Hey, I've been a member reading the site for a long time but this is my first post.
I've been thinking about the things I would like to see Nintendo do (as a fan but primarily as a shareholder) in 2009 and beyond, primarily regarding consoles. This is going to be a long post with me rambling on, so if you don't want to read it all, I've separated my thoughts into different sections, so you can just comment on whatever you feel like reading.
-Games
- I have really enjoyed some of the new Wii software, like Wii Sports and Wii fit. These games have really been what have driven the Wii's sales, but my concern is that the next Wii console won't exclusively have unique titles like this. It seems very likely with the success of the Wii, that at least one of either Sony or Microsoft will have a Wiimote like device, that is if they don't introduce one as a add on this gen. So if next gen the consoles are on equal ground again in terms of accessibility to the main stream audience, what can Nintendo do to stay on top?
I think the answer is to expand their development team now while they are successful. Nintendo games almost always seem to turn a profit. So now while they have the resources to invest, I think they should be expanding their development team. It is unarguable that the success of the Wii this gen is due predominantly to Nintendo's own software. While third party quality has been and looks like it will continue to increase, I think from now on Nintendo needs to be prepared to carry their console on their own. They should continue to support third parties, but never rely on them to help move hardware.
So basically to sum up this point I would really like to see Nintendo expand its development team, Nintendo produced software basically always sells at least decently and is very profitable, so I don't think they would saturate the market, even if they have a title release every other month, or even every month for the system.
So here is what I would like to see Nintendo work on.
- Revitalizing old IPs. Nintendo has already started doing this with the upcoming releases of Punch-Out!! and Sin and Punishment 2. If the rumored Kid Icarus game turns out to be true, then it would definitely seem like this is already a major part of Nintendo's strategy. But based on the success of virtual console games, dormant but established franchises still have a loyal audience, and will be very successful upon relaunching. I think Nintendo needs to continue this beyond just these three games though, games like Ice Climbers according to the VC sales charts, have done very well. I think with few exceptions Nintendo should try to relaunch basically all of there once successful franchises on the Wii. With the huge and growing user base, these games will have a new audience to sell too, and while some games might only do ok, others will do very well, and could be added to Nintendo mainstays like Mario and Zelda that are released on each console.
-Establishing new IPs. While the Wii has had huge success with the Wii - franchise, they have not yet launched a successful IP without the Wii name. I think launching successful new IPs during this time will be important for Nintendo staying successful in the long run. Because unlike Mario, or Zelda, Kart. Etc, I don't think that Wii Fit 3, on the Wii 3, would have the same type of impact as Wii Fit has had on the Wii. It is important for Nintendo to establish potential long term franchises, now when that have such a large potential audience to sell to.
- Titles crossing platforms. This point is more of a short term thing, and less important than the others. For the most part Nintendo's successful franchises are on both the DS and the Wii. However; there are a couple of notable exceptions. So far main Pokemon games have remained on the handhelds, and the Smash Brothers games have remained on the consoles. I think it is time for both franchises to cross over platforms. These are both huge properties with a large fan base. It just does not make sence for such a huge property to not help Nintendo out on both systems. By switching platforms the games would be vastly different than current iterations of the game, so I don't think they would infringe on the current audience. A main series Pokemon game going to the Wii, would also be a big help for the Wii in Japan, the one region where the Wii could use a bit of a push (which brings me to my next thought).
-Increasing Wii's success in Japan. The Wii is doing phenomenally well in both Americas and Others, but in Japan it is "just" doing very well. The improvement over the gamecube's sells in Japan is great, and the Wii is doing great compared to the competition from the other consoles, but I think with a little work, the Wii could be doing just as impressively in Japan as in the other regions. I would like to see Nintendo be a little aggressive with marketing the Wii this year in Japan, and have kind of a second launching of the Wii. I would like to see Nintendo finally release some colored Wiis, release Wii Sports Resort, and Sin and Punishment 2 within a month of each other. I think this strategy would get the Wii a lot of publicity, and help push sales up year over year in 2009. I also think it is probable that the Wii might be due for its first price cut (Japan only), before next year's Holiday.
-More Publicity for Wiiware and VC. Nintendo must be very happy with the success of both the virtual console and Wii Ware. I know I was very impressed with the numbers in the weekly sales charts. However; I think Nintendo should be more aggressive with WiiWare and VC. Virtual console games especially are easy money for Nintendo, and they have already done very well, but still the last I heard less than 50% of Wii users had ever taken their Wii online. I'm sure there are many owners out there who only play Wii Sports that don't even know what WiiWare and the VC are. I would like Nintendo to increase awareness in a couple of ways. First by having advertisements specifically for the service. Second by having sales on games, how great would it be if one day you had a blue light on your Wii giving you the message that SNES games were 20% off that day. That would spark interest in the VC, and get more people to check it out. Finally as far as WiiWare goes, while I think it is good that it is primarily an outlet for small developers, I think Nintendo should make one "killer app" for it. Maybe a New Super Mario Bros type game, then advertise the game a lot on TV, giving people who have never checked out WiiWare before a reason to do so (and hopefully getting a couple of other titles while they're at it).
Sorry for how long the post ended up being. Again this is more about what I think Nintendo could realistically do to increase profits, and not so much about what I hope they are going to do. So tell me what you think about my suggestions, or leave some of your own. Thanks for reading.
P.S. I just realized rereading this that when talking about the games, I sound a bit biased against "casual" games, but that is not the case at all. I just think it would be smart to establish a "casual" franchise of games, that could help Nintendo out for generations to come. Games like Mario Party and Brain Age, can evolve from generation to generation, but in my opinion a game like Wii Fit is a onetime thing.
