Satoru Iwata has commented on the role of graphics for Wii U and Nintendo’s stance on visuals in general.
In some instances, it will be necessary to create some titles that feature “very rich graphics” with long development times. When it comes to Zelda on Wii U, “fans must be looking for the graphic representations that they do not see as cheap at all when the title is released”.
On the other hand, according to Iwata, there is software that some games may not follow that route Rhythm Heaven Fever is an example of this.
Iwata said:
“You are asking for my comment as a judge, but I also need to think about the software content, so my remarks are two sided. Looking at the software for home console systems, there are certainly the software titles for which very rich graphics must be reproduced on HD displays and which demand a large number of developers to spend a very long time to develop. It is one of the truths that a certain number of such software titles must be prepared, or the consumers will not be satisfied. But we do not think that any and all the software must be created in that fashion. When you look at Nintendo’s software, extraordinary rich graphics, massive gameplay volume and astonishing rendition effects are not necessarily the appealing point. It is, in fact, important for us that our games are appealing in other ways as well. An example of this is the Wii software, ‘RHYTHM HEAVEN FEVER,’ that we released last year in Japan. It became one of the hits, but if we had adopted rich photo-realistic graphics, it would have lost much of its appeal rather than improving its appeal. Similarly, about the Japanese title ‘Tomodachi Collection’ for Nintendo DS, the developers themselves confirmed that this software is based upon the “cheap concept.” It is not necessary for us to deploy a huge number of people in order to develop such games. When we need massive power and have a lack of internal resources, we collaborate with outside resources and pour necessary resources to where they are needed. We are increasing the frequency of working with outside developers where Mr. Miyamoto and our internal developers alone used to develop. At the same time, however, we do not forget to ask ourselves in each such opportunity, ‘Isn’t this something our internal resources alone could sufficiently deal with?’ Also, when we have such a doubt in the development as, ‘Will such cheap pictures do in terms of today’s home console graphics’ standard?,’ sometimes we conclude that ‘showing such pictures are unique and rather appealing, so it’s OK.’ So, there are a variety of different ways to show the unique appeal of software. What’s important here is not to narrow down what we can do. Rather, we have to create the dynamic range of appeals that the consumers can appreciate. We decided to make a proposal of an additional screen into the Wii U controller because developers could think of a variety of different possibilities here and there of using both a big TV screen and a screen in a player’s hand. As we will showcase the Wii U at E3 in June this year, the detailed announcements must wait until then, but we are aiming to make a system which shall not be forced into competing with the others where the contenders can fight only with massive developer resources and long development times as their weapons. Having said that, however, as I mentioned, it is true that, in some software areas, we need to be engaged in the power games. Take The Legend of Zelda franchise, for example, the fans must be looking for the graphic representations that they do not see as cheap at all when the title is released for the Wii U. When it is necessary, we do not hesitate to role out our resources.”
A portion of the DS’ success can be attributed to casual titles such as Brain Age and Nintendogs. However, Nintendo has yet to introduce the same software to the 3DS.
Nintendo won’t be porting any of the Touch Generations games to the 3DS, but they are working on a number of casual titles for the system.
President Satoru Iwata said:
“As for the ‘Touch-Generations’ titles for the Nintendo DS, as many of you recognize that these titles were able to gain popularity among different consumers and to expand the total number of consumers for the hardware, we often receive such questions as ‘Why don’t you do the same for the Nintendo 3DS?’ If the company was to simply port these ‘Touch-Generations’ titles to the Nintendo 3DS, there would be nothing fresh. Although we have not included the software in the lineup that we have announced so far for this year, we are, of course, preparing several titles with which we will be able to aim to expand the entire gaming population. By releasing these titles in the market, and by linking them with other network activities of the company, by taking advantage of such communications among friends as ‘Swapnote’ or interactions in public enabled by ‘StreetPass’ communication, if we can beef up the joy of the software, and if we can communicate to consumers the brand-new experiences such software can deliver, I believe we will certainly make a change. For example, in comparison to the Nintendo DS and the Wii, fewer senior consumers are using the Nintendo 3DS today. It must be inevitable as there are few titles among the Nintendo 3DS software so far developed with this age demographic in mind. The situation must change after applicable software is introduced. However, for the Nintendo 3DS, we have to first maintain the situation in which the current owners of the Nintendo 3DS will be satisfied. We cannot put too much priority on expanding the entire user demographic at present. It is important to maintain a good sense of balance here.”
We’ve seen lots of tributes to Zelda through the years. Fans have created Flash games, amazing art pieces, and plenty of other content to show their love for the series.
“Zelda: The Lost Oracle” might be the most impressive Zelda fan-project yet.
Joel Furtado made the minute long clip above as he’s a big fan of the franchise. The video, which is based on a new Zelda title he’d like to see for Wii U, features some absolutely incredible animation.
It’s truly impressive, so be sure to check it out!
Satoru Iwata commented on two interesting topics during the company’s financial briefing Q&A.
First, he stated that Nintendo won’t be referring to Wii U as a “home console system”, unlike the Wii, GameCube, and other products from the company. This is because not all gameplay will be limited to what you’ll see in front of your television.
