Nintendo seems terrified to lose its identity, but I think their first party powerhouse lineup makes that something close to an impossibility. They’re at a stage when they can harness the power of the adult fans who grew up with them as well as continuing to make their games all-ages. Media like Avatar: TLA and Adventure Time provide that “children’s content” can actually be more thoughtful, imaginative, interesting, and even more subtle than most of the adult TV shows available. There’s no reason why Mario can’t become that for gaming. Sony proved that you can have the most powerful home console on the market for the cheapest price and still be profitable, so I’m not really sure the “saturation point of graphics” argument still holds up.

I just wonder what it will take to win 3rd Parties over. I doubt Ubisoft will once again try to latch early to a ship until it proves it’s not going to be sinking this time.

I think Nintendo’s best shot to really leverage its exclusives is by making their next console on par spec-wise with the next Sony/Microsoft console. They can do whatever gimmick they want, just so long that they don’t force developers to utilize it. The new console would need to be priced aggressively as well. I think these things could go a long way to reaffirming Nintendo’s next console as a go-to console. Nintendo will only truly be able to properly leverage their exclusive advantage once they prove their console can also serve as a viable landing point for (current gen) multiplatform games.

I agree that Nintendo seems pretty lost. I think the Wii’s success just delayed the problems they were having with the GameCube and now they’re resurfacing again with the WiiU.

Also, I’ve heard others touting the Wii’s high software attach rate (I think it’s still the highest of any console) but how much of that gets zeroed out by the kinds of games people were buying? Yes, the Oprah endorsed Wii probably DID compel a lot of soccer moms to buy Wii Fits and the various knock offs made by EA and Ubisoft. I’m sure TONS of people bought the next copycat bowling game after enjoying Wii Sports bowling that came with the console. Sorry if I don’t “count” those purchases. Take all the shovelware purchases away and I wonder what we’re left with. My guess is probably not much. And now that Nintendo’s home console is no longer propped up by fair-weather casuals, the reality has sunk back in that they need to open the fuck up and leverage their insane legacy content.

Something I didn’t really work in is how much that sets them apart. Their console is the only remaining home platform left that has exclusivity as a real selling point, and somehow they’ve turned that into a burden. Sony and MS are losing exclusives to developers who know they can make more money if their product is on more platforms. Gone are the days when major 3rd party franchises are staples to one platform. Resident Evil and Final Fantasy used to be like 90% Sony territory. Now, every major FF or RE title released is on PC, Xbox and PS platforms. Exclusivity is dieing out (which is also making it harder for me to justify moving away from PC gaming) but not on Nintendo platforms. If not for exclusivity I’d own NO games for the WiiU. I wouldn’t own the system at all! Even for my GameCube, my library would be cut by more than half (I actually just counted and 26 out of the 44 games I own are exclusives).

If anything, I think this generation is (hopefully) schooling Nintendo on why following fads is not what the Blue Ocean strategy was preaching. Nintendo got lucky last generation because the DS was easily able to transition from touchscreen bullshit to normal handheld and the Wii’s crazy success because Oprah got moist at the thought of motion controls. With the Wii, Nintendo created a fad that died out after a few years, something they anticipated while designing the Wii U.

Now, Nintendo seems to be in a position where they no longer know who their target audience is. When the Wii U launched, they promised us that it was the console that shifted its focus back to core gamers, then Iwata announces the “Quality of Life” platform, something that will surely be aimed at getting the casuals back. Even their first party games are aimed towards the younger audience, even though most kids today are more infatuated with Halo and Call of Duty than Mario.

If anything, I hope Nintendo enters the next generation with a better idea of what kind of gaming company they want to be because right now they just seem completely lost.

Also, Oracular Banana Bunch for Smash! wooo