Topic: GameCube's Appeal to the Teen Audience

[Matt]

I think that Nintendo has a problem appealing to the average teen audience.

For example, much of thier advertising does not occour on TV-slots and programs aimed at teens.  Also, thier M-rated titles don't get enough publicity and advertisement, and as a result, a loot of teens think the GameCube is a kiddy console, espically compared to Microsoft's Xbox.

In fact, I know a lot of people who look down on the GameCube.  These people were NES, SNES, Game Boy, and even N64 owners.  But this generation, they've gone the way of Microsoft, fully supporting thier Xbox, but dissing the GCN.

Its odd, because it seems like Microsoft is making its Xbox look better by simply getting more informaton and advertising out to the public.

[RickPowers]

Actually, I'd say that Nintendo's appeal problem is largely a function of the typical teen (or anyone, for that matter) wanting to fit in.  GameCube is NOT "kiddy", but that doesn't stop people from branding it like that.  It's small, or purple, so it must be for little kids, right?  Well, only if you THINK so.  There is nothing inherently kiddy about the machine.  Sure, some of Nintendo's games are cartoony or bright, but does that make THEM kiddy?  These same people have no problem watching animated TV shows and movies, but in a game?!  Oh, that's so kiddy!  Please.

Fact is, people just want to fit in, and they'll spurn anything that isn't mainstream or seen as "cool" by their friends.  It's pretty pathetic, but it's a major part of marketing strategy for not just the game industry, but just about every major brand as well.  Clothing, drinks, food ... be the coolest, and you'll get the most sales.

That's really all there is to it.  When people learn not to be swayed by peer pressure and marketing, they'll be much happier consumers.  All that matters in game consoles is how fun the games are (and how many there are).  Unfortunately, the games industry suffers a Catch-22 situation where if the Developers or Publishers fall for that same "kiddy" argument against a console, they won't release games for it.  Less games, means less sales, and the cycle continues.

If anything, THAT is the reason Nintendo needs to work on it's image.  Not because of the public stigma, but the one in the developer/publisher communities.

[RABicle]

You know the other day i was standing around in the local Harvey norman and a 9 year old was trying to tell me (I'm 15) that Gamecube was kiddy and Xbox more 'mature' it was just so funny listening to that come out of such a high pitched voice and a short body. I just stood really close to him and peered down on him. Then he shut up and I walked away.

But really It's Nintendo's fault that the public has this misconception of the system. All the other console have just as many colourful games as the Gamecube.

[Grey Ninja]

I don't think it's Nintendo's fault.  They didn't do this to themselves, and it's not like they have been forgetting about the older gamers.  I am perfectly content with the amount of games on GameCube, and the quality.  I can't afford to keep up as it is.

I don't know what they have to do differently, and I don't know what they should do to fight this, but it just isn't fair.

[dogcow]

In some ways it is Nintendo's fault. They got one Killer mature game this Christmas, what did they do ?? they create some wacky commercial for it, I didn't know how bad it was untill I saw the Metroid Ad for Japan. And look, Metroid Prime doesn't even have their own website yet, what is wrong with that picture, the Japanese Metroid website is already up and running before the game is released. Fusion gets it's own website while Metroid Prime doesn't, even Starfox Adventure gets it's own website? is Prime not big enough for a dedicated website ??

Rick if you have any connection within NOA, please kindly inform them that "they suck".  

[alexzman]

It is largely Nintendo's fault. Mostly in the marketing area. They'll market a game that can be taken as "kiddy" non-stop to spots where teens will obviously be watching. But then for games like Metroid Prime, they'll advertise very sparcely during prime time. Rival companies, most notabley Sony, advertise old games months after there release to keep the game (and the mature content) in the public's eyes. I recall only seeing the Eternal Darkness commericial once or twice around 1am during crude, low brow (and thus (according to Nintendo) the perfect spot to advertise a mature game) programming like Howard Stern. Nintendo is a real sticler about not advertising mature games to younger children. But the fact of the matter is, they will buy the game anyway. So you might as well advertise durting shows that teens will be watching. I've seen Vice City commercials more than a handful of times during shows like The Simpsons and what have you. Also, dogcow has a point, even if voiced odd, that Nintendo is really bad about websites. Getting them up weeks, sometimes months after a games release, after it has slipped from a gamer's radar. Full sites should be up and swinging at least a month a head of time, because that is going to be the time when there is the most attention. The latest NP seems to be hinting that Zelda.com will be up BEFORE The Wind Waker is released, and most likely around the time when pre-orders begin. I certyainly hope this holds true, as Zelda could really help them out.

