Topic: Nintendo making mini-games for smartphones

[Adrock]

Nintendo making mini-games for smartphones: Nikkei

Posting this since I haven't seen it posted here yet.

Two things:

1. The games are free
2. Nintendo is using them to advertise their games and hopefully drive people to Wii U and 3DS

I'd prefer Nintendo didn't feel they need to do this, but it's not the worst idea as long as the games remain free so they can force ads onto people. I don't think they should use Mario, Zelda etc. in these games, but they're probably going to.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I can see something like Elite Beat Agents, a 3 level FTP mini-demo-game thing working.

But I never thought they would have caved... but Iwata seems very intent on pleasing the shareholders and holding onto his seat as GLOBAL CEO OF ALL THINGS NINTENDO, so I guess a little reach around needed to be done to get them to settle down for a little bit.

[Adrock]

It makes sense from a marketing standpoint. And it seemed like Nintendo was going to get here eventually with Miiverse announced and Pokedex released on iOS and Android. They're still resisting making full-fledged mobile games that are meant to be more than gateway drugs. Going that route wouldn't make sense at all.

[Oblivion]

The title of this thread should be changed to, "TENDOBOY WAS FUCKING RIGHT".


Also, I greatly apologize to you, Tendoboy, for being an ass to you when, in fact, you were completely fucking correct.

[Adrock]

Not exactly. He suggested Nintendo charge $5 for a collection of like 10 mini-games. The only thing we know about these games is that they're free. Nikkei also apparently reports that people can purchase a full-version on Nintendo hardware which raises a few eyebrows. First, that sounds like a demo. Second, that sounds like a demo that could possibly play differently on Nintendo's resistive touchscreens. Third, if it's a demo, you likely get one per download. Actually, that doesn't really sound like tendoboy's idea besides the mini-games on mobile platforms thing.

It seems like Nintendo is making this abundantly clear that if you want the full experience of Nintendo games, you'll have to get it the real thing on their hardware. As they should.

[broodwars]

I can't see the investors being too thrilled with this move. They want to make money off the mobile market, not throw money at developing content to maybe entice people used to $.99 downloads to plunk down $40-$60 for real games on completely different platforms.  Plus, honestly it comes off as kind of condescending to the casual audience: "Well, your platform isn't good enough for actual Nintendo games and we want as little to do with you as possible, so here's some shovelware to get you to buy the real stuff! Losers."

I dunno...if it works, fine. Many other companies put out these little freebie games to hype their full games elsewhere, like Sony with that Knack mini-game a few months back, so it's certainly not unprecedented. I'm just not sold on the idea that it actually works in the grand scheme of things, and I just can't see the investors getting behind throwing money away on a gamble like that, not after Nintendo's already lost so much money over the past few years.

[MagicCow64]

I can't see the investors being too thrilled with this move. They want to make money off the mobile market, not throw money at developing content to maybe entice people used to $.99 downloads to plunk down $40-$60 for real games on completely different platforms.  Plus, honestly it comes off as kind of condescending to the casual audience: "Well, your platform isn't good enough for actual Nintendo games and we want as little to do with you as possible, so here's some shovelware to get you to buy the real stuff! Losers."

I dunno...if it works, fine. Many other companies put out these little freebie games to hype their full games elsewhere, like Sony with that Knack mini-game a few months back, so it's certainly not unprecedented. I'm just not sold on the idea that it actually works in the grand scheme of things, and I just can't see the investors getting behind throwing money away on a gamble like that, not after Nintendo's already lost so much money over the past few years.

Yeah, this definitely reads to me as a half-measure designed to placate investors and analysts. Which probably won't work. This feels like the failed logic of Nintendoland writ small. I mean, is a Mario endless runner or somesuch really going to get people interested in a fully articulated platformer? It's not like Nintendo characters are so cool and magnetic that it's going to get new users hooked, nor is there any narrative world to expose people to, unlike say the Assassin's Creed spin-off stuff. Nintendo still has nostalgia hooks, but if anything that might work against them in a mobile space. Potential customers could be like "I also like Sonic but I can actually download and play a full Sonic game on my phone."

[pokepal148]

They can't really do much more without running the risk of poisoning the 3DS as a system. Outside of some minigame type deal similar to Pokemon dream radar which can interact with the main game while providing it's own experience I don't see much coming out of this. We may see some cool little cross play thing though where doing something in these little phone things will unlock something in the main game.