Iwata said:
“…As for the Wii U, although this system is categorized in the general video game description of a home console system, the play styles the company is proposing with the Wii U are not limited to the ones which are available only in front of TV sets, so I believe that we will not use the term ‘home console system’ for this hardware. Whenever we launch a new video game hardware system, if we cannot sustain the momentum during the launch period and a certain period thereafter, it can invite very challenging situations just like the one the Nintendo 3DS experienced. Doing our utmost to avoid such a situation is another challenge the company is focusing on. As for other things, to sum up, we will make efforts to effectively implement what we have already prepared.”
We were hearing last week that Nintendo will announce partnerships with third-parties this year. We have Iwata’s full comments on that below.
“I recall that I also heard a concern at one of these occasions in the past that the company may lack sufficient resources, and I was asked, ‘How will the company cope with it?’ It is obvious that Nintendo does not employ so many people internally. If we look at the number of our own employees, we are not a so-called ‘resource-rich’ company. When we view our company from a different perspective, on the other hand, it is an advantage because Nintendo has more freedom and flexibility to be able to collaborate with outside resources as long as we can find good partners. As a matter of fact, although many tasks used to be done only internally in the past, we are now working with people outside the company in several business fields. When we make any relevant announcements on such projects, we cannot just say we are working with this company on that project. Unless we can make more comprehensive announcements by discussing the details of the subject product, it may not make any sense to you. So, we would like to discuss this topic sometime later. There are several projects we will be able to talk about this year. I hope that I will be able to pick up examples which will show that Nintendo is taking care of the business fields in which it lacks internal resources.”
When the Wii U launches, Nintendo won’t just be concerned about the console’s price point and initial launch lineup. They’ll also be focusing on maintaining the sales momentum once it’s on store shelves.
Satoru Iwata believes that add-on content is one way of maintaining market momentum. This is because people could play a particular title once again if such content is announced. By doing this, Nintendo can keep some momentum, raise profits, and can increase the lifespan of certain products.
Iwata said:
“…In determining the launch date of the Wii U, we need to take into account not only what to release at the launch period but how to keep the sales momentum after then. In the past, I mentioned that having strong momentum is very important for game platform businesses, and as a matter of course, we are now more convinced of that and we need to have a backup plan ready.
“Regarding the add-on content I mentioned before, effectively providing such content for a game which has sold well could be a way to keep the market momentum. The sales pace is getting slower day by day even for the biggest hit software. If we could announce some big news in connection with the add-on content for such software, many people would start playing it again, which could be an opportunity to revive the momentum. In this context, the add-on content should be considered as a key to extending the lifespan of products and to maintaining the sales momentum, as well as a chance to earn additional profits.”
Swapnote has been very successful since its arrival on the eShop. In a four week period following its launch, over 10 million notes were exchanged.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is hoping that the app will continue to be used in the future. He noted that the company is working on “some plans to encourage more people to use it, and you will find out what I am talking about when we reveal such plans in the future.”
Iwata said:
“I’m afraid I cannot show you anything quantitative as I have no data here. The only quantitative thing I can tell you is that more than 10 million handwritten notes have been exchanged in the four weeks after the launch of the service, which you can see in the Iwata Asks interview posted on our website (in Japan) just the other day. So I can say that users are using this software actively to some extent. And, I believe that the number of handwritten notes to be exchanged will increase at an accelerated pace if we can have users continue to enjoy the software for a long time. In fact, we have some plans to encourage more people to use it, and you will find out what I am talking about when we reveal such plans in the future. Therefore, we believe this software will gain more popularity going forward. From a qualitative standpoint, “Swapnote” is very popular among women. Watching the people around our employees and myself, I have the impression that a lot of women of all ages enjoy using it. Therefore, this software works really well to have women feel familiar with the Nintendo 3DS. I will be preparing some quantitative data for the next briefing.”
Going forward, third-parties will be able to take advantage of micro-transactions on 3DS (and eventually Wii U).
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that the company will “ensure a relative level of flexibility for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U software compatible with the Nintendo Network as long as the developer has built a trusting relationship with consumers, except for the cases that consumers will be too disadvantaged.”
His full response can be read below.
“As a hardware manufacturer, or platform holder, it would be better to present third-party developers with as much freedom as possible. Some say that the guidelines and regulations we previously established are too strict and behind the times, and others say that Nintendo should not put too many restrictions on the features of software targeting the consumers who are familiar with micro-transactions. Therefore, we plan to ensure a relative level of flexibility for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U software compatible with the Nintendo Network as long as the developer has built a trusting relationship with consumers, except for the cases that consumers will be too disadvantaged.
“On the other hand, the reason I refer to Nintendo as a software developer is that we have a belief that our games should be a trusted brand for a very wide variety of consumers, including children and casual users who are not so familiar with the trends of video games. Therefore, we would like to have regulations with a certain degree of strictness so that consumers will get a sense of reassurance from our games. I am not saying that Nintendo is better than third-party developers. Each developer has its own customer base, and we should be more careful with this point for Nintendo consumers.”
Shinji Hatano, Senior Managing Director, General Manager of Marketing Division, also weighed in on micro-transactions:
“Third-party developers worldwide have recently been interested in micro-transactions and many of them are considering doing some business in this field. My team has exchanged information with domestic developers about what they would like to do. Each developer has its own desire, but basically, not only Nintendo but these developers share the same idea and have no objection that we need to establish the reliable system for the consumers on which they can feel safe and comfortable when they select the software. We will start organizing the various requests from developers and working with them to create new and interesting software. Please wait for some time for announcements from each developer.”
