E3 2011 - A Wii U recap

[mike_intellivision]

RolStoppable said:

The Wii succeeded because of its message of unity. If you were a person who hadn't played video games before or hadn't done so in a long time, you weren't treated like a lesser person. You were equal. You were welcome. The Wii was about tearing down walls. Of course, hardcore gamers didn't like this message, because they see themselves as superior beings. But that didn't matter, because they were just a vocal minority who couldn't stop the Wii's success.

Segregating your market into, say, core and casual is building walls. And Iwata's recent speech at Nintendo's investors briefing is worrisome. It suggested that Nintendo will put the core on a pedestal while the casuals will get the scraps. People don't like being treated as if they were of lesser value and it's going to show in sales, if Nintendo goes with such a strategy. Just like it already showed with the 3DS.

The worst part about this is that it is completely unnecessary on Nintendo's part, because they have the luxury of having IPs with universal appeal.

True. Segmentation is bad. However, in a market that is segmented, you have to be able to appeal to all segments and sometimes differently. The trick will be in how it is done because sometimes you can lose those who you want to keep with your approach.

 

Mike from Morgantown