[Matt]

I think Nintendo needs to bump up the advertising.  They need to advertise MORE than Microsoft and Sony in order to gain an appeal and popularity

[manunited4eva22]

But more is not always better than well placed advertising Matt. Remember the Xbox sponsored random-town-lifeguards? Did that do anything, but waste money? I doubt it. Nintendo needs spots on the big channels, and well frankly hype.

[Kuchakor]

I'm 14 years old and people at my school love the GCN, in fact, I know more people with a GCN than PS2, and only 1 person with an xbox (but he has all three). But I know this is not the same everywhere, even at my church people talk about games coming out on all the 3 "important systems", XBOX, PS2, and PC, and don't even recognize the GCN.  People are too narrowminded about what is cool to play and being mature. Even my own brother, FAMILY, wont give Zelda a chance cause of its "Sucky kiddy 2D graphics that belong on Sesame Street", FAMILY!! Personally, I love Zelda, and.... well.... Sesame Street is on.... later  

[MikeHrusecky]

I received a great question for PGC's Mailbag that relates to this topic. This one will appear in the next Bag with our answers... but I figured I would pose it now for everybody else...

This is not directly an issue of sales, and I'd rather this not turn into a sales thread. There is a bigger point trying to be made:


Xbox's Top 10 Games for December:
1. Splinter Cell       633,337
2. Ghost Recon      262,019
3. Halo                   223,553
4. Mortal Kombat   179,147
5. Mech Assault     174,761
6. Bond: Nightfire   171,133
7. MOH: Frontline   146,216
8. Madden 2003     132,011
9. Unreal Champ.   103,556
10. Tony Hawk  4   103,843

total: 1,983,722 sales (average 198,372 each)

Judging by the titles... the Xbox is clearly focused on the older male audience, nose-on.


GameCube's Top 10 for Dec:
1. Metroid Prime      358,876
2. Mario Party 4       237,369
3. Mario Sunshine    177,409
4. Bond: Nightfire    148,438
5. SSBM                   131,281
6. Animal Crossing   130,321
7. Harry Potter         133,019
8. Resident Evil: 0    111,334
9. Star Fox                 98,899
10. Sonic Mega Col.  119,626

total: 1,646,572 sales (164,657 each average)

Looking at these titles, several demographics (audiences) are being represented. Clearly, Nintendo was correct and honest when they said they would make a platform for everybody.

Here's the question: Judging by the total and average sales, is Nintendo offering a platform for everybody hurting them by possibly making a platform that's not quite good enough for anybody? Think broadly about the market, not personal satisfaction.

Part 2: If you believe it's hurting Nintendo, should they change their strategy to focus on a specific market, and if so, which market? Again, think broadly about the market as if you were in charge of a business, not personal gameplay satisfaction as a fan. i.e. Don't say "mature" just because you're 18.



I think it's an interesting point. As far as the top 10 games go, this gives Xbox roughly a 20% sales lead for that month. Then again, there are more Xboxes out there than GameCubes (in the U.S.), so that can effect software sales. However, having fewer console sales ITSELF should account for something as well.

Making a platform for everybody may have resulted in creating a platform that's not good enough for anybody, broadly speaking, thus less than stellar sales overall. If someone is interested in mature titles, the GameCube is not a great choice. There are some great games out, but they are only a fraction of all games available, and not enough to feed that hunger on a regular basis. As great as Metroid Prime is, it's not going to hold someone over for X months until a MP killer comes along. This could hurt Nintendo in grabbing buyers.

