Further the Nintendo roster will grow to be irrelevant as an entire generation grows without playing their games. If Nintendo doesn't want to vy for their attention where they exist then that's fine, there is a TON of free games and content in any mobile ecosystem.

That audience doesn't care about games Nintendo actually makes though..ie..those you need ti actually pay for.
 
The free point I was just going on what MP said. Do I think it's a bad idea? No. The best? Not really. Do I think there is value in releasing games that nobody intends to buy again at low prices to a market you might not have a lot of people in? Yes. Anytime any OLD Nintendo game sells for $1, it is profit. I'm not a programmer but I doubt there is a high cost to creating an emulator for something and brute forcing 10-15+ year old games.

Anecdotal: Have I stopped buying Playstation games that will be on PS+ within 4-6 months b/c of PS+? No.

I have no problem putting them up for $1-$2. I do have a major problem with them putting them on for free. Devalues the entire brand.

I think about games like Pac-man and how well they sold on iOS. Nintendo could make quite a bit with old Mario games, etc.
 
Why are people talking about the death of handhelds when the 3DS keeps making money? And the PS Vita would probably be making money if Sony hadn't run it at such a high price point; the Vita TV is already doing comparatively well.

It doesn't even make that much short-term game. They'd be relying on advertising to people who are already playing games on a mobile device.


Like seriously, are people not even reading the OP?

Why the fuck would Nintendo release their old games for free on mobile? They don't release them for free on their handheld console, and doing that would actually encourage sales of their hardware.
Mind share, gateway drugs, call it what you want.

It's pretty debatable obviously but these proposals are less wacky than people think they are, in the sense that there is a business case to be made for his proposals. I'm not saying it even remotely fits a company as conservative as Nintendo but asking for money for everything is not the only way to do business.

I more wonder why Pachter is still employeed.
Occam would suggest he has satisfied customers?
 
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I don't even know why Pachter keeps talking.

Nintendo, not by a long shot.

Wii U?

Yes.
 
You're thinking about this all wrong. During a free session of A Link To The Past, you run out of hearts and a little genie pops up with a choice: wait for your hearts to regenerate over the next few hours, or press a button to buy a 3DS and get a full set of hearts absolutely free. Nintendo would be crazy not to do it, they're just leaving money on the table.

OK, if the IAP was a link to buy a Nintendo console, then I change my mind, this is a good idea
 
3DS and WiiU are behind the NDS and Wii.

The next-gen console industry is just PS4 and Xbox One anymore. And the dedicated handheld market is also way smaller today than 10 years ago.

The DS is the second best selling platform of all time (barely behind PS2). I guess we should be talking about Sony going third party and porting their games to iOS because the PSVita is in the tank and the PS3 did nowhere near PS2 numbers, right?
 
Eh I only think putting some minigames that compliment 3DS and Wii U games or like a Nintendo Direct App would be fine. If people now are all ready saying game consoles and handhelds are pointless, Nintendo putting their games on there wouldn't do anything to combat that mindset. At most it's a quick and easy buck, but I'm under the belief that most of Nintendo's 3DS games make significantly more than even the most successful smartphone games? I remember reading that Super Mario 3D Land made more than Angry Birds did at its prime, even when you include merchandising. The easy money might not be worth the risk of devaluing Nintendo consoles.

I think the company overall wants to keep Iwata. The guy took a 50% pay cut so he wouldn't need to fire any employees. I have no idea who the shareholders of Nintendo are but I'm guessing moves like that certainly help Iwata's posititon.
 
If Investors got their way Nintendo would be third party by now, with console exclusivity sold to the highest bidder and their handhelds games f2p on mobile.

That's what would make them the most money right now and that's all investors care about.
 
No, I don't, but at least it's a fresh way of thinking. Something Nintendo desperately needs.

Free? Maybe not.
$1? Now we're on to something.

Selling GBA games for $1 on mobile will make it harder for Nintendo to sell them for $6 on Wii U (whenever they get around to putting them up).
 
They are pushing new stuff, on their own devices. But if you give people old stuff on a competitors device, than the audience will just go to the competition expecting you to put everything on their devices eventually. Which is why it is a bad idea because it will end with Nintendo being treated as a third party instead of a second party.

Do you expect to see Mickey Mouse being played on fox? No, because Disney values their ip way too much. They don't want fans going to fox giving them money that they feel is theirs, so they won't ever do that. Nintendo is the same and they're smarter for it.

And this is where marketing comes in. You give consumers a reason to expect the opposite.

As for Mickey Mouse on Fox, don't we see channels re-running Disney movies? The idea never has to be "hand over the entirety of Mickey to Fox" but if there's less important stuff about the brand that they can make money off of, then they do it.
 
