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Nintendo Going Mobile: Smartphone Game Deal with DeNA [First Games Fall 2015]

duckroll

Member
Square-Enix seem to manage fine, 2K seem to do well with their full price releases. There are others, but I can't be sitting here listing them all.

Is this really true though? S-E released a lot of premium price stuff a couple of years back, but have since scaled back on it so dramatically that it seems they have abandoned that business angle completely. Pretty much all their titles recently have been F2P.
 
Um, $3-10 is a premium for mobile and games at that price don't get ignored. Look at the infinity blade franchise.

Ok, when did infinity blade come out? 2008?

The market has changed a lot since then. I only have android to check but the only top 10 game over $5 is Minecraft. How many games are Minecraft?

In the top 50 only GTA and call of duty are over $5.
 
Dont know if this was mentioned...but many having the theory that the Wii U isnt doing well because many that got a Wii migrated to smartphones, tablets...

Maybe this is Nintendo trying to recapture that audience.

The difference is Nintendo created a new audience with the Wii. Here they are going after a pre-established market.

There's a whole generation of people gaming on their phones who don't give a damn about Mario or any other Nintendo character. I'm not sure how well this is going to work for them being so late to the party.
 
Nintendo is the best console developer in the world I agree but regarding mobile gaming the same as console gaming is wrong.
For instance F2P, which in the last few years seem to be the predominant method on mobile to get big bucks, is something mostly absent on console gaming and of course impact the game flow.

The risk exists or else Nintendo wouldn't be so hesitant.

I think we will have a clearer picture of what kind of games Nintendo have in mind when they will release the first wave this coming fall.

You think the F2P model is absent on consoles? Do you not own a Wii U, PS4, or XBO because that statement is straight up false. Tanks Tanks Tanks, Planetside 2, Killer Instinct...I could go on. You can keep creating self imposed mental roadblocks to disregard the quality of mobile gaming, I'll chose to trust in the company who has never let me down with a bad game. Going mobile doesn't hurt the brand and it's weird to see people hold onto that concept.
 

_Ryo_

Member
I meant to write prevent, rather than present.

But your response seems relevant regardless.

Is there anything currently on the Play Store or AppStore that one can install onto iOS and Android that essentially amounts to a standalone storefront. Is that not what they intend here? And is there anything that actually prevents that?

From what I understand, DeNA's current model is the download of their Mobage app which serves as a platform for game delivery. Although, I'm not hugely familiar with it and haven't used it so I don't know if and how one pays for specific games within the platform.

I think that it is actually against Google's policy to have any app that works as a standalone appstore from a thirdparty on the playstore.

That's why the Amazon appstore isn't on Google Play store and you have to download it from their website, isn't it? And didn't Google remove the Amazon app recently from Google play because the app contained a feature that let you download the amazon app store from within their original Amazon app?
 

shink

Member
Sounds good to me. I assume 3DS-lite games will be released on mobile e.g Animal Crossing town building game or something like that.
Put it on Android and I'd be happy.
 

Kama_1082

Banned
Ok, when did infinity blade come out? 2008?

The market has changed a lot since then. I only have android to check but the only top 10 game over $5 is Minecraft. How many games are Minecraft?

In the top 50 only GTA and call of duty are over $5.
It's been shown that a vast majority of Android users pirate mobile games and apps.
 

2+2=5

The Amiga Brotherhood
No, its not

Mobage is/uses DeNA.

Did you even bother to read the OP before contributing this worthless comment? Let's try it again:

"Iwata:

Nintendo and DeNA will jointly develop and operate gaming applications for smart devices in global markets.

With this alliance, new entertainment that utilizes Nintendo’s IP will be provided globally via smart devices."

How many more times does Iwata need to use the world global here? :)
As i said i'm not informed on mobile related arguments, the few times i read of DeNA was associated to Asian things, that's why i asked.
 

RedFyn

Member
Let's not forget the motion control in phones. The fzero Nintendo land game would work perfectly on mobile. And my sister would love a new dk roller (cant remember the name) game.
 

Sify64

Member
Wow, I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime. But there it is.
I think it is a smart decision that should've happened years ago.
 
Ok, when did infinity blade come out? 2008?

The market has changed a lot since then. I only have android to check but the only top 10 game over $5 is Minecraft. How many games are Minecraft?

In the top 50 only GTA and call of duty are over $5.

Try December 2010. And I said look at the franchise, not just the first game. The mobile market in regards to paying for premium content has barely changed since then. In fact, you could argue that people are LESS willing to buy $6 apps now yet they do it all the time.
 

