Tag: Industry - Page 20
News Developers Weigh In On The Way Forward For Wii U
"The system plays host to a bunch of great, very unique games"
Following Nintendo's E3 exploits, we now have a greater idea of what content is coming to the Wii U in the remainder of 2014 and beyond. It was an event with some genuine surprises, combined with expected details, and laid out the path for the system — GamePad included — for the...
News Infinity Ward Merges With Neversoft To Form Super Studio, Retains Infinity Ward Name
Still no official word on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on Wii U
Neversoft, the developer behind the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, has merged with Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward to form a brand new "super studio". A memo written by CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg — and subsequently obtained by Giant Bomb — outlines the deal:...
News GameStop Plans to Close Around 120 Stores in the Coming Year
Moving into a "GameStop 3.0" era, apparently
Earlier this week GameStop hosted its 2014 Investor Day, at which it outlined some core business plans for the coming year. What does that mean for gamers? Less stores, basically. It's not a mass closure, but the company is clearly looking to streamline its business — it's planning to close 120-130...
News Capcom Investing $80 Million in Two New R & D Buildings
All part of boosting internal development
Capcom may have enjoyed another smash hit with Monster Hunter 4 in Japan, with hopes of the Ultimate release achieving success worldwide, but it's had a hit-and-miss period in other areas. Just recently the company cut its profit projections by 50%, citing investment, an underperforming mobile sector and...
News Disney Interactive Cuts Around 700 Jobs, A Quarter of Global Staff
Mobile and Disney Infinity likely to remain as priorities
In news surprising for its scale if not, unfortunately, its occurrence, the Disney Game and Internet Division — better known as Disney Interactive — has laid off around 700 employees today. The strong performance of Disney Infinity last year helped improve the financial performance of the...
News Nintendo and Retro Studios Speak on Resistance to Going Mobile
"I want Nintendo games to be played on Nintendo hardware."
Some Nintendo fans may be sick of hearing about it, but talk of Nintendo's potential if it decided to shift some work to iOS and Android devices still perks the ears of a number of investors. The jury is asked to consider the financier who suggested a model where players would pay 99 cents...
News Zero Escape Series Director Struggling to Find Funding for Third Title
Takes to Twitter for help
The Zero Escape series, which features the puzzle-based visual novels 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors on the DS and Virtue's Last Reward on the 3DS and Vita, has always included the carrying of hope in desperate times as a theme. Series director Kotaro Uchikoshi is now finding himself trying to maintain a similar...
News Nintendo President Satoru Iwata "Has Earned The Right To Fail", Says David Jaffe
Nintendo's "ups and downs" are what make the company great
Yesterday, Nintendo revealed that it was slashing its hardware projections for this financial year and that it expects to make a loss — not the kind of news that under-fire president Satoru Iwata will have wanted to impart to investors and shareholders, we're sure. Iwata himself has...
"We are thinking about a new business structure"
The news that Nintendo has reduced its hardware sales projections for this financial year and expects to make a loss has come as quite a blow to dedicated followers of the company, and has led some critics to repeat claims that the firm needs to move away from making its own hardware and embrace rival...
News Nintendo Has "Great Games" But Is Facing A "Structural Problem", According To Industry Analysts
"The first step to recovery is to acknowledge the problem"
Today's somewhat dismal financial results have given Nintendo fans plenty of food for thought, as well as providing the company's critics with all the ammunition they need. Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Asset Management Co. in Tokyo, feels that Nintendo needs to...
News Iwata Accepts Responsibility For Poor Financial Results, Ignores Calls To Resign
No management shake-up expected
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has taken responsibility for the poor financial results posted earlier today but has insisted that he will remain in charge in order to steer the Japanese company through these testing times. Nintendo's latest report reveals that it expects to sell less Wii U and 3DS consoles by the...
News Microsoft's Phil Spencer Can't Say Enough Nice Stuff About Nintendo
Thinks Nintendo's first party content is an "amazing asset"
Remember the good old days when video game firms used to say all kinds of nasty things about their rivals to get the upper hand? It would seem the days Genesis does what Nintendon't are long past, as modern companies appear to be increasingly keen to praise one another. Microsoft and Sony...
News Tech Site The Verge Thinks The Wii U's Failure Won't Change Nintendo
Console a "bad idea," but software-only rumors are ridiculous
As should be well known by now, plenty in the media have not looked favorably upon the Wii U's performance to date. Yet while some say Nintendo should throw in the towel when it comes to hardware or dive headlong into the new hotness of mobile games, Sam Byford on The Verge holds a...