Another issue I think is not being considered is Nintendo's overall business strategy. Nintendo makes a platform for themselves first. They have very specific ideals that go into the platform's creation.  3rd parties can join in if they want. If you are banging out grade A titles like a Metroid Prime or a Zelda or a Mario... there is bound to be tough competition for 3rd parties, resulting in fewer sales for them, while Nintendo's own sales remain satisfactory. Note that 6 of the 10 games are 1st and 2nd party games (and 4 of the top 5).

I'm throwing this one to the wolves. Chew on it as you will.  

[BlkPaladin]

I agree with what you said. Microsoft targets a certian demographic. (College Student, Tech Savvy) This demographic by and far has a large amount of expendible money. Nintendo by marketing itself to everyone basically apeels to those with families, younger audiences, and die hard fans, and many of these don't have the income to blow on a system and games as much as the students do.

Some may come hearing that it has good games on it. Thinking that it will feed their urge for a certin genre and third party needs, and that it would be cool. I can't tell you how many threads I have went through were these whined about getting a gamecube because it didn't fit their needs as a gamer.  

But not all is "lost" as some put it. Nintendo advertises in places were these "mature" potential customers reside. I just read today in thread on a different forum that Nintendo is running a Zelda ad in the recent Playboy.

[Red]

How large can the pre-teen market really be? When I was younger I always negotiated my Christmas and Birthday presents and got mabye two games a year. You couildn't rent games back then either, we had to swap with our friends, on my NES I had Mario/Duckhunt and Ninja Gaiden. Now I'm 22, finished Uni, and have a good job I can buy as many games as I want and I do. If Nintendo was more concerned with their long term position they could have had Metroid and Zelda out in all regions for Christmas. You don't have to finish a game before you begin localisation. But instead I'll be waiting until April and May to play Metroid and Zelda. By that time I'll have paid of all the debt I accumulated moving towns after finishing Uni and I'll have probably given up and brought another system.  

[BlkPaladin]

Nintendo accually probally has the best marketing tactic out their. The problem is that it will take a while for it to come the fruition. Remember about that post with the 8/9 year old saying the Xbox is mature. These are the ones who will have to get a Gameboy SP when it comes out because it will be "cool" and "sleek". And the 8/9 year olds of today become the console buyers of tomorrow. The problem comes in when it fans want results now. And that is not going to happen. It will take more than one generation to clean up the "mess" of coolness they go into with the N64.

[Perfect Cell]

Fact is gamers today are not the gamers of the SNES era. Gaming is mainstream now when it was shunned upon back then. In the SNES era, Mature gory titles were few and caused  controversy like MK1 wich got censored in the SNES version. Now a days the gamers dont want great gameplay, they want Sex and Violence in their games. If nintendo is serious in being a major player and not bowing out they have to change their whole idea. They need new marketting and they need to spend more money in advertisements. They need to make more mature games. Eternal Darkness and Metroid were a start, but they need more of this. One of the reasons Eternal Darkness sold so poorly IMHO was because Nintendo treted it like the uggly duckling. I only remember seing 2 comercials of it and they were really bad... They need to target the Mature audience. They also need to get third party software faster. Its pathetic that we dont have Hitman 2 yet.... When it comes out it wont sell as well since its been on the market for a while.  I dont want the makers of Hitman to whine about sales. Finally they need to stop this exodus of third parties. Visual Concepts, EA Sports and now supposidly Infogrames have spoken against the Cube. Gamers read this and they think the Gamecube is leaving the console buisness. They need to plug that hole quickly.

[Odin]

Well...... the way other people see Nintendo, is that Nintendo is kiddy. I took my Gamecube to some college apartments the other day, and it was amazing at the response I got about it. Everyone said it sucked...... until I showed them RE, RE0, MP, SFA, Mario Sunshine, ED. Everyone one of them was floored. They never heard of any of them. All they talk about is PS2 this, Xbox that.

[adamhap]

Intec's products will include Action Replay bonus discs with codes, game saves, and more.

