General Nintendo

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 5 Comments

How do new projects inside Nintendo begin? How are new ideas fostered? Company officials gave an inside look of sorts through an explanation provided to SAIPO:

“In software development, there’s no proposal to the actual company. At first, 2-3 people bring the idea to the table, and then actually write the program and build a prototype game. As the project moves forward, more people are hired, and the game gradually takes shape. In the end, the team will end up between 30-50 people, and if it is a large title, it can get up to 70 people.”

For Japanese manufacturers, elements such as the suggested retail price, date, overview, expected costs, and making a proposal describing the workforce along with other items are what leads to approval for the beginning of development. When it comes to Nintendo, however, there is no proposal to stop the ability to develop freely. Employees can actually build a prototype, and as long as the game is interesting, it has a shot at getting the green light.

Mid-level executives from Nintendo also said:

“We don’t have a concept of ‘continually getting better and better’ within the company, because this doesn’t apply to making new things. We don’t mission statement, motto, or song to support this thinking either. We are just a company that is blind to this idea.”

Also worth noting, the privileges of the development team are rather large – even if the president has a chance to intervene, he doesn’t do so often. As an example, some consoles such as the Nintendo 64 didn’t sell particularly well, but from possible failure, there is a simple corporate thinking of always being able to challenge the situation.

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, Features, General Nintendo, Wii U | 22 Comments

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I’m not playing the console’s requiem, but we all know Wii U needs help.
Can Nintendo find it in their 3DS playbook?

Author: Austin

It was a curious thing when 3DS launched. Nintendo pushed to get the handheld out within their 2010 fiscal year for the sake of pleasing their impatient investors, and as a result, the stereoscopic system squeezed through the closing gates of time onto an open market in the middle of March with no system-selling games, unfinished firmware, and a beefy $250 pricetag. It was a mistake– a huge mistake, even– and one that Nintendo quickly learned from.

And then, in holiday 2012, it turned out that they didn’t learn from it. Although backed up by a slightly more reconcilable lineup of games, Nintendo’s follow-up to the Wii– the poorly named “Wii U”– seemed to saunter slowly through the extravagant launch gates with its face obscured by confusing a marketing strategy, before tripping on its own lack of feet and face-planting into the mud. It, much like 3DS, didn’t have any truly exciting pieces of software, its operating system was unfinished, and its price point largely unjustifiable due to those things. Perhaps in order to capitalize on the situation, Nintendo delayed all of their worthwhile launch window titles into the second half of 2013. Which certainly didn’t help matters.

Given all of the parallels between 3DS and Wii U, it’s only natural that we ask the question: Can Nintendo save Wii U using the same strategies that saved 3DS?

It’s not a simple question by any means, so let’s take a look at what’s there to consider.

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Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Just in time for Pikmin 3’s launch in North America is a new Club Nintendo reward centered around the franchise. Members can now order a “Pikmin Tote Bag” – an item that “carries everything you need—just like your favorite Pikmin—and it easily holds up to 20 pounds.” The tote bag measures in at 15″ x 13″, complete with a 6″ base.

You can place an order for the reward here. The Pikmin Tote Bag costs 400 points.

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

The ESRB has updated its rating icons in order to ensure that they’re “displaying as clearly and legibly as possible in the increasing variety of environments that they’re being displayed [in], including online and [on] mobile devices,” according to president Patricia Vance. This marks the first change for the icons in over ten years.

You can view a comparison of the new and old images above.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments

Several years ago, Imagi Animation Studios created a pitch for a CGI Legend of Zelda film. Kotaku discovered a complete video (shown above) in an animator’s portfolio, which is dated early 2007.

Imagi Animation is the same studio behind 2009’s Astro Boy. The Zelda pitch came from the company’s American branch, which shut down in 2010.

Expectedly, Imagi Animation Studios was unable to obtain any sort of Zelda film rights from Nintendo.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment

Twenty companies have shown interest in taking over Index’s business, Bloomberg Japan writes in a new report published today. SEGA Sammy Holdings is among the list of companies that have submitted bids.

Bids were initially thought to hold at 150 million dollars. However, in the recent tender, bids exceeded 200 million.

It is expected that candidates will be narrowed down next week. A deal could take place by the end of the month if all goes well.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Nintendo has been “fantastic” to work with, Just Add Water CEO and Oddworld Inhabitants development director Stewart Gilray has told us.

Stewart shared the information in an interview soon to be published on Nintendo Everything. He also officially confirmed that Dan Adelman, the man in charge of all things indie at Nintendo of America, specifically asked for Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD on Wii U. That was the starting point for the title’s presence on Nintendo’s new console, along with Munch’s Oddysee HD.

“Indeed, their developer relations man is a fan of the franchise so reached out to us to ask for that title specifically, that’s where the discussions started. In terms of what are they like to work with, they’re fantastic. I’ve NEVER had a problem with working with Nintendo in respect of their people and teams, it’s been a case of a problem in terms of the hardware and indeed the lack of a competent digital outlet, until now.”

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment

A new reward has popped up on the Japanese Club Nintendo site: Animal Crossing-themed pouches. Users can choose from two color variations. For 120 points, Nintendo will provide either a light blue or pink pouch. Both measure in at 13 × 20cm.

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, Videos | 0 comments

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

The Nintendo Treehouse is behind pretty much all localized titles that Nintendo puts out on its systems. Mario & Luigi is no exception. Fortunately, senior localization manager Nate Bihldorff says that the characters only require a few tweaks – no major recreations of characters are required:

“Conceptually, all the characters are generally just one tweak away from being awesome. It’s a matter of making it fit better.”

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