News Reggie Fils-Aime: Petitions Don't Affect Nintendo's Decisions
“100,000 signatures doesn’t mean 100,000 sales”
Movements like Operation Rainfall demonstrate a community’s interest in seeing certain games or features become accessible; in Operation Rainfall’s case, advocates eventually saw their wishes granted by Nintendo, but was that a direct result of their efforts? According to Nintendo of America...
News The Financial Post Thinks Wii U And 3DS Could Be The "Best Bets" This Christmas
At last, some positive mainstream reporting
There's a lot of Nintendo-related doom and gloom floating around at the moment — some of which we feel it is our duty to report — but today we've got a little bit of positive news. The Financial Post has stated what we knew all along: Nintendo's two systems are the best option for prospective buyers...
News Epic Vice President Mark Rein Remains Unconvinced By Second Screen Gaming
“I think we’ve yet to see the real value of the second screen idea"
The Wii U has taken quite a beating in the last few days — first being outsold by Xbox One and PS4 — and then Super Mario 3D World under-performing at retail despite critical acclaim. With the PS4 and Xbox One currently doing rather well, what exactly is the Wii U doing...
News Former Naughty Dog And THQ Head Jason Rubin Says Nintendo Is "Irrelevant" In The Hardware Arena
Feels "it's a crime" that Nintendo doesn't publish on other platforms
Nintendo may make some of the best games in the world, but it also creates some of the finest piece of gaming hardware, too. However, the industry as we know it is changing. The traditional console makers are now competing with the likes of Apple and Google. In addition to this,...
Less than a week after saying the company was facing "the end"
Investment site The Motley Fool — which recently painted a rather dismal picture of Nintendo's future — has performed a complete about-face by claiming that Nintendo could end up being the big winner this holiday season. The opinion piece points out that although the Wii U has...
News Norwegian Cruise Line extends partnership with Nintendo, now offering Wii U
It’s no Daisy Cruiser
Nintendo is linked to baseball teams, love hotels, and even Mahjong sets, so it should come as no surprise it has other unique partnerships helping to expand the brand name globally. With this in mind, US cruise ship operator Norwegian Cruise Line has announced a partnership expansion with Nintendo to offer brand new Wii U...
News Nintendo Stock Value Rises After Buying Stake In Mobile Web Company Dwango
Embracing the mobile market
Mobile gaming is something Nintendo reportedly has no plans of participating in anytime soon. President Satoru Iwata previously made it clear Nintendo would lose its identity if it were to make such a move. On other occasions, he has said this field of games and software development is under absolutely no consideration...
News Sony Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida Wants The Wii U To Succeed
So much so, he's bought two of them
We've known that Sony's Shuhei Yoshida is a fan of the Wii U for some time — he has previously revealed that he owns Nintendo's current home console — but in a chat with IGN's Greg Miller, he has spoken a little more of his desire to see the console become a success. During the interview, Yoshida mentioned...
News Disney Interactive Co-President Resigns
Other co-president will assume full control
Disney Interactive has seen its fortunes turning around as of late, thanks largely to the release of Disney Infinity, but that doesn’t mean the division still isn’t doing some restructuring. According to the New York Times, Disney Interactive Co-President John Pleasants announced
News Disney Interactive Sees Big Financial Boost in Q4
Disney Infinity is keeping this steamboat chugging
Disney Interactive has been a financially struggling arm of the Walt Disney Company, but its investment in Disney Infinity is showing a significant payout as more game consumers are putting their money where the mouse is. According to Disney's latest earnings report, Disney Interact
News EA: Being Voted The Worst Company In America Was "A Wake Up Call"
CEO Andrew Wilson wants to focus on "making great games"
If you're a Nintendo fan, then the chances are you probably don't think much of EA right now. Following assurances that the company would enjoy an "unprecedented relationship" with the creator of the Wii U, EA has practically abandoned Nintendo, to the point where its sales across Wii, Wii U...
News The Nintendo 2DS Was The UK's Best-Selling Console Last Week
Sub-£100 price point and Pokémon seem to have done the trick
Nintendo 2DS was "comfortably the UK's best selling console" last week, according to MCV. The latest addition to the 3DS family launched alongside the immensely popular Pokémon X & Y, and was slashed to a sub-£100 pricepoint by major UK retailers such as Tesco and Amazon. From...
