Another look at the Mario and Luigi Wii Remote Plus controllers
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments
More: Luigi, Mario, Wii Remote
Japanese survey looks to find out which platform gamers want the next Dragon Quest on
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 1 Comment
Which platform do Japanese gamers want the next Dragon Quest on? Popular Japanese IT magazine Weekly ASCII sought answers to this very question, and decided to ask its readers for input.
The publication shared the following results after holding a poll:
PS4: 62%
Wii U: 8%
iPhone: 8%
PC: 5%
Tablets 3%
Android Smartphones: 3%
Xbox One: 1%
SH-01F Dragon Quest: 1%
Other: 9%
It’s important to note that there was no specific option for the 3DS, PlayStation 3, or PlayStation Vita. I imagine that would have impacted the results quite a bit had they been included.
More: Dragon Quest, Japan
Nintendo won’t fire staff in order to cut costs, Iwata doesn’t see a dark future for the company
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 9 Comments
Nintendo’s R&D expenditures are up, but sales are down. With the company adding on roughly 1,000 staffers over the past four or five years, an attendee at Nintendo’s financial results briefing Q&A asked about a possible reduction to the workforce.
This isn’t something that president Satoru Iwata is considering. Iwata pointed out the common ups and downs in the video games business, and feels that things will improve. As a result, he said, “Restructuring the workforce is not the first option we consider even when cost cutting is required.” Iwata also mentioned Nintendo is taking this approach “because we do not see a dark future for Nintendo.”
More: investor Q&A, Satoru Iwata, top
Nintendo hoping to “enrich” the VC lineup
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, General Nintendo, News, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments
Nintendo’s Virtual Console has been disappointing, to say the least. Releases continue to trickle out very slowly, with some weeks seeing the absence of new classic games entirely.
With any luck, the situation will improve in the future. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said during an investors Q&A briefing several days ago that the company has been unable “to take full advantage of our assets yet, so we would like to enrich our Virtual Console lineup.” Iwata added, “As the ability to digitally offer our products has given us greater flexibility in offering new propositions to our consumers, we should naturally consider these possibilities in the future.”
More: investor Q&A, Satoru Iwata, top, Virtual Console
Iwata talks third-party publisher relations, doesn’t want to get involved with price wars/money-giving
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 6 Comments
Nintendo tends to maintain a much different approach to third-party publishers than Microsoft and Sony. Whereas the latter two companies sometimes look to secure an exclusive game or DLC (especially through financial means), this hasn’t been the case with the Big N.
Price wars and money-giving are two things Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is looking to avoid, which is something that could arise if the company were to adopt “the same methodology as the other manufacturers”. Instead, as recently noted by Iwata during an investors Q&A session, “We would like to take a unique approach of our own and build sustainable relationships with our third-party publishers.”
Iwata’s comments in full:
Iwata – End-of-year Wii U may not be targeting same user as the competition, new consoles beneficial for Nintendo
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments
Nintendo has several Wii U titles lined up for the holidays, including Wii Party U, Wii Sports Club, Wii Fit U, and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. Whereas the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are looking to appeal to core gamers, each of these aforementioned titles from the Big N would likely garner a more “casual” label. Therefore, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said during a recent investors Q&A that he and the company as a whole “wonder if the target user will actually be the same” compared to what the competition intends to offer.
Iwata did point out that the launch of new consoles brings about some benefits for Nintendo. “Though there are some who take the view that intensified competition means overseas competition will be tough for Nintendo,” Iwata said, “no matter how Nintendo does domestically, I do not necessarily see it that way.” That’s because new systems “energize the video game industry as a whole.”
You can find Iwata’s full comments about the Wii U’s end-of-year lineup, competition, and more below.
More: investors Q&A, Satoru Iwata, top
Iwata talks smart devices and handheld market; strong 3DS sales, but system hasn’t captured great momentum overseas
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata discussed the topic of “smart devices” – encompassing smartphones and tables – during the company’s latest financial results briefing Q&A.
Iwata acknowledged that people now tend to play smartphones in instances such as traveling by train whereas they were previously playing a handheld system. However, despite the rise in smart device popularity, he believes reports that the handheld market is shrinking are very much exaggerated.
Iwata pointed to strong sales of the 3DS in his argument. The system managed to sell 5.5 million units in 2012, and Nintendo expects similar sales this year. That being said, Iwata did note that 3DS momentum hasn’t been as strong in the US and Europe compared to Japan.
Elsewhere in his comments, Iwata mentioned how Nintendo is looking to take advantage of smart devices for its own benefit. Iwata is in favor of promoting the company’s own products through smartphones, for example, and said many people tend to watch Nintendo Directs on these devices.
Head past the break for Iwata’s full comments.
More: investor Q&A, Satoru Iwata, top
Iwata talks Nintendo’s digital business
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Nintendo has been doing some interesting things in the digital space. As an example, Wii Sports Club offers different price points, Pokemon Bank will carry an annual 500 yen fee, and the company has even started to dabble with the free-to-play model.
One analyst asked about these products and its digital business in general during Nintendo’s financial results briefing Q&A last week. Satoru Iwata commented with a very lengthy response, which you can find below.
More: investor Q&A, Satoru Iwata, top
Namco Bandai opens new teaser site
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Update (11/11/13): Teaser site was fir a mobile title.
Earlier today, Namco Bandai went live with a new Japanese teaser site. You can find it here.
The site doesn’t offer many clues other than the words “break burst”. We’ll find out what’s being teased here in six days.
More: Break Burst, Japan, Namco Bandai
Video: Eiji Aonuma runs through New York and talks about Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Videos | 3 Comments
This neat video popped up on the eShop. Didn’t see it elsewhere, so I figured I’d go ahead and upload it. You can watch Eiji Aonuma himself transform into a drawing… and run around New York!
