DICE: Reggie commands, "Innovate or die"

by James Ransom-Wiley { Feb 9th 2006 at 4:15PM }

In his opening presentation at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas today, Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime warned that if developers continue to only target young males, the market will shrivel up and die. He pointed to a recent Piper Jaffray study that suggested at least 75% of high school students have become less interested in video games. To prevent further decay in the industry, Reggie posed these five commandments for developers to follow:

Thou shalt not focus on horsepower or pretty pictures. Thou shalt honor entertainment
Thou shalt keep "mass" in mass market. Thou shalt reach beyond hardcore. Thou shalt not be self-limiting
Thou shalt not alienate new players with high prices or narrow content
Thou shalt innovate or die
Thou shalt create a democracy of ideas for new games, where the focus isn't on the biggest production budgets

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ross Miller @ Feb 9th 2006 4:15PM

They need P. Diddy to help out, too--"Innovate or Die, motherf*&@ers" ...he can get the cause out.

bluetrane @ Feb 9th 2006 4:20PM

wow i love these reggie mock ups you guys keep making ^_^

Reytacular @ Feb 9th 2006 4:25PM

He's like the black version of Steve Jobs...

SuicideNinja @ Feb 9th 2006 4:26PM

He's right though. It doesn't just apply to interactive entertainment either. If we've seen it before, we are less likely to be impressed or immersed for that matter.

However, "CliffyB" is also right. The best way to put out innovation is to add a familiar touch to it. We want change, but subconsciously look for familiarity.

ZaBlanc @ Feb 9th 2006 4:40PM

That 75% number is Evolution at work, my friends. Her name is Paris Hilton. High school students have better things "to do."

*wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean? know what I mean?*

benjamin @ Feb 9th 2006 4:47PM

A more threatening change from "innovate or immitate us". Go Reggie!

unreal mccoy @ Feb 9th 2006 4:48PM

Is Reggie black? I can't tell.

I think Reggie is without race. He is Future Man, the face of things to come...

sanjuro @ Feb 9th 2006 5:25PM

"Thou shalt innovate or die". Sadly, considering Mario Party 7, Mario Sports madness, many other GC titles and even the games announced so far for the Revolution (sequels, sequels, sequel...), Nintendo should be dead.

Pal @ Feb 9th 2006 5:26PM

I wonder how much innovation Nintendo of America comes up with.

Are we going to start seeing emoticons in games? More exclamation points? Perhaps Greek letters!

pr0cs @ Feb 9th 2006 5:35PM

Rather funny that Nintendo would be saying "innovate or die" considering that their innovation may lead to their death. ala 3rd party hating controller

JacKal @ Feb 9th 2006 5:35PM

Uh. I love Nintendo, most especially for their innovation. But... even to that I have to say... wtf?

Paul @ Feb 9th 2006 5:39PM

Well, Sanjuro, the Mario sports titles are actually pretty innovative and bring new things to each of those particular sports. They are each very different from a normal sports title. The only similarities they share with each other is the theme and playable roster.

I don't know what the hell the deal is with Mario Party.

Jay @ Feb 9th 2006 5:43PM

and Pr0cs is yet to see a single developer hating the Revolution controller. The only guys I've heard that have just said "no" to the Rev were Valve. even Epics VP guy changed his mind.

haha. idiot.

NergiZed @ Feb 9th 2006 5:43PM

To #10
"ala 3rd party hating controller"
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/07/halo-creator-interested-in-nintendos-revolution/

Apparently so.

NergiZed @ Feb 9th 2006 5:48PM

That's odd, the link won't work for me.

well here is is again:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/07/halo-creator-interested-in-nintendos-revolution/

Ryan Williams @ Feb 9th 2006 5:58PM

Fantastic commandments. And yes, it's very easy to point at Nintendo's franchises which have been running for twenty years, but you have to take into account that there's very little rehashing in their games. Almost every single game has done at least one thing in a progressive and/or adventurous way.

As for Mario Party, I'd put an educated guess on the Japanese market being responsible for it. Just like the Western market is happy to swallow a 9th Grand Theft Auto title (yes) and raise it to the highest levels of success, the Japanese is happy to apply the same treatment to Mario Party.

Sadly it's considerably less popular over here as far as I'm aware, so it borders upon looking like an obscenely overstretched series that nobody likes to many.

