gaming How is Nintendo successful?

[CastletonSnob 3,023]

How is Nintendo so successful when they're consistently behind the times, whether it's media format (cartridges instead of CDs) or online?

[SharpWit 2,472]

They put out very cartoonish games so it's not like graphics have to be super amazingly detailed, and they only work on their own consoles so it doesn't matter if their format matches up with what other companies are doing so long as it works. Not everything they do is successful, but they have some of the most innovative ideas because they're the first tro try out new ideas, while also continuing to make games that people all around the world love. You had to have seen how many people were excited for Mario Odyssey, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Super Smash Bros for the Switch. 

[Jeric 46,834]

While they have certainly had their missteps, people that are interested in general like their products. It's that simple. 

 

[Megas 27,040]

Make good games and experiment on consoles

[ShadOBabe 18,984]

Because no one else delivers the kind of games that are light-hearted enough for the young/young at heart AND have gameplay sophisticated enough for the hardcore nutters to learn to the last detail.

[Jeric 46,834]

 

It's also important to note that some of the most popular and successful products in other mediums have often ignored newer technologies in their own industies. 

[Stone Cold Steve Jobs 22,410]

Because they are known for putting out games twenty five years ago that are still widely considered the greatest ever made. That and the fact that they were founded in 1889 as a playing card company. It was Nintendo that lay the groundwork for what makes a popular video game now, at least in part. Or to quote Dan Houser, "Anyone who makes 3D games that says they haven't borrowed something from Mario or Zelda is lying."

Edited May 25, 2018 by Stone Cold Steve Tuna

[Here No Longer 5,270]

How could they NOT be successful when their competition hasn't made a good exclusive in about 7 or 8 years?

[Twilight Luna 30,916]

The 3DS and Switch have been very successful. The switch will get even better with more third party support.

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

They rely heavily on nostalgia for one thing. Also, they know their craft well and continue to refine it every year despite not following the industry standards.

[The MegaBrony 218]

Nintendo has made timeless characters that even the most ignorant non-fan can recognize, and the gameplay of its various classics never gets old.

[ZethaPonderer 2,196]

Nintendo has been the same ever since their debut within the video game industry after the crash of the video game market at 1983. It's successful because of its legacy and draconian-esque policies of protecting their IPs (for the most part) plus innovating ways to make video games fun to play. Nintendo nowadays is struggling to adapt into the current video game market where things are changing especially when mobile devices are becoming a potential way to make&play video games out of them. IDK if the company will survive in the future.

[PiratePony 8,473]

Keep in mind that the behind the times argument (cartridges vs. CDs) was made for the N64, and people were crying Nintendo's doom then.

Oh yeah, and out comes Mario 64 and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time....

Nintendo is popular because they do what they do very well. 

[Cadancerules 18]

Well i grew up with Super Nintendo, Mario and Zelda were quite good at the time. I mean i don't think Nintendo is as good now as it was, i've been more into Playstation though i tend to mix between Xbox and Playstation. But success doesn't equal good. Like musicians can be quite successful that doesnt mean that it is good. So really if they are popular for something i really don't care, just aslong as it rules then i am down with it, like Lord of the Rings is a timeless king series!

[Guest]

This is the same as asking why Coke is successful despite not really changing in almost 100 years. The reason is simple: brand recognition. Nintendo has spent decades building their brand, building their characters and franchises. These are known franchises and because of that they are more trusted. People are willing to put that money down for a Zelda game because they know Zelda, they know it stands for quality. It's easier to put down money on familiarity that has proven good many times over than it is to take a chance on something new. Now don't get me wrong, new ideas can be VERY profitable, but they are a gamble.

Nintendo I think has made some steps in the right direction with the Switch, but also Nintendo just is good at filling a space in gaming that the other companies just can't seem to capture; families and portable. Let's face it, the Switch is perhaps the best portable to come along since the 3DS. No one has quite made such a great portable except Nintendo. And portables still sell because in our ever-growing world people are on the move a lot.

At the end of the day Reggie said it best: "Here at Nintendo we like to make content that makes people smile."

That's really all you need. If people love your games, they will forgive shortcomings most of the time within reason.

[Here No Longer 5,270]

On ‎5‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 4:16 AM, PiratePony said:

Keep in mind that the behind the times argument (cartridges vs. CDs) was made for the N64, and people were crying Nintendo's doom then.

Oh yeah, and out comes Mario 64 and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time....

Nintendo is popular because they do what they do very well. 

Well, that's an even better point than mine.

They are now, they admittedly were falling behind in the days of the Wii U because it released one good game and was only sold on poorly designed gimmicks. (But the Wii did the same thing, and everyone bought it for some reason...?)

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by Barik

[Pr0m4NV14 837]

Nintendo isn’t afraid to try new things and ideas.

[Dreambiscuit 8,017]

Nintendo isn't really behind the times. If anything they're the innovators that the others imitate. Didn't Nintendo make the first controller with a joystick? And didn't they invent the forced feedback rumble feature? And what about the Wii motion controllers? They only used cartridges when the others went to disk because they were trying to curtail pirating. I don't think they're as concerned with their image as much as doing what they do as best they can, which is better than releasing stuff that has barely even been beta tested. 

[ZethaPonderer 2,196]

I found this interesting video where Nintendo didn’t always come [up] with gaming devices/gimmicks in the first place during their debut in the video gaming industry from the 1980s.

 

Edited May 27, 2018 by ZethaPonderer
Adding ‘up’ in [ ]

[Concerned Bystander 2,901]

It has been said already but Nintendo are successful largely because they stick to what they do well.

Look at the Gameboy and its successors.  The original Gameboy sacrificed performance for portability and affordability, as a result of this it saw off competition from things like the Sega Game Gear and the Atari Lynx, which were both far better machines technically.  Later iterations of the Gameboy (I know the 3DS isn't actually a Gameboy, but it is very much a spiritual successor to that range) have outlasted every other attempt to launch a handheld console, including the PSP, despite the fact that once again many of those machines were technically better, and of course more expensive.

Their home consoles also have their own particular slice of the market, utilising gimmicks to provide a unique and quirky experience with a strong emphasis on family-friendly and social games as well as constant installments of popular and iconic franchises such as Mario and Zelda.

If Nintendo tried to get into the ring with Sony and Microsoft and compete with them directly they would probably take a battering.  They are so successful precisely because they don't do that, they have carved out their own niche in the market and have successfully defended, and dominated, that niche.

[Hachiroku 127]

Well I didn't even grow up in the 90s and I play games of that era from Nintendo. Really speaks for itself. Kinda wish I had a Switch. Xenoblade looks good.