Well, one thing I think everyone can agree on is that phones and tablets and creeping in on the traditional handheld business. I just think it's fucking stupid to completely ignore a fucking massive market like it would somehow be beneath Nintendo. That's 211 million smartphones shipped in a single quarter in that report.
 
3DS and WiiU are behind the NDS and Wii.

The next-gen console industry is just PS4 and Xbox One anymore. And the dedicated handheld market is also way smaller today than 10 years ago.

Because the DS was released in a market with almost no iOS/tablet/smartphone saturation. The 3DS is doing incredibly well in an oversaturated market today. I'm shocked it hasn't been a Vita-like disaster.
 
You're thinking about this all wrong. During a free session of A Link To The Past, you run out of hearts and a little genie pops up with a choice: wait for your hearts to regenerate over the next few hours, or press a button to buy a 3DS and get a full set of hearts absolutely free. Nintendo would be crazy not to do it, they're just leaving money on the table.

That's different from suggesting they release their full games for free. Your suggestion is a glorified form of advertisement which wouldn't hurt them as dumping ROMs for free would.
 
If Investors got their way Nintendo would be third party by now, with console exclusivity sold to the highest bidder and their handhelds games f2p on mobile.

That's what would make them the most money right now and that's all investors care about.
And that would be extremely short term profit and kill the company.

Luckily, investors abd analysts don't have a say in Nintendo.
 
They should bring their casual grindy games to mobile as F2P versions, that crowd has come and gone with the DS. Pachter's a great self-promoter, but what he's suggesting shows a clear lack of insight concerning the current mobile market. It's no longer only Android customers who refuse to pay up front and have to be nickel&dimed through the backdoor. Price segmentation by console generation makes no sense at all in this case..
 
Next time they release a side scrolling mario game for $40-$50, there would likely be a lot of people going "well why would I get that for so much money, when the same game is free on iOS?"

Not to mention how the game would play like absolute garbage without buttons and give a negative impression.

Gambling the whole company tho? Seems like wild hyperbole. I think itd do more good than harm. Angry Birds franchise is more recognizable to young kids than Mario these days.
 
Saying the next generation of consoles is the last is also laughable, at least we can all agree on that...right?

depends on how you define consoles. i think this will be the last gen of closed platforms. where in for a steambox or steambox-like future imo.
 
There was also an Atari version of Donkey Kong, but anything that happened before Nintendo started making consoles is pretty much irrelevant to this discussion

It is relevant because Nintendo's consoles (with the exception of Wii) are irrelevant. Unless they hit lightning in a bottle again, something has to change. I'm not saying they should make games for another system, but it is an option and they've done it before.
 
WarioWare Inc. MegaMicrotransaction$

Cost = Free

Wario games = Free
Jimmy games = 99 cents
Dribble and Spitz games = 99 cents
Mona games = 99 cents
9-Volt games = 99 cents
Orbulon games = 99 cents
Dr. Crygor games = 99 cents
Kat and Ana games = 99 cents

etc.

I don't think they should just dump their old ROMs onto iPhones (especially not GBA games, Jesus), but there is room for some franchises that fit into the whole microtransactions system, like WarioWare. I can't see people spending $40 for a WarioWare game in this day and age.

Alternatively, they can throw small minigames on the app store. Remember the minigames from Mario 64 DS?

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how about the Pikachu surfing game from Pokemon Yellow?

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Little shit like that would be fine, I think. Just to get the characters/franchises out there.

As for FULL old games, if ANYTHING, it should be stuff like Donkey Kong (arcade) or Mario Bros. (arcade). I don't think it's wise to just throw NES games and other games from Virtual Console onto the app store... you wanna tease the consumer with these small games. If they want the real shit, pick up a 3DS/Wii U.


There we go.

This, I agree with. Anything that puts the IP out there is essentially advertising for their hardware. You could even additionally place ads in the apps for little things like these games. Nintendo could possibly even consider making a mobile title of their own, and then if it got popular, they could release a full-fat version of the title for 3DS/Wii U or something.

Definitely, they should avoid releasing actual/full games on iOS/Android/Win 8 though. If you want to play Nintendo, buy a Nintendo. Always. Forever.
 
And this is where marketing comes in. You give consumers a reason to expect the opposite.

As for Mickey Mouse on Fox, don't we see channels re-running Disney movies? The idea never has to be "hand over the entirety of Mickey to Fox" but if there's less important stuff about the brand that they can make money off of, then they do it.

Disney has deals with partners that aren't in their own market. But if for instance, if netflix was warner brothers, you wouldn't have any disney films on that service. This is not hard to understand.