PS: Anybody who genuinely believes that the Revolution's controller will spell the end for Nintendo wants bludgeoning in the face.

pr0cs @ Feb 9th 2006 6:02PM

#13,#14 bungie posted that as FALSE.
#15 still waiting on that bludgeoning. the controller will ultimately (maybe not directly) be the downfall of Nintendo's home consoles, at least in North America.

Jay @ Feb 9th 2006 6:04PM

I loved the Mario Party series, they really are good party games. get my girlfriend, and 2 mates round. get lost for hours on it. its amazing. nothing destroys time like it, not Halo, Smash Bros Melee, Mario Kart. Good series. I wish they'd spend a little longer on each game though.

Don't know about anyone else here but I can't wait to see Mario Part on the Rev controller over wifi.

PickyPants @ Feb 9th 2006 6:11PM

Wow "pr0cs," you seem really insightful. Definitely very concise and well worded.

You should think of becoming a professional writer, except I would hate for the world to lose one of such a keen mind for the current and future state of console videogaming such as yourself.

You ass.

Oh and it's not "rather funny" that Nintendo says "Innovate or Die" before releasing their innovative new controller. Its innovating.

What you are talking about is potential irony.

And its not funny if it hasn't happened yet.

kk, thanks bye.

OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Feb 9th 2006 6:20PM

Is it just me or does anyone else find the threat "innovate or die" coming from this man about as threatening as P. Diddy's "vote or die" speech?

Although, I definitely wouldn't want to be in a head-butting contest with that guy. That's one HUGE forehead.

Zsavior @ Feb 9th 2006 6:34PM

People digging nintendos grave should dig one for sony and xbox first, because you know what you same nay sayers are the ones that will kill of your favorite systems. Xbox and Sony live and die on their third parties, which give them the same content over and over again, how long till you guys just get tired of the same games and stop buying? How long till clones of your favorite games over shadow the good games to the point you can't tell one from the other? As a Nintendo fan I look forward to Zelda,Mario, Metriod, as do others, and nintendo makes it their business to try and start new ideas for casual and hardcore gamers alike to get all sorts of people.

You think a casual gamer is going to pick up halo, or Call Of duty right out the gate, cause you think it looks cool? If you think so you must be the ones telling MS their business strat in japan. The Stagnation of the POWER HOUSE system will be its death, and it will be the same fans that will kill them. You guys will soon get tired of it, and with out the casual and young gamers to play these systems and games; most likely they will die out. Kids don't have 400dollars to spend on a system, and No parents is buying a XBOX 360 for their child to play Condemed. No casual Parent is going to sit down and play that with their child either, so keep on Forecasting the demise of Nintendo. By all means please keep playing BLOODY BLOODy BLOOD SMASH SMASH HEAD SHOT VIII and URBAN BEAT AND RAPE 10 with Photo releastic graphics, let's see who outlast who.

MadMonty @ Feb 9th 2006 6:37PM

"And yes, it's very easy to point at Nintendo's franchises which have been running for twenty years, but you have to take into account that there's very little rehashing in their games. Almost every single game has done at least one thing in a progressive and/or adventurous way."

Mario Kart Revo will be oh-so-different from the rest, I'm sure. Maybe it will have flaming turtle shells...or have they done that before?

Boy, I hope for Nintendo's sake that their new system, software, and controller is totally amazing and lives up to all the speculative hype.

Even more key, will the non-gaming nerds give a damn enough to want to invest in the system and a couple of games? Enough of all this crap and show the world some actual games. The content will talk for speak for itself. Until we see more, it's all a bunch of hot air for the already faithful.

Timpac @ Feb 9th 2006 6:59PM

I just wanted to point out that Reggie's last name is spelled incorrectly. It is Fils-Aime.

DjHyjak @ Feb 9th 2006 7:36PM

ok nintendo talks alot about innovation, makes a lot of promises, shows a remote control, and not one game image or demo. Thats not gonna draw new or casual gamers, nintendogs is not the casual gamer hit its been made out to be, I dont know one person who wasnt already a gamer or a nintedo fanboy that bought it. Yes it sold well to girls but it was to girls who are already playing games.

Nintendos new system is gonna be for kids and Nintendo Fanboys, I havent heard one thing from them about how they plan to draw in non gamers, old school gamers or covert the millions of Sony and MS fanboys.

They are in the best position to win the next gen wars tho. With a cheap system, if they rip off XBL, get good 3rd party support and push social games. How could they lose.