News EA's Financial Figures Reveal Dismal Wii U Software Sales
Wii not so great, either
Although EA has received much criticism for its poor support of the Wii U in recent times, it appears to make sense to the video game giant from a business perspective. EA’s decision to abandon Nintendo’s current generation home console has been validated with its most recent financial figures, which reveal that just...
News Iwata Braves Press Conference to Explain Nintendo's Earnings
Has faith that upcoming releases will reverse company's fortunes
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata made an appearance at a press conference in Osaka, Japan earlier today to explain the company's most recent financial results. Speaking about the ongoing troubles that Nintendo is currently experiencing with the Wii U, Iwata suggested that both the...
News Readers Of EDGE Consider Ocarina Of Time And Mario 64 To Be The Best Games Of The Last 20 Years
GoldenEye 007 and Super Mario Galaxy also make the top 10
Long-running UK video game magazine EDGE recently turned 20, and to mark the occasion it ran a poll to see what its readers consider to be the 20 greatest games to be released since the publication's birth in 1993. Unsurprisingly for Nintendo fans, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and...
News David Jaffe Is A Massive Fan Of Nintendo, But Thinks The Company Should Sell Out To Disney
"I just think it’s time to bring in some new blood"
Outspoken game developer David Jaffe — famous for his work on the Twisted Metal and God of War series — has suggested that Nintendo should sell itself to Disney if it wants to move forward as a company. Speaking to Hip Hop Gamer in an interview which contains some profanity — this is...
News Rayman Legends And Splinter Cell Blacklist Both Sold Less Than Expected, Says Ubisoft
Where now for these two long-running franchises?
Yesterday, we reported that French publisher Ubisoft had pushed back the highly-anticipated Watch_Dogs to Spring 2014, and today brings more dismal news — it has been confirmed during a conference call that both Rayman Legends and
News Michel Ancel: The Biggest Surprises Seem To Come From Nintendo
"Nintendo’s greatest strength, and its greatest weakness, is innovation"
Rayman Legends creator Michel Ancel has been speaking to Official Nintendo Magazine about Nintendo's position in the industry, and has pointed out that the company's greatest strength — and weakness — is its willingness to take risks and come up with fresh ideas:...
News Zelda: Wind Waker HD Release Triggers 685% Increase In UK Wii U Hardware Sales
...although it's not known how many units were actually shifted
Trade publication MCV has revealed that the release of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD has caused a 685% increase in Wii U console sales in the United Kingdom — however, it's not been revealed exactly how many units that jump entails. The news backs up Nintendo's stance that games...
News Iwata: We Never Fear Failure And Always Seek To Challenge The Status Quo
"Opening the first door is when things are most interesting"
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has been speaking at the recent B Dash Camp Osaka 2013 about his company's outlook on business and where it sees itself in the industry, as well as making the Pokémon series a success in the west. Iwata says that Nintendo doesn't fear failure, and that...
News Nintendo Wants Wii U To Be "The Console That Every Developer Wants To Publish On"
"We have strong relationships with third parties"
The Wii U still isn't exactly where Nintendo wants it to be, with sales continuing to flag in both the West and Japan. The topic of third party support for the console has cropped up several times during 2013, but Nintendo's Scott Moffitt feels the system is in a strong position as we approach the...
News Working With Western Developers Is All About Trust, Says Miyamoto
"We know we can rely on them"
It's no secret that the world of games development has shifted slightly in the past few years. Japan was once the centre of the gaming universe, with companies such as Square, Konami, Capcom, Sega and of course Nintendo offering the best titles the world had to offer. While those companies are still doing sterling work,...
News Capcom Europe To Axe More Than Half Its Workforce Due To Major Restructuring
Forced by the "changing market conditions the industry is facing"
MCV is reporting that Capcom Europe is to cut "more than half" of its workforce in a major restructuring campaign. The move comes after a similar move in the US, and follows a disappointing year for the company which saw titles like Lost Planet 3, Resident Evil 6 and DmC: Devil May...
News "Small" Number Of Staff Laid Off At Sega Of America
Exact number unknown
It has been confirmed that Sega of America has laid off a number of its staff. VentureBeat has reported that the number of employees affected is "small", but the exact figure is currently unknown. A spokesperson for Sega said: As the gaming industry continues to evolve, companies must adapt and adjust in order to compete and...
