Nintendo plans to take over China

[OB1]

From N-Philes:

The Asahi Japanese newspaper reports that Nintendo is drawing up a game plan to gain ground on archrival Sony. Part of the plan includes selling game consoles in China to make up for disappointing sales globally. They expect to push into China by the end of the year. Right now they are still formulating which products they intend to sell there. Satoru Iwata says Nintendo will take a new approach in China instead of marketing its current lineup as is. They say this is necessary due to the difference in income standards between Japan and China, as well as the rampant piracy.

Some new details on the Club Nintendo are purchasers must first register on the Internet. They will use the information supplied to analyze its customer base and consumer preferences. (Wow, marketing techniques.) "We want to make use of the data as a new marketing tool," Iwata said. Consumers can amass a certain amount of points that entitle them to Nintendo goods such as new game demos.

"Investors became so overly pessimistic about our future growth potential that Nintendo's share price plummeted,'' Iwata said. In the past, Nintendo was able to maintain its decisive lead in the video game industry just by promoting new game titles via TV commercials targeted at the general public. But traditional marketing methods, which had been effective since the introduction of the company's blockbuster Family Computer models in 1983, no longer work, say company officials.

Iwata said the video game market is becoming saturated and Nintendo can no longer rest easy. That sense of crisis is a main factor behind the decision to launch the new point system, company officials said. Sony, meanwhile, is attempting to transform its game consoles into digital appliances by fusing them with the company's highly rated audio-visual equipment. Nintendo has refused to follow suit, maintaining instead that its priority is to offer entertaining game titles that anybody can readily enjoy.

As the critical year-end shopping season approaches, Nintendo plans to roll out new titles to help it regain its competitive edge and market share. He added that the company plans to announce a successor to its current generation of consoles next spring.


Posted by Ethan Pearson, Founder, Director
Source: Asahi Shimbun

Hmm, it's good to see Nintendo talk openly about their current situation. It shows that they know they're in a bad situation and want to change that.

And the N5 will be unveiled next spring (at E3, I assume)? Wow, that's really soon. If they unveil the N5 as well as the next Gameboy they're sure to make up for this year's crappy E3 showing. I can't wait!

[Great Rumbler]

What's this? Nintendo is going on the offensive?! That's it, folks, hell has officially frozen over!!


Oh yeah: Go, Nintendo!!

E3 2004 is going to be big, I'm thinking. If Nintendo is going to reveal their new console you can bet Sony and MS are going to do the same.

[OB1]

But if Nintendo has some real N5 software to show off then Sony and MS are going to look bad in comparison. Imagine how amazed everyone would be if Nintendo showed clips from some N5 games like Too Human, Mario, Pilotwings, and Zelda. Nintendo is the best game developer in the world, and if they get their next system out before everyone else with a good flow of AAA titles for the first year or so, they would probably have a good chance or reclaiming the throne from Sony. Nintendo has to quit with the extreme secrecy and come out with guns a' blazin'. Completely blow everyone away and convince every man, woman, and child on the planet that they cannot live without an N5. Have huge titles for the N5 launch and spend as much money as possible on marketing.

[Great Rumbler]

Could this be what EAD has been doing?! I'm crossing my fingers...and holding my breath!!

Yeah, if they did something like that it would blow people away AND make Sony and MS look bad! Two birds with one stone!

[OB1]

All we can do now is wait and hope.

[Darunia]

I wonder if the Nintendo idea of video-gaming only will survive when Sony is turning the PS into a fucking all-purpose electronic thingamajig. I for one don't care, but most people nowadays would get a system because it does more things than just playing games, even if it's lineup sucks. Like buying a pwitty pink gameboy because it's pwitty. Form before function people.

[OB1]

Only time will tell, but I think Nintendo is doing the right thing by staying games-only. Third parties know that Sony and MS want their systems to become set-top boxes so that leaves only Nintendo to be the purely games hardware maker. I imagine that third-party developers would find a games-only console more attractive than a set-top box where they'll have to compete with all sorts of different kinds of media. I dunno, maybe I'm wrong.

[Great Rumbler]

Consoles should play games, not store your MP3s, play movies, and keep track of your banking account. That's what computers are for. But, I think Nintendo's going to have to change that philosphoy if they want to compete, although I'd rather they stayed just making a console that played games.