DATEL AND INTEC INK STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP  

 

Insures Rapid Expansion of Action Replay Brand and Product Line

 

Clearwater, Florida, February 4, 2003 – Datel Electronics, LTD, the leader developer and publisher of game enhancement products for all gaming formats, and Intec, Inc., a leading manufacturer of video game accessories, announced today that they have formed a strategic sales and marketing partnership.

 

The agreement allows Intec, Inc. to include specialized Action Replay sampler disks that contain select cheat codes, game saves and other unique content in with their broad line of gaming peripherals and value added bundles.  Additionally, Intec will have rights to distribute Datel’s Action Replay product line to a select number of retailers and distributors throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.  

 

“The decision to publish our own line of game enhancement products affords Datel the opportunity to form strategic partnerships that will most effectively establish brand identity and increase market penetration,” says Ken Tarolla, Datel Design’s Senior Vice President.  â€śIntec shares our vision and commitment to provide the product breadth and innovation necessary to compliment the power of today’s videogame technology.”  

 

Datel’s product line includes the much anticipated Action Replay for GameCube®, as well as a full line of Action Replay branded game enhancers and peripherals for PlayStation®2, X-box®, PSone® and GameBoy® Advance.  

 

"We are extremely excited about this great opportunity to partner with a company that has been the dominant force in the technology of video game software enhancement as well as unique gaming peripherals,” states Kevin Resnick, Intec’s Sr. Vice President of Sales.  â€śOur accessories reach tens of thousands of gamers and now we can offer them even more value and enjoyment by including the highly sought after content that Datel and Action Replay offers.”  

 

The agreement goes into effect immediately and Intec plans to be shipping Action Replay products to its customer base in February.

 

Datel Design and Development, Inc., located in Clearwater, FL, is the North American sales, marketing and distribution arm for Datel Electronics, LTD, makers of Action Replay.  Visit www.codejunkies.com for more in depth information about their products and to get the latest Action Replay codes and gaming news.  

 

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Intec, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of cross-platform video game accessories, offering an impressive assortment of controllers, game screens, sound systems, memory cards, racing wheels, cables and accessories for GameBoy® Advance, GameBoy® Advance SP, GameCube®, PlayStation®, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Intec has the broadest line of gaming accessories with 59 patents (issued or pending) to enhance and maximize the gaming experience. For more information on Intec’s vast product line, visit www.inteclink.com.

[Perfect Cell]

Nintendo would be very smart to aquire another exclusive franchise like they did with Resident Evil. In my opinion aquiring them helpred alot to change its image. Both the developers behind Medal of Honor and the guys making Legacy of Kain 2 said in interviews that Nintendo aquiring Resident Evil helped them change their mind when it came to the Cube. Konamis support hasnt been great at all, how bout sending cash their way for the Castlevania franchise? Especially since all the recent Castlevanias have been made on the GBA, Konami could make them conect to the GCN

[Toolvana]

15 million GBAs last year wasn't enough, so Nintendo wants to go for 20 million next year.

After unvieling the Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo has made some agressive sales goals for its flagship handheld unit.  Here's a few snippets from the Reuters story:

Nintendo aims to sell two million of its new GameBoy Advance SPs, which feature rechargeable batteries and a brightly lit screen, in the first six weeks after their February 14 launch, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told a news conference.  

It plan to sell 20 million GameBoy Advance machines globally in the next business year, up from its target of 15 million this year.

For the rest of the story, as well as a look at a possible serious contender to Nintendo's handheld dominance, click here.

[Perfect Cell]

Wario Ware, Inc. of Japan is open for business.

Nintendo of America recently published a list of games for 2003 which included a few surprises—one of the bigger ones being Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ for Game Boy Advance.  Left undisclosed for three weeks, Nintendo has finally posted the beginnings of its Japanese web page for this unexpected Game Boy Player launch title, known as Made in Wario overseas.

