Pachter: Nintendo has not abandoned the core audience
by Jason Dobson 
{ Jul 29th 2008 at 9:15AM }
"We think that Nintendo focused upon building upon its formidable lead with the mass market," notes Pachter, "and do not consider the lack of major hard core game announcements to be an abandonment of its core." Granted, this is a man who has the ear of investors and not necessarily gamers, and given that the analyst anticipates Nintendo to report revenue of more than $3.9 billion for 2009's fiscal first quarter, with an estimated $17.7 billion expected for the year, try to at least look surprised when his world views don't align perfectly with your own.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Haggard @ Jul 29th 2008 9:24AM
They've not abandoned them, but they've sure not working hard for them. A couple of years after the release of the Wii and I can count the good hardcore games on one and a half hands.
riggs @ Jul 29th 2008 9:39AM
you incredible mutant person
mr nimblewick @ Jul 29th 2008 9:44AM
Just from Nintendo? I would say that's pretty good, actually.
Chilly P @ Jul 29th 2008 9:47AM
Has anyone else noticed that her kid doesn't know the difference between 'then' and 'than'? You'd think they'd have correct grammar for a conference.
Martin @ Jul 29th 2008 11:15AM
I noticed that as well, and it bugs the hell out of me. I'm sure it's there to prove that it was a child to typed it out.
An excited child, who expresses unconditional love without issue. I wonder if he/she also has blonde hair, blue eyes and has a monotone voice.
Vol @ Jul 29th 2008 1:55PM
How can people bitch about Nintendo abandoning the hard core gamer when they have never been about that? We have just grown up and Nintendo is still being Nintendo. If you buy something called the "Wii", don't expect it to be hard core when it doesn't even have HD capabilities or large storage options in this generation.
Donald @ Jul 29th 2008 3:43PM
Since when did HD determine what was hardocre and what wasn't? I guess all systems ever made that aren't the 360 or PS3 aren't hardcore then! Now that I think about it the Super Nintendo was just for old people and soccer moms. What was I thinking?
Thank you Vol, you have opened my eyes to being a close minded elitist.
Co @ Jul 29th 2008 4:03PM
"If you buy something called the "Wii", don't expect it to be hard core when it doesn't even have HD capabilities or large storage options in this generation. "
LMAO!!! How you still have 2 hearts I don't know...
Mr Khan @ Jul 29th 2008 5:39PM
Wii has the new Shiren the wanderer, however
I think that's a point to make it more hardcore than pretty much anything else out there
Microswirl (MKWii:1676- 4270-3674) @ Jul 29th 2008 5:48PM
Every generation has that thing that makes it "hardcore" (dumb, meaningless word):
Sega Genesis: "Blast Processing", "Nintendon't"
Playstation: No "kiddy" games, CD-ROM technology!
Xbox: Teabagging uber pwnage bullshit inherited from the PC crowd
This time around it's all about multimedia functionality: Storage space, DLC, HD graphics, etc.
Broseph @ Jul 29th 2008 9:26AM
no, they haven't abandoned us, they just don't give a shit anymore. I imagine they'll throw us a bone every couple years... maybe
Superstar90 @ Jul 29th 2008 10:58AM
they threw you multiple bones over the past 2 years... I'm worried about the future as Nintendo is going to run out of their "hardcore" IP's 3 years into the system...
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2008 12:16PM
They could always release a couple NEW ones every year, but that would be doing what everyone else does and nintendo doesn't do that. Silly me.
Mr Khan @ Jul 29th 2008 5:51PM
They have done quite a bit more new IPs over the years than you give them credit for, you know. It's not limited to Animal Crossing and Pikmin
Just because you cherry-pick the facts doesn't somehow rewarp reality to fit your vision
deadjesterx @ Jul 29th 2008 9:28AM
I'll believe it when I see it. After the E3 presentation, it's going to take more than an assurance that the Mario and Zelda teams are "working on something". Hell even Duke Nukem Forever has at least a handful of screenshots and a trailer.
