Re: Rise and Fall of the Nintendo Empire

Following up on my last story, I just found an interesting article on the Game Informer website where Nintendo says that it has no interest in developing for SmartPhones and that there will be no further price cuts on the 3DS. Nintendo head honcho Satoru Iwata explained to Japanese newspaper Nikkei that the 3DS price cut was intended to be the "first and last," with improved sales in the 2011 holiday season.

While I applaud them for sticking to their guns, I hope they have some solid aces up their sleeves. With a currently weak software base for the 3DS and investors/gamers doubting their upcoming console endeavors, Nintendo needs to make a strong comeback to reclaim the share of the market that they've since lost to rival consoles, handhelds, and mobile phones. If this is all rooted in the company's reluctance to cater to a changing industry, it may send Nintendo down the same road as Sega.

Rise and Fall of the Nintendo Empire

I pleasantly recall the glory of Nintendo in the 80's and 90's. Back then, the NES was epic. The big ole' brick GameBoy was sweet. When I got my hands on an N64 and played Mario 64, I about lost my mind. That was the first game I was ever a "completionist" for (in an era pre-Gamerscore, too!).

But, with the advent of the current superpowers Sony and Microsoft and the exploding popularity of mobile gaming, Nintendo seems to be on the downward slide. The Nintendo 3DS, practically a brand new piece of hardware, has already had a price slash from $249.99 to $169.99. While there were short-term gains from this, the platform hasn't performed very well. On top of this, there are major doubts about Nintendo's upcoming Wii U project, with the company's stocks sinking after the unveiling at this year's E3. This is hardly a good sign, as many are skeptical of the system and concerned about its "premium" price point.

Nintendo's performance brings to mind Sega's downfall in 2001 with a system under-performing, despite price cuts. Perhaps Nintendo should look at the history here and learn from its [former] competitor. While the platforms are not performing well, people love their games!

Imagine if Nintendo were to make a Super Mario Bros. for smartphones? What if you could play Zelda or Star Fox games on the Xbox or PS3? While the success of Nintendo's systems is sometimes questionable, their games are legendary and well known. Being a cross-platform developer would be extremely lucrative to the company, as it already has several series with well established recognition.

It remains to be seen if Nintendo can pull itself up from its current position. However, if it cannot, I sincerely hope that they are able to take a look at the past for a potential option for the future.