more
October 31, 2009 by The News Team
Filed Under: Nintendo in general
“So far I have been talking about the market based on the number of units. Now I would like to look at the market in terms of monetary sales volume…We attribute the main reason of worldwide market contraction to the lack of hit titles across the industry in the first half of the year.” - Satoru Iwata
Looks like Iwata thinks that all game developers really missed the mark in the first half of the year. Nintendo has already admitted to not performing as they wanted to. I wonder how many other companies will man up with them.
Story Feedback
Its not the industry that has had a lack of titles, its Nintendo themselves. Yet again for a second holiday season in a row we only have one holiday title from them, but at least this time it's actually one most core consumers would enjoy (NSMBWii) as opposed to Animal Crossing which appealed to the 'casual' consumer more so then the 'core'.
Also we need to see whats coming next year besides SMG2 and Metroid. Wheres star fox? wheres f-zero? whats retro doing? wheres my new donkey kong platformer? Kirby wii?
we need to see other franchises besides the norm (zelda, mario, metroid) -- those are great titles, but they have so many IPs at their disposal.
Also we need to see whats coming next year besides SMG2 and Metroid. Wheres star fox? wheres f-zero? whats retro doing? wheres my new donkey kong platformer? Kirby wii?
we need to see other franchises besides the norm (zelda, mario, metroid) -- those are great titles, but they have so many IPs at their disposal.
So, according to Nintendo, they've been bombing for the past year (first half of this year and last half of last year). Earlier this year they came out and said that Wii Music didn't meet expectations.
So they're just realizing the core want their games? I have no problem in waiting its just the waiting is a bit irksome.
The rest of the industry is fine with Assassin's Creed 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Halo 3ODST, Borderlands, Brutal Legend, etc, etc.
Nintendo has mario, woohoo for them.
Nintendo has mario, woohoo for them.
I hope he's not just aknowledging this for the sake of it and start doing something about it.
This just in: When you don't put out top quality games, sales begin to drop for consoles!
More at 11.
More at 11.
Iwata's right on so many levels... to be frank though Reggie has a better way of letting fans and the public hear what they need to know.
I still have no doubt Crystal Bearers will be a huge hit alongside New SMB Wii, which looks awesome on its own merits but doesn't introduce new elements besides 4 player. XP
I still have no doubt Crystal Bearers will be a huge hit alongside New SMB Wii, which looks awesome on its own merits but doesn't introduce new elements besides 4 player. XP
Release more of your ips we have 3 Mario main titles. Plus 6 spinoff titles. Need Starfox and DK
finally he's realizing that there aren't enough quality titles. there were literally two good wii releases this year, with one more coming up.
i don't think the 360 had that great a year, but ps3 had some nice titles this year. with the monster that sony can easily become, nintendo better defend their market share with some hot titles. they should also quit allowing all the shovelware. they should go back to the way they did it in the eighties, and restrict what titles they allow to come out on their system.
i don't think the 360 had that great a year, but ps3 had some nice titles this year. with the monster that sony can easily become, nintendo better defend their market share with some hot titles. they should also quit allowing all the shovelware. they should go back to the way they did it in the eighties, and restrict what titles they allow to come out on their system.
When the 3rd parties devote all of their resources to 360 and PS3 because of graphics technology, then it shows that graphics DO matter, huh Nintendo?
Fallout 3, Borderlands, Brutal Legend, Uncharted 2, CoD Modern Warfare 2, Demon Souls, Assassin's Creed 2 etc etc...
Fallout 3, Borderlands, Brutal Legend, Uncharted 2, CoD Modern Warfare 2, Demon Souls, Assassin's Creed 2 etc etc...
Nintendo needs to make new IP's. Miyamoto really needs to think of something amazing. RPG?
@Hami83
To be fair all the systems in general are lacking a spark.
but for everyone's fortune, things are beginning to look great in my opinion. Valve, EA, Capcom and SEGA have been demostrating that they can make something fresh. EA's case is special as well, they evolved to a deeper philosophy of publishing titles that are looking promising rather than just cash-ins.
My main concerns are companies like Activision that began to become shameless c***.
