Nintendo Strategy Briefing

GalacticPetey

GalacticPetey

Donkey Kong
Here's some info about a meeting Iwata is holding right now. Interesting stuff.

Here's the live blog: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/01/29/live-nintendos-strategy-briefing-to-address-future-direction/

President Iwata apologizes for the big cut in its full-year guidance, bows for three seconds. But he says he’s not pessimistic about the game console outlook. And there is no change to game console being the center of its strategy. He insists the company will not be abandoning its hardware business.
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President Iwata says he needs to revamp its marketing for this year’s holiday season. Putting priority on making software that make most of Wii U game pad capabilities. Says he will fully utilize NFC function and says the company has overcome technological hurdles to making virtual consoles.
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And here’s some good news: Nintendo is launching Mario Kart 8 in May. Mr. Iwata says he’ll make sure this won’t be just a one-off boost in momentum.
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The key question is how is Nintendo going to take advantage of the rise in smartphones and tablets? Investors have long called for its titles to be released on non-Nintendo platforms. Mr. Iwata says Nintendo will “actively” use smart devices to “make connections with customers.” That is, they’ll use smart devices as a catalyst to encourage customers to use its Nintendo platforms. Short answer, he’s not going to release Nintendo’s titles on other platforms.
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Investors may not be feeling the presentation. Nintendo’s shares turn down on the Tokyo bourse.
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Nintendo may not be releasing its popular franchise on other platforms, but Mr. Iwata says the company will license Nintendo game character rights to new partners.
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What’s Mr. Iwata going to focus on for the next 10 years? The main theme: enhancing the quality of life through entertainment. The key word is health, Mr. Iwata says. Citing a flood of wearable devices already on the market, he says Nintendo is trying out something completely new: non-wearables to monitor your health.
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For those of you wondering what non-wearables are, Nintendo will unveil the details of its new business during 2014 and launch it for the fiscal year through March 2016. Mr. Iwata’s speech is now over. And now the Q&A session is starting.
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Okasan Securities analyst is asking for details on the new service apps for smart devices and on capital spending plans. To that question, Mr. Iwata says he’s not aiming for short term revenue boost but the service app is aimed at building a bridge with customers and bringing more information on Nintendo. But he admits it’s hard for people to use the apps on a regular basis if it’s just for marketing purpose.
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Mr. Iwata says the big boost in capital spending plan is for Nintendo to tackle areas that it’s not good with. So where is Nintendo’s soft spot? That’s a secret, Mr. Iwata says with a grin.
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Answering another analyst’s question on how the company plans to return to profitability, Mr. Iwata says the DS will be the main driver for profit for the next fiscal year and the firm will focus on more efficient marketing. Expectations also high for two popular games lined up: Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros.
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The ire of investors may be growing. Nintendo’s stock is now off 4%, worse than a 3.2% fall in the benchmark Nikkei Stock Average.
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To another question that was a bit too long to recap here, Mr. Iwata says he’s never considered quitting. “My conviction and passion have not been shaken,” he says, though adding he took the pay cut because he did feel he does need to take responsibility.
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yeah I was just about to post a thread about this, here's my op

OK so the Nintendo Financial meeting 2014 has concluded (aside from the Q&A), and here's a nice little summary of the events courtesy of GAF.

Big things include:
-Nintendo aims to market the Wii U with emphasis on the Gamepad, hopes to introduce NFC games at E3 2014
-MK8 in May, will include off-tv play for gamepad
-Won't release games on any other platforms, including mobile.
-Nintendo Network accounts over multiple platforms
-Licensing IPs to new partners
-Nintendo wishes to enhance your quality of life (QOL) which has nothing to do with games. Will introduce ways to make you healthy, such as non-wearable devices that improve health. Launches April 2015
-DS games on Wii U Virtual Console! Where dafaq are the GBA games tho

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Addressing criticism of the lack of software titles available for the Wii U, Nintendo’s top game creator Mr. Miyamoto says there was a big technological leap from Wii to Wii U. “Not that we’re trying to give excuses,” he said. He says there’s been an internal improvement in conditions for creating new titles.
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Ok, Miyamoto, but first-party isn't the issue.
 