Realistically though I don't see this doing much more then shutting up the investors for a few hours.

[NWR_insanolord]

Nintendo's business model revolves pretty much entirely around selling people hardware, and, especially recently, the main thing drawing people to Nintendo hardware is Nintendo software. Nintendo's kind of in a no-win scenario here, where their investors will crucify them if they don't make some kind of inroads into the mobile market, while anything more than the slightest effort could do irrevocable long term damage to the company.

The best case scenario here is that this has basically no effect beyond placating the shareholders, or maybe a bit of increased brand awareness. If people get the impression that Nintendo's going to put anything even remotely resembling actual support behind this, that's the ballgame, Nintendo's all but dead in its current form.

[broodwars]

Nintendo's business model revolves pretty much entirely around selling people hardware, and, especially recently, the main thing drawing people to Nintendo hardware is Nintendo software. Nintendo's kind of in a no-win scenario here, where their investors will crucify them if they don't make some kind of inroads into the mobile market, while anything more than the slightest effort could do irrevocable long term damage to the company.

The best case scenario here is that this has basically no effect beyond placating the shareholders, or maybe a bit of increased brand awareness. If people get the impression that Nintendo's going to put anything even remotely resembling actual support behind this, that's the ballgame, Nintendo's all but dead in its current form.

Do we have any idea how much it would cost Nintendo to buy all the public shares and go private again? If the heads over at Nintendo truly thought that the investors were leading them down the path of ruin, you'd almost think that would be a necessary expense.  Otherwise, Nintendo has an obligation to its shareholders that it hasn't been meeting for several years now, and that's the bed they made when they went public so I have little pity for them.

[Nile Boogie Returns]

I just thought this was an Official Nintendo App and nothing more. If it's just that, then sure why not.

[Adrock]

I think Iwata mentioned using mobile devices as a way of marketing Nintendo games as far back as 2012, reiterating that Nintendo doesn't believe smart devices are good gaming platforms. I get the impression that Nintendo felt forced to announce this sooner than they wanted to, but really, if this goes back almost a year and a half, what the hell was taking so long? Timeliness is something Nintendo has always struggled with. Ensuring a better product is fine, but have a sense of urgency for ****'s sake.

The example Iwata used when this was originally brought up was people watching Nintendo Direct presentations on smartphones and tablets. That sounds nice until you consider how much data that would use. Being at home or at a wifi hotspot alleviates this, but also defeats the purpose of reaching people on a mobile device they carry everywhere. Maybe if Nintendo offered the presentation a la carte, splitting it into like two to three minute clips.

Ultimately, I'm not sure this works either. It's just better than racing to the bottom by offering $0.99 games. Nintendo still has to get people to download the app(s) which is the same problem they're facing on Wii U. If they had something that resonated with more than just Nintendo fans, they wouldn't be in this position to begin with.

[Shaymin]

If the budget for this is no larger than a rounding error in the marketing budget, this should be fine. Hopefully it ties in a web-based eShop that's a little more... shall we say, CONSISTENT than the comparable PSN app.

[Adrock]

Nintendo denies smartphone software rumor, says it has 'no plans' to offer mini-games on rival hardware

This is weird. Nintendo usually takes the stance that they "do not comment on rumors or speculation." If this does happen, it wouldn't be the first time Nintendo denied a rumor only for it to become true shortly after. Also, Nintendo specifically denied the mini-game part so that could be out while the marketing part is still in. We know a Miiverse app is definitely coming. A Nintendo Direct app of some kind is likely considering Iwata specifically mentioned it before. Whatever it is, it could just be a way for Nintendo to reach people more directly with news, images, and trailers on their smart things.

[ShyGuy]

Games you could demo/sample on a smart phone:

Warioware

Brain Training

Nintendogs

anything else? Fire Emblem?

[BlackNMild2k1]

Elite beat agents

That game that had Beyonce in the commercials.


But I really doubt Nintendo would make cell phone/android/ios games or demos, even if I do see the logic behind maybe a universal Virtual Console app.

An eShop app would provide videos of games, but not actual playable demos of games.
Some games may fit the format, but demos are hardly Nintendo's style even if they are trying to do them more often.