@stargazer
Graphics have been always been important, but the problem is many do notknow what else to do beyond them. Assassin's Creed was really buggy in my case despite it having great visuals.
Though Half Life 2 made astounding graphics and very fluid controls for being just for 2004.
To be fair all the systems in general are lacking a spark.
but for everyone's fortune, things are beginning to look great in my opinion. Valve, EA, Capcom and SEGA have been demostrating that they can make something fresh. EA's case is special as well, they evolved to a deeper philosophy of publishing titles that are looking promising rather than just cash-ins.
My main concerns are companies like Activision that began to become shameless c***.
@stargazer
Graphics have been always been important, but the problem is many do notknow what else to do beyond them. Assassin's Creed was really buggy in my case despite it having great visuals.
Though Half Life 2 made astounding graphics and very fluid controls for being just for 2004.
Why is there no positivity to this comments section? Even though the games you people have listed seem like big hits, many of them sold below expectations, and the only way for that to make sense is that it was because of the market's overall recession compared to last year.
In the last few years there has been major releases that have sold much quicker and more efficiently than this year.(Grand Theft Auto 4, TLOZ: Twilight Princess, Halo 3, Even Metroid Prime sold past epectations through word of mouth)
More games might have hit the PS3 and 360, but I have a hard time believing that people will buy a 360 or PS3 when if they buy Wii they get games they can play with their children (Like House of the Dead:Overkill, the most popular games out of my 8 year old cousins games list, which includes Resident Evil 5 and Halo 3. Why? Because it's easier to pick up and play!)
In the last few years there has been major releases that have sold much quicker and more efficiently than this year.(Grand Theft Auto 4, TLOZ: Twilight Princess, Halo 3, Even Metroid Prime sold past epectations through word of mouth)
More games might have hit the PS3 and 360, but I have a hard time believing that people will buy a 360 or PS3 when if they buy Wii they get games they can play with their children (Like House of the Dead:Overkill, the most popular games out of my 8 year old cousins games list, which includes Resident Evil 5 and Halo 3. Why? Because it's easier to pick up and play!)
@lubczyk
So more like resident evil 5 and street fighter 4. With Punch-Out being a great classic title revitalized but not a hit title
So more like resident evil 5 and street fighter 4. With Punch-Out being a great classic title revitalized but not a hit title
@Jost1o
Wii's big titles for Q1 and Q2 were....
Punch Out!!
Madworld
Excitebots (lol)
The Conduit
House of The Dead OverKill
Then on the Ps3 and 360:
Halo Wars
Halo ODST
Prototype
FEAR 2
Street Fighter 4
Infamous
Killzone 2
Resident Evil 5
Fight Night Round 4 (THIS ONE DID HUGE NUMBERS)
In fact, Capcom did so well that SFIV and RE5 sold above expectations by one million each. That's right, check their financial reports on GAF, both did incredibly well.
Gee, I really have a hard time believing you meant your post to be taken seriously. It's been an awfully good year for gaming.
Demon's Souls is a runaway success on the Ps3 and it is/was a niche game. That success seems to be contradictory of Iwata's commentary about the industry, especially when Wii niche games die quickly.
NSMB Wii and Modern Warfare 2 are set to be one of the biggest selling titles in the holiday.
tldr; You are full of it and are wrong. So is Iwata.
Iwata and you have nothing, you can back out of this quietly.
Wii's big titles for Q1 and Q2 were....
Punch Out!!
Madworld
Excitebots (lol)
The Conduit
House of The Dead OverKill
Then on the Ps3 and 360:
Halo Wars
Halo ODST
Prototype
FEAR 2
Street Fighter 4
Infamous
Killzone 2
Resident Evil 5
Fight Night Round 4 (THIS ONE DID HUGE NUMBERS)
In fact, Capcom did so well that SFIV and RE5 sold above expectations by one million each. That's right, check their financial reports on GAF, both did incredibly well.
Gee, I really have a hard time believing you meant your post to be taken seriously. It's been an awfully good year for gaming.
Demon's Souls is a runaway success on the Ps3 and it is/was a niche game. That success seems to be contradictory of Iwata's commentary about the industry, especially when Wii niche games die quickly.
