Miyamoto says Nintendo isn’t as interested in making casual games these days
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 43 Comments
Nintendo is placing more of an emphasis on its core fanbase these days. It’s quite the contrast to the Wii and DS era, in which the company produced many titles for the casual player and looked to target this demographic.
But now, as explained by Shigeru Miyamoto in this month’s EDGE, Nintendo isn’t as interested in catering to those who have a “passive” interest in games.
He said:
“[These are] the sort of people who, for example, might want to watch a movie. They might want to go to Disneyland. Their attitude is, ‘okay, I am the customer. You are supposed to entertain me.’ It’s kind of a passive attitude they’re taking, and to me it’s kind of a pathetic thing. They do not know how interesting it is if you move one step further and try to challenge yourself [with more advanced games].”
“In the days of DS and Wii, Nintendo tried its best to expand the gaming population. Fortunately, because of the spread of smart devices, people take games for granted now. It’s a good thing for us, because we do not have to worry about making games something that are relevant to general people’s daily lives.”
More: interview, Shigeru Miyamoto, top
There won’t be Tekken characters in Pokken Tournament
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment
Tekken characters won’t be appearing in Pokken Tournament, according to Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada.
Harada told one fan on Twitter:
Ha, ha, ha. Nope, Tekken characters will not be making an appearance.
As we’re making a Pokemon fighting action battle game, I’ve already touched on this while on the livestream, but in this game there will not be a high/mid/low guard system mechanic. Instead, we’re planning to include a new type of [mechanic]…
Activision CEO says you can’t count Nintendo out for the long-term
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 9 Comments
Nintendo can’t be counted out in the long-term, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg has said.
Hirshberg, when asked about Nintendo’s current situation and what could be done to turn things around with Wii U, he stated:
It’s probably a better question to ask Nintendo. They are obviously not off to the start they’ve probably hoped they would’ve had with the Wii U, but they also have some of the world’s best IP and some of the world’s best game makers. I’ve always said they’ve been through rough hardware cycles before, but when you have the kind of game makers and beloved IP like they do, you can’t count [Nintendo] out for the long-term.
Activision’s lineup of Wii U releases have continued this year with The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, and the upcoming Skylanders Trap Team. However, it’s looking like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will not be arriving on the system.
More: Activision, Eric Hirshberg, interview
Tezuka officially confirms that you’ll be able to share levels online in Mario Maker
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 6 Comments
Mario Maker allows users to create their own Mario stages, but it wouldn’t be too much fun without the ability to share creations with others, right? Thankfully, Takashi Tezuka has officially confirmed that this functionality will be included.
Tezuka teased while speaking with EDGE this month, “There will need to be a system for sharing courses online”. And that’s the latest on Mario Maker for now!
More: interview, Mario Maker, Takashi Tezuka, top
Zelda Wii U’s open world won’t be like the open worlds from other games
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 20 Comments
Producer Eiji Aonuma recently shared a cryptic teaser about the nature of Zelda Wii U’s open world.
Aonuma – among other employees like Shigeru Miyamoto – were interviewed in this month’s EDGE as part of a significant Nintendo feature. Regarding Zelda Wii U’s world, Aonuma teased:
“Since we’re talking about open worlds, let’s state upfront that we don’t plan to have an open world in the same way other companies have been doing in recent years.”
We’ll let you know if any other interesting bits come out of this month’s EDGE.
More: Eiji Aonuma, interview, top, Zelda Wii U
Image & Form announcing the next SteamWorld game soon, working on other projects as well
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News | 0 comments
Image & Form will soon be announcing the next entry in the “SteamWorld” series.
In an interview with Prankster101 Productions, lead programmer Olle Hakannson mentioned that a reveal should be taking place in “maybe a month” or so. The discussion took place at GDC Europe, so the announcement should only be a few weeks away.
It’s also worth mentioning that Hakannson teased other projects from Image & Form as well. The studio is planning “at least one game for every platform, like a specific game for each platform.”
Check out some excerpts from the interview below. You’ll also find the full talk here.
More: Image & Form, indie, interview, Olle Hakannson, SteamWorld
Hayashi explains the roles of Omega Force, Team Ninja, and Nintendo in Hyrule Warriors’ development
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments
Three different companies contributed to Hyrule Warriors to make the game possible. Omega Force and Team Ninja, two subsidiaries under Koei Tecmo, created the project directly. Nintendo also helped out in some capacity.
But what exactly was each company’s function? We now know courtesy of producer Yosuke Hayashia, who divulged to ONM this month:
Omega Force were kind enough to create the “basic Dynasty Warriors style gameplay”, Team Ninja made the “one-on one” and “boss battles” sections for us, and Nintendo gave us the “understanding required for the Zelda series”. As we were using the Zelda IP, Nintendo did detailed checks at the beginning of development, but what really stood out from a developmental perspective was Nintendo’s constant encouragement to “take a freer approach in the creation process”.
Thanks to joclo for the tip.
Ubisoft Europe boss talks Wii U, believes Smash Bros. can increase momentum
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 16 Comments
Ubisoft’s European boss Alain Corre commented on the status of Wii U while speaking with GamesIndustry at Gamescom 2014 last week.
Corre’s mainly discussed the new Super Smash Bros., which he believes “will be a trigger to increase the momentum of the Wii U at Christmas.” He added that the series “could be magical” on the console.
Corre’s comments in full are as follows:
“To be honest, we always want more consoles. Just Dance 2015 is resonating very well. We think it will please a lot of [existing] Wii U owners and push more families to buy extra Wii Us. But we also believe that Super Smash Bros. will be a trigger to increase the momentum of the Wii U at Christmas. As a gamer, I was playing [Super Smash Bros.] over ten years ago, and it has some of the best moments that Nintendo has shared. I think that franchise could be magical [for the Wii U]. Nintendo has some of the best franchises in the world and it knows how to make great games. It proved that with Mario Kart, and it will prove that again with Super Smash.”
More: Alain Corre, interview, Ubisoft
Zen Studios will continue supporting Wii U, no 3DS plans currently
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 3 Comments
Wii U owners can expect more support from Zen Studios in the future. The company announced that three more tables will be coming to the console next week, and fans can look out for even more content going forward.
Zen Studios’ Mel Kirk told Nintendo Life:
Yes, we are aiming for Wii U parity in the future with updates and new tables. Additionally, KickBeat Special Edition will be released on Wii U in line with other releases on other consoles.
Zen is committed to continuing support of the Wii U eShop in the future. We are really encouraged by the amazing games coming to the platform and we think there will be a boost in Wii U sales that will hopefully translate to players coming to the eShop to discover games. I think Zen might have the most Wii U eShop releases, so we hope players enjoy our games!
Zen Studios has made a few titles for 3DS as well, though the platform isn’t as likely to be supported in the future, which Kirk explained:
At this time we do not have any 3DS plans to share. Our type of game system does not mesh very well with 3DS, so it has been tough to support add-on content. However, the game does play amazing on the 3DS, and I especially love it on the XL.
Ubisoft says “Nintendo customers don’t buy Assassin’s Creed”
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 103 Comments
Ubisoft is releasing two Assassin’s Creed games this year, but Wii U isn’t getting either of them. Wondering why this is the case?
While speaking with Game Informer at Gamescom last week, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained:
“It’s very simple. What we see is that Nintendo customers don’t buy Assassin’s Creed. Last year, we sold in very small numbers.”
Guillemot also spoke about Ubisoft’s shift in focus on Wii U:
