The talk of the town lately has been Nintendo's financial loss not just within the gaming community, but it has also been picked up by major news outlets and sites. This has been made and set up to be a big deal. So what the heck to going to happen now and what's next for Nintendo. Lots of gamers, journalists, industry folk and even financial experts have been chiming in on what their thoughts are. Heck, just type in Nintendo right now on twitter and you're bound to read something on the matter.
So what do we here at DualShockers think? Obviously, if you did not already know, the DualShockers staff is a very opinionated bunch and we want to wholeheartedly share that opinion with you guys. Check out what each of us had to say after the break.
Yaris: Nintendo taking that recent hit is definitely a bad look for them, and probably something that needed to happen in order for them to get a proper wake-up call (hopefully). Nintendo was safe with the Wii for a moment because of the crowd they were catering to, and who, for a while, accepted their mediocrity in games. Not only did it dent their reputation with the hardcore gaming crowd, but it also instilled a lack of trust which many of us are weary about even with the release of the Wii U.
Is the company screwed financially? Absolutely not. I think the area that they are struggling with is the market of hardcore gamers who have already taken sides with Microsoft and Sony. I'm in no way concerned with Nintendo's finances because, at the end of the day, they have more than enough to fill their pockets. What I am worried about is Nintendo's ability to essentially attract the hardcore crowd when they [the hardcore folk] have already established their alliances. The Wii U looks and sounds amazing. I just hope Nintendo has the balls to push games, rather than their own IPs, so that it can genuinely charm the hardcore crowd they once had and helped establish. And it definitely doesn't help when they pull off douche-bag tactics like, you know, dropping prices a few months down the line after initial launch of something. Tut, tut, Nintendo.
Francois: Nintendo has had its fair shake at ups and downs. No time was there a bigger threat that I can remember than with the Nintendo GameCube during the early 21st century. The GameCube had a rough start, but got buried even deeper once the Xbox and PS2 started venturing into the world of online gaming. Nintendo refused on going the online route and insisted people didn't want it. It seemed like the Nintendo's stubbornness was finally going to catch up to them, but then arrived the Wii. Without the most robust online functionality and another instance of stubbornness to not include HD, it was still able to come out on top.
So we have Nintendo being stubborn failing them and then them being stubborn offering them great success. What do they do now? The obvious choice would be to do A, B and C, but Nintendo never listens to logic. Can't blame them though, it has worked out so well for Wii and DS. I think Nintendo has enough power to get out of any situation because of the brand and the franchises they own alone. So whenever the situation becomes too dire, they're one new Smash Brothers game away from getting out of the mess.
Alexa: If you look at Nintendo's Semi-Annual report, Iwata keeps reiterating Nintendo's greatest hope: that the lineup of 3DS games coming out in the next few months will bolster sales as well as individuals sales for the 3DS. I don't think it's far-fetched to say that this is what will happen. When the 3DS came out there were so few games it deterred people from purchasing the system until more were announced. It's been a slow trickle since then, with all the fun bits coming to us in the form of downloads or 3DS-exclusive applications and functions (augmented reality, downloadables like Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, StreetPass and Mii Plaza game).
But now we're looking at Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land coming at us in within the next month -- a franchise that has held solid since the company's beginnings is putting out two new games and of course every Mario lover in the freaking universe is going to grab them before now and Christmas. That coupled with Skyward Sword less than a month from our grasp is sure to bolster overall sales. As much as we want to roll our eyes as "not another Mario game," it's what sells, and both Nintendo's numbers and our wallets and constant gamer chatter has proved it. Not to mention the line-up of third-party games on the horizon include Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and a new Kingdom Hearts title, and diehards of those series' won't be caught dead as the only kid on the playground who didn't play them.
As for the Wii U... I'm hesitant to throw my chips in on this way. Yes it looks amazing and maybe it means that we're in "the future," but I'm hoping that Nintendo won't make the same mistake of pushing out a hardware and then having no software to enjoy on it. Once we get more specs and a price, then I'll run my mouth off.