5 ms·

Except that Nintendo doesn't offer the vast majority of their back catalog in any shape or form.

meddlepal 9y ago
They slow trickle out games and franchise reboots to drive console sales based on Nostalgia. That tactic seems to be working for the time being...
- shuntress 9y ago
  I see it more as Nintendo makes good games to drive sales and that tactic seems to still work for the time being.
- accountyaccount 9y ago
  It seems a little backwards though right? Imagine if they offered a Netflix-style service (or akin to PlayStation Plus). They could grant access to their back catalog for something like $10/mo, and roll out segments of the back catalog over time to promote it. Then use nostalgia-based franchise reboots and new IP (lol, but occasionally something like Splatoon catches on) to push new console sales and then slowly phase-out back-catalog support from older consoles. You could time the phase-out with a holiday season 2 years into a new console (aligns with discounts and once initial new console buzz wears out). Seems like a much more predictable revenue stream than hinging on the success of a new console. You could also create leaderboards and niche competitions for the hardcore audience (Super Mario Maker has a sizable hardcore following).
  - bitJericho 9y ago
    Will that work for the next 30 years? We know the nintendo model has worked over the last 30.
    - accountyaccount 9y ago
      As long as they keep making games they'll always have a back catalog to sell.
chongli 9y ago
Nintendo is clearly motivated by something other than profit. They release the NES Classic Mini, a license to print money if there ever was one, and it's impossible to buy one without hammering Walmart's private APIs with a script. Then, after a little over one season, they cancel the product entirely. Perhaps Nintendo feeds on nostalgia brainwaves or something.
- accountyaccount 9y ago
  Rumor is that the NES Mini was just a way to burn through left over hardware stock.
  - triangleman 9y ago
    "I think we could have done a better job communicating that was gonna be a limited run," Scibetta told Ars. "It was supposed to be for that holiday. We extended it actually because demand was so much, then we stopped producing it." https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/nintendo-switch-shortages-are-definitely-not-intentional/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/nintendo-switch-short...
- naikrovek 9y ago
  Nintendo doesn't know how to run a business. They know how to make games. It's a shame. Because, as you said, they could effectively print as much money as they wanted with a long-term production run of the NES classic and the obvious sequels for SNES, N64, and Game Boy.
  - teach 9y ago
    Per Wikipedia, "Nintendo is one of the world's largest video game companies by market capitalization. Founded on 23 September 1889...." I think they're doing okay running a business.
    - naikrovek 9y ago
      You'd think that, then you'd see them doing things like stopping production of the NES Classic, which is one of the most idiotic moves ever. So long as you can sell a product at a profit, you keep fucking selling it.

They slow trickle out games and franchise reboots to drive console sales based on Nostalgia. That tactic seems to be working for the time being...

shuntress 9y ago
I see it more as Nintendo makes good games to drive sales and that tactic seems to still work for the time being.
accountyaccount 9y ago
It seems a little backwards though right? Imagine if they offered a Netflix-style service (or akin to PlayStation Plus). They could grant access to their back catalog for something like $10/mo, and roll out segments of the back catalog over time to promote it. Then use nostalgia-based franchise reboots and new IP (lol, but occasionally something like Splatoon catches on) to push new console sales and then slowly phase-out back-catalog support from older consoles. You could time the phase-out with a holiday season 2 years into a new console (aligns with discounts and once initial new console buzz wears out). Seems like a much more predictable revenue stream than hinging on the success of a new console. You could also create leaderboards and niche competitions for the hardcore audience (Super Mario Maker has a sizable hardcore following).
- bitJericho 9y ago
  Will that work for the next 30 years? We know the nintendo model has worked over the last 30.
  - accountyaccount 9y ago
    As long as they keep making games they'll always have a back catalog to sell.

chongli 9y ago

Nintendo is clearly motivated by something other than profit. They release the NES Classic Mini, a license to print money if there ever was one, and it's impossible to buy one without hammering Walmart's private APIs with a script. Then, after a little over one season, they cancel the product entirely. Perhaps Nintendo feeds on nostalgia brainwaves or something.

accountyaccount 9y ago
Rumor is that the NES Mini was just a way to burn through left over hardware stock.
- triangleman 9y ago
  "I think we could have done a better job communicating that was gonna be a limited run," Scibetta told Ars. "It was supposed to be for that holiday. We extended it actually because demand was so much, then we stopped producing it." https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/nintendo-switch-shortages-are-definitely-not-intentional/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/06/nintendo-switch-short...
naikrovek 9y ago
Nintendo doesn't know how to run a business. They know how to make games. It's a shame. Because, as you said, they could effectively print as much money as they wanted with a long-term production run of the NES classic and the obvious sequels for SNES, N64, and Game Boy.
- teach 9y ago
  Per Wikipedia, "Nintendo is one of the world's largest video game companies by market capitalization. Founded on 23 September 1889...." I think they're doing okay running a business.
  - naikrovek 9y ago
    You'd think that, then you'd see them doing things like stopping production of the NES Classic, which is one of the most idiotic moves ever. So long as you can sell a product at a profit, you keep fucking selling it.