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Forums - Nintendo - Will Hardcore Gamers Ever Purchase Wii U Games?

Soundwave on 20 August 2014
archbrix said:
Soundwave said:
To be honest, I'm beginning to feel like Nintendo's problems are more systematic and more deeply rooted in who they are. It shouldn't be *this* hard to sell even 20 million consoles and you shouldn't need a miracle gimmick to sell every single console you make.

I think the basic formula that Nintendo has of selling consoles is still rooted in the 1980s ... that the home console is for kids first, with little Johnny playing Mario as his dad and mom watch over his shoulder and laugh on.

But I think game consoles have simply evolved beyond that to be a home appliance. Like a cable box or a DVD/Blu-Ray player (no one wants a kids centric Blu-Ray player).

Sure Nintendo has their "hardcore" base of fans who are actually mostly adults, but they tend to only buy a Nintendo console for the main Nintendo IP they grew up with as kids. They buy a Playstation or XBox for any other type of gaming.

Selling a game console that somewhere between a toy and a electronic gizmo mostly on the back of Disney-styled mascot gaming characters is just a format that I don't think appeals to a lot of people anymore. Even kids ... you would figure that Nintendo should have a stone cold lock on that market, but kids want a Playstation or XBox too by the time they get to age 10-11, they want to play what their older brother/cousin is playing.

That's why, from an advertising standpoint, Nintendo nailed it with the Wii.  Trying to be too edgy is terrible; it comes off as contrived, and it would make Nintendo look silly compared to Playstation or Xbox.  Going with a kiddy image forces you into a very niche audience.  What they did with the Wii was similar to what Apple does with their advertising:  Make the product a "for anybody" device.  This is Nintendo's best approach for their consoles, IMO.


The Wii had the miracle gimmick of the Wiimote though. Without that the marketing campaign wouldn't have worked. 

I agree though that I think they've lost sight of the fact that a lot of their successful games from that period were not overly cartoony (no Mario in Wii Sports, Brain Training, Nintendogs, etc.).

Nintendo Land by comparision is like something out of Willy Wonka's imagination rather than anything like tangiably real theme park. 



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fluky-nintendy on 20 August 2014

In my definition, a hardcore gamer is someone that plays about everything and plays it intensively: from an iPad game, to PC games like MMOs, and all the other stuff in consoles. I don't personally consider myself a hardcore gamer. I'm a very selective gamer.



...Let the Sony Domination continue with the PS4...
BlkPaladin on 20 August 2014

It's not that we don't buy the more mature games, a lot of us don't like being jerked off by companies who give Nintendo the inferior product or mess around. The Zombie U game is understandable since the system didn't get off to that great of a start and it was almost universally panned by the media for some reason it was very much a great game.

But if you offer Nintendo fans an inferior product they are not going to buy it. Especially since a lot of them have access to the other platforms. If you do an EA don't expect Nintendo fans lap up what you are shoveling. (though thanks to them I'm not going to buy a sports simulator ever again, though I use to only buy one or two a gen so...)

By pulling people's chain expect them not to buy your products even if you create the next must have thing.

Sorry if the line of thought is a little broken, I really should be getting to bed.

 

Nintendo is working on turning it around with the mature thing by making deals with developers and getting games that would of otherwise not be published, also lending out their franchises to developers who will make use of these, Hyrule Warrior for example. I will write something up about this tomorrow.



baloofarsan on 20 August 2014
Soundwave said:
I think people need to understand that the term "hardcore gamer" generally means the male gamer aged 12-35 who buys IP like Call of Duty, Destiny, Assassin's Creed, etc.

Even if that's not an accurate descriptor, that's what is generally agreed upon.

I mean sure, the guy who buys Tearaway on the Vita or Pikmin 3 on the Wii U in the US is probably the most "hardcore" gamer in a literal sense, but really that type of consumer is in actuality a niche consumer.


I like that definition. So in reality the "hardcore gamers" do not play very much, just short burst of concentrated gaming, preferably in late autumn - early winter, when the blockbuster games arrive.



kljesta64 on 20 August 2014
AZWification said:
kljesta64 said:
Nintendo gamers are hardcore gamers.

Yup, unless you like Animal Crossing!


never played it

you have to beat f zero gx story mode then you are a hardcore nintendo gamer because its a freaking nightmare.



Tsubasa Ozora

Keiner kann ihn bremsen, keiner macht ihm was vor. Immer der richtige Schuss, immer zur richtigen Zeit. Superfussball, Fairer Fussball. Er ist unser Torschützenkönig und Held.

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AZWification on 20 August 2014
kljesta64 said:
AZWification said:

Yup, unless you like Animal Crossing!


never played it

you have to beat f zero gx story mode then you are a hardcore nintendo gamer because its a freaking nightmare.

I did manage to do that a few years ago during a summer vacation, but I think I destroyed a Wavebird controller in the process if I'm not mistaken! :S



                
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jcalamil on 20 August 2014

in order to sell hardcore games on wii u, you need a good marketing campaign in particular with the game pad, they could show a comercial of watch dogs with the ipad as the "hacking device", without forgetting billboards and promotion photos and stickers in the streets



kljesta64 on 20 August 2014
baloofarsan said:
Soundwave said:
I think people need to understand that the term "hardcore gamer" generally means the male gamer aged 12-35 who buys IP like Call of Duty, Destiny, Assassin's Creed, etc.

Even if that's not an accurate descriptor, that's what is generally agreed upon.

I mean sure, the guy who buys Tearaway on the Vita or Pikmin 3 on the Wii U in the US is probably the most "hardcore" gamer in a literal sense, but really that type of consumer is in actuality a niche consumer.


I like that definition. So in reality the "hardcore gamers" do not play very much, just short burst of concentrated gaming, preferably in late autumn - early winter, when the blockbuster games arrive.

hardcore gamer is a guy or a girl who doesnt quit a game because its too hard. thats also the difference between hardcore and casual gamers. I dont think the amount or on which platform an individual plays has any significance.



Tsubasa Ozora

Keiner kann ihn bremsen, keiner macht ihm was vor. Immer der richtige Schuss, immer zur richtigen Zeit. Superfussball, Fairer Fussball. Er ist unser Torschützenkönig und Held.

jcmmnx on 20 August 2014

I consider gamers who play Mario and Zelda games to be more hardcore gamers than frat boys who only play Madden and COD.



binary solo on 20 August 2014

I thought only the hardest of the hard core bought Wii U, that's why it is selling so low. The average gamer doesn't buy Wii U.



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