As much as anyone tries to deny it, Nintendo has fallen on hard times. It only seemed like yesterday that the Wii and DS were printing money and Nintendo executives could wipe their derrieres with our hard earned cash, but no longer. The company has managed to ostracise swathes of gamers with their 'casual-friendly' approach to the Wii, and the launch of the 3DS earlier this year can't really be classed as anything other than calamitous.
So what can Nintendo do about it? Well, if they follow these handy tips then their luck is bound to turn around...
| 1. Ensure that the Wii U has a great launch Considering how Nintendo has managed to collapse in on itself after the poor early sales of the 3DS, the Wii U really has to really hit the ground running. Some of the main issues with the 3DS on launch were the high price point and the lack of games. Nintendo will be hoping to avoid falling into the same trap again. So far they've made a great start on the games side of things by attracting a large amount of 3rd party support. Titles such as The Darkness II and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge mean that there will be a selection of great games available from day 1. The issue, though, is that some of these games may be released on rival consoles before they hit the launch of the Wii U in 2012. As a result, titles such as Arkham City - due to come out on PS3/360 next month - could already be old news by the time the console is released. Perhaps Nintendo's greatest concern should be the distinct lack of quality exclusive titles announced for the system. 'Exclusive' titles such as Killer Freaks From Outer Space and Lego City Stories won't be shifting consoles and Ninty really needs to have one or two great 1st party launch games lined up to guarantee that the Wii U sells. If not, the console really could struggle to find its feet. 2. Keep doing what they're doing with the 3DS Nintendo screwed up the launch of the 3DS big time. A poor line-up of early games for the system, delayed launch of the Nintendo eShop and expensive hardware proved to be a massive entry barrier for would-be purchasers, but since then Nintendo has made some positive steps towards fixing errors. It was wise for Nintendo to take the big decision to slash the cost of the console, as sales of the system have jumped 260% in the US since its price cut. It was also a stroke of brilliance to compensate early 3DS adopters with 20 free games through the Ambassador program as it ensured that the dedicated fanbase kept their faith in the company. The console's position has also no doubt been aided by the rapidly approaching end to the 3DS game drought. Big hitters such as Super Mario 3DS Land and Mario Kart 7 are due before the end of the year and titles such as Kid Icarus, Paper Mario and a raft of impressive 3rd party titles such as Resident Evil Revelations and Metal Gear Solid 3DS arriving next year. The recent 3DS conference has also generated further enthusiasm for the 3D wonder with a new Fire Emblem and Mario Tennis being announced for the portable. The future of the 3DS is looking bright again after a distinctly murky patch and our advice to Nintendo would be to not screw up what they're currently doing. 3. Improve their online facilities It's no longer 2006 and Nintendo can't get away with burying its head in the sand when it comes to providing a competent online service. Xbox Live and the Playstation Network are miles ahead of Nintendo's current internet infrastructure and Ninty needs to provide a service of a similar standard with the Wii U otherwise it will be in real trouble. It is remarkable that in this day and age Nintendo still doesn't have a suitable platform for DLC. Downloadable content is essential to the way we game these days and it is bizarre to think that up until recently developers have had to churn out DLC on discs for titles such as Rock Band on the Wii. This is an issue that has to be addressed. Online play should also be streamlined to provide a better service. Super Smash Bros. Brawl, one of the Wii's most popular online offerings, was subject to bad lag and a generally poor online experience. Either a free or paid online service would have to match their rivals otherwise people will simply buy multiplatform online games on other consoles. Nintendo absolutely has to produce a capable online service for the Wii U in order to be successful. However, with the criticism that has been launched at the user-unfriendly layout of the 3DS eShop it seems as though Nintendo still has a lot to learn. 4. Win back the hardcore Nintendo marketed the Wii as a casual, gamer-centric console: one that could appeal to the entire family. It was fantastic business sense and console sales went through the roof, making Nintendo millions in the process. But there was a catch, although the Wii sold like hotcakes, software for it didn't always sell, especially for those games made by third party developers. This resulted in many developers moving onto pastures new. At the time Nintendo didn't need to care as it was rolling in cash but now it is facing a situation where the casual console gaming bubble has burst and it has to win back the type of fans that may have moved onto the 360 or PS3. It appears as though Ninty are doing everything possible to prove that the Wii U will be a serious gaming platform. It is slowly but surely managing to lure back developers to create content for the Wii U and having the support of developers such as Square Enix and Tecmo Koei will likely expedite that process. Nintendo has gotten itself in an awkward situation: as much as it wants to lure in more 'hardcore' gamers it isn't willing to surrender the casual market it has conquered in the last few years. It will be vitally important for the Wii U to appeal to both groups sufficiently, otherwise the predicted decline of Nintendo will become a reality. |
Author Resource:- Written for Submit Game Article by Joseph Dart. |