Just saying that presenting some form of proof that they are actually working on something would go a long way.
Martin @ Jul 29th 2008 11:18AM
Why do you feel they owe you anything? We've already had a Mario and Zelda game this generation, which is typically the quota for a Nintendo hardware platform.
They don't owe you or anyone else here a thing. They have Suzie Soccer Mom buying their hardware (which they profit on). Hell, my PARENTS and SISTER own a Wii, for the love Pete. The hardcore gamer doesn't exist, and doesn't need to exist, to Nintendo any longer.
deadjesterx @ Jul 29th 2008 1:51PM
I don't think they owe me anything. All I'm saying is that they keep talking about "not forgetting the core" and yet don't have anything to show it. As I said, I'll believe it when I see it. If Nintendo wants to keep catering to the casual, more power to them. If their going to keep making statments like "We havn't forgotten the hardcore" or "The core audience is vital to us" then I wouldn't mind a little evidence of it. That's all.
And for the record, the Zelda game was a port of a GC game. I wouldn't consider it part of the Wii generation.
Man, out of all the comments you choose to attack mine? Go troll somewhere else fanboy.
Kael @ Jul 29th 2008 2:13PM
"Why do you feel they owe you anything?"
He's not saying they do. Nintendo is making a claim, and we'll all believe it when we see it. They only talk and talk about a bright future for their core gamers. While we may already have gotten good games from them, Nintendo isn't talking about the past; this is about the future, and right now the things we see in Nintendo's future is stuff that doesn't fit the "core" bill. They need to show us what they're talking about and/or stop making insistent, but unsubstantiated claims.
Dragod @ Jul 29th 2008 9:29AM
Oh, really?
That's why I feel so attached to the Wii I am considering putting up for sale!
mr nimblewick @ Jul 29th 2008 10:02AM
Just sell it already so we don't have to hear your inane comments about it anymore.
Vidikron (FU) @ Jul 29th 2008 10:11AM
Has he ever commented on it before?
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 10:30AM
mr nimblewick = the new Fernando???
Calm down dude your not going to be able to put out all the fires in this story.
mr nimblewick @ Jul 29th 2008 10:38AM
I'm not the new fernando if only because I haven't mentioned the PS3 yet.
Oh shoot.
Anyway, I'm just sick of people going "me gonna sell WII!!!!" Just hurry up and do it already, if you don't like the system. Stop trying to get attention over it.
Nintendo never promised to make games that cater to your particular tastes. You bought the system because of what was available. If you are done with what you bought it for and there is nothing else you want, then get rid of it.
I think it's silly to sell it because AT ONE SHOW they didn't show games you were interested in, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Dragod @ Jul 29th 2008 12:20PM
Nope, never commented on it before. Someone is just a little bit troll-happy.
The reason I am thinking about selling it isn't because of E3, it's because of how often I don't play it... I'm always on my 360 or PC. The only time I use the Wii is when my nieces are over and want to play Brawl, or I decide to play Brawl. Last game I bought? Brawl on release day. The game before that? Twilight Princess in May 2007.
There is just not much for me... Even the new Mario I haven't bought because I'm still buying games for my 360.
EliteBeatsAgent08 @ Jul 29th 2008 9:33AM
Nintendo abandoned no one. They simply decided to foster some more children....
Kye - Me_DF @ Jul 29th 2008 10:57AM
Nintendo is treating us like the unloved step-children.
Yes, yes I did go there.
Phinehas @ Jul 29th 2008 11:19AM
*psst* EBA already went there...obviously with a good deal more subtlety.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 9:36AM
They say they are working on another Mario/Zelda. I really think these titles are going to be for their next console. In a way yeah, I would like Nintendos next console to really launch with Mario right off the bat. Like it should. As for the Wii, I've lost hope...and interest.
mr nimblewick @ Jul 29th 2008 10:04AM
What are we? Like a year and a half into the Wii's lifetime? They're still planning out what the next system is going to be. These will be Wii games.
samfish @ Jul 29th 2008 10:14AM
The next Mario game will be for the next console. Nintendo ALWAYS says a Mario sequel is coming, and it always turns into the next consoles Mario because they're always so concerned with doing something completely new with the series.