Why waste money on marketing to an audience whose not on your platform, to come game on your platform? Just sell the games on your platform!

There is no compelling reason for Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft to bring their first party games to other platforms. Suggesting so is a terrible idea anyway you paint it. Can they use mobile for advertising? Absolutely, but not as a core stream of income.

Well, one thing I think everyone can agree on is that phones and tablets and creeping in on the traditional handheld business. I just think it's fucking stupid to completely ignore a fucking massive market like it would somehow be beneath Nintendo. That's 211 million smartphones shipped in a single quarter in that report.

It has absolutely nothing to do with pride.
 
How defensive. You think Iwata is doing a great job?

Nope, but considering the person making the staetment involved I think he shouldn't be throwing stones in a glass house.

Yes Wii Uis a fuck up, but the nintendo big wig before had plenty of bad things happen in his time and most see him as a god still. This is a bad fuck up for iwata and it will certainly make him and his company better next gen. I still see nintendo trying to do it's own thing for one more generation, but after that if things don't improve with consumers I see them changing in big ways for the better.
 
This fucking sucks. The only thing that would work on phones are touch based games from the DS. Not GBA content, not NES roms. The idea is way off the mark anyway.
 
I had the same idea as him.

Basically Nintendo will setup a Nintendo app store where they sell their classic games at $0.99 each, nothing newer than GBA but the classic Nintendo games that will allow many gamers to experience Nintendo for the first time without buying their hardware. This will bring in a lot of children who don't have the means of buying Nintendo hardware but have a phone or tablet that they share with their family.

So when they enter said app store to play the game, they will be pelted with advertisements of Nintendo's latest hardware and games. Something like, experience the way the games are meant to be played with the 3DS/Wii U and enjoy the best mario today with Super Mario 3D World! if they bought SMW or something. Also, basically any games bought on this app store will transfer the ownership to their future Nintendo hardware they own on the 3DS and Wii U and allow them to continue playing the games it's meant to be played when the user eventually buys Nintendo hardware.

Well, that's just my idea of how to implement Nintendo games on smartphones without actually making people play games on smartphones forever.
 
That's different from suggesting they release their full games for free. Your suggestion is a glorified form of advertisement which wouldn't hurt them as dumping ROMs for free would.

Well the ROMs are still free, you just have to wait for your hearts to replenish or purchase a $200 handheld in-app to get some new hearts instantly. This could be a really successful strategy for Nintendo, it's this kind of fresh thinking they need to save their company from inevitable bankruptcy.
 
Well, one thing I think everyone can agree on is that phones and tablets and creeping in on the traditional handheld business. I just think it's fucking stupid to completely ignore a fucking massive market like it would somehow be beneath Nintendo. That's 211 million smartphones shipped in a single quarter in that report.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/angry-birds-publisher-rovio-doubles-432964

Rovio, the people behind Angry Birds, had a net profit of $71 million, which is their best year ever by far, and includes merchandising. That is with 263 million active players in December. That is less profit than Nintendo made in Q1 this year, in what's basically been their worst year ever.

In order to make money on mobile, you need to be a massive, massive hit.
 
Disagreed, Pachter.

What Nintendo need to do is capitalize on tablets and smartphones by turning them into Nintendo trojan horses.

Imagine a Nintendo Premium subscription that cost you $5, and gives you access to all old-school titles (up to Gamecube era) on all of your devices. Imagine iPhone and Android users downloading the "Nintendo Gamehub"-app, get a subscription, and then get hooked onto Nintendo titles. Then of course Nintendo would of course remind those users that they can play all of their Nintendo Premium Gamehub games on the Wii U/3DS, and that they will get discounts towards new games on those consoles.

That would fuel consumers towards their HW moneymaking cashcows, instead of cannibalizing them by outright releasing the games on mobile platforms.
 
And this is where marketing comes in. You give consumers a reason to expect the opposite.

I don't buy it. How many people do you think who play Sonic and Final Fantasy on a smartphone go out and buy a new console to play the new Sonic and Final Fantasy games? They're more likely to stay in that ecosystem if that's where they spend most of their time playing video games.

I'm guessing the number of people who think
"Hey, Nintendo release games on iOS now! Why would I need to buy a console ever again?"
would outnumber
"Wow Nintendo games are cool! I think I'm going to buy a 3DS today so I can play the new ones!"

There's no risk for third parties here because they're not relying on people buying their consoles. Nintendo is different.
 
...or, Nintendo should invest heavily in Virtual Console, lower the prices and make it THE place to play classic video games. If you had access to virtually every NES game at 99c a piece, SNES games at $3 and N64 at $5, that alone would be a system seller.

