It’s time for the latest North American Nintendo Download report for the week of May 5, 2022. The latest releases include Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, and more.

Here’s the full lineup:

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Reggie on 3DS launch price discussions with Iwata and push for $199

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

The 3DS ended up being a fairly successful Nintendo system, but the system’s launch price almost put it on a different path. Sales ended up slowing down significantly after just a couple of months. Aside from a lack of games, the $250 launch price was a big reason why.

In his newly-released book, Former Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime president reflected on discussions he had with late global CEO Satoru Iwata about price discussions for 3DS. Although Reggie pushed to have it cost $199, Iwata was resistant. Iwata did suggest going with something like $219 or $229, but these options weren’t realistic for the western market.

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Reggie didn’t think the Game Boy Micro was a good idea

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, News | 0 comments

Despite releasing the DS in 2004, Nintendo wasn’t entirely done with the Game Boy Advance line. The GBA saw another redesign in the form of the Game Boy Micro. As the name implies, it was one of Nintendo’s smallest handhelds ever.

Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who was executive VP of sales and marketing at the time, felt that the Game Boy Micro was a mistake. In his new book, he called the device a “nonstarter”, mentioning how GBA inventory was being cleared out in the US, the buttons were difficult to use, and the screen was too small. Ultimately though, Nintendo of America was “forced to launch the system.”

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Nintendo Everything Refresh Ep. 06 – Nintendo Switch Sports; Mario movie delay; Balan Wonderworld drama, and more

Posted on 3 years ago by Nicholas Serpa in Podcast, Switch | 0 comments

It’s time to dig those Joy-Con Wrist Straps out from storage; Nintendo Switch Sports is finally out in the wild, and we have a lot to say about it! Join your hosts Nick, Nicholas, Luiz and Dennis as they discuss the successor to Wii Sports, the recent Mario Movie delay, new details about Balan Wonderworld’s troubled development, and more in this week’s episode of Nintendo Everything Refresh!

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Mother 3 was considered for western digital release, possibly using Japanese version

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

Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has opened up about Mother 3, and specifically how the title has never been made available in the west.

Reggie released his new book today, and the audio version contains a bonus interview with Geoff Keighley. At one point, Keighley asked if Nintendo felt it just wasn’t worth bringing over.

Reggie said in response:

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Reggie advocated for Wii Sports as a pack-in, Iwata and Miyamoto were initially against it

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 0 comments

Wii Sports was included as a pack-in with most Wii systems as part of its initial launch. You can thank former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime for that.

It turns out that Reggie made a big push for the pack-in idea, but faced significant pushback. Initially, both Satoru Iwata – Nintendo’s late global CEO – and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto were against it. Both eventually came around, but not without some convincing.

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Reggie on getting sudoku into Brain Age, initial hesitance from Iwata

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

Sudoku wasn’t included in the original Japanese release of Brain Age, but it did find its way into the western edition. Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is a big reason why.

Reggie knew that Nintendo would have to think about Brain Age differently in the west. Japan had an older population, and Dr. Kawashima was largely unknown in the west. Reggie would later have a conversation with the late Nintendo global CEO Satoru Iwata about including sudoku for Brain Age in overseas regions.

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Reggie on his push for Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, was controversial since “our developers hated to give away content for free”

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

Those that picked up an early DS unit may recall the pack-in experience Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt. Instead of going with a complete game, this was more of a demo that offered a look into what the final product would become.

Even though it wasn’t a full title, it turns out there was some controversy when it came to offering it to consumers. Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime mentioned in his newly-released book that “our developers hated to give away content for free”. Thankfully, the late Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto both signed off on the idea.

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Mother 3 producer shares his opinion on why the game hasn’t seen an English release

Posted on 3 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, News | 0 comments

Mother 3 originally came out for the Game Boy Advance, but only in Japan. Since then, fans in the west have been clamoring for an English release.

Shinichi Kameoka, the producer of Mother 3, recently shared his own thoughts as to why the game has never been localized. As part of a Q& with the Kit & Krysta Podcast, he said:

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Embracer Group to acquire Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal and Square Enix Montreal along with a catalogue of IPs

Posted on 3 years ago by Nicolas in News | 0 comments

Embracer Group has just announced an agreement with Square Enix to acquire several of their western development studios, namely Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal and Square Enix Montreal. Furthermore, they would also acquire the rights to a catalogue of over 50 different IPs, including the likes of Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Legacy of Kain and Thief.

Co-founder and Group CEO of Embracer Group, Lars Wingefors, mentions in a press release the “fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence” of these studios and their wish to help them “realize their ambitions”. Meanwhile Phil Rogers, CEO of Square Enix America and Europe, mentions Embracer as “the best-kept secret in gaming” and a “perfect fit for [Square Enix’s] ambitions: make high-quality games, with great people, sustainably, and grow our existing franchises to their best versions ever.” They’ve also disclosed that this transaction will enable “the launch of new businesses by moving forward with investments in fields including blockchain, AI, and the cloud”. Said transaction is being made for $300 million and is expected to go through around July-September 2022.