Currently the site sports a movie of the intro sequence and little else, and since the footage doesn’t really touch on the gameplay itself, we thought we’d share what little we’ve uncovered about the title.  Wario Ware is a collection of simple, ultra-quick, quirky and VERY Japanese mini-games for the GBA—the sorts of games you might find on, say, a cell phone.  Wario’s zany attitude will no doubt contribute to the package, but it isn’t really a Wario game.  Exactly what mini-games the cart will contain is still a mystery.

Wario Ware comes out in North America right alongside the Game Boy Player on May 26th.  

[nolimit19]

well to add to this thread, my roommate this year who made fun of me last year for my purchase of a gamecube made a very interesting comment today. some guy who was just kidding said gamecube sucks because it cant play dvd's. my room mate(who is 19) then replied, that is the gamecubes only down fall, besides that i think it is the best console.......i was shocked. this is the same kid who said "why did u get a gamecube?" it was one of the most suprising things i had seen in a while. this just goes to prove that the glass ceiling, or what ever nintendo has imposed on itself, can be broken. if they make the games the gamers will respond. its as simple as that. the thing nintendo needs is word of mouth. thats what got my room mate to respect nintendo. they seriously need to just pay 1 big star to endorse the cube. there were those nelly rumors a couple weeks ago. if nintendo could get someone like that, or kobe bryant or some huge icon that many people love, that could be a huge turning point. even some really hot girl. maybe christina agulara. didnt nintendo not spend a quarter of a billion dollars on advertising last year??? just have a star sign a 20 million dollar contract for 10 years or something. its a really good investment and i believe at this point it is the best way to get attention to one of their comercials. and people would become so familiar with these advertisements, that they would just see the guy and think its a nintendo comercial. nintendo can get back some of the market share, they just need an idea.

[Matt]

er...well it's now official.  So is the Players Choice line-up, and a price drop on the Super Mario Sunshine Bundle Pak.  

Nintendo GameCube -- the Player's Choice!

Special Retail Offers:  Free Hit Game With Purchase of a Nintendo GameCube;

Nintendo GameCube Software Favorites See New Lower Price

REDMOND, Wash.--Feb. 6, 2003--Beginning February 9, some of the best video games of the current Nintendo generation will be more affordable than ever.

With the purchase of a Nintendo GameCube(TM) system, at a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $149.95, Nintendo of America Inc. is offering consumers their choice of one of the following hit games for free -- Metroid(R) Prime (2002 Game of the Year*), Star Fox(R) Adventures, Mario Party(R) 4 or Capcom's Resident Evil(R) 0 -- at participating retailers.

In addition, the Super Mario(TM) Sunshine Bundle Pak, which includes a copy of the Super Mario(TM) Sunshine game, Nintendo GameCube system and Memory Card 59, which was previously $189.95, will be priced at $159.95.

Finally, continuing its prestigious "Player's Choice" program, the MSRP for Luigi's Mansion(TM), Pikmin(TM), Super Smash Bros.(R) Melee, and other classic Nintendo GameCube titles, originally priced at $49.95, will drop to $29.95.

"These three offers are about giving players what they want -- great entertainment at a great value," says George Harrison, senior vice president, marketing and corporate communications, Nintendo of America Inc. "For less than $150, players will find a world of quality only available with Nintendo."

[Perfect Cell]

Quote
Originally posted by: Matt
But seriously, Nintendo must do more to break the kiddy image to the casual gamer.

Of course, weve established that already The question is What will nintendo do to break the kiddy image and when will they do it.

[Matt]

They need to get developers of mature titles to keep working with the GameCube.

They also should try spending more money, buy exclusives and franchises and such like Microsoft has.

And, advertising.  They need to advertise more.  Today, I've seen no GCN commercials on TV, but three for the Xbox... Nintendo needs to OUTPERFORM Microsoft with advertising.

[dogcow]

I have confidence is Nintendo trying to get away from the Kiddy image, and Gameboy Advance SP shows that. although they are on top of the game already, they really don't need to do it, but still they created a cooler looking device to appeal to the older audience.

The problem is not in NCL, the problem is with NOA ..

[Matt]

No, the problem is with BOTH of them.