Nintendo: Core franchises in development. Ready in 2-3 years.

[Queasy]

Sweet Zeus' Beard!

Nintendo has denied neglecting core gamers and claims to have new projects based on existing IP in development with "all development teams".

"We have never neglected our core gamers. We still have developers working on popular core gaming franchises but we need longer to complete these games, approximately two to three years," the company told the October issue of Edge.

"These games are not ready to launch in early 2009 but are being worked on by all development teams."

The statement was published at the end of - although apparently not in response to - a ten-point list outlining the magazine's interpretation of Nintendo's decision to focus on profitable casual products with lower overheads.

It echoes comments made by company president Satoru Iwata in Forbes last month. "If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it's a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means," Iwata had said.

Nintendo took a hit with the core demographic last month after its E3 press conference was devoid of announcements for key IP like Mario and Zelda - although Iwata did say both teams were "hard at work" to "bring new titles to Wii".

The platform holder also unveiled Animal Crossing: City Life and Wii Music, and promised a winter release for a DS version of Grand Theft Auto.

So your core franchise games will be ready at about the same time you'll be rolling out the next Nintendo console? Brilliant!

I eagerly look forward to more presentations of how one your execs broke her leg instead of focusing on, you know, games.

Geez, this is disappointing for me because my wife and I are talking about getting the kids a Wii for Christmas. There are some great games out already but I was hoping there'd be more on the soonish side instead of the later side.

 

[TecHNooB]

Give us the sequel to Ocarina you bastards!

 

[drebo]

Well, they did just release the next iterations of Mario, Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Zelda, and Smash Bros.

What other core franchises do they really have? And why wouldn't you expect a 2 year development cycle for the next version?

These aren't FPS games or sports games where you can slap a new skin, change some names, and rebrand the game as a new "version".

 

[Queasy]

Metroid, Zelda, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Mario Party (last one was released in 2007), Icarus and I'm sure there's a couple others I'm forgetting right now.

At least they have Wario: Shake It coming out soon.

 

[drebo]

They just released Zelda and Metroid for the Wii. I believe they also released a Mario Party for the Wii as well.

I'd like to see a new Kirby game, sure, but I'd rather it be well done than rushed. We don't need a second version of games for a console that's been out less than two years.

 

[purbeast0]

this really is not that surprising IMO, this is classic nintendo.

i mean think about it, look how long the mario games took.

Mario 64 was back in like what, 95?

Mario Sunshine was the 'sequel' to it years later.

And then this past winter, we got the next iteration.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: drebo
They just released Zelda and Metroid for the Wii. I believe they also released a Mario Party for the Wii as well.

November 2006 for Zelda is just released? Metroid came out August 2007. Mario Party came out May 2007.

Given how much easier it is to develop games for the Wii than other platforms plus the fact that the Wii Motion Plus is coming out in the Spring, I would have expected more for 2009.

 

[Thraxen]

That quote can be taken two ways. It can mean that they still need another 2-3 years from now or it can simply mean that those games take 2-3 years total. Notice, that in the next quote they specifically rule out "early" 2009, which leaves the door open for holiday 2009.

 

[UpgradeFailure]

Originally posted by: Thraxen
That quote can be taken two ways. It can mean that they still need another 2-3 years from now or it can simply mean that those games take 2-3 years total. Notice, that in the next quote they specifically rule out "early" 2009, which leaves the door open for holiday 2009.

Yeah I take it, they mean they take 2-3 years to make. Not 2-3 years from now. In other words, the casual crap can be pumped out fast, that's why you see more of it. You see less hardcore stuff because it takes a lot longer.

 

[CasioTech]

wii sales dropped 16% or something. The wii could die off in the next year or two whereas the ps3 will continue to sell for the next 7 years.

just because the wii sold out like crazy, it's like a 5 mile run where there is always an idiot to take off and then he runs out of energy after half a mile and gets overlapped by everyone. That idiot is nintendo.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure

Originally posted by: Thraxen
That quote can be taken two ways. It can mean that they still need another 2-3 years from now or it can simply mean that those games take 2-3 years total. Notice, that in the next quote they specifically rule out "early" 2009, which leaves the door open for holiday 2009.