NSMB Wii and Modern Warfare 2 are set to be one of the biggest selling titles in the holiday.
tldr; You are full of it and are wrong. So is Iwata.
Iwata and you have nothing, you can back out of this quietly.
@MrBubbles
I don't know what you're smoking, but I'm pretty certain Halo ODST just came out last month and not in Q1 or Q2. Also, Demon's Souls isn't selling that well. For a niche game, yes, but by no means a runaway success.
Otherwise, you're correct.
I don't know what you're smoking, but I'm pretty certain Halo ODST just came out last month and not in Q1 or Q2. Also, Demon's Souls isn't selling that well. For a niche game, yes, but by no means a runaway success.
Otherwise, you're correct.
Ya, it's sad to think of Demon's Souls on the Wii....would have sold 80,000 copies and been forgotten quickly.
Doesn't make any sense, really. For awhile I thought publishers were crazy for thinking that their games wouldn't sell on Wii (and that was why they weren't making them). After seeing Muramasa and A Boy and His Blob's sales numbers, well, quality doesn't seem to matter for Wii owners.
Doesn't make any sense, really. For awhile I thought publishers were crazy for thinking that their games wouldn't sell on Wii (and that was why they weren't making them). After seeing Muramasa and A Boy and His Blob's sales numbers, well, quality doesn't seem to matter for Wii owners.
@lubczyk
I love how Nintendo takes their blunders and blames it on the entire industry.
I guess games like Halo Wars, Halo 3 ODST, LittleBigPlanet, Street Fighter 4, Gears of War 2, GTA Chinatown Wars, GTA 4, Modern Warfare, Infamous, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, Resident Evil 5, Rock Band 2, The Beatles Rock Band, The Conduit, Sonic Unleashed, Mega Man 9, Scribblenauts, etc aren't big games?
I love how Nintendo takes their blunders and blames it on the entire industry.
I guess games like Halo Wars, Halo 3 ODST, LittleBigPlanet, Street Fighter 4, Gears of War 2, GTA Chinatown Wars, GTA 4, Modern Warfare, Infamous, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, Resident Evil 5, Rock Band 2, The Beatles Rock Band, The Conduit, Sonic Unleashed, Mega Man 9, Scribblenauts, etc aren't big games?
You guys didn't even bother checking the source, right?
He was clearly talking about Japan. The goddamn slide says JAPAN. It is in the middle of a discussion of the Japanese market. He mentions that it is Japan he is talking about.
He was clearly talking about Japan. The goddamn slide says JAPAN. It is in the middle of a discussion of the Japanese market. He mentions that it is Japan he is talking about.
Why do people keep listing games like Brutal Legends and Halo 3 ODST as "quality" hit games?
I dunno... Sony and MS have both been putting out some pretty heavy hitters out all year (in all regions honestly). Nintendo had Punch-Out! and Wii Sports Resort for the first part of the year... Now NSMBWii and Wii Fit Plus. Iwata, it's not the industry, it's Nintendo.
@stargazer
This. A game can be of the highest quality, but if it fails to sell, well...
They do put out a good number of quality games, they just struggle to sell on Wii. They can put out some big games, but if they don't sell, they move on to greener pasture and try another strategy (like minigames and exercise and family party titles, stuff that has proven to sell on Wii). It's Business 101 and boils down to money. No one wants to put more and more money out there only to have a product not sell and lose it.
No one likes losing money. No businesses, not a single person. Big games will continue to come to Wii I'm sure, but if they fail to sell units even with advertising, I love how people will turn around and say "Well, they didn't develop it right for the Wii. They just don't get the system. Blah blah blah."
While some of it holds truth to it, it's always been harder to sell on Nintendo consoles as opposed to their handhelds. Just because the Wii is the industry leader does not mean every game is going to sell like hotcakes on the system.
Like anyone else, I wish all games would come to this console or that console, but they simply don't. (As I said before, you have to think about it from the business perspective). Half of you say you will buy this game or that game if it came to Wii. Would you really? Even if it lacks so much from the original? But I don't wait around for a certain game (say RE5 or SF4) to come to the Wii, when in all honesty, chances look very slim, especially when I can get it RIGHT NOW.