For me they need to show me some games and show me that the game i like to play will work with thier controler.

Ryan Williams @ Feb 9th 2006 7:43PM

Well they haven't really shown a lot of anything yet, so it's possibly a bit early to be drawing conclusions on the game line-up?

Abby @ Feb 9th 2006 7:46PM

Mkay, Reggie has the whole "innovate or die" thing down. In order for video games to be anything at all, they have to reach another group of people. Say, teenage girls, for example. Like me. Teenage girls who love the color pink, have boyfriends, and are addicted to IM. Innovation is the only thing that will keep this industry alive, because innovation will attract new groups to gaming. What the gaming industry needs is something that will be truly cool, that will spread like crazy. They need an Ipod, or a pair of Uggs. And whoever can make one first will dominate. Because once that fad takes off, there won't be any stopping that industry, at least until the fad eventually dies. For instance, Nintendogs is what got me. I saw it in an ad at target, fell in love, and got it for christmas 4 months later. Almost all of my friends that I've shown it to think that Nintendogs is the coolest thing since the cupcake.

DjHyjak, don't talk about what do dont know for a fact. Im a girl (OMG LOLZ) Im a casual gamer, and I was hooked by Nintendogs. Since then, I've been keeping a special eye on the Revolution, because I sure want to play something fun on a cool console. The first half of your post? Yeah, that would be DENIED.

NergiZed @ Feb 9th 2006 7:47PM

@ #16

It doesn't say Bungie is interested in creating a Revolution game, it says "creator of Halo" is interested in creating a game for Revo. Too bad he sold Bungie. :(

Jay @ Feb 9th 2006 7:55PM

DjHyjak; don't try and bash Nitendo like that. it only makes their victory more the sweeter. like when people say "the DS is crap! its all plastic and crap!" when that piece of plastic crap is beating down everything else.

So nobody other than gamers and fanboys/girls bought Nintendogs? right. About half my coursemates are not gamers. but they bought the DS and Nintendogs for the sheer hell of it and are loving it. they dont have Mario Kart or anything else still. So what you're thinking and where you're from doesn't really mean squat.

Members of my family are wanting the Rev. last game they played was Mario Land in the 80's. They just want the Rev with that unique way of playing. its funny, all the non-gamers and adults i know criticise the controllers of games but cant wait to hold the Rev :)

Baron Vas Deferens @ Feb 9th 2006 8:08PM

Dear Know-It-All Seventeen Year Olds,

Your prediction of doom for Nintendo is spot-on! How could you be wrong? You know everything- you're seventeen!

Now, go back and play "Splinter Halo XVII: Return to Pandora Yesterday" and let the grown-ups have a reasonable conversation.

Condescendingly Yours,
BVD

BS @ Feb 9th 2006 8:22PM

It's becoming increasingly clear that those who ahve gamed for longer periods of times are banking on Nintendo while kids who have little history playing videogames are the ones who see halo and think "wow this is totally innovative." Meanwhile us older gamers yawn and bid our time.

I think there was a time in the 90's and the first half of this decade where you could produce the same old crap over and over with better graphics and make money on it because development costs were low. That time is past and the most ironic thing about it is that the company most interested in pushing stale gameplay with powerful graphics(microsoft) is also the company to be the first to push development costs into the stratosphere. You can't produce 30 platformers and 20 fps's a year as a company on the 360(or ps3) liek you used to be able because they have created systems who's specs exceed the development abilities of today's programmers. Resulting in massive costs and time to create games means less chance of big risk games that have the potential ot be groundbreaking. Meaning more incarnations of the same ol' crap is a guarantee for microsoft and sony.

We'll see what you kiddies think about nintendo 2 years from now.

Also, I think Reggie is meseginated(sp?) but don't hold me to that.

tomato @ Feb 9th 2006 8:26PM

saying nintendo games are all the same gameplay is like saying all first person shooters are the same because you shoot at things. almost every nintendo game has improved on the previous with a variety of ways.

