Nintendo will need better casual games to continue their console war

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 1:25pm by Robert

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As most of you have no doubt read, Nintendo President Satoru Iawta is concerned that the Wii is in an unhealthy state, and that it is urgent for Nintendo to recover sales momentum. This statement, coupled with recent numbers confirming this sales drop, has left many to point the finger at Nintendo’s Blue Ocean Strategy, which disrupted the video game market by bringing a wider audience into gaming with casual titles, as the cause of this drop. They suggest that Nintendo needs to move away from this strategy and focus more on games for the core gamer to regain sales momentum.

I think that a shift away from the Blue Ocean Strategy of developing games for new audiences would be a mistake on Nintendo’s part. The decline in Wii’s sales does not prove that Nintendo’s Blue Ocean Strategy has failed. Rather, it illustrates how Blue Ocean requires constant innovation following the initial market disruption.

If Nintendo wants to see the return of explosive sales for the Wii, it needs to refocus the platform so that it is once again the home of innovative fresh titles that draw in the broader audience.

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Nintendo is doing very well, thank you

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 11:57am by Dan

That’s in billions, folks — more than all profitable public publishers combined. It won’t soothe your hardcore-loving, first-party heart, however. Via Edge

Counterpoint: Boom Blox didn’t fail nothin’

Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 10:46am by Jack

225_donkey.jpgI’m reading a really good book right now, called Predictably Irrational. The first chapter is about how we humans tend to assign “anchors” to things, like price, and how we start to base future decisions off of our first impressions, even if at second glance those decisions start to look pretty stupid (I should probably dust off my copy of Strunk and White, too, after re-reading that double negative headline).

After reading analyst Evan “ZOMG the sky is falling” Wilson’s NPD analysis this morning, I’m beginning to understand this irrational “Wii bubble is about to burst” mentality that still grips the entire industry, even today. The only test that was failed this week was the one Wilson took when he wrote that research note.

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Wii U.S. sales surpass Xbox 360 (VGChartz)

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 4:34pm by Jack

No surprise here. According to the semi-reliable VGChartz, Wii surpassed the Xbox 360 in the U.S. as of June 1, 2008. Nice job Nintendo.

The Wii Fit Balance Board is a console

Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 at 12:15pm by Jack

225_japan-wii-fit-box.jpg“I have an idea for an Infendo post you should do…”Sean Malstrom

And so began this simple post on an extraordinary idea. Perhaps a bit crazy too, but then again all disruptive technologies are labeled as such before they’re accepted en masse.

The idea? That the Balance Board packaged with Wii Fit isn’t an accessory at all. It’s a console, just the like Wii or even the PlayStation 3.

You were wondering when Nintendo would update the Wii? Unveil a Wii 2? Good news: The Wii Balance Board is it.

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