Yeah I take it, they mean they take 2-3 years to make. Not 2-3 years from now. In other words, the casual crap can be pumped out fast, that's why you see more of it. You see less hardcore stuff because it takes a lot longer.

I hope that is the case because as I said, with the Wii Motion Plus coming out in the Spring, Nintendo is going to have to take the lead on having games other than Wii Sports Resort available to play. 3rd party devs didn't even know about it until E3.

 

[CasioTech]

what's the benefit of motion plus and how much will it cost?

I really don't see why all the devs don't jump on the wii, making tons of games or even porting tons of ps2 games with some new content.

 

[A5]

Originally posted by: CasioTech
what's the benefit of motion plus and how much will it cost?

I really don't see why all the devs don't jump on the wii, making tons of games or even porting tons of ps2 games with some new content.

MotionPlus is going to make the Wii remote capable of real 1:1 motion tracking, so they can do all the cool stuff people thought they were going to do to begin with. I don't know what it will cost, but I probably won't be getting it.

 

[erwos]

That's an improvement - I thought they had just abandoned the core gamers! (/sarcasm)

 

[CasioTech]

Originally posted by: A5

Originally posted by: CasioTech
what's the benefit of motion plus and how much will it cost?

I really don't see why all the devs don't jump on the wii, making tons of games or even porting tons of ps2 games with some new content.

MotionPlus is going to make the Wii remote capable of real 1:1 motion tracking, so they can do all the cool stuff people thought they were going to do to begin with. I don't know what it will cost, but I probably won't be getting it.

it wasn't 1:1 motion before? what cool stuff did people think they were going to do with it that they haven't already done? IE, wiisports and metroid prime 3.

 

[Imaginer]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Metroid, Zelda, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Mario Party (last one was released in 2007), Icarus and I'm sure there's a couple others I'm forgetting right now.

At least they have Wario: Shake It coming out soon.

Dont forget Starfox, Earthbound, Pikmin, and perhaps a bit more collaboration another Elite Beat Agens sequel for the DS, and perhaps a completely new core IP based on the usage and ides from the motion plus / balance board, another Punch Out since NES, Duck Hunt?, and F-Zero.

There is a crapton that Nintendo has no one even realize and that is just in addition to those already posted from the top of my mind.

Ans while we are at it, why aren't those same gamers that are harping Nintendo for new games for the Wii harping on Capcom, Namco, EA, Square Enix, Konami, and others for their own unique and great production titles as well? I feel that the whole gamer mentality nowadays is growing very impatient and we are just spoiled kids asking for more and more and more without realizing we are getting such. Things take time.

Goddamn this world and the impatient self gratification ideal. I blame the fast pacings of today with the advent of the internet sharing everything to the point we aren't really wowed anymore like yesteryears and the stigma behind the damn entertainment industry.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: CasioTech
wii sales dropped 16% or something. The wii could die off in the next year or two whereas the ps3 will continue to sell for the next 7 years.

just because the wii sold out like crazy, it's like a 5 mile run where there is always an idiot to take off and then he runs out of energy after half a mile and gets overlapped by everyone. That idiot is nintendo.

Even if they did drop slightly, theyre still selling more Wiis per month than the PS3 and the 360 combined, as has been the norm for quite a long time by now. Its hardly sane to start planning for its demise.

Although if nintendo should have learned anything from the PS3 launch, its that the hardcore gamers on the net are fickle bitches that need to be catered to constantly. We'll turn on a company in a second, and just like Sony went from loved to hated, the same can happen to nintendo on a dime.

What they screwed up here is not spreading their releases out very well, and not demanding a certain level of 3rd party quality. They shot their load real quick with a bunch of amazing titles, but yesterday's games don't hold the mindshare that tomorrow's does. And not only has there been a severe summer drought, but theres hardly anything of worth coming this xmas season for the hardcore gamer.

And the level of shoveledshitware 3rd parties have been heaping on the Wii has really diluted every brand but the first party games. Its a self-fufilling prophecy in the worst way - theres no point in trying to make a good 3rd party game for the Wii because they don't sell, and they don't sell because no one tries hard enough to make them good or market them well.

