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Nintendo May Start Selling 'Computer Software' (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the rumors-and-speculation dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Nintendo's most recent fiscal-year disclosure made headlines for announcing a release window for the new "Nintendo NX" console and yet another Zelda game delay, but it also included news of serious corporate restructuring. The short version: Nintendo will soon involve a supervisory committee in making top-level executive decisions. A Tuesday announcement included the company's amended articles of incorporation, expected to be approved by shareholders this June, and it included three new entries in its "business engagement" list: restaurants, medical and health devices, and "computer software." The choice of adding "computer software" to that list, on the other hand, seems particularly curious -- especially since Nintendo's existing list of engaged businesses includes terms that sound very much like computer software, particularly the broad term of "contents such as games, images, and music." That list also revised an entry that used to say that the company would license the "use or reproduction of copyrighted works" and "trademarks." Now, Nintendo will license its "intellectual property rights." That shift to the term "intellectual property" includes copyrighted works and trademarks in an umbrella that also may include such Nintendo-owned concepts as patents.

6 of 74 comments (clear)

  1. Ridiculous... by pushing-robot · · Score: 4, Funny

    What will they release next, a family computer?

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    1. Re:Ridiculous... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      With the success of things like Hearthstone it's more likely you'll see a cross-platform pokemon CCG or something along those lines. Think outside of Mario/Zelda/Pokemon for merchandise and collectibles as well, look how successful Skylanders was (so much so it shocked it's own creators) by simply making the collectable experience more interactive for kids.

      Nintendo wants to stay relevant. They're facing increased console competition, outside competition (console and console game sales continue to decline) and ever increasing console requirements (for resolution and FPS, trending open world gaming, and up and incoming VR). Is it any wonder they're looking to branch out?

    2. Re:Ridiculous... by blankinthefill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You laugh, but I have five words for you: Pokemon MMO Game. You think Warcraft had an inbuilt fanbase? A decent Pokemon MMO would blow WoW's opening year out of the water, and a GOOD Pokemon MMO would dethrone WoW as the most successful MMO of all time, easily. And of the many many games out there, the Pokemon universe and game play translates the very best to an MMO.

  2. Nintendo's business plan: kill cash cows w/ Wii U by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2

    >> People love Starfox 64

    Great, let's remake the exact same story for the Wii U so it's boring but now we'll incorporate the touchscreen to make it nearly impossible to play and kill off the franchise!

    >> People love Zelda

    Ain't nobody got time for that. Let's skip a generation and see if people will forget about Link!

  3. Re: Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Funny.
    More expensive must be some slang term to you that just means whatever you need it to mean to make a point for you.
    Meanwhile I've spent under $1200 to game on PC for over 15 years. Adding up the price of just the Xboxes that came out in that time is more. Same with Playstations. Consoles are a hassle, you upgrade by buying a whole new system and you lose your games when the old one breaks. If my computer breaks, I replace one part not the whole thing.
    And, the games I play with a controller on PC support controllers natively. And the games that don't are better with a mouse. Come up with a complaint that hasn't been solved for a decade.
    All those complaints you have aren't about PC being a bad platform, it's just that you play shit games from shit companies who can't be bothered to make controllers work for instance.

  4. Computer software eh? by Z80a · · Score: 2

    "Nintendo announces today the release of Nintendo Office"