After the DS' success, I too thought the Wii would get a similar treatment from all developers: A good balance of different games for everyone. Well, let's be honest, the Wii isn't the DS (sadly).
@stargazer
This. A game can be of the highest quality, but if it fails to sell, well...
They do put out a good number of quality games, they just struggle to sell on Wii. They can put out some big games, but if they don't sell, they move on to greener pasture and try another strategy (like minigames and exercise and family party titles, stuff that has proven to sell on Wii). It's Business 101 and boils down to money. No one wants to put more and more money out there only to have a product not sell and lose it.
No one likes losing money. No businesses, not a single person. Big games will continue to come to Wii I'm sure, but if they fail to sell units even with advertising, I love how people will turn around and say "Well, they didn't develop it right for the Wii. They just don't get the system. Blah blah blah."
While some of it holds truth to it, it's always been harder to sell on Nintendo consoles as opposed to their handhelds. Just because the Wii is the industry leader does not mean every game is going to sell like hotcakes on the system.
Like anyone else, I wish all games would come to this console or that console, but they simply don't. (As I said before, you have to think about it from the business perspective). Half of you say you will buy this game or that game if it came to Wii. Would you really? Even if it lacks so much from the original? But I don't wait around for a certain game (say RE5 or SF4) to come to the Wii, when in all honesty, chances look very slim, especially when I can get it RIGHT NOW.
After the DS' success, I too thought the Wii would get a similar treatment from all developers: A good balance of different games for everyone. Well, let's be honest, the Wii isn't the DS (sadly).
I personally don't have a problem with the Wii's lineup. I can find games to play and I still have a hefty backlog to catch up on. I still need to pick up Mini-Ninjas and Dead Space Extraction when they go cheap.
But it still ticks me off that Wii owners aren't buying games. It's like the Gamecube crowd all bought a Wii and buys Nintendo's games, and everyone else just got a Wii for Wii Sports and Wii Fit.
I don't have a PS3 or a 360 (money and time are factors)...if I did I would get Uncharted 2, Borderlands, and Call of Duty: MW2. Most other games on those platforms don't interest me a great deal.
But it still ticks me off that Wii owners aren't buying games. It's like the Gamecube crowd all bought a Wii and buys Nintendo's games, and everyone else just got a Wii for Wii Sports and Wii Fit.
I don't have a PS3 or a 360 (money and time are factors)...if I did I would get Uncharted 2, Borderlands, and Call of Duty: MW2. Most other games on those platforms don't interest me a great deal.
More like the Wii isn't doing so hot due to lack of titles.
Last I saw the PS3 was starting to sell as much hardware weekly as the Wii.
And don't even get me started on the last 3rd party game that was a success in NA on the Wii.
Last I saw the PS3 was starting to sell as much hardware weekly as the Wii.
And don't even get me started on the last 3rd party game that was a success in NA on the Wii.
@AlexPuma
Because they are? Maybe I'm not fully understanding what you're trying to get at, here.
I pretty much gave up on Wii a while ago for this reason. NeroSuferoth pretty much stated my thoughts on this. It isn't the first time Iwata has stated something like this.
At least the DS still has a lot of awesome games coming. Phantasy Star Zero comes out in a little over a week.
Because they are? Maybe I'm not fully understanding what you're trying to get at, here.
I pretty much gave up on Wii a while ago for this reason. NeroSuferoth pretty much stated my thoughts on this. It isn't the first time Iwata has stated something like this.
At least the DS still has a lot of awesome games coming. Phantasy Star Zero comes out in a little over a week.
I really hope Iwata is only talking about was only talking about first-party Nintendo and not the whole industry because then he is clearly living in a cave.
Nintendo has become complacent apparently, and it was clear starting from last year's holiday lineup. This year we get New SMB Wii wich is good but the other platforms have more than one strong title coming out so it's not enough. Hope they'll release more content in 2010 because no software=no sales.
Please log in using your message board account to post feeback.
Don't have an account? Click here to register!
Don't have an account? Click here to register!
Just because Nintendo didn't have anything big for the first half of 2009 save for Punch Out! and some New Play Control titles doesn't mean the whole industry didn't.