Nintendo: Lose, Lose Situation

Ever since Nintendo bought ‘new ways to play’ via the features of the Wii and DS’s new control methods, along came a massively expanded audience that had not necessarily had the term ‘video game’ included as their past-time activities. More so than ever, girls, parents and even grandparents are playing videogames and more specifically Wii and DS thanks to Nintendo’s vision and risk of creating this new hardware.

A new audience requires new software and just as the demographics have changed in gaming, so have the games themselves. Wii Sports, Brain Training, Nintendogs, the ‘Petz’ titles and Deca Sports are a few examples that spring to mind. These titles are not necessarily ‘traditional’ videogames, though they are all multi-million sellers and they are all a result of the expanded audience. Of course the Nintendo faithful are still playing the franchises they know and love - Zelda, Mario, Metroid as well as Wii Sports. So everyone is catered for, everyone is happy right? Worng. It it is the hardcore gamer that are causing the ruckus in the Nintendo arena.

For years now the hardcore gamer has complained of Nintendo’s apparent change in priorities for software development. Many Nintendo fans complain on forums that they have been ‘abandoned’ in favour of casual titles. While this may ring true to a certain extent, you cannot blame Nintendo for following a path that is succeeding. They are a business first and foremost and therefore their first priority is to cater for sharholders, or more simply, make a profit. Profiting they are.

Let’s not forget at this stage that very early in the Wii’s lifecycle we have seen the release of a new Mario game, a new Zelda game, new Metroid, Mario Kart. Even so, many people, myself included were very disappointed with Nintendo’s E3 showing in 2008. Wii Music and a near identical version of Animal Crossing DS for Wii did little to quench peoples hunger for core first party titles. The Internet was once again rife with disappointment from Nintendo loyalists - ‘where are the core games?’ they cried.

The core games were there, not literally, but being worked on in the background. Critical successes namely GTA: Chinatown Wars, Madworld and House of the Dead. Nintendo decided at E3 last year to concentrate on its casual titles. The company know better than their followers their target market and what is keeping those shareholders happy. Hence the ‘casual’ theme at E3 2008. At the same time they know their customers have been loyal and expect much of the company and their first party ‘hardcore’ titles. I am sure Reggie and Co. had many discussions with Rockstar for example to get the GTA franchise on a Nintendo console.

So the hardcore gamer moaned of lacking mature titles, Nintendo listened, reacted and so did third party developers. A stream of hardcore titles entered the market and the hardcore gamer simply did not respond. Madworld, GTA and House of the Dead all sold way below expectations. Nintendo and it’s third party developers put their money where there mouth is, why did the harcore gamer not follow suit?

It is hard to believe that with Nintendo’s impressive hardware and software sales worldwide month after month, that in a certain respect the big N is in a lose - lose situation. The company receives much flack for ignoring the hardcore gamer, yet when they are fed, the gamer choses not to eat. What more can Nintendo and the third party developers do?

I am not a fortune teller but I can imagine what they will do is approach mature Wii and DS content with much caution from hereon in and continue to pump out casual title after casual title. Can you blame them? Should the hardcore gamer continue to have the right to moan about something they desire but don’t support.

No.

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