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Nintendo Needs to Up its Game

Nintendo Needs to Up its Game

Nintendo and Niantic caused a worldwide sensation with the debut of Pokémon Go in July 2016, quickly surpassing other competitors to become the most used and profitable mobile app of 2016. You know that you are doing big things when you beat Candy Crust Saga for mobile game app domination! But now that it is clear that Nintendo will not see a large part of the revenue that was produced by Pokémon Go.

There is a strong sense that Nintendo needs to work on turning the company around. Declining revenue has plagued the Japanese game giant for over five years as the company has battled with external factors affecting their bottom line. The company hopes that with a few new developments in mobile games and the launch of a new console, they will see some dramatic change.

Release of Super Mario Run

The hype for Super Mario Run may not have rivaled the mayhem of Pokémon Go, but it did receive $53 million in revenue since the launch in December. For Nintendo, that revenue won’t break any records, but for its first true mobile game production, isn’t too shabby. Nintendo needs to continue leveraging its name and position to exploit as much of the mobile game market as they can, because the truth is that they still produce engaging gameplay on this platform.

Easy Mode Added to Super Mario Run

Furthering their development into the new territory of mobile app development, Nintendo has produced an ‘Easy’ mode for Super Mario Run. This move will allow them to market themselves towards casual gamers and people looking for a more relaxed gaming experience. With a steep price tag to unlock the full game, Nintendo is hoping to capture a larger audience when it comes to its newest addition. While ‘easy’ mode is only available for iOS right now, it will likely release the version for Andriod sometime in March. Long-term it is hard to predict how Nintendo will fair in the mobile app world, but the release and developments for Super Mario Run do show some promise.

Nintendo Switch Hype

While mobile gaming is new territory for Nintendo, game consoles are not. Releases of new gaming consoles are often met with apprehension and criticism, but there is good reason to be optimistic for Nintendo Switch.

Joy‑Con™ Controllers

Nintendo might be on shaky ground when it comes to mobile apps, but their new game controllers are bringing mobility to the game console. Focusing on portability, the Joy-Con pads separate from the screen to allow users to play on the go. While some may see them as gimmicky, Nintendo has a good track record with developing new controllers as we saw in 2006 with the Wii.

joy-con-controllers-for-nintendo-switch-fix-my-touch

The Gaming Experience

Nintendo’s President, Tatsumi Kimishima, was interviewed by Time Magazine and really wants the public to see that Nintendo is striving to do something different. Mr. Kimishima revealed that the marketing campaign was going to be different this time around, focusing on getting the game into the hands of gamers to really highlight the changes Nintendo has made.

And so we are really, as you said, running a guerrilla marketing program where we’re just dashing around and trying to have as many events as possible and get it in the hands of players so they can experience the difference.” – Tatsumi Kimishima

The Games

We will see many of the fan favourites return to this console and that is creating hype on its own. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario Odyssey will be right at the front of the line.

Only time will tell how Nintendo will fair this year, but we are optimistic for them. And that sentiment is coming from tried and true Duck Hunt players!


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