[Developer Musings] The journey into the unknown: indies offer insight into Nintendo’s potential mobile strategies
Alan Rawkins – Rawkins Games
Previous Works: Like Springloaded, Rawkins Games has experience in the mobile space with Dolphin Up. That same title arrived on the eShop back in February.
Upcoming Games: Unclear at the moment. We’ll let you know as the future becomes clearer!
While overall I think this is a good and necessary move for Nintendo, it’s hard to say how it’s going to play out until we know more about the games Nintendo is developing and how the account system from DeNA is going to work. There are certainly a lot of different possibilities I can picture, some good, some bad, and some awful.
The GOOD
Right now, as I type this, people are searching on the iOS App Store for “Pokemon”, “Mario”, “Animal Crossing”, and dozens of other Nintendo IP. It is a massive marketing and revenue opportunity for Nintendo. Their own apps should be what people find when they search for these terms. They need to be front and center. This gives them huge exposure, and that will hopefully drive revenue back to their core console and handheld business. That’s a good thing.
As for the account system, if it finally offers players the chance to tie their purchases to a persistent online account, and use that account to and re-download purchases from the eShop across their hardware, that would be huge. Also, there is the potential to move data and progress from mobile to dedicated hardware. Being able to mill away at a mobile title on the bus, and then have some measure of that progress be injected back into your console experience at home would be pretty cool.
The BAD
Across the mobile space there are thousands of examples of things that are implemented in an atrocious way. If Nintendo fails to design their games properly for the mobile space, they risk diluting and devaluing their brand, and creating a negative impression with those they might hope to win over to their core console and handheld ecosystem. Similarly, if the account system provided by DeNA is flawed or unintuitive to use, it may frustrate and confuse consumers.
The AWFUL
There is also the fear that if Nintendo’s mobile titles are extremely successful, they may decide to divert development resources away from their console and/or handheld development. To me this is probably the worse possible outcome from this. Nintendo leaving behind their own hardware development means leaving behind some of their unique magic, and I don’t think anyone wants to see that.
But honestly, I don’t see it happening. Nintendo are known not only known for their innovative development and design, but also for their tendencies to control everything they are involved in. I’m sure the fact that 30% of all revenue generated from their games is going to Apple or Google, two of their competitors, is aggravating them terribly. I just can’t see this ever being more for them then a secondary development with a primary focus on marketing and hooking people onto their own dedicated console or handheld hardware where they are in control of everything.
In the end, there is a lot of opportunity here for Nintendo, but also a lot of room for failure. Hopefully DeNA is able to lend their expertise to Nintendo in the right ways, and allow them to become successful in the mobile space without losing their magic.
Angelo Yazar – Yazar Media Group
Previous Works: There’s a common thread within this entry in the Developer Musings series. Yazar Media Group also has quite a bit of mobile-related experience thanks to games like Color Alchemy and Blorpy. On Wii U, the team released Electronic Super Joy: Groove City via the eShop.
Upcoming Games: Also unclear at the moment. We’ll let you know as the future becomes clearer!
Nintendo’s move to mobile is inevitable. We see it starting to happen today, with the announcement of the DeNA partnership, but it’s been clear for a long time now that they would eventually make the move.
Initially, Nintendo’s handheld hardware made sense because there was no mobile competition. Even as mobile progressed, games that matched Nintendo’s current standard of quality just couldn’t be made. Remember that the DS came out in 2004, and the first iPhone came out in 2007. Today, the mobile hardware has completely outstripped even the new 3DS hardware. There are even some rare mobile devices that have 3D screens. Aside from the 3D screen though, mobile devices have better processors, more RAM, more sensors, better sensors (better cameras, microphones, etc.) always-on internet and importantly, a bigger install base.
If Nintendo had moved earlier they would be eating into their own hardware sales by releasing their games on alien platforms. Now, they are leaving money on the table by not making the switch. By agreeing to make original games with DeNA, instead of porting existing titles, they will be making some of the money that they could be making on mobile without hurting their hardware sales as bad. But eventually, I think we will see official ports of Nintendo titles on mobile. I think we’ll see both the new Mario games and Virtual Console games come to mobile.
When Nintendo does bring its large selection of games to mobile, they will be able to charge Nintendo prices for them too. There is precedent, Square Enix has released a number of it’s older games and been able to charge prices that are far above the going price for even top quality games.
So with price not being affected too much, a bigger pool of people to sell the games to, and no hardware limitations on the phones, Nintendo will find it hard to not move to mobile.
On top of that, Nintendo is competing with mobile for game devs. Not just indie devs or hobbyists either – companies like EA and Blizzard are putting more time into the iPhone and iPad than the Wii U and the 3DS. This trend will lead to Nintendo having an even smaller install base on future hardware, because they won’t have the games. Nintendo will still be able to sell consoles on just their first party titles, but they just can’t compete with the sheer number of mobile devices out there.
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And that’s exactly what Nintendo will do.
Nintendo Everything would like to thank James Barnard, Joost van Dongen, Alan Rawkins, and Angelo Yazar for their valuable insight and for taking the time to contribute to our feature.
