It’s no surprise to anyone that Nintendo doesn’t like folks pirating their games, but in recent years it has come to the attention of the general public that piracy doesn’t seem to have much of an effect on game sales as far as the big picture is concerned– after all, both the gaming industry (Nintendo included) and Hollywood have seen profits skyrocket over the last five or ten years, despite the fact that piracy is more prevalent than ever before– but that doesn’t mean companies like the Big N are going to stop trying to fight piracy in whatever ways they can. This time around, they’re asking the U.S. to target countries like Brazil and China with raids to make examples of folks who share pirated material.

“Nintendo, along with its publishers and developers, is injured by the prevalence and ease of illegal online distribution. In the past few years, the scope of online piracy for Nintendo has grown dramatically. Every month tens of thousands of illegal Nintendo game files are detected on the Internet. The legal environment to limit the flow of these files remains extremely challenging.”

– Nintendo statement

Even Nintendo isn’t immune to silly lapses in logic at times! Not to say piracy isn’t an issue at all– just that they’re doing more than fine (well, save for Wii U sales) even with piracy more rampant than ever. Isn’t that good enough!?

Via TorrentFreak

CliffyB believes gaming industry is in a “massive state of turmoil”

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

Cliff Bleszinski, formerly of Epic Games, is concerned about the gaming industry at the moment. Bleszinski feels that it wasn’t since the crash of the ’80s that we’ve seen such a “state of transition like it is right now”.

Bleszinski has some predictions for the three gaming publishers. Nintendo, he believes, could become nothing more than a software-maker. And as far as Microsoft and Sony are concerned, Bleszinski thinks the two “are about to come to major blows.”

Here are Bleszinski’s thoughts in full:

“This business has not been in a state of transition like it is right now since the video game crash of the ’80s. I really think we’re in a massive state of turmoil. I think Nintendo could possibly be faced with the situation of becoming a company that only makes software moving forward. I think Sony and Microsoft are about to come to major blows. But at the same time, people love playing games on their iPad. The PC is going through a wonderful renaissance right now. I think we’re ready to do digital download games all the time…I just want to see what happens. In regards to the industry, it’s like the Super Smash Bros. of business right now, and I want to see if Peach or Mario wins.”

Source

JAKKS Pacific signs deal for Nintendo toys and costumes distribution

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

JAKKS Pacific has inked a new deal to distribute Nintendo toys and costumes around the world. Mario, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda are among the IPs to be represented under the new agreement.

Jack McGrath, COO of JAKKS Pacific, commented on its new partnership with Nintendo:

“Nintendo is a classic brand rich in content that appeals to today’s kids, parents and collectors alike and we are excited to partner together to bring their video game heritage to life in the toy aisle. We are looking forward to expanding our top-tier roster of properties through this comprehensive licensing deal, which covers a wide array of category rights for almost all Nintendo properties, and for nearly all worldwide territories.”

Steve Singer, vice president of licensing for Nintendo of America, added:

“We are eager to offer, a robust and comprehensive line up of products to satisfy our fan base and generations of Nintendo enthusiasts. This partnership with JAKKS Pacific affords us tremendous opportunity to grow the presence of our iconic brands at retail.”

Fans can expect costumes to arrive in time for Halloween in October. Toys are being prepared for Spring 2014.

Source, Via

Ubisoft indicates Michel Ancel isn’t leaving the company

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

Michel Ancel is not leaving Ubisoft, according to a company representative. Spokesperson Pascal Lecointe has said that recent speculation is “unfounded”.

Lecointe wrote in a statement:

“Unfounded rumours! Michel is currently working on Rayman Legends, a unique game that will be released on Wii U, Xbox 360 and PS3. Michel Ancel and Ubisoft therefore categorically deny these rumours.”

Rumors about a possible departure for Ancel sprung up during the weekend. GameKult published a report indicating that the Rayman creator would be on his way out, and Ubisoft may even be aware of his plans.

But with Ubisoft denying the speculation outright, it seems as though Ancel will be sticking around. On the other hand, the publisher could just be looking to do some damage control. We’ve seen companies deny rumors before only to see them come true down the line.

Source

Pictures: Super Mario 64, Minecraft edition

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

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