[OB1]

Hmm, maybe they could form an alliance with Sony or MS where they design the gaming parts of the set-top box (including the controller, the most important part of Nintendo hardware) and Sony or MS do everything else, as well as software development. That would be better than Nintendo becoming a third-party developer, don't you think? It'll probably never happen, but it's fun to dream.

[Great Rumbler]

And while we're dreaming why don't we imagine that suddenly everyone in the world wants to buy a GC. :)

[OB1]

....


:cry:

[Dark Lord Neo]

Maybe a partnership with Sony, Sega or Panasonic, but I can't see Nintendo going with Microsoft

[OB1]

Microsoft seems like the most likely choice since they're not doing a whole lot better than Nintendo is in the gaming industry. And let's face it, they're not in it because they want to make good games. They're in it because they want to make even more money.

[Darunia]

A Nintendo-Microsoft alliance would only make things easier for Sony; they'd only have one common enemy to contend with as opposed to two different ones. Their superior market share and third party make all the difference.

[Great Rumbler]

I really doubt it would make things easier for Sony. The Xbox 2 would have Nintendo's games and Microsoft's money.

[OB1]

And both Bill Gates' and Satoru Iwata's hookers!

[Great Rumbler]

Yay!



I just came up with an interesting theory as to why the GC and the Xbox are being way out-sold by the PS2, it's probably not true but I didn't say it was true I said it was interesting!!

The GC isn't selling too well because they have games but not advertising.

The Xbox isn't selling to well because they have advertising but not games.

PS2 is selling because it has games and advertising.

[OB1]

Makes sense.

[Great Rumbler]

Yeah, and that's why I've come to the conclusion that...giraffes are absolutely essential in running a global straigh-line martix scheme that sells stuff off of infomercials!! And don't even get me started about the medicinal benefits of rabbit liver oil! You won't believe what that stuff does for your arteries!! It's like liquid Draino for your heart!

[OB1]

Never underestimate the stes

[Great Rumbler]

You got that right!


Oh and don't even TRY to get a squirrel to play chess, they cheat.

[OB1]

I had a pet turtle.

[A Black Falcon]

But if Nintendo has some real N5 software to show off then Sony and MS are going to look bad in comparison. Imagine how amazed everyone would be if Nintendo showed clips from some N5 games like Too Human, Mario, Pilotwings, and Zelda. Nintendo is the best game developer in the world, and if they get their next system out before everyone else with a good flow of AAA titles for the first year or so, they would probably have a good chance or reclaiming the throne from Sony. Nintendo has to quit with the extreme secrecy and come out with guns a' blazin'. Completely blow everyone away and convince every man, woman, and child on the planet that they cannot live without an N5. Have huge titles for the N5 launch and spend as much money as possible on marketing.

But take this 'beat them to release' thing too far and you have the Saturn.

Its REALLY hard to go from third to first while someone else is in a very strong position... its also very hard to come out with a new console that has both killer aps AND the first launch date. Very hard... and given Nintendo's history, I have to say that its near-impossible for them to meet both of those things.

Oh yeah, and I think its good too keep them as games-only.

[Great Rumbler]

There's always the chance that Nintendo has already started on some killer-aps to be released at the launch of the N5.

[OB1]

Yes, hopefully they learned from the mistakes they made with the GC launch.

[Great Rumbler]

The GC launch was pretty good, they just didn't have really huge titles. Unless you mean launching without a Mario game, I hope they learned not to make that mistake again.

[OB1]

The X-Box launch was better, and X-Box software sales were twice as good as GC ones at launch. Lunch. I keep on thinking "lunch" whenever I write that.

[Great Rumbler]

...I'm hungry.

[OB1]

Boy, same here. I could really use a taco.

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah, they'd better have learned that they need major titles at launch...

[Great Rumbler]

Luigi's Mansion was fun, but not really killer-ap launch title quality.

[A Black Falcon]

Not even close...

[Great Rumbler]

They should launch with a new Mario game, complete with Mario 64, and a realistic Zelda game.

[A Black Falcon]

That's asking a lot, but it'd sure help...

[Great Rumbler]

That isn't asking not nearly enough!

[OB1]

Hmm, maybe they will cancel Mario 128 for the 'cube and make it an N5 launch game. That, Too Human, a new Wave Race, Pilotwings, and something else would make for a great launch.

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah, if those games could all be finished at launch... which is a tough task for Nintendo in recent ... generations ...