SmokyDave

Member
Is this really true though? S-E released a lot of premium price stuff a couple of years back, but have since scaled back on it so dramatically that it seems they have abandoned that business angle completely. Pretty much all their titles recently have been F2P.
Honestly, I'm not sure, that's why I said they 'seem' to do OK. I don't think we really have a full grasp of the numbers. It's clear that F2P is the dominant business model, but I don't think it's clear that $3-$10 apps can't succeed.

Regardless though, I don't think 'mobile gamers don't buy games' makes any sense. The money is obviously there, it's just a question of Nintendo funnelling it into their pockets. Who knows, perhaps they'll go down the F2P route anyway given they're already making F2P games with micro-transactions.

Let's not forget the motion control in phones. The fzero Nintendo land game would work perfectly on mobile. And my sister would love a new dk roller (cant remember the name) game.
Now there's a game I'd pay good money for.
 

antonz

Member
A better Thread title would be like Nintendo buys stake in DeNA. Mobile Games coming.

Its obvious by how many people read just the thread title and not the actual content and post that the current title is too click baitish
 
FsjbjXd.gif
Right in the gut.
 
As far as I'm aware, no. They don't allow alternate storefronts or anything akin to that.

As for dena/mobage I'm not sure what you're talking about. They don't have a platform like that. There isn't a mobage app. Dena is a publisher/server provider and mobage is a developer .
Oh, for some reason I assumed they also provided some sort of central platform from which games could be accessed as well.

There was this story a while back.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/27/de...bile-social-gaming-platform-mobage-worldwide/
I think it failed and no longer exists though. Although I don't know how it operated when it was still active.

Although in any case, I'd assume that even if distribution through the Play and App Stores can't be achieved, it still won't be any issue with offering a standalone store on Android.
 

doofy102

Member
Guys, Nintendo loves making games for new control schemes. They've previous dabbled in touch-screen only games with the DS and Wii U. This is their territory. The games will be right at home.

This is essentially the "3rd" family of Nintendo games, next to 3DS and Wii U.
 

Shard

XBLAnnoyance
While the success of Nintendo is not guaranteed on mobile, let us not kid ourselves here, Nintendo is fighting with some of the biggest IP of all time. Mario and Pokemon even on the Wii U and 3DS still sell millions upon millions of units. Nintendo is going to make a mint and more importantly regain what they lost, the children.
 

Burai

shitonmychest57
I'm eating it. I still think it will hurt their dedicated game devices business. But this partnership is more than "Nintendo should put some old games on mobile", they are trying to get a significant part of this pie and I think financially they will be better.

As for the games quality, we will see. Not that this has started too well for Nintendo in that area anyhow.

The problem is that kids are growing up now without Nintendo games. I see it everywhere I go, young kids out with their heads buried in their parents' smartphones playing mobile games.

It's like the "PlayStation" generation. We've got adults now who've only ever known Sony and Microsoft platforms. Nintendo have never been relevant to them and their platforms have just passed them by.

If Nintendo just ignore this it'll be like Steve Jobs said when he met resistance from within Apple against the iPad. "If we don't cannibalise our own $1000 laptops with these $500 tablets, someone else will."

There's no harm in devaluing a brand if that brand will have no value in the future anyway. Kids do not need Nintendo any more, so Nintendo have to make the effort to stay relevant.
 

Metal B

Member
Sounds good to me. I assume 3DS-lite games will be released on mobile e.g Animal Crossing town building game or something like that.
Put it on Android and I'd be happy.
I also guess, that Nintendo will only create simple games for Smart-Devices or tools to extend the game-experience for there handheld or console-games. For example looking into your Day-Care-Center for Pokemon through your Smart-Phone.

They properly want to use those apps and games to promote there "real" games, which are only available on there hardware: "You like this Animal Crossing game? There is a much bigger and deeper game on your handheld. Check it out here".
 

Choomp

Banned
I've been waiting to dread when this happens, but thinking about it now it's a good idea and could be fairly cool. The games could be fun and mobile is a great way to reach out to the fans who don't have a console, expand that audience a bit maybe.
 

Tobor

Member
Is this really true though? S-E released a lot of premium price stuff a couple of years back, but have since scaled back on it so dramatically that it seems they have abandoned that business angle completely. Pretty much all their titles recently have been F2P.

I can't speak for SE, but 2K just released Sid Meirs starships for $15 on iPad, day and date with the Mac and PC.

We are definitely starting to see more premium content and I think there is definitely a market for it.
 
Square-Enix seem to manage fine, 2K seem to do well with their full price releases. There are others, but I can't be sitting here listing them all.

