150°

10 Mistakes Nintendo Got Away With (Because They're Nintendo)

Times when Nintendo played with power and lost.

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whatculture.com
TK-661625d ago

I don't think the author understands what it means to "get away" with something. If there are consequences you didn't get away with it...

IanTH1625d ago

The only thing they "got away with" in this list, as far as I can tell, is the fact that they rely on weaker hardware. Just about everything else comes down to commercial failures, and they "got away with it" because they have billions of dollars. $49 million isn't exactly going to phase them. So that's less because they are Nintendo, and more because they are overflowing with cash. Plenty of companies can get away with commercial failures because of their Scrooge-McDuck-vault levels of wealth.

TK-661625d ago (Edited 1625d ago )

"The only thing they "got away with" in this list, as far as I can tell, is the fact that they rely on weaker hardware"

We would need evidence to show that weaker hardware plays no influence over someone's decision to purchase a system to make that claim. According to N4G its hugely important one minute and then irrelevant the next, so we have no evidence to suggest they got away with it or vice versa.

"$49 million isn't exactly going to phase them. So that's less because they are Nintendo"

You're viewing this issue very narrowly. The Wii U's failure meant a loss of the potential money brought in by a successful system. Look at the Switch and think about what the Wii U could've generated for Nintendo if it were a success; that's what Nintendo lost out on in that generation.

IanTH1625d ago (Edited 1625d ago )

Regarding your reply to me:

I don't believe I've viewed anything narrowly. In regards to power being an issue, you can tell it isn't simply by noting how well the Switch continues to sell. It's hard to call it anything other than a great success, even at this point. Sure, hardware power is an issue to people who are diehard gamers (ie, N4G and forum goers) - especially those who feel like they have to defend their choice, for some reason. PC, Console, handheld, mobile...people can fall into weird, tribalistic mentalities over them. But the trends at large show the market doesn't care about weaker hardware - not in a way that effects success, much less leads to a Wii U like failure.

And yes, I think it's fair to say a $49 million loss is effectively a drop in the bucket that barely effected them when you consider that Nintendo's net worth is somewhere in the neighborhood of $85 billion. That loss of money didn't phase them in the slightest; any lost potential revenue just meant they had to end the Wii U's life and introduce it's successor earlier. It's not like it handcuffed them in any way. They could have a dozen Wii U level failures and still not be facing bankruptcy, much less have their development hindered in any way.

And they are, in essence, recouping some of that lost money anyway. Thanks to the fact there were tons of Wii U exclusives few people played, they found themselves in possession of a catalog of quality titles that could be easily ported to bolster their lineup early and then continued to be sprinkled throughout the Switch's software release schedule. The cost to port them is minuscule when compared to creating a brand new game, so not only are they bolstering their lineup with solid software and helping the Switch look more attractive, they have the bonus of essentially recouping some of that "lost" money from the Wii U. Shift the exclusive software development cost over to the Switch and you can even start pushing the "net" loss of the Wii U closer to black since you could effectively treat the Wii U exclusives they are porting as deferred Switch development costs.

Even if you don't, point still stand that the Wii U loss was something they could easily get away with thanks to their overfull warchest. Tons of money lets you get away with quite a lot lol

1625d ago Replies(2)
gamerz1625d ago

This article gets away with putting each and every list item behind a separate click.

SegaGamer1624d ago

They didn't really get away with it did they? I mean, the Wii U was a failure for them, what exactly did they get away with?

Positivelypositive 1624d ago

After it was patched up it still had some pretty bad glitch and performance issues. Still Sonic Boom had some cool stuff. Two players playing at the same time in the same level solving puzzles that help the other. Each character having its own ability that is used to solve puzzles and fight. The platforming was good too. I wish they would take this same design and really flesh it out because it really is the type of direction sonic in 3d needs to go. They just royally F'd themselves by forcing the dev. to release it broken. I think if it had been complete and glitch-less sonic forces would have been a good game too. We need less sonic on rails and more free roaming exploration. The story was trash too.

80°

Behind The Dangerous Stunts Of Nintendo’s Iconic Mario Commercials

Two married costume designers share stories from a decade of traveling the globe with Nintendo.

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gameinformer.com
264d ago
110°

Bowser Is Canonically 34 Years Old

In a YouTube video showing Nintendo Switch owners how to create a Nintendo Account, Nintendo of America revealed that Bowser is canonically 34 years old.

jznrpg325d ago

I saw Bowser when I was a kid and now I’m older than him , sigh.

Brazz325d ago

Wow, i'm as old as Bowser!!

Stanjara325d ago (Edited 325d ago )

He looks 55 to me.

Show all comments (7)
100°

Nintendo Is A Bad Company, But We Can't Help Loving Them Anyway

TG: “Most of us also grew up with Nintendo, likely forming a nostalgic connection with games that have long been crowned as our personal favourites. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was an experience that shaped my view on open world fantasy, and Super Mario 64 changed my life like it did for millions of others. These titles have earned their place in history, and remain loved to this day for so many worthwhile reasons. We replay them and beg for remasters all while delving into their worlds time and time again because they mean that much to us. It’s a shame then that the company behind them often kicks its own sweet darlings to the curb.”

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thegamer.com
Magog334d ago

I never got the love for Nintendo games personally. The annoying vocalizations and ugly character designs do nothing for me.

Kosic332d ago

Don't forget the constant hand holding with tutorials. Learn this new ability by pressing Y, now prove that you can press Y 8 times before you can move on....

Tapani333d ago (Edited 333d ago )

Another very weird article.

Nintendo is a great company by almost all possible normal measures. The biggest one being: their own staff is happy, and they seem to be very happy, well compensated and retain rate is solid. They are also financially very stable, profitable, and cash rich, so shareholders love them.

Overall it is an extremely creative group of people, and their mission statement is fantastic as well "to put smiles on the faces of everyone we touch. We do so by creating new surprises for people across the world to enjoy together." The social impact is also massive, not to speak culturally. Additionally, they have a really strong core business, high customer retention rate and loyalty. Nintendo's reputation is extremely good, I think in the US alone they are 9th most reputable company, their customer service is better than the average company. Plus, the press gives them a pass, because they are Nintendo. But there's a reason why they do that, it's not "because they are Nintendo", there are more layers to the argument.

Then, then there's the random negative gamers online...and their "reputation" which is inside their heads. And their western ideas of how a Japanese company should behave or what they should do. But they have no right to ask a company to do anything for them, because they can vote with their wallets.

There's a small vocal community online who dislikes Nintendo for what they are, but then again, there's always a small vocal community that dislikes something.

Nintendo also disagrees with the Western world about IP, but most people call Westerners "hidoi!" when they emulate Tears of the Kingdom and do not experience it the way Nintendo wanted them (even if it is not the best visual way), because it is a matter of principle to them (Japanese are very much against anything close to plagiarism, and there are laws that are tight about creative works copying etc.)

The Western Braveheart "freedoom!" shouters need to understand that it is not an American company, nor they need to behave like one. They can have their own fights based on their principles (against emulation). And they very well may lose the battle with that and change, or find a new audience.

In the end, it is so very simple. Don't buy the products if you don't like a company, but there's no need to paint a picture that is unrealistic about Nintendo either.

MadLad333d ago

I hate virtually everything about their business practices, actually. Suing everybody for virtually anything, shooting down fan projects, games they never let devalue, their online infrastructure and how they handle BC.

They're lucky they make great games, because that's the only thing I feel they do right.

gold_drake333d ago

my issue with them, is the complete refusal to have decent tech for us.

and their odd censorship and lawsuits for modders.