Ex. Mario series
Mario Brothers (NOT Super Mario Brothers) was i think originally an arcade game (i may be wrong)
Super mario brothers 1 is the game we all know i hope.
smb3 adds an inventory, overworld map, several different "suits" (leaf, flower, racoon, frog)
super mario world adds yoshi and probably some other stuff (never had the game)
super mario 64 makes the game 3D! with an ANALOG STICK! amazing game.
super mario sunshine adds a jetpack (again, i dont have this game)

so please dont act like all mario games are the same. i dont think halo 2 was the same as halo 1, even though all they added was duel wielding? slightly better graphics? a couple tweaked weapons?

nintendo games almost always add new gameplay additions AND they integrate these additions into the core of the gameplay. take for example wind waker. basically the same game as ocarina of time. except that they added sailing and wind, and centered the game around these additions. yes, the game feels the same, but at the same time, i always find the new games refreshing.

lazyguy @ Feb 9th 2006 9:05PM

Oh please.

All whiney because they have lost the majority of their 3rd party support, thats all. I dont recall nintendo screaming about innovation or quality of games back in the SNES days. High prices? Look at the N64 days.

Slapping mario in a tennis game is not innovation. What about pokemon red/blue, silver/gold, emerald/ruby and all of that? Thats a MILLION TIMES worse than what anyone else did: they sold the same game twice without changing a damn thing. What about throwing pokemon into pinball? Innovative? Hardly.

Mario kart, couldnt improve on the gameplay, so turned it 3d, added a weapon or two. Woohoo, hypocriacy again! Super smash brothers? Hey, it sold well, lets add some new weapons, some new levels, up the graphics... wooohoo! NEW GAME! R0xX0RZ!

The only point here is, Nintendo isnt perfect either. Stop pretending it is.

superzapper2000 @ Feb 9th 2006 10:07PM

The same can be said about Movies,TV and Music it's all becoming boring and repetative.When inovation is only coming from Cartoon network then we really are in trouble and I'll take Spongbob over 24 anyday right now.

Pretty Obvious @ Feb 10th 2006 12:17AM

Its funny how some of people think the Nintendo bashers are kids. I was under the impression that only the 17 and under demographic would be up here defending Nintendo. Ive owned every Nintendo console since the original, and seeing how they havent had a stellar system since the SNES how is it that your actually anticipating the Revolution. Are you holding on to some nostalgic childhood memories that your hoping Nintendo will rekindle with the revolution?

Lets face it, Nintendos systems and the majority of its first party games are good for children and thats how Nintendo really shines. Hell when I have kids they will have whatever odd quirky system Nintendo comes out with.

deathscythe @ Feb 10th 2006 1:11AM

@33
Yep, because everyone knows there is a statue of limitations for fun games. [/sarcasm]

@31
"
All whiney because they have lost the majority of their 3rd party support, thats all. I dont recall nintendo screaming about innovation or quality of games back in the SNES days. High prices? Look at the N64 days.
"
and you know what? they are slowly getting 3rd parties back. You know how? The same way Sony got them, lower costs. Back in the SNES days is when gaming was re-envigorated there was no need to innovate. Nintendo recognizes that without interface innovation it limits the creative capacity of gaming. Gaming is reaching a plateau where more power does not beget original titles. Many of our existing genres are so far developed that most games are copies of existing formulas. The rev controller essentially brings gaming back to the start. Scratch that the rev controller essentially makes a new starting line. All the games we are gonna play from here on out (for the first couple of years at least) will all be something new. wheather the games are good or not is yet to be seen, but at least even if its a shitty game. Its a shitty game that we've never played before.

"Slapping mario in a tennis game is not innovation. What about pokemon red/blue, silver/gold, emerald/ruby and all of that? Thats a MILLION TIMES worse than what anyone else did: they sold the same game twice without changing a damn thing. What about throwing pokemon into pinball? Innovative? Hardly."
Mario Sports titles have ALWAYS been about intuitive controls. Nintendo is not saying every game should be OMGINNOVATIVE. But there is a point where one must question if he continues walking down a path that never wavers, should one go uncompromised forever?

Where would we be if Nintendo did not introduce the digital pad? analog stick? rumble? true wireless controllers? here: http://www.axess.com/twilight/console/detail/2600.jpg

Zsavior @ Feb 10th 2006 2:47AM

I LIke How thsoe same Xbox gamers and SOny gamers that are so hardcore and curse casual gamers when they suddenly see casual gamers as a plus or a good thing to help the system suddenly want to say how SOny and XBOX is better at getting them and how Nintendo doesn't cator to them. I mean do you see this? They go from "NINTENDO IS a KIDDIE Casual SYSTEM," then they hear casual gamers help your system so they switch to "NINTENDO IS ALL FOR FANBOYS AND KIDS! AND DON'T BROADEN THEIR GAMES FOR OUTSIDE PEOPLE" So now they want the casual gamers again each time you knock a leg out they come with somethint else.

