We here at IGN have spent countless hours speculating on what may or may not happen in a few months at E3 2013, but none of us expected that Nintendo would bow out from the spectacle of a press conference. While smaller Nintendo Directs will be held leading up to E3 and during the show itself, Nintendo is foregoing the traditional pomp and pageantry of a large-scale conference. Now that we've had a day to digest the news, it's clear that IGN is divided on the issue.
Earlier today, you sounded off on the announcement via Twitter. Now it's our turn. Is Nintendo's decision a foolish reaction to Sony and Microsoft showing off their new hardware during E3, or does The House That Mario Built know exactly what it's doing? Here's what IGN thinks about Nintendo's bold decision.
This is probably the smartest, craziest thing Nintendo has done since designing a system controller that looks like a television remote. This is a risk – a big one – that will either pay off well for the publisher or rob them of critical, mainstream exposure that they desperately need right now.
Wii U has lost all momentum – and by Nintendo’s own admission. Its launch, though decent, lacked a game that could aggressively drive sales, and Nintendo’s own development standards have kept major releases off on the horizon. LEGO City Undercover and Monster Hunter aside, there really hasn’t been much to get excited about. E3, with a decade of legacy and hype behind it, could serve as Nintendo’s best opportunity to re-message and reposition its ailing console. Instead the publisher is focused on giving press hands-on opportunities, and apparently broadcasting most of its news in the weeks leading to the show.
I genuinely don’t know if that will work. Nintendo Directs are fantastic. I love them. I think they’re a brilliant piece of marketing that more publishers should use. But those preach to a very specific set of existing Nintendo fans. They are also not as prominent as a major press conference. They don’t draw the hype or attention. If Nintendo is smart, if it teases and builds to these Directs in the right way, they could overcome that deficiency. But if history is any indication, it won’t. And that could undo this strategy. That could be the difference in what makes this a success. All the announcements in the world, particularly for the struggling Wii U, don’t matter if you’re only talking to the people that already own one.
It’s unexpected. But Nintendo has never found its success by being predictable or ordinary. So maybe this is just like that time they revealed a remote or called a system a “Wii.” Maybe five years from now, in the ashes of E3, we’ll look back at how bold Nintendo was. But right now, that success is anything but guaranteed.
I have to admit, this news kind of bums me out. Watching Nintendo roll out the big announcements for the year is always one of the highlights of E3 for me, and it just feels strange knowing that won’t be happening this year. Nintendo Direct broadcasts are fine and good – after all, that last one in which A Link to the Past’s sequel was announced was a doozy. But it’s just not the same, it’s not as exciting or hype-inducing as that one big conference, where Nintendo bigwigs take the stage to show what they’ve got up their sleeves, and where Miyamoto-san wields a Master Sword or pulls a Pikmin from his pocket. It’s just kind of a bummer, though in truth, this is more of a personal blow to Nintendo fans than anything else. I doubt it will affect the company’s fortunes all that much or make people less excited to play Smash Bros. or Mario HD on the show floor. But as for E3 excitement, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.
I don't know why so many people seem gobsmacked by Nintendo's decision. It's the next step on a road they've been traveling for nearly a decade, ever since the DS and Wii hit it big with casual audiences. The big E3 press conference has basically been the last holdout of a tradition they no longer observe, so it makes perfect sense for them to duck out this year in particular: Microsoft and Sony will be banging the next-gen drum, next to which the Wii U will look inevitably anemic. But more than that, E3 press conferences have become orgies of explosive game violence. Nintendo's showing last year -- light as it was on guns and blood -- felt like out of place. The company has had huge success with Nintendo Direct presentations, and that quiet approach better fits the products they're peddling. The question isn't "Why is this happening?" but rather "Why didn't this happen sooner?"
