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Nintendo President: Our Future Is As an 'Entertainment' Company (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime appeared at Seattle's Geekwire Summit on Wednesday to speak broadly about the company's future, and, while the talk didn't include new product reveals, it proved illuminating about what to expect from the big N in the future. The short version: Nintendo would rather be defined as an "entertainment" company, not a gaming one. Fils-Aime says the company currently has three "pieces of business": a dedicated video game business ("the way most of our consumers interact with us"), a mobile gaming business, and "leveraging our intellectual property (IP) in a variety of ways." The latter includes previously announced plans for a Universal Studios attraction in Osaka, Japan (still slated to open ahead of Tokyo's next Olympics hosting run in 2020) and a Super Mario film produced by Illumination Entertainment (Minions, Despicable Me). When asked about Nintendo's future focus on a company-wide level, Fils-Aime said: "It's about Mario, Zelda, Pokemon -- all these wonderful intellectual properties. How we leverage these across a variety of entertainment platforms is how we're looking to grow the company."
He went on to say that he doesn't see Xbox and PlayStation as competitors. Ars reports: "He counted the exact number of minutes per day and said that outside of the time a consumer spends eating, sleeping, working, and going to school, 'all of the rest of that time is entertainment time. That's what I compete for, minute by minute. That time you spend surfing the Web, watching a movie, watching a telecast of a conference: that's all entertainment time we're competing for. My competitive set is much bigger than my direct competitors in Sony and Microsoft. I compete for time. When I do that, I have to be creative and innovative in order to win that battle.'"
He went on to say that he doesn't see Xbox and PlayStation as competitors. Ars reports: "He counted the exact number of minutes per day and said that outside of the time a consumer spends eating, sleeping, working, and going to school, 'all of the rest of that time is entertainment time. That's what I compete for, minute by minute. That time you spend surfing the Web, watching a movie, watching a telecast of a conference: that's all entertainment time we're competing for. My competitive set is much bigger than my direct competitors in Sony and Microsoft. I compete for time. When I do that, I have to be creative and innovative in order to win that battle.'"
What about Metroid, you insensitive clod?
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I'm two generations behind on Nintendo consoles. I skipped the WIIU and the switch, because I wanted more than the latest Legends of Pokemon games.
Nintendo should just give up on console hardware, and port to PS and Xbox, and make some nice controllers...
The internet doesn't want to hear this stuff, Nintendo, when you haven't even commented yet on the great job we did with Bowsette.
This is Nintendo announcing their future plans to run the company into the ground.
It's OK though. All good things come to an end, and you really can't keep running the company like it's still the 90s.
If I wanted to transition more to an entertainment company, one of the first things I'd do is start working with Netflix and Amazon to get their streaming apps on the Switch. It's basically a portable tablet that also doubles as a game console. Yes, phones/phablets/tablets, even plenty of TVs, can replicate these features, but none really have the gaming experience like on the Switch, and what does it really hurt Nintendo to have the apps available for the Switch? I might also approach the Kodi devs and work with them to get a port of Kodi to the Switch.
I would also work with Netflix and Amazon to come up with a few cartoons based on properties like Mario and Zelda, similar to the Transformers and Ninja Turtles cartoons over the years, or Netflix's Stretch Armstrong series. I think there would be quite a lot of interest in a high quality Zelda cartoon. Maybe Metroid as well. They could even revive something like the old Captain N show where they could showcase different games in every episode. Netflix is apparently looking to get into "choose your own adventure" style shows, so you could even make brand new Zelda or Metroid games kind of like the Telltale games.
Just a few of the things that I would do, if it were my decision.
Or can I mirror your "business", and "pay" with my "financial property"?
You know, just like you want money for giving me a *copy* of the information that resulted from your hard work,
I want work for giving you a *copy* of the $100 bills that resulted from my hard work.
No?
But I worked hard for that money, you thieves!! You pirates!! You criminals!
Because it's a worthless copy?
Worthless?? It is financial property! I worked for it, you should be working for it! How dare you!
You only need to pay 0.0005 cent's worth for for a copy of my $100 anyway! It's not like you have to work for a whole $100!
But I have an infinite amount of copies, making them worthless, yet I demand 0.0005 cent's worth of work *every* time??
But that's exactly what you do! So: Is it OK, or is it not OK?
Because if it's not, then your "intellectual property" crime scheme is just as much not OK!
And if it is, then here are 120,000 copies of my $100 bill in exchange for a copy of your $60 game data.
Hint: It's not, and fuck you.
a Super Mario film produced by Illumination Entertainment (Minions, Despicable Me).
Why not Sony? Ha!
Better known as 318230.
Well if that's your concern, simple solution, put a web browser and Netflix and Youtube on Switch, problem solved. You stupid stupid overpaid mouthpiece of a man.
With a name like that you know he's going to fuck you!
Japanese game companies are always trying to branch out into multi-media. They've always been a little worried folks will give up on games. And games don't have the same allure as working on movies or even TV.
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I compete for time
We all know time is money.
It's about Mario, Zelda, Pokemon -- all these wonderful intellectual properties. How we leverage these across a variety of entertainment platforms is how we're looking to grow the company.
In other words:
Our hardware is generations out of date, our continuously rehashed games are tired, we've run out of gimmicks and we still treat everyone, developers and users alike, like shit.
"The people kicking our asses aren't our competitors! And I'm not just saying that because they are kicking our asses."
Where is my,
Zelda, Metroid, Mario, Castlevaina, Megaman, live action, really invested films?
The NCU?
Rather pay for gaming related servicesservices, not random business ventures.
Yes, teachers and information as a whole, is worthless
I always thought Nintendo EOLed the Wii and the Wii network services way too quickly. What would it have cost to keep Wii News, Wii Weather, along with the multi-player gaming, web browsing, movies etc. going on all those platforms? They were in so many households. A backward compatible Wii+ with just an HDMI port and a speed bump would have sold better than the Wii U (and even have sold fine as a complementary product along side the Wii U).
> a Super Mario film produced by Illumination Entertainment
Instead, how about you STOP with the fucking retarded copyright claims against "Let's Play" (YouTube) videos who are providing FREE ADVERTISING for your IP.
You mean their underpowered, PLASTIC screen portable that was obsolete before it was released?
You know most people play game for the fun those procure, not for number of MHz that a peculiar CPU in the device has.
Since somewhere in the 90s when technical limitation stopped being to extreme for 2D and somewhere since the 00s when 3D quality was enough to not limit expression, the raw perf of hardware don't matter that much.
What matter is the quality of the games.
And Nintendo is a big enough brand to manage to attract a good number of developers. Thus ensuring to have a decent ecosystem of quality games that most people will want to play.
No matter what the specs of the actual hardware are.
There might be better tablet with more powerful hardware, but these might not have the games people want to play.
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
Nintendo is an "entertainment" company? That's certainly a radical departure for them, I'll bet their President gets an enormous bonus this year!
Such vision. Much courage. Deep thinking!
Must have taken multiple executive retreats to exclusive spa resorts to think that one up!
The people kicking our asses
Yet it's funny how Nintendo consistently outperform the people kicking their arses, almost like their arses aren't being kicked.
They do? When? I think you imagined this in a crack dream.