In a year when gaming giants are making questionable decisions, Nintendo is seeking to reach a broad audience. The company created strong intellectual properties back in the 80s and 90s- some so memorable that if we don’t see a new Mario or Legend of Zelda title, we wonder what the big deal is. Now, the gaming giant has its eyes on a future of variety by focusing on creating brand new IPs.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said that Nintendo would commit to making more original game franchises during a Japanese interview (not translated) with Nikkei. At the same time, they will expand on their currently existing franchises. That news alone means we’ll see new titles more frequently, from AAA right down to Indie video games.
The Nintendo president wants variety to compete
“I myself am looking at and studying various forms of entertainment. In the future, we will focus on creating new game series as well as long-sellers such as Mario and Zelda.” It’s easy to go down a rabbit hole, imagining a long overdue, new Metroid game, many new Pokémon games, or more Donkey Kong. After all, Mario alone has earned them over $740 million, so the staples remain strong. Will Nintendo’s goal be to create new IPs capable of becoming as legendary as their mainstays?
Furukawa also spoke specifically about their video games and why their strategy needs to change. “Games are not a necessity of life. In order for customers to choose games in their finite time, they have to be interesting. Competition is tough, and I am not optimistic.” With Xbox and Playstation steadily releasing more innovative titles, Furakawa is smart to mull over the company’s place among the competition. Yet, I’ve always been of the mindset that the company doesn’t need to fight to compete. Their catalog, in my opinion, puts them safely in their own league.
That’s coming from a consumer with limited business knowledge, of course.
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A new Indie World Showcase is coming
Nintendo will present a new Indie World Showcase tomorrow, April 14th, at 9 am PT/12 pm ET in the spirit of new video games. It will be a short event that runs 20 minutes, showing off new indie games heading to the Nintendo Switch.
Many fans will note that this isn’t a Nintendo Direct, so they will not show off the big-budget games we’re waiting for Nintendo to reveal. Also, no – There will be no new Smash Bros Ultimate character announcement. It had to be said.
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