Nintendo explains why Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon won't be on smartphones any time soon

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by Zaraf, Nov 6, 2013.

  1. Zaraf

    Zaraf Well-Known Member

    Dec 17, 2009
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    Sorry if this is old news/already posted. I didn't see anything in the search.

    Source: http://tinyurl.com/p5fw75b

    Speaking to CNET, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime revealed that Nintendo keeps its franchises exclusive to its own hardware for strictly business reasons.

    "That's why we're so focused on having content exclusive to our platform," Fils-Aime said.

    "When the consumer wants to play Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon, they [sic] have to purchase our hardware to do so. And that preserves our overall financial model."



    Well, at least we have an official answer. They just want to keep their franchises on their platforms. I'm sure most of us already guessed this but it's good to see an official statement verifying it.
     
  2. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    #2 psj3809, Nov 6, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2013
    Think in the year 2013 its still ridiculous.

    This is why Nintendo are losing loads of money, they dont make the same profit they used to. They could release an iOS exclusive and make tons of money with it but its all quite petty with the 'no its ours...' attititude

    I mean so many people use emulators to play their games anyway, just release a compilation app with some old classics and it'll sell by the bucketload

    Not saying release every game on other platforms but putting a Mario compilation on iOS wont harm their hardware sales. Their financial model would be even better if they put classic games on other devices. I dont own any Nintendo product, but i'm happy playing old 80's Nintendo classics on my PC or iphone via emulators. I want to buy the 'legal' game for my device but i cant. I'm not paying for a Nintendo DS just to play a couple of games
     
  3. undeadcow

    undeadcow Well-Known Member

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    Maybe Nintendo would know better than me, but I think we've left the age of buying a Nintendo just to play Mario Brothers or Donkey Kong. I was exited about those franchises when I got the first issue of Nintendo Power in the 1980s. I think this is a indication that Nintendo has failed to keep things fresh or evolve as a company and over-values it's intellectual properties. I'm not concerned about those brands coming to iOS because I'm not concerned about those brands for anything other than nostalgia. Maybe if there was some compelling new engine or design twist I'd be curious. I'm not interested in the Legend of Zelda games but there's so many action RPGs out there and it's been cloned to death.

    The worst thing about this news is that it's to me an indication of a legendary brand slowly dying (like Atari) by failing to expand/diversify/invest it's portfolio over the past 30 years.
     
  4. redpanda33

    redpanda33 Well-Known Member

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    People are so weird about Nintendo. They made enough money off the Wii and DS to survive for decades, but everyone thinks they're dying now. They are not Sega. They are not Atari. We will not see their games on iOS. Ever. They don't need to change their business model. They will continue to survive and eventually strike gold again like the Wii and DS.
     
  5. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    #5 psj3809, Nov 6, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2013
    Wouldnt say people are weird. Facts are facts. Nintendo were losing a ton of money, the latest devices werent blowing people away either. Their games are getting very very samey. Its a huge Xmas period for them to see if they've still got that old magic or not

    I want Nintendo to survive for years and years. Just think its a stupid decision not to package up old Nintendo games for other consoles. People wont buy a Nintendo product just to play the SNES version of Mario Kart. They sell Wii's etc for the latest games. Nintendo wont lose out with any hardware sales, but they'll make tons of money from it.

    Many of the experts out there think Nintendo needs to change their business model in order to survive. Its not just a couple of iOS fanboys saying it

    I hope they do strike gold as i love old classic companies like Atari and Nintendo etc. Its sad for me to see the name Commodore being bought by a PC company who make gaming PC's. Want these old classic names/companies to carry on for years

    Had a quick google of the Nintendo share price...

    http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=NTO.BE&t=5y&l=on&z=l&q=l&c=

    So worth 300 in Jan 09. Now worth 82 4 years later.

    And 'we're the weird ones' eh ?