I’m actually not that surprised. The one-conference-fits-all approach isn’t exactly an elegant way to get the message across. For the last few months, Nintendo has been trying to assume more control over their messaging by “owning” all announcements via Nintendo Direct. Instead of creating one E3 event for different audiences – and no doubt risking disappointing at least a portion of their press conference attendees – the idea is to divide up the events and push the right message to the right people. I think that part is actually really smart. But the question is whether Nintendo is also inadvertently reducing the size of the audience that actually hears about their products and strategies – and ends up preaching to the choir rather than attracting new customers or convincing lapsed ones.
A major press conference isn’t just a way to broadcast to an audience, it’s in itself a signal to the market that you mean business. It’s also a way to secure highly visible placements on sites, apps, TV, in newspapers, and so on. If in trying to better target their announcements Nintendo ends up reducing access, reducing evangelism in the press, and limiting the size of the consumer and investment/retail audience, it’ll ultimately be a step back. We’ll see what the next steps are. Will Nintendo allow us to broadcast their events?
If this move is one thing, it’s different, and it’s impossible to truly know what Nintendo is up to. The Wii U is in freefall, and it’s important that Nintendo identifies a broader audience to purchase its console. The hardcore gamers that watch Nintendo Direct already know the console exists, and they either have one already, they’re waiting for some games or they don’t want one. Like the Wii, the Wii U will depend on a broader audience outside of gaming’s core to survive, and while it has little prayer of selling the sheer amount of units the original Wii did, dodging the single way mainstream news outlets – think AP, Reuters or the Wall Street Journal – have to see what you’re doing strikes me as a blunder.
Perhaps more importantly, this is an optics issue. Microsoft and Sony are bringing true next-generation consoles to E3, and it’s more important than ever before that Nintendo hold its ground and show a willingness to compete with them. This move appears to be a tacit acknowledgment that Nintendo may not have anything to show that can stand up to what the company expects Microsoft and Sony to show.
Then again, Nintendo is often crazy like a fox, and you can never, ever count them out. Wii U may be selling sub-GameCube numbers, but there’s no reason it has to stay that way, and Nintendo’s focused approach to this year’s E3 may end up paying dividends.
Nintendo is making a huge mistake. The Direct series has been great for keeping a regular dialog with fans and media throughout the year, but E3 is all about spectacle, and Nintendo is going to struggle to gain any mind-share or attention with a streaming presentation. E3 press conferences are a chance for companies to roll out the red carpet and trump up the promise of their products. I respect Nintendo for realizing that Microsoft and Sony will be dominating the spotlight, but instead of just stepping aside, it should take this opportunity to explain how its platforms are different.
I personally think this is a smart move by Nintendo. They'll be going up against the two biggest gaming news stories of the year at E3 (being the PS4 and the new Xbox) with a year-old console that hasn’t gained that much traction yet. The smart thing to do is instead of going head-to-head with the giants and probably getting swept under the rug, they will be getting smaller spikes in promotion throughout the year. It allows them to get more personal with the fans and promote more titles than just the highlights that would have escaped from E3. They can also specifically tailor these Nintendo Directs to different people instead of trying for a catch-all E3 presentation. Imagine a Direct that is tailored towards mothers and families compared to one for hardcore gamers to one even possibly focusing entirely on third-party games. It’s a gamble, but I think it’s also a smart move for the Big N to remain relevant and competitive in the console market.
I’m on the fence about this decision. On the one hand, it seems wise to avoid holding a major conference that will pale in comparison to the inevitable mega-showdown between Sony and Microsoft. Instead Nintendo can focus on showing off a new Super Smash Bros. or Zelda game, which should please their core audience. On the other hand, Nintendo runs the serious risk of getting lost in the shuffle, since smaller press conferences and Nintendo Direct videos don’t necessarily garner the same attention a major conference can command. Also, you can’t StreetPass by watching Nintendo Direct videos. Bummer.
So what do you all think about Nintendo's decision to skip out on a having a big E3 press conference? Sound off in the comments section below.
Source : ign[dot]com
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