News Sega Sammy Acquires Atlus Parent Company Index For 14 Billion Yen
Reports suggest purchase will take place in November
UPDATE: It's now been confirmed that SEGA — or rather a part of the company called Sega Dream Corporation — has indeed bought Atlus. It's anticipated that the deal will be wrapped up by 1st November, and the following was in the press release. The Company believes that transfer of Index's...
News Without iOS Support Nintendo "Doesn’t Reach Today’s Kids" Says Apple Advocate John Gruber
Tech Bloggers Go To War Over Nintendo's Future
The unexpected announcement of the 2DS has led to some rather interesting opinion pieces appearing online, many of which actually defend Nintendo's move and see the cut-price console for what it truly is: an entry-level proposition that is sure to find its way under many Christmas trees this holiday...
News Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell Claims Nintendo "Could Be On The Path To Irrelevance"
Says a handheld gaming-only device "doesn't make sense any more"
Atari founder Nolan Bushnell has spoken about Nintendo's current situation and admitted that the company finds itself in a "very difficult position". Talking to the BBC at Campus Party Europe — a London-based O2 event involving thousands of developers working on various technology...
News Bethesda: The Time For Convincing Publishers And Developers To Support Wii U Is "Long Past"
Bethesda’s Pete Hines feels Nintendo has missed the boat
The Wii U badly needs third party support — that's a fact that few people will argue about. With the Xbox One and PS4 looming on the horizon, Nintendo is doing its utmost to attract publishers and developers, but Bethesda’s Pete Hines feels that it's too little, too late. Speaking on...
News New Study Suggests That Violent Games Are "Therapeutic" For Troubled Kids
Play as much Mortal Kombat as you like, young one
Video games have long been blamed for many of the ills of modern society, and violent titles such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat are regularly used as scapegoats to explain tragic incidents, slipping moral standards or general delinquent activities. However, new research at...
News Former EA VP Named New President of n-Space
Takes place at head of longtime developer
Dan Tudge, a former vice-president and executive producer at Electronic Arts, has ranked up in title to become President of Orlando, Fla.-based independent developer n-Space. According to GamesIndustry International, the former president of n-Space, co-founder Dan O’Leary, is now the company’s CEO...
News Iwata: No Chance Of Nintendo's "Precious Resources" Coming To Other Platforms
Going multiplatform would be a "short-term" fix, says Nintendo President
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has been speaking to CVG about the possibility of the company bringing its famous IPs to other platforms, and the message remains the same: Not on my watch. Nintendo and Iwata have come under intense pressure lately to at least consider...
News Wii U Hardware Still Being Sold At A Loss
Don't hold your breath for a price cut
Nintendo usually likes to sell its hardware at a profit, right from day one — something which sets the company apart from the likes of Sony and Microsoft, who have traditionally taken massive hits on hardware in the hope that software sales will make up the deficit. However, a Nintendo representative...
News Iwata: Getting The Attention Of Gamers Is Harder Than Ever
"The ability to pay attention is limited"
Gamers have more distractions than ever before — not only are there three main console makers, but players are also tempted with smartphone, tablet and web-based games, meaning that the amount of time they have to devote to any single title is reduced. Compare this to two decades ago, and most gamers would...
News Iwata Looking To Return To "Nintendo-Like Profits" This Financial Year
"Our basic strategy is the expansion of the gaming population"
Nintendo's lavishly-illustrated 2013 Annual Report is now available for download, and comes filled with all kinds of numbers and figures relating to the company's financial well-being. However, it also features a message from Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, who states that it is his...
News Nintendo Most Likely To Produce Gaming-Centric Tablet, Says Game Designer Jesse Schell
"Who knows what Nintendo has up its sleeve, right?"
Game designer, author and CEO of Schell Games Jesse Schell has been speaking to Games Industry International about the future of the games market, and has delivered a few home truths about where he feels we're headed. Schell — who graduated with a Masters of Science in Computer Networking and...
News Report Suggests You'll Soon Be Able To Purchase Nintendo Titles Via Your Phone Or PC
Nintendo outlines its digital future
Nintendo is taking the online side of its business very seriously — little wonder when you consider that it has just reported a 150% increase in download revenue compared to last year — and the next phase of its plan will allow users to purchase Wii U and 3DS content using platforms other than their consoles...
News Nintendo's First Quarter Financial Results Boosted By 3DS Performance
Despite operating loss and Wii U struggles, no change in profit projections
A few months ago Nintendo released its annual financial results, which saw the company make an overall profit but an operational loss, meaning its business had been partly bailed out by economic instruments, as opposed to profiting from selling video games and hardware. The...