On the response of software makers, Mr. Iwata says there is still strong support from makers of content that is popular with Nintendo’s main customer base of children and families, but enthusiasm is lower among other software makers. For now, Nintendo will focus on increasing its user platform so that more software makers can come on board, Mr. Iwata says.
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Right. I'm looking forward to finding out how this'll all be implemented.
 
Maybe we'll find out at E3. Or whenever the next Nintendo Direct is.

Nomura analyst now asking why Nintendo revamped its organizational structure to merge consoles and portable devices. Mr. Iwata says there was a huge technological gap in developing consoles and portable games in the past since portable devices run on batteries, but technological advances have narrowed the architectural difference between the two. He adds he doesn’t know yet whether the two hardware will be merged in the future, but the two will become more like “brothers.”
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Mr. Iwata says he won’t deny the possibility of carrying out M&As by using the shares the company will buy back, saying its business is facing a transition point. But he says there’s no specific deal that is moving forward that he can talk about for today.
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For those of you wondering what “non-wearables” for health means, here’s the one clue he’s giving out for today: it’s not necessarily something you will use in the living room. Not sure that clarifies matters much, but we’ll need to wait for the big unveiling later this year.
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On the possibility of tie-ups, Mr. Iwata says Nintendo can’t do everything on its own and will be “flexible” in considering its options. But he says there’s something that Nintendo will stick to: the creation of products that are unique and not comparable to anything else. “We’d like to work with other companies where necessary while maintaining our unique identity,” he says.
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Responding to a reporter’s question as to why sales were weak overseas while relatively strong in Japan, Mr. Iwata says the company’s marketing got divided between pushing for 3DS and Wii U console and in the end both never “exploded.” “This was the worst year-end shopping season since I became president. We need to rebuild as soon as possible,” he says.
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Zero said:
-Nintendo aims to market the Wii U with emphasis on the Gamepad, hopes to introduce NFC games at E3 2014
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hope it won't be yet another "spend lots of money on figurines so that you can unlock stuff that's already on the disc" type deals
 
Hotaru Tomoe said:
Zero said:
-Nintendo aims to market the Wii U with emphasis on the Gamepad, hopes to introduce NFC games at E3 2014
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hope it won't be yet another "spend lots of money on figurines so that you can unlock stuff that's already on the disc" type deals
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I would refuse to buy any of that Skylanders-like crap.
 
I'm glad Nintendo's not going mobile. Dumb idea, btw
 
http://mynintendonews.com/2014/01/31/nintendo-is-now-considering-mergers-and-new-game-studio-acquisitions/

ooh exciting
 
This is interesting... which company will Nintendo welcome into their family?
 
there was talk of atlus being a part of nintendo, not sure if that was nothing more then a rumor though.
 
Monster Games and Next Level Games are the obvious choices.
 
Yeah, Next Level Games should definitely be part of Nintendo.
 
In a perfect world, Nintendo would buy Sega, Capcom, and Rare's IPs. But this probbaly won;t happen.

Maybe Platinum Games.
 
Glowsquid said:
Monster Games and Next Level Games are the obvious choices.
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I wouldn't be surprised if both of them get incorporated into Nintendo. After all, Monster Games is responsible for Excitetruck, Pilotwings Resort, and the recent Donkey Kong Country games while Next Level Games made the Mario Striker games and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
 
Ganondorf said:
In a perfect world, Nintendo would buy Sega, Capcom, and Rare's IPs. But this probbaly won;t happen.

Maybe Platinum Games.
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Platinum would be a good choice too. After all, isn't Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101 made by them, both exclusive to the Wii u?
 
Ganondorf said:
Yeah. I think Platinum has even expressed interest in being bought by Nintendo.
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It was a bullshit sensationalized translation from an interview with Hideki Kamiya.
 
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