[Ian Sane]

There is no reason that a demo could not be on non-Nintendo systems.  Obviously you have to create some sort of port to get it working on other hardware but a demo of a great game that can be played on a phone or PC would encourage someone to buy the Nintendo system that contains the full game.  Nintendo has always been very conservative with demos and it seems to stem from an assumption that people will just stick with the demo and not buy the full game.  I think that's idiotic because I know I've bought games that were not on my radar entirely because I was thrilled with the demo.  I have also been turned off of games from a demo but Nintendo should have enough confidence in their own product to not be concerned with that.  If your game is so bad that the demo turns people off or is so uninteresting that people feel satisfied with just the demo, well you need to make a better game.  Of course I don't know if any accurate demo would be feasible, certainly not for Wii U games anyway.

I don't want Nintendo to jump in on mobile games mostly because I figure it will result in shitty products.  I don't want them to go broke on such a venture and I also don't want them to succeed in that way as I figure it will just encourage them to be a crappy phone game company.  Though if their big reaction to the Wii U's failure is to put little videos on phones I don't think that will accomplish a damn thing.  A lack of promotion is not the cause of the Wii U's problems.  It is a lack of games and the games that do come out coming across as out-dated and unoriginal.  They need their console to be a better product before any marketing will save it.

[BlackNMild2k1]

If Nintendo does start making "software" for cellphones, it will be stupid **** like screensavers, backgrounds, calendars, alarm clocks, skins, Mii Maker (?) and video apps. It will all be stuff to raise awareness of Nintendo products, alot of the same stuff they should or already have made for their own products.

They could make demos, but cellphones don't really translate the controls very well, and Nintendo don't do multi-touch.

But besides the above novelties and an eShop app, I don't see Nintendo providing much more to the mobile market regardless of how much the investors whine and complain about it.

[Stratos]

Depends on how big the shareholders are who whine.


But I think they should have a Miiverse app for phones. Allow you to connect when away from your Nintendo devices.

[BlackNMild2k1]

yes, and a Miiverse app. I forgot that.

A Miiverse App, a Mii Maker App and an eShop app are 3 things Nintendo should already have on mobile devices.
A Pokedex app, pedometer/Streetpass app and a Nintendo Video App (game preview/review videos, game tip videos, Nintendo related cartoons shorts, Nintendo Directs, and other misc Nintendo sponsored content) are all things that should also be done for mobile phones too.

Demo's and Mini-games is just something I see as very unlikely, more-so demo's than mini-games, but game development for hardware Nintendo didn't sell is a siphon of much needed resources that should be supporting the starved hardware they already have. If they couldn't put them there first, then they should waste time making them for the mobile phone crowd too.


edit:

If they are going to bring any games to the mobile phone market, or to any hardware that isn't Nintendo's, then that should be a universal Virtual Console, as that may actual get Nintendo to give a **** about it and release all those old/classic/forgotten games to the service. Might make it profitable to extend it to the PC and mobile phones, even if not all games can be played on all hardware (such as games above NES level controls may be a little difficult to remap to a touch screen, but they should all be playable on your PC app) w/o an add on attachable bluetooth controller, that will allow Nintendo to stay in the hardware game while also finding a meaningful way to support mobile platforms.

[Mop it up]

So I'm a bit confused. Is this a rumour that was (mistakenly) reported as fact? (I don't mean by Adrock, but by the site in the link.)

[BlackNMild2k1]

So I'm a bit confused. Is this a rumour that was (mistakenly) reported as fact? (I don't mean by Adrock, but by the site in the link.)

Nikkei is usually pretty on the point, but occasionally gets things wrong.
Or maybe Nintendo is trying to cover their ass by denying an extremely pre-mature announcement for something that is not actually underway yet.

[ShyGuy]

perhaps its the phrasing. Mini Games implies something like Carnival Games. Maybe they are calling them demoes or entry samples or something.

[Stratos]

By mini games I think those flash games you can play on food, cereal or movie websites that are cheap time wasters to get someone's kids interested in the main product.

[nickmitch]

I'm thinking this could lead to what iAds were supposed to be like.  Remember those?  Some ads were pages ripped from the AppStore, others felt like they could be full apps.  I'm thinking Nintendo starts advertising on phones like that.