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http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=pub&aid=3725
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Rob Fahey 12:42 05/07/2004
Networked gaming still isn't important, insists Nintendo boss
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has given an extensive talk on the
state of the industry to the Japan Economic Foundation - including
evidence from sales figures which he claims prove that online gaming
is not yet an important factor.
Iwata presented sales figures for a PS2 online golf title which failed
to match the sales of its offline predecessor (Sony's own Minna no
Golf / Everybody's Golf titles, released in the west as Hot Shots
Golf) as "proof that customers do not want online games."
According to highlights of his presentation which have been posted
online, Iwata told the foundation that "most customers do not wish to
pay the extra money for connection to the Internet, and for some
customers, connection procedures to the Internet are still not easy."
Alone out of the three major platform holders in the current
generation of hardware, Nintendo has been reluctant to commit to
online gaming; the company launched a modem and broadband adapter for
the console in order to support online titles from other companies,
but has not developed any such titles of its own.
With both Sony and Microsoft's future console plans featuring online
as a core component, it's still not clear how Nintendo will
incorporate connectivity into its next-generation "Revolution" console
- if at all.
However, the company has been much more positive about the potential
of wireless connectivity for its handheld devices, launching a
successful wireless adapter for the Game Boy Advance and integrating
both Bluetooth and 802.11b Wireless LAN technologies into the
forthcoming Nintendo DS handheld.
Elsewhere in his address to the foundation, Iwata also covered the
perception of Nintendo as a company which targets its products largely
at the kids market. "Game software should neither be exclusively be
targeted at children nor adults," he said. "Instead, we will develop
software which anyone can instantly understand."
However, he did acknowledge the growing trend within the industry for
creating mature games, adding simply that "at the same time,
production of software readily acceptable to adults is worth
studying."
Speaking about Nintendo's relationships with third-party companies,
Iwata hinted that more development deals with Western developers could
be in the pipeline. "We intend to expand tie-ups not only with
Japanese companies but also with foreign companies," he said. "We are
now holding negotiations with major Western game developers and will
be able to conclude a deal by the end of the year if things go
smoothly."
He also touched briefly on the subject of Nintendo's ongoing
relationship with Bandai - and this time strayed from his usual script
on the subject by not directly denying the possibility of a takeover
or merger, saying only that "a closer relationship would be beneficial
for both sides and it will be nice if the two companies can work
together in doing something interesting."
_______________________________________________________________________________
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=pub&aid=3725
_______________________________________________________________________________
Rob Fahey 12:42 05/07/2004
Networked gaming still isn't important, insists Nintendo boss
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has given an extensive talk on the
state of the industry to the Japan Economic Foundation - including
evidence from sales figures which he claims prove that online gaming
is not yet an important factor.
Iwata presented sales figures for a PS2 online golf title which failed
to match the sales of its offline predecessor (Sony's own Minna no
Golf / Everybody's Golf titles, released in the west as Hot Shots
Golf) as "proof that customers do not want online games."
According to highlights of his presentation which have been posted
online, Iwata told the foundation that "most customers do not wish to
pay the extra money for connection to the Internet, and for some
customers, connection procedures to the Internet are still not easy."
Alone out of the three major platform holders in the current
generation of hardware, Nintendo has been reluctant to commit to
online gaming; the company launched a modem and broadband adapter for
the console in order to support online titles from other companies,
but has not developed any such titles of its own.
With both Sony and Microsoft's future console plans featuring online
as a core component, it's still not clear how Nintendo will
incorporate connectivity into its next-generation "Revolution" console
- if at all.
However, the company has been much more positive about the potential
of wireless connectivity for its handheld devices, launching a
successful wireless adapter for the Game Boy Advance and integrating
both Bluetooth and 802.11b Wireless LAN technologies into the
forthcoming Nintendo DS handheld.
Elsewhere in his address to the foundation, Iwata also covered the
perception of Nintendo as a company which targets its products largely
at the kids market. "Game software should neither be exclusively be
targeted at children nor adults," he said. "Instead, we will develop
software which anyone can instantly understand."
However, he did acknowledge the growing trend within the industry for
creating mature games, adding simply that "at the same time,
production of software readily acceptable to adults is worth
studying."
Speaking about Nintendo's relationships with third-party companies,
Iwata hinted that more development deals with Western developers could
be in the pipeline. "We intend to expand tie-ups not only with
Japanese companies but also with foreign companies," he said. "We are
now holding negotiations with major Western game developers and will
be able to conclude a deal by the end of the year if things go
smoothly."
He also touched briefly on the subject of Nintendo's ongoing
relationship with Bandai - and this time strayed from his usual script
on the subject by not directly denying the possibility of a takeover
or merger, saying only that "a closer relationship would be beneficial
for both sides and it will be nice if the two companies can work
together in doing something interesting."
_______________________________________________________________________________
T, Toca2, RSC2, MM3
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