I usually keep my non-art stuff to my personal blog... but I really love Nintendo's franchises, so here:
Seriously tho. Nintendo planned for 9 million Wii Us. They adjusted that to just 2.8 million in January. They didn’t even make that by the end of the fiscal year. And console projections for this year are down 60%, what with Sony and Microsoft putting Nintendo in the corner. These are NINTENDO’S predictions. They are PREDICTING Smash and Hoenn won’t help.
3DS sales were down by over 5 Million. Even with Pokemon. It’s bad man.Diehards have gotten into this habit of responding with the fact that Nintendo’s sitting on a few billion in reserves, but that’s normal for any large company, and is in no real way a factor or measure of your success. Cash reserves are a VERY BAD THING unless you’re turning a PROFIT. Business doesn’t work on cash reserves. Money saved is money not invested. Money lost in investments is money poorly invested. And compared to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo’s REAL competition, Apple and Samsung, they have useless cash reserves, zero investments, and zero clout. It’s your stock value and ability to please your stockholders that ultimately determine your success. If you can’t prove your stock worth, and can’t prove your FUTURE’S WORTH, it’s a no go. Companies have folded with more. They do every day. A three year loss of $1,180,000,000 is rreeaallyy bad. Especially bad for a GAMES only company. They’re got nothing else to go on or shift focus to.
Nintendo, historically, uses a very positive and upbeat business image. That’s really why fans don’t seem concerned. It’s a good strategy. The fans get funny videos and executives and their Hoenn remake! But it’s a a plan that only masks the problem, and only to a small amount of people. Fans are great, but Nintendo dumped a huge portion of their cusp-of-adulthood fans with the original Wii. Fans that could still be loyal, but are busy on COD and Battlefield now. And fans spend the same as an average parent buying for the kid or themselves. The parents and kids continue to choose iPhones and PS4s over NIntendo’s offerings. With understandable reason. Go big for your living room. Go multi with your handheld. It’s proven what people want. And there’s literally nothing that can be done about it. Nintendo lacks the experience, resources, and staff to push the company into other fields. And it’s way too late for that anyway. Decades too late. Nintendo themselves are projecting a minimal $390 million profit this year. THIS YEAR. WITH TWO SMASH GAMES (one that will cannibalize the other) AND HOENN. I’m NOT saying Nintendo is “going out of a business,” a vague term that can mean whatever good or bad thing you want it to. I’m just saying that factual and proven BAD TIMES ARE HERE.
Personally, I’m wondering just how far it has to go before Nintendo goes mobile 3rd party. Even with the 3DS outperforming the Wii U, handhelds will get axed before their consoles. I’m excited for Hoenn. And 3DS Smash. But I think it’s important NOT to fall into Nintendo’s over-exuberant front. I think everyone needs to be realistic about the situation and what needs to be done to turn a profit in a company that doesn’t have the time to branch out, and has completely lost support from the all important general audience. DLC POKEMON AND SMASH CHARACTERS. MAKE THE FANS WORK FOR YOU.