    Their business model hasnt worked for the last 4 years, time for a change. Any other company would have made major changes to the current climate. The next few months will be huge for Nintendo, as if their latest devices dont sell well then its looking very bad
     
  6. Xeyad

    Xeyad Well-Known Member

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    That's such a broken business model. It's like admitting that this is their only selling point, and that people aren't buying their stuff because of the hardware or their technology like 3D or innovative ideas like the Wii controller or even the Wii U controller. No, it's just their exclusive games, and that's going to hurt them in the near future.

    One of the main reasons that Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon still have their popularity is for nostalgic reasons; people remember playing them in their childhood and growing up with these characters. However, if you show a 10 year old child today Mario and Zelda characters, I bet they wouldn't be that interested. So what will happen when these characters die off and get forgotten by history?

    If Nintendo really believes in its exclusive games strategy, they must bring on some new characters and create what's relevant for children today.

    If on the other hand, Nintendo believes in its own characters, why don't they just make them available to everyone, and make a huge chunk of money out of them?

    The idea of people buying a console just for a certain exclusive game has faded away, which is the main reason why Wii U is admittedly a failure, and the 3DS is being shadowed by iPhones and iPads.
     
  7. ToyRookGames

    ToyRookGames Active Member

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    I guess Nintendo figures that the risks of sticking with what they have always done are less than the risks of trying something new and possibly failing. I don't see why the two are mutually exclusive though. Like you point out here - Nintendo is going to need new characters to create what's relevant today on their new hardware.

    But why not capitalize on the nostalgia of the classics? No one is going to buy a new Nintendo console to play the original Zelda - but I'm sure lots of people would buy a mobile port of the original Zelda at a premium price point.

    I just don't see how releasing some of the classics on mobile is going to cannibalize their hardware sales.
     
  8. bigred447uk

    bigred447uk Well-Known Member

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    I agree with everyone one here. On the other hand I'm 42 years old and I bought a limited edition Zelda 3DS because i love the game OOT.

    I haven't got kids myself but my nephews and nieces and godkids all love Nintendo and place a higher value on their games than the vast majority of trashy apps they find on android or IOS.

    They should bring their back catalogue to IOS though in my opinion. Apple should make them an offer they can't refuse for IOS exclusivity. Then Apple and Nintendo should work together to make a Nintendo Gaming iPhone !

    Lol. Not likely I guess ...
     
  9. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Great point. Totally agree with this
     
  10. Must...not...make comments about thread...
     
  11. saansilt

    saansilt 👮 Spam Police 🚓

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    Because people will demand more.
    They will go to any way possible to demand more.
    Owning a ninny won't be special anymore.
    It'll upset many current fans.
    Nintendo won't give in. They want you to know that you are playing nintendo games on nintendo consoles. Thats why they don't do it.
    They don't want to deal with a plat as haphazard as iOS where software updates can leave products incompatible for the rest of eternity. They want you to be able to keep playing nintendo games.
    They want to work on their system, use their rules. They want to keep their independence from apple and others. Nintendo only wants to answer to nintendo. No one else. No midddle man.
     
  12. redpanda33

    redpanda33 Well-Known Member

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    Ok. Maybe not weird. But seriously, do you remember post Gamecube launch? Heck, the entire existence of the Gamecube? Chicken littles were everywhere saying Nintendo should just go handheld and make games for MS and Sony. Then the Wii hit. And hit. And hit again. The original DS was also going to be the end of Nintendo. Then the DS Lite hit. The 3DS was going to be the end of Nintendo... See a pattern? Their stock price is going down, but it's back to a reasonable number. The Wii greatly exaggerated their worth to investors. It couldn't continue forever. They are stable. Doomsdayists are always ready to watch one of the big players fall (PS3 launch?) but Nintendo has made it this far for a reason. They will adapt when they need to. They really don't need to yet. I've just seen this too many times now. I was on Gamefaqs forums reading about how not going disc format on the N64 was going to sink them. I'd love a real Zelda or Metroid on my iPad too, but I know it won't happen, and Nintendo will survive without it too.
     
  13. ToyRookGames

    ToyRookGames Active Member

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    Because if you don't have a Nintendo...well, you don't have a Nintendo. Oh wait. :) It makes sense. There's definitely something to be said for independence and having no middle man.
     