So lets put another question forth if only "fanboys" and Kids buy the systems like the ds and gamecube, how is the systems still around. Unless alot of you out there that champion sony and xbox are Really Nintendo Fanboys! See Sony is the top selling system around the world and I see nintendo nay sayers saying Casuals aren't contributing to the DS sales so that means the fanboys that are arguing are really Sony and Xbox fans posing? Because as the premiss being stated here Only kids and Fanboys Buy this system. Or is the argument all the kids got their parents to buy these systems and if that is true then who are buying the PS2 and Xbox's that dominate the market here?

So the PS2 kids made an about face and started buying the Nintendo DS that is viewed as ugly and uncool? Or there are so Many Nintendo fan boys that they dwarf Sony, xbox, and Casual gamers alike? I mean what is the answer? Also if that is true, and fanboys are single handedly up holding these system? Doesn't that mean the Revoultion will be Number one since this massive attack of fanboys and kids will just buy them mindlessly and blind? I don't know what is the asnwer, nay sayers? Lets see if now you guys say kids don't buy the system.

Jim @ Feb 10th 2006 11:04AM

Reggie is just plain fun - funnier that Peter (Moore) at least.

but Nintendo's credo is: "innovate AND make money".

NintendoXCeREAL @ Feb 10th 2006 1:08PM

#36: Funny, I thought that was you mom's credo!

Ooo, burn!

DjHyjak @ Feb 11th 2006 10:19AM

@#28
Did you read my entire post cause if you did you would have noticed I said Nintendo might win the next gen war. that dont sound like hate to me.

@#26
You are not a casual gamer. A true casual gamer doesnt read gaming blogs or keep up on whats hot in games. They just dont. The casual gamer rarely owns a game system expecially a current gen system. The casual gamer Normaly plays thier games on thier cell phone or at work on the PC. The new relm for casual gamers is the plug and play games.

@#36
The Game Cube is normally the other system in peoples homes the back up to thier PS2 or Xbox. Fanboys are what helps launch a system and keep them alive till it catches on with everyone else. You see 1 million people aint a lot of people when you ad up all the people in this country.Its not hard for these Companies to win over a half a million loyal fans that willl spread thier gospel. Hell the xbox fanboy is the one thats keeping the 360 alive.
Now as for the kids dont belittle thier numbers or power. Nintendo has a hugely kid friendly system most of the games on the system are good for all ages and its cheap. Its not that hard for a kid to get mom to buy a system with the safe mario that happens to be damn near a hundred dollars cheaper the the system thats 200 to 300 dollars and has GTA on it.
And also remeber nintendo has been happy at 3rd place and they dont mind the revolution being 2nd.

Nick @ Feb 11th 2006 11:42AM

#10, first of all, for third-party multiplatform games, there's going to be a shell that resembles a regular console controller. Second of all, how many third-parties have actually stated that they hate or dislike the contoller?

Truf @ Feb 11th 2006 7:53PM

All you people accusing nintendo of creating all these mario rehashes probably dont even realize nintendo didn't make most of those games. They were made by 3rd and second party developers

Personally im actually wondering what games nintendo have made internally this generation,

Shadix @ Feb 19th 2006 3:13PM

W2G NINTENDO! Its about time! Society is like invention, hundreds of new things come out at once and we slowly kill of and improve for the next saga, then wait for another revolution. The entire history of video game has been nothing but revoultion after revolution, it's about time somebody took this crap seriously enough to use INTELLIGENCE over PROFIT.

Im_me_dot_com @ Feb 21st 2006 7:32AM

SO INNOVATE OR DIE HUH. good slogam since they are putting every effort into the newest system that is for sure going to hit the market last and make a big stink over the 360 and as well as the ps3. i mean the ps3 is done finished they're just in production as they usualy do after the 1st next gen system comes out they see what they can do to tweek a bit more out of it before production then they finish the tweeks and bam then it's out later. well nintendo is changing and their now looking to sign all those companys that left them for ps2 as well as gain a whole lot that have never worked with them or they lost to the xbox when it was coming out, but i think this next gen war is going to be a great one, i personaly plan on getting all 3 just won't reallly make it important opn the ps3 since i had 8 in a year and a half they kept screwing up.....