The market is so fucking huge, there is room to carve out a place with $3-$10 apps (and higher). Sure, the massive money comes from a jackpot F2P game, but that's not the entirety of the market by any stretch.

Well there's room if you are a large corporation with powerful IPs. But even then, that's not where the big money is.
 

Toparaman

Banned
The difference is Nintendo created a new audience with the Wii. Here they are going after a pre-established market.

There's a whole generation of people gaming on their phones who don't give a damn about Mario or any other Nintendo character. I'm not sure how well this is going to work for them being so late to the party.

Smartphone games are so cheap to make that I doubt Nintendo is expecting Angry Birds levels of return on their investment. I especially doubt that Nintendo is trying to make mobile their primary platform. I think they just want some extra cash on the side. Their development teams are so talented that it's practically like shooting fish in a barrel. Just have a rotating 1% of development staff doing smartphone games in between major releases.
 
I can't speak for SE, but 2K just released Sid Meirs starships for $15 on iPad, day and date with the Mac and PC.

We are definitely starting to see more premium content and I think there is definitely a market for it.

I think that kind of stuff sees limited appeal on mobile. If its an easy port they do it, but its not going to shift Significant units.

Why bother with premium product when IAP is so much more desirable by so much of the market?
 
I think we will still be playing and enjoying the style of games Nintendo has been known for for many many years.

This does not replace anything.
 

Shiggy

Member
This is what you guys get for not buying Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.

Seriously though, get Code Name STEAM. >_>

If that's it, then I ask everyone on here not to buy that game.

That game's art style alone makes me not to buy it anyway - perhaps I should try the demo at least.
 

RedFyn

Member
Oh, for some reason I assumed they also provided some sort of central platform from which games could be accessed as well.

There was this story a while back.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/27/de...bile-social-gaming-platform-mobage-worldwide/
I think it failed and no longer exists though. Although I don't know how it operated when it was still active.

Although in any case, I'd assume that even if distribution through the Play and App Stores can't be achieved, it still won't be an issue.
Oh that. Uh yeah it exists. It's really just your Dena/mobage profile. Again it's akin to a 3rd party launcher profile. I honestly can't remember if you can launch games straight from there or not (you still have to download them from the play store if so.) It would need a major overhaul to be up to Nintendo's standards as it pointless other than for accessing your profile info in its current state.

It's also not a standalone app instead accessed from each individual game.
 

duckroll

Member
I can't speak for SE, but 2K just released Sid Meirs starships for $15 on iPad, day and date with the Mac and PC.

We are definitely starting to see more premium content and I think there is definitely a market for it.

2k doesn't make exclusive mobile premium games though. They sell multiplatform games on mobile for premium price. Stuff like GTA, X-Com, etc. I was mostly commenting on how S-E attempted the exclusive method with stuff like Chaos Rings, Final Fantasy Dimensions, etc in the past, and they've completely abandoned that route. It's definitely telling of how tough the premium market is if mobile is the primary (or only) platform for a title.
 
You mean first to the party, right? Sony has dipped their toes in mobile a bit, Microsoft has basically ignored it entirely. Nintendo is the first to go all in on mobile.

They aren't even porting their old games to mobile, they are hardly going "all in". More like tipping a toe in just so their shareholders will stop bothering them about it so much.
 

Metal B

Member
Smartphone games are so cheap to make that I doubt Nintendo is expecting Angry Birds levels of return on their investment. I especially doubt that Nintendo is trying to make mobile their primary platform. I think they just want some extra cash on the side. Their development teams are so talented that it's practically like shooting fish in a barrel. Just have a rotating 1% of development staff doing smartphone games in between major releases.
You can also use it to educate their stuff. You start in creating small mobile games and get a taste of developing games and how team-management in the company work. Then you go up the ladder and develop download games for their hardware and in the end are build up to work on bigger titles.
Also you can give developers something to do, while their are in between projects. You don't need everybody all the time at some phase of development. While you only need a few programmers to build prototypes, the others can work on a simple Mobil-Game. So everybody stays in the flow.
 

_Ryo_

Member
I can see it happening if the initial smart device games are popular.

If Nintendo builds up 'hundreds of millions' in a membership base on mobile, they surely won't ignore the potential to monetize virtual console with them. I could see them even releasing a VC controller peripheral for tablet/phone/pc.

They have said they won't port console/handheld games straight to the other platforms, but I think that these are legacy games that are already not on their 'home' platform would allow them to make an exception.

Yes, this is what I meant. Thanks for explaining it much better than I, Sir or Madam!
 
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