  14. ToyRookGames

    ToyRookGames Active Member

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    Well said. It will never happen, but we will know that Nintendo has hit the lowest of the lows when we see a freemium Pokemon in the App Store. :p
     
  15. laxking97

    laxking97 Well-Known Member

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    #15 laxking97, Nov 6, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2013
    I don't see why it's a big deal. It's the same reason we don't see any PS exclusives or Xbox exclusives (for the most part). The 3DS is doing great (best selling console every month since May I believe). The Wii U is picking up a little, still not great sales, but doing a lot better than before.

    Pokémon and Mario are still huge. I see elementary school kids walking home from school wearing shirts and backpacks with them all over. Zelda, maybe, but I still see kids learning about them now and getting way into them.

    Nintendo is loaded. Even if the 3DS and the Wii U both completely failed (3DS- unlikely Wii U- could very well go either way), Nintendo still has loads of money. They will be fine- at least for a while.

    As much as I wish I could get classic games on my iPhone or iPad, for me it's not nearly as fun as playing it with the actual system. I sometimes play Pokémon on my iPhone, but I quickly stop because for whatever reason, it's not as fun on the touchscreen emulator. I then grabbed my old Game Boy Color and soon added a good 10-20 hours in a few days. I don't know why it's like it, but Nintendo games are better on Nintendo systems. Haha
     
  16. WhiteSponge

    WhiteSponge Well-Known Member

    I feel that it really depends on the different generations. The younger generation today grew up in a world of generally casual games on smartphones.

    For my generation (I'm almost 30), I do remember growing up playing on the original Game Boy (black and white) with games such as Mario, Bomberman and Zelda.
     
  17. iPadisGreat

    iPadisGreat Well-Known Member

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    I found the Wii's motion control too tiring, plus they were often badly shoehorned compulsorily into gameplay. In the end, I just stopped playing it altogether...

    None of the games on the Wii U are killer apps for me yet. Although I am toying with the idea of getting a PS3 to play Counter Strike, although I hear it is download only...
     
  18. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Of course but its still great to have so many games in the palm of your hand. I've got MAME, SNES, Gameboy/GBA emulators on my device. Theres no way i'm taking all those consoles and huge arcade cabinets with me on the bus ! In an ideal world i would play all those games on their original systems but emulation also helps keep these games 'alive'.

    Before emulators many old old games were simply gathering dust. Emulators came along, companies thought 'hold on a second, these 20 year old games might be worth something - kerching !' and out came all the re-releases. So emulation was great for keeping the old systems/games 'alive' but also created a cash cow for many companies.

    I totally understand why Nintendo wouldnt port over any of their latest games or do a cut down version etc. But 20-30 year old classsics ? Most people who want to play these games are playing them anyway on emulators so its all a bit stupid. I'm quite happy being 'legal' and paying for old Nintendo games but the fact is i cant on my device.

    Of course Nintendo still has lots of money but if you looked at that share price thats not good news. It'll surely pick up over the Xmas period but if it doesnt Nintendo seriously have to release something big.
     
  19. Gov

    Gov Well-Known Member

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    It's gonna take a lot more failure from Nintendo... For them to eventually consider releasing there classics for other platforms. With the release of the 2DS, things are heading that way ;) I hope.. Hate to say that.
     
  20. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

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    Yeah its difficult as you get some OTT responses from Nintendo fanboys on this subject. But at the end of the day i'm sure we all love Nintendo and want them to do well, i'm a big fan. Just think they need to embrace 2013 and release retro games on other devices. They wont lose that 'aura' they have, again no one is going to just buy a Nintendo device to play Batman/Mario Land on the gameboy released in 1989. Simply just go on the internet and a few minutes later they've got it in their emulator.

    Still dont see the harm in re-releasing lots of old classics, get a bit of revenue to help make their latest console even better. If anything they'll have the last laugh as iOS fans and others will be funding Nintendos rival device etc.

    But cant see it happening, i dont want Nintendo to go bankrupt (doubt they will) but they certainly need to change their way.
     

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