Nintendo needs to go out of their way to make VC the Steam of classic gaming and educate the public to the fact.

There's no need to put NES games on mobile phones if you can turn VC into a system seller.
 
And that would be extremely short term profit and kill the company.

Luckily, investors abd analysts don't have a say in Nintendo.
So Nintendo's strength of making games would kill them but constantly creating hardware that goes against the market wont?

I don't want them going third party like the next person but that's dumb.
 
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/angry-birds-publisher-rovio-doubles-432964

Rovio, the people behind Angry Birds, had a net profit of $71 million, which is their best year ever by far, and includes merchandising. That is with 263 million active players in December. That is less profit than Nintendo made in Q1 this year, in what's basically been their worst year ever.

In order to make money on mobile, you need to be a massive, massive hit.
But Angry Birds and iOS is the future! Nintendo should just give all their games away for free! They'll make billions!

And this is why I can't take analysts serious.
 
Apple would totally make more money giving their os to others.

Disney would totally make more money giving Mickey to others.

Marvel would totally make more money giving the avengers to others.

These guys are so dumb for holding value to their franchises.
 
Can you think for yourself or do you just like to cry about the "injustice" the media is supposedly doing to Nintendo?

People think Nintendo should tap into the ios/android market? HOW DARE THEY!

Obviously, they should cling to their dwindling market share and resign themselves to a slow death of a thousand cuts rather than make any effort to actually improve their situation. That is the proper, honorable thing to do: grind yourself down to a nub working tirelessly, fruitlessly, with no visible future ambitions to strive for, viewing retirement from the drudgery as a punishment forced on you by an ungrateful society that couldn't simply allow you to continue your Sisyphean task in peace.

I mean, or they could take the "massive risk" of trying to increase their revenues in new and growing markets at the potential expense of ever-shrinking market share. That would be silly, though. I think it's pretty clear that the thing to do when your core markets are shrinking consistently over time is to get your back nice and deep into that corner and just snap at anything that comes close. I hear that works out well.

(The irony here being that someone's going to jump in and say, "But the success of the Wii!" completely missing the point that the Wii was successful because it was Nintendo expanding into a new market very much at the expense of protecting what at the time was their core constituency. Rather than dogged preservation of the "Mario brand value" everyone harps on about, they created new properties and sold to a new audience at the very real risk of diminishing the status of their brand, and won big.)
 
Nintendo has it's share of problems, but GBA titles free on iOS and DS games for $ 5?

Mike, that's a horrible, horrible way to attract new people to your platform. Why would anyone buy new content for platforms they don't own if they can get free games on another platform? "If they offer their old stuff now on this platform, surely the new stuff will come along eventually?" /consumer thought. You are not dumb Mike. You can see the obvious flaw here.
 
I don't buy it. How many people do you think who play Sonic and Final Fantasy on a smartphone go out and buy a new console to play the new Sonic and Final Fantasy games? They're more likely to stay in that ecosystem if that's where they spend most of their time playing video games.

I'm guessing the number of people who think
"Hey, Nintendo release games on iOS now! Why would I need to buy a console ever again?"
would outnumber
"Wow Nintendo games are cool! I think I'm going to buy a 3DS today so I can play the new ones!"

There's no risk for third parties here because they're not relying on people buying their consoles. Nintendo is different.
You're right but then where were these people before a Nintendo game shows up on a phone? If they weren't any likely to buy a Nintendo console before then why not profit from just selling them the games first and then trying to convince them what a Nintendo console is?
 
Disagreed, Pachter.

What Nintendo need to do is capitalize on tablets and smartphones by turning them into Nintendo trojan horses.

Imagine a Nintendo Premium subscription that cost you $5, and gives you access to all old-school titles (up to Gamecube era) on all of your devices. Imagine iPhone and Android users downloading the "Nintendo Gamehub"-app, get a subscription, and then get hooked onto Nintendo titles. Then of course Nintendo would of course remind those users that they can play all of their Nintendo Premium Gamehub games on the Wii U/3DS, and that they will get discounts towards new games on those consoles.

That would fuel consumers towards their HW moneymaking cashcows, instead of cannibalizing them by outright releasing the games on mobile platforms.
A Nintendo subscription costing $5... when they sell 15 year old games for $10.

Here's what can happen, Nintendo can offer games on iOS/Android and make money, or they can not. There's no movement from tablet to console purchase. You don't see people going from browsing the web on their tablet back to their laptop/computer. Same thing with watching videos, its a device of convenience and frankly game consoles are inconvenient if all they can do is one thing.
 
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