But nintendo has had a habit of lately of pulling games out of their magic ass just before release (sluggers and wario), rather than hyping them for several months/years beforehand. I suspect the truth of the matter is that the suits are looking at the situation from a purely pragmatic perspective - we're doing so damn good now, we don't need new hardcore games to completely sell out this xmas.

On the other hand, it still comforts me to know that they take 2-3 years on each title to do it right, and it shows. You'd think a company of their size would be able to do it right AND do it fast.

 

[fr]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
Give us the sequel to Ocarina you bastards!

Majora's Mask?

 

[Blayze]

After E3 this year it doesn't surprise me. The way consoles are being released, and delays in game development the next Mario and Zelda will probably end up on the Wii 2 or whatever it ends up being called.

 

[R Nilla]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: drebo
They just released Zelda and Metroid for the Wii. I believe they also released a Mario Party for the Wii as well.

November 2006 for Zelda is just released? Metroid came out August 2007. Mario Party came out May 2007.

Given how much easier it is to develop games for the Wii than other platforms plus the fact that the Wii Motion Plus is coming out in the Spring, I would have expected more for 2009.

Wow, do people really expect a new Zelda / Metroid / Mario game every 1 to 2 years, plus the resurrection of other franchises along the way? Granted, the sequels seem to be planned pretty far out, but good games take time to develop. Obviously it's clear that these have not necessary been the main focus of Nintendo, though.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: R Nilla

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: drebo
They just released Zelda and Metroid for the Wii. I believe they also released a Mario Party for the Wii as well.

November 2006 for Zelda is just released? Metroid came out August 2007. Mario Party came out May 2007.

Given how much easier it is to develop games for the Wii than other platforms plus the fact that the Wii Motion Plus is coming out in the Spring, I would have expected more for 2009.

Wow, do people really expect a new Zelda / Metroid / Mario game every 1 to 2 years, plus the resurrection of other franchises along the way? Granted, the sequels seem to be planned pretty far out, but good games take time to develop. Obviously it's clear that these have not necessary been the main focus of Nintendo, though.

You disagree with me and then you agree with me? Anyways, no I don't expect these games to be remade every 1 to 2 years but I don't expect it to be 5+ years either given the comparative ease to develop on the Wii. And as mentioned elsewhere, there are other core Nintendo franchises that haven't even been touched on the Wii.

Just look at the upcoming release list for the Wii for the rest of this year, there's Wario Land: Shake it, Wii Music, and Animal Crossing: City Folk from Nintendo. That's it. Wii Music may sell well but it isn't one of the 'core franchises' and Animal Crossing is a solid but still kind of niche-y game. Going into the start of 2009, there's a whole lot of nothing coming from Nintendo unless something gets announced at PAX or TGS.

 

[R Nilla]

Originally posted by: Queasy
You disagree with me and then you agree with me? Anyways, no I don't expect these games to be remade every 1 to 2 years but I don't expect it to be 5+ years either given the comparative ease to develop on the Wii. And as mentioned elsewhere, there are other core Nintendo franchises that haven't even been touched on the Wii.

Just look at the upcoming release list for the Wii for the rest of this year, there's Wario Land: Shake it, Wii Music, and Animal Crossing: City Folk from Nintendo. That's it. Wii Music may sell well but it isn't one of the 'core franchises' and Animal Crossing is a solid but still kind of niche-y game. Going into the start of 2009, there's a whole lot of nothing coming from Nintendo unless something gets announced at PAX or TGS.

I disagree that it has been a long time since Nintendo has released titles for any of their cherished franchises. I also disagree that 3-5 years is an unreasonable time to wait for the next title given the history of these franchises.

But I do agree that these franchises are being neglected to some extent since they are not Nintendo's main focus right now, as they are clearly and openly targeting a broader audience. I also agree that it would be nice to see more titles from their core franchises (Pikmin, Icarus, Star Fox, Kirby, Donkey Kong, etc.) via proper full-fledged console releases.

 

[randay]

magic 8 ball says: "more shovelware for the wii probably definitely"

 

[jdport]

maybe in 2-3 years they'll finally have caught up in production of Wii's so that people can play those games

 

[Eeezee]

OP - So your core franchise games will be ready at about the same time you'll be rolling out the next Nintendo console? Brilliant!

Nintendo is releasing a new console in 1-2 years? This is news to me. Where did you hear that?