Next Zelda will absolutely be on the Wii, though.
It's also worth noting that they never said they were working on another Mario game. They just said the Mario and Zelda TEAMS are back to work.
We know Zelda is coming because they off handedly confirmed that in other interviews, plus the Zelda team only works on Zelda games, anyway.
Mario team, though, does different games. Before Galaxy, they did DK Jungle Beat, among others.
That all said, I would kill for a straight up Galaxy sequel. I don't care about innovating the series, I just want more of the same!
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 10:16AM
mr nimblwick
I hope so.
mr nimblewick @ Jul 29th 2008 10:34AM
It's true that lately they have been doing one mario game per system, but that hasn't always been the case.
I'm hoping for a spin-off starring the toad brigade.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 10:37AM
Samfish
Well Miyamoto confirmed taht he was working on a new Mario game. X-play ran the news yesterday.
Killjebus @ Jul 29th 2008 11:33AM
@Mr. Nimble
We are 7.5 years into the Wiicubes lifetime. It just so happens that the Wiicube got a bit smaller and received a new white coat of paint to go along with the waggle on...waggle off controller.
New Mario, new Zelda for WSM fine Nintendo. How about a completely NEW IP for your loyal fans Nintendo aside from Mario 2342 and Zelda 4321. Oh that's right, a NEW ORIGINAL IP takes time, effort, money and RISK. RISK is a baaaaaaahhhhhhhdddd word at the house that Mario built.
Why risk countless millions on NEW hardware when you can sell OLD hardware at higher prices. Nintendo are the Ferengi of the videogame world.
Rule of acquisition #47...If you re-sell something old as new, make it appear new and sell it at a higher price.
samfish @ Jul 29th 2008 12:14PM
Capitan Rainbow says HI!, troll.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2008 12:19PM
LOL at captain rainbow.
Seriously I'll pretend it never existed if Nintendo can try a little harder at making something new and a little more...hetero.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 12:40PM
Burnt
Noshino @ Jul 29th 2008 12:59PM
Killjebus,
Nintendo does bring new IPs every generation, thing is, they aren't advertised nearly as much, if at all, as Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, or Kirby at a lesser extent. Seriously, they have marvelous games like Pikmin and F-Zero, but they just have no ad campaigns for them which imho is just retarded. Its as if they just made the games, but didn't really care about them so they didn't bother to back them up.
samfish,
Sire, I wouldn't talk about Captain Rainbow, that game, thus far, seems like a Viewtiful Joe rip-off but without everything that made Joe so awesome...seriously, attack with a yo-yo? and the fact that Birdo is there, well....yah, they should instead be making other deals with Capcom to get Viewtiful Joe back...
mmxzero @ Jul 29th 2008 1:09PM
When Nintendo does put out a new series most people snub it. Pikmin(now it's "cool"), animal crossing, EBA, and Drill Dozer come to mind. Captain Rainbow will fall to the same fate more than likely.
It would be nice if Disaster DoC would release this fall as long as it's ready.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 2:23PM
I had never heard of Captain Rainbow till Samfish posted that. Looked it up....
Samfish YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!! I literally LOL'd!!!
samfish @ Jul 29th 2008 2:50PM
"Sire, I wouldn't talk about Captain Rainbow, that game, thus far, seems like a Viewtiful Joe rip-off but without everything that made Joe so awesome..."
It only LOOKS like Viewtiful Joe so far...which is obviously a plus in my book. Gameplay wise, I'm not entirely sure anymore. It sure doesn't sound like a beat 'em up, for better or worse. It sounds more like Chibi-Robo, if anything (which makes sense, given it's developer).
