90°

Nintendo: The Strategy Is To Not Pull A Sega

Ravi Bala:
"Wii U sales have been sluggish and Nintendo (OTCPK:NTDOY) has been struggling with profitability after the demise of the Wii. Now it seems that the appropriate strategy is to go from a first-party publisher to a third party publisher. However, Nintendo's wide appeal has stemmed from its beloved franchises such as Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. Going from first-party to third party is a giant step and does not always work out as planned."

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MrSwankSinatra3535d ago (Edited 3535d ago )

It would be pretty hard for anyone to pull a SEGA. As much as I loved SEGA as gaming company, they made really bad decisions. SEGA always had a wait and see mentality, If something didn't work then they just threw another product to consumers. Hell even some of the products they were going to throw out to consumers never even got released. One could only imagine the amount of R&D that was wasted on unreleased products.

SEGA Neptune
http://segaretro.org/Sega_N...

SEGA Pluto
http://segaretro.org/Sega_P...

SEGA Jupiter
http://segaretro.org/Sega_J...

SEGA VR
http://segaretro.org/Sega_V...

They were so freaking ridiculous with their funds that they tried to get into the Television market.
http://segaretro.org/Sega-V...

Lets not forget the colossal failures that were the SEGA 32x & SEGA Nomad. Probably two of the most unnecessary products SEGA ever released. The Genesis was cartridge based system and SEGA decided to release a CD add-on, fine. At that time everyone was getting into the CD format so I could understand the investment. It wasn't successful, but hey at least they tried. Then SEGA ups and decides to release a cartridge based add-on to a cartridge based system? That in itself was illogical. The SEGA Nomad..... Who's bright idea was it to release a handheld that was meant to play Genesis games? Especially after the Saturn had just released a couple of months prior? It was big waste of resources that should have been put towards the Saturn. Another big part in SEGA's demise was that they were manufacturing way too many products at one time. The Master System, Genesis, Game Gear, Nomad & Saturn were all being manufactured at the same time. One could only imagine the amount of resources that were being drained. SEGA Saturn failing also didn't help their predicament.

There are so many things that contributed to SEGA's downfall. The fact that people seem to think that Nintendo's is following the path of SEGA really baffles me. The sad part is that the "so-called" journalists that write those type of pieces are as mis-informed as the gamers who say stuff as such. It's like I said, I loved SEGA as a gaming company. SEGA did some great things in the industry, but their good was severely outweighed by the bad business decisions.

Neonridr3535d ago

well said. Nintendo would have to make some colossal failures for years to come for them to be even considered in the same category. The Wii was extremely profitable for Nintendo, regardless if you liked the console or not. And Nintendo has always had a successful handheld division to help keep money flowing into the company.

InTheLab3534d ago

The only difference between Sega and Nintendo is that Sega does not have a mega hit handheld every gen and didn't have what's basically a fluke hit with one of it's consoles.

Nintendo has released quite a few bombs over the years. Power Glove, R.O.B., Virtual Boy, power mats, vitality sensors, etc.

Of course it's considered innovation when Nintendo does it but when Sega launches game streaming on consoles back in the 90's and it fails, it's called wasting resources.

What many site as the true reason behind the fall of Sega is the Saturn flop and abandonment in favor of the Dreamcast, which failed do to lack of consumer confidence and zero 3rd party support. Hell, the DC was basically the father of all modern consoles and was one of the most innovative consoles ever seen....but people still had a bad taste in their mouths over the Saturn, so one summer drought killed off the console.

Sound familiar? Just imagine where Sega would be if they had a mega hit handheld to hold them up for 25 years like Nintendo. Of course I'm not taking away what they accomplished with the Wii, but that was a fluke at best and only achieved 100m through unreliable consumers jumping on a fad.

Nintendo is every bit as screwed up organizationally as Sega was, only they have an instant hit Icon like Mario and their crazy popular handhelds to soften the blow of console failures...

Jay70sgamer3534d ago

I read everything you said but you are wrong when you stated nintendo failed home consoles...Nintendo has never had a failed console all their home consoles has made a profit ....all of them ....fact look it up

OtakuDJK1NG-Rory3535d ago

"Wii U sales have been sluggish"

Still going off pre-SM3DW sales eh

filchron3534d ago

they still are extremely sluggish. no lies there, even after Mario Kart 8

tlougotg3534d ago

I just hope this is a huge wake up call for Nintendo. I hope they come back with a vengeance and make one of the most affordable/cutting edge next gen systems and focus on old and new ips, also making their online comparable to Sony and Microsoft and not so archaic with how you add friends and the system in general. They come hard like that and id be all over it and buy it immediately.

And damn i loved Sega lol too bad they went under like that i was so hype when i bought my Saturn.

filchron3534d ago

pull a SEGA? you mean create games that innovated in the gameplay AND graphics department? (480p rez at 60FPS while PS1 and n64 were doing 320x240i with no online play) yeah they definitely arent going to do that, so dont worry ;) that'd be like them releasing a 4K capable system with every title being MMO capable after the PS3/360. yeah, if you cant tell the author of this post is a ninty fanboy.

filchron3534d ago

320X240i at 20-30fps (exluding F-zero)

Show all comments (12)
80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple10111d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref10d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde10d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander197210d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville10d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff218310d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos10d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 10d ago
isarai11d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref10d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan10d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis0079d ago (Edited 9d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197211d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

11d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197211d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

11d ago
10d ago
Zeref10d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde10d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander197210d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander197210d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier10d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto10d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff218310d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto10d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 10d ago
Hofstaderman10d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts10d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate10d ago (Edited 10d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts9d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic9d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)
90°

Nintendo's War Against Player-Made Content Will Hurt The Company In The End

Danish from eXputer: "Nintendo has historically gone against player-made content and emulation of its games. This has done much to harm the company's image."

XiNatsuDragnel17d ago

I agree nintendo hire some these folks to help in your games it'll help imo.

banger8816d ago

They need to stop announcing these mods and fan remakes until they're finished. Finish it, upload it, and then if Nintendo dmca's it tough shit. Once it's online, people can share it around, even if the original download gets taken down.

Jingsing16d ago

True, but most modders need constant admiration during the process to motivate them.

PRIMORDUS16d ago

Yup, once it's a torrent nothing can be done Nintendo is helpless at that point. But it would be wise if they just had a site on the dark web, it's also easy to use with Tor and no one will bother you.

mastershredder16d ago

This is all coming from the mouth of short-sighted fandom and grifting madness.
No.... it wont. There is a clear defined reason why they don't. This is nothing new. Make your own shi7 from your own original ideas especially if you are trying to capitalize of it it. Duh.

Yeah, hire people that have zero respect or understanding for an established process. Wow. Yep. Totally makes sense.

shinoff218315d ago

Those guys that made that sonic game got a gig from sega or something along those lines and that game was dope as hell. One of the best sonics as of late.