Post by The Big Daddy C-Master on Aug 28, 2014 3:43:12 GMT -5
www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/aug/27/nintendo-may-be-shifting-focus-hardcore-fans-once-again-miyamoto-says-they-no-longer-have-make-products-relevant-general-players/
"Over the years, Nintendo has built a massive empire by creating some of the most memorable franchises ever to exist in video game history. From the original Nintendo Entertainment System, all the way up to the Nintendo Gamecube, fans swore their allegiance to the company console after console due to the complexity, depth, and overall amazing quality found in many of their titles.
However, once the Nintendo DS and Wii dropped, during the 2004-2006 time frame, the target market shifted from hardcore NES-heads to the more casual, everyday gamer. Since then, the legendary organization has kept with this business model, but it looks like things may be starting to revert back to the good ol' days.
In an interview posted in this week's edition of Edge Magazine, Shigeru Miyamoto -- the mind behind Super Mario, the Legend of Zelda, and much more -- made reference to a possible change in approach for Nintendo going forward. Addressing casual players quite candidly, the game designer feels it's time for them to step up and delve a bit deeper into their video games.
"[These are] the sort of people who, for example, might want to watch a movie. They might want to go to Disneyland," Miyamoto said. "Their attitude is, 'okay, I am the customer. You are supposed to entertain me.' It's kind of a passive attitude they're taking, and to me it's kind of a pathetic thing. They do not know how interesting it is if you move one step further and try to challenge yourself [with more advanced games]."
In this interview, Miyamoto took the time to explain why Nintendo aimed at marketing mostly toward newcomers in recent times. Based upon what was said, it looks as though the company will be shifting their focus elsewhere.
"In the days of DS and Wii, Nintendo tried its best to expand the gaming population. Fortunately, because of the spread of smart devices, people take games for granted now.
"It's a good thing for us, because we do not have to worry about making games something that are relevant to general people's daily lives."
This past year, we have definitely seen some alterations in Nintendo's business approach via products and events appealing to the hardcore niche of competitive Smash Bros. players.
Just last month, Nintendo emerged as an official sponsor for Evolution 2014 -- the largest fighting game tournament of the year. Their attitude toward the event proved massively different than last year as the company originally prohibited the EVO tournament series from streaming Super Smash Bros. Melee back in 2013. The decision was later reversed, but sponsoring the same event that was almost denied access to air footage of a Nintendo game shows that the winds of change are certainly blowing.
This year's E3 also revealed a bit of Nintendo's change in gameplan as they announced that Super Smash Bros. on Wii U would be compatible with Gamecube controllers by way of an adapter. With Super Smash Bros. Melee -- the most competitive of the Smash Bros. titles -- still actively played on Gamecube controllers in tournament, there is no doubt that the higher-ups were looking to make the hardcore scene as comfortable as possible with the release of Super Smash Bros. 4.
Nintendo has undeniably made strides to better connect with the fighting game community as of late, and have even announced DLC for Mario Kart 8 that is a true love letter to the die-hard fans outside of our genre. We can only hope to see them keep on this path and produce more titles akin to those we know and love the company for. "
"Over the years, Nintendo has built a massive empire by creating some of the most memorable franchises ever to exist in video game history. From the original Nintendo Entertainment System, all the way up to the Nintendo Gamecube, fans swore their allegiance to the company console after console due to the complexity, depth, and overall amazing quality found in many of their titles.
However, once the Nintendo DS and Wii dropped, during the 2004-2006 time frame, the target market shifted from hardcore NES-heads to the more casual, everyday gamer. Since then, the legendary organization has kept with this business model, but it looks like things may be starting to revert back to the good ol' days.
In an interview posted in this week's edition of Edge Magazine, Shigeru Miyamoto -- the mind behind Super Mario, the Legend of Zelda, and much more -- made reference to a possible change in approach for Nintendo going forward. Addressing casual players quite candidly, the game designer feels it's time for them to step up and delve a bit deeper into their video games.
"[These are] the sort of people who, for example, might want to watch a movie. They might want to go to Disneyland," Miyamoto said. "Their attitude is, 'okay, I am the customer. You are supposed to entertain me.' It's kind of a passive attitude they're taking, and to me it's kind of a pathetic thing. They do not know how interesting it is if you move one step further and try to challenge yourself [with more advanced games]."
In this interview, Miyamoto took the time to explain why Nintendo aimed at marketing mostly toward newcomers in recent times. Based upon what was said, it looks as though the company will be shifting their focus elsewhere.
"In the days of DS and Wii, Nintendo tried its best to expand the gaming population. Fortunately, because of the spread of smart devices, people take games for granted now.
"It's a good thing for us, because we do not have to worry about making games something that are relevant to general people's daily lives."
This past year, we have definitely seen some alterations in Nintendo's business approach via products and events appealing to the hardcore niche of competitive Smash Bros. players.
Just last month, Nintendo emerged as an official sponsor for Evolution 2014 -- the largest fighting game tournament of the year. Their attitude toward the event proved massively different than last year as the company originally prohibited the EVO tournament series from streaming Super Smash Bros. Melee back in 2013. The decision was later reversed, but sponsoring the same event that was almost denied access to air footage of a Nintendo game shows that the winds of change are certainly blowing.
This year's E3 also revealed a bit of Nintendo's change in gameplan as they announced that Super Smash Bros. on Wii U would be compatible with Gamecube controllers by way of an adapter. With Super Smash Bros. Melee -- the most competitive of the Smash Bros. titles -- still actively played on Gamecube controllers in tournament, there is no doubt that the higher-ups were looking to make the hardcore scene as comfortable as possible with the release of Super Smash Bros. 4.
Nintendo has undeniably made strides to better connect with the fighting game community as of late, and have even announced DLC for Mario Kart 8 that is a true love letter to the die-hard fans outside of our genre. We can only hope to see them keep on this path and produce more titles akin to those we know and love the company for. "