In some respects, that title is about as 'core' as you can get. It has Takamaru in it! Taka-fucking-maru! There are probably only, like, 5 people who read Joystiq who have any idea who that is!
And for the record, when I say 'core', I'm under the impression that we're talking about Nintendo's base who kept them going through the years, as opposed to the much more unclear word 'hardcore'.
daddycool @ Jul 29th 2008 9:39AM
"Abandonment" might be too strong of a word, but "prioritization" of the different market segments is obvious. You didn't even really need this E3 to see that, it's obvious looking at the lists of games already released.
With honest, non-fanboyism I have to say that every "core" gamer out there should have a 360 and/or PS3 whether they also have a Wii or not. The Wii does have it's strengths, "core" games is not one of them and probably won't ever be.
Obie @ Jul 29th 2008 9:39AM
Nintendo has ALWAYS been a company that watched it's bottom line. When they noticed that Wii Play and Wii Fit brought in epic amounts of money, are we surprised they kept heading in that direction?
SephirothX @ Jul 29th 2008 9:53AM
Twilight Princess and Mario Galaxy also brought in epic amounts of cash for them and from a review standpoint were of much higher acclaim, thus your point is flawed.
Obie @ Jul 29th 2008 10:08AM
I mentioned that their trend makes sense, how is that flawed? I wish they would come out with more amazing games like Galaxy. But we have not heard anything yet, however I am hopeful.
Park Zero @ Jul 29th 2008 10:56AM
While you and I haven’t seen Nintendo’s profit margins or their financial statements it is safe to say your point is not flawed. Some “hardcore” games have sold well on the Wii. However it cost much more to produce a “hardcore” game, so Nintendo is making more money from a cheaper to produce casual game than a budget busting “hardcore” game.
samfish @ Jul 29th 2008 9:41AM
Only a contender for King Of The Dumbasses would actually believe that they no longer care about their base, furthermore 'abandoned' them.
Poor planning on their behalf. Nothing else to it.
John Z @ Jul 29th 2008 9:54AM
Agreed.
Remember back in the old days when a multi-player game like Mario meant that players alternated at the controls? Mario would go, then Luigi would go, then Mario again.
The so-called "core" gamers need to step back and realize that this year is just not their turn. This year belongs to the newcomers coming into the fold of gaming. We've had, what, thirty years?
Besides. I have a backlog of damn near 60 games to play and hopefully finish-- and that's just the consoles (I want to eventually go through FEAR and a few other PC games I picked up on the cheap last year). I also happen to think that having 60 games waiting is just a drop in the bucket compared to the lists I know some folks have. Any "core" gamer should look to the games they overlooked so far, because I'd be really surprised if there was anyone out there who had played absolutely everything they wanted to play out of what's out now.
tl;dr: It's Luigi's turn now, and he's still on 1-2. Be patient, you'll get back to 4-1 soon enough.
Zertoss @ Jul 29th 2008 10:12AM
It's kinda funny how Nintendo has one bad E3 and the internet explodes. We need some serious anger management.
Nintendo: "Well, we've got some casual games to show today..."
Internet: "WHAT THE FUCK?! YOU'VE ABANDONED US!"
Sony: "Check out LittleBigPlanet! Look at how customizable it is!"
Internet: "You let Microsoft have FFXIII, so FUCK OFF!"
Microsoft: "We wanted to save Bungie's announcement for another day."
Internet: "You can expect to have death threats within the hour."
Curmeo 2.0 @ Jul 29th 2008 10:59AM
only an idiot would take the word "abandoned" to the literal extreme. yeah nobody is saying they abandoned the core gamer 110 percent, we all know thats never gonna happen.
but you cant deny that they have significantly shifted focus from the core to the casual. and this is what core gamers and the media are pointing out. sure we'll use the word "abandoned" but why shouldnt we spin away as well when they do it to us("AC is a core game, see we havent forgotten about you core gamers!")?