Phil Stortzum writes, "Nintendo going third-party... For some, the thought of that is an insane concept. Then again, so was Sega leaving the hardware space. At the same time, we've seen what Sega has become in recent days, too. Regardless, this seems like a topic that is broached about on message boards, comment sections, and other places ad nauseum. When will gamers get to the point where talking about Nintendo going third-party becomes boring? Each discussion (well, let's face it, they're more like uncivilized arguments than anything) goes over the same talking points on both sides. It's like listening to modern day Democrats and Republicans here in the States. I'm just happy no one's trying to push the agenda that Nintendo was born in Kenya. (That concludes the political portion of this opinion piece.)
The fact of the matter is that Nintendo going third-party would not benefit the company, nor would it benefit gamers."
A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.
I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.
I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons
I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.
Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.
Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.
At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath
I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong
I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.
Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.
As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people
They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".
"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)
I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.
Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much
Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region
that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.
Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.
I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games
It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.
Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo
I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers
The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.
Sony has recently published a new patent that wants to dynamically handle the games' difficulty and gameplay based on the player's emotions.
This is something I might use. Sometimes I play some good games but they don’t have difficulty option and are a little too easy.
cool idea
cool idea for horror games especially
the way it's explained here sounds like it could never be forced hopefully, so that's ok with me
Some people care about companies. Other people care about games.
Why? At least insofar Wii U, if it has no or minuscule 3rd party support, making every major game a Nintendo Exclusive, and can't profit on hardware, then it would make sense to appeal to a larger fan base by utilizing a larger market such as other consoles/PC.
Whether it would makes sense to go 3rd party in the short or long term is a matter of numbers. Would they make more money releasing multiplatforms given the reduced profit from each game sold (license fees, increased dev costs, etc.) than they would by remaining exclusive, possible (or probably) selling less copies (they could gimp all versions aside from Wii Us depending), all in consideration of should they choose to release a new console after Wii U, whether having released games on other consoles would result in less people choosing to buy a subsequent nintendo console.
If they went 3rd party going forward, then it's just whether their games can compete well and dominate in the vast gaming market or if their niche and exclusivity formed a significant part of their appeal. Maybe Mario Kart Wii wouldn't have sold as well if it was released everywhere. Who knows.
I for one would love Mario Kart on PS4 but if the online was lacking what would be the point? PS4/Xone owners don't exactly have their friends over to play split screen very often and have very high online standards. Zelda and Metroid would be awesome but I couldn't say the Witcher/Mass Effect were worse nor Halo, Destiny, or the Division.
Truth is, while Nintendo releases some very good, and sometimes great games, if they were hands down the best games out there, Wii U would be doing really well. So would have Gamecube.
MS, Sony, and PC all have great exclusives, Nintendo has fond childhood memories, which is a fast dwindling resource in gamer mind share.
Ninty, (which I always secretly root for but never buy) needs to adapt or die.
It's actually a hard choice for me.
I think it would be best for everyone if Nintendo went third party. The reason I have is this.
Nintendo has made 5 of my top 20 favorite games of all time and many more classics I love. All these games were released on inferior hardware. If Nintendo were to make those games on better hardware, they have the possibility to be even better.
Do what you do best Nintendo, make games. Let these other guys worry about the hardware stuff.
So let me get this straight... it would hurt the company? How?
Nintendo spends X dollars developing a new platform and hopes to make X + Y. Then they have to spend X developing games for their platform, a narrow focus, and hope to make X + Y.
Or
Nintendo could spend X developing games for other platforms, getting maximum exposure, and hope to make X + Y.
In the second scenario all of the cost of a new platform is gone. Everything is funneled directly into the development of titles which would be available on multiple platforms as opposed to one. This not only increases their potential sales but it lowers their initial cost.
Further, no other part of their business suffers as a result. Any other ventures, marketing, or licensing the company wishes to pursue would still be wide open.