Metroid 3: The hype is here (you’re just not a part of it anymore)
Friday, August 10th, 2007 at 12:16pm by Jack
I seriously think that the video game media, as it exists today, needs to stop trying to predict what Nintendo’s going to do for a while. Instead, what they need to do is start taking some real notes, pay attention, and do some research. We’ll all be better off when that happens.
Until then, Nintendo seems content to basically not give a flying focker. And that seems to be working out just fine.
The flavor of the moment seems to be to criticize Nintendo for “not marketing” a “hardcore” title because they’re too busy trying to sell “casual games” to “casual gamers.” I used quotes because I don’t believe any of those claims or labels. First, hardcore is a marketing term invented by Sony and Microsoft and the sheepish media to describe an imaginary sect of gamers and appeal to their egos. I dabble in games, playing a hour or so every other day, but I also take time out of my work day to write about Nintendo for no money or compensation whatsoever. That’s pretty “hardcore,” no?
Second, casual games are in reality just “games.” Casual applies to the gamer, not the game itself. They’ll play anything so long as its fun. Again, marketing spin.
The calling out, in this case, happened over at IGN. Our good friend Matt Casamassina notes that Nintendo has yet to send him any review copies of the game, and thus far has neglected to promote Metroid Prime 3 to the “hardcore gamers.” Ergo, Nintendo doesn’t really care about “hardcore gamers” because they aren’t getting down on hand and knee to appease them with free swag and explosive marketing web sites that are EXTREME TO THE MAX (copyright Xbox 360).
How troubling this all is. But also how telling. It’s been almost one year since the Wii arrived and knocked down the barriers to video gaming, and yet columns like this persist. I’m positively baffled. Is the media genuinely still confused about what’s going on with Nintendo today, or are we seeing yet another example of a confused and scorned media lashing out with some reverse psychology — hoping Ninty will bite and throw them a bone?
I suppose the answer to that meandering question is, “it doesn’t really matter.” To date, after almost a year of “hmm, I don’t know, that doesn’t look like it appeals to the hardcore gamers,” talk, it would appear as though the media will continue to not get Nintendo, and Nintendo will continue to make millions in spite of that fact.
Simply look at today’s Wii Ware development. For the second time in one week, the blue light flickered to life on online enabled Wii’s across the world. Metroid Prime 3 content became available for streaming to your television. As much as IGN would like to think their Wednesday column chastising Nintendo for not being IGN-friendly enough was the catalyst for this Wii Ware development, they weren’t.
Instead of announcing a Wii Ware development via a press release to IGN or other media outlets, Nintendo cut out the middle man and decided to let the consumers figure things out for themselves. The Wii Ware Metroid demo was just that — a demo — but it was something tangible that users could download and look at on their own time and of their own accord. The Wii Ambassador parties proved there is power in letting users decide for themselves, and this Wii Ware demo will prove that there’s few things more powerful than your son or daughter going to school or the park Saturday morning to brag to friends about the cool new download his Wii just received.
Still doubt it? Let the media’s own words prove this point:
The point we’re making is that by no estimation is Corruption a throwaway sequel. Clearly, a lot of development time and resources have gone into the creation of this sequel, the third and final act in the Prime trilogy. But here we are, three weeks away, and we remain excited for the product practically in spite of Nintendo’s lackluster efforts.
“We remain excited for the product practically in spite of Nintendo’s lackluster efforts.” Really? Why do you think that is? Isn’t being excited about something you see as lackluster kind of a glaring contradiction? Could it be that Nintendo has already done all it really needed to do to promote this game?
At E3, they showed off the new controls and very un-GameCube graphics, and people bent over backward to laud the efforts. It was the most positive press Nintendo had probably seen since Wii Sports last November. But what was special about the E3 demo was not the control scheme (although that was damn important), it was that Nintendo SHOWED people something cool, as opposed to TELLING them what was cool. IGN and other seem to think that for a game to be successful, game companies need to shower the media with gifts and treasure so they can write their expert reviews and therefore the game will be successful. What they don’t seem to get is we’re kind of in a new era of media right now. People want to be told (or better yet, showed at a gaming-themed house party) about games by other like-minded people because that’s who they trust. The media has a role to play, sure, but it’s been downsized considerably in cases like these. Just look to the review scores for great Wii games. They’re all over the place. That reeks of disruption. The best reviews I’ve read of one of my current guilty pleasures, Excite Truck, probably came from Infendo readers and writers.
I don’t mean to pick on Matt C., but he wrote the column, so surely he expects a response such as this. In his column he asks, “where is the hype?” Um, Matty? Did you read David’s post about the month of Metroid? Pretty amazing that David, who has a full time job outside of Infendo, was able to put things together so well with so few resources at his disposal, don’t ya think? Actually, I think Infendo is really just that good these days ;-).
Anyway, the hype. I’d argue its here, and always has been — it’s just that the Matt C’s and their companies are no longer as in the loop as they once were in simpler, narrower, and more exclusive times. Downloadable content cuts out the middle man and lets gamers decide for themselves if they like a game without having to worry about whether or not they’re the right type of gamer. Sounds good to me.
August 10th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
wow, someone feels strongly about the subject; although i completely agree with you. i can’t wait for this game and i don’t need some fancy review to make me buy it. the metroid demo things was pretty amazing, and I can’t wait for the 13th! although i think it’d be really cool if they could include a playable demo.
August 10th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Nicely put, Jack. People need to realize that games (not hardcore, not casual, just games) are mainstream now. Nintendo is changing it’s marketing strategy to reach that mainstream audience. Judging by sales they are doing it well and it is a valid strategy.
August 10th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Actually, I agree with Casamassina.
Nintendo does seem to be promoting its “casual games” - an accurate label for a very definitive split in gaming approach and philosophy - far more than its traditional titles, including new entries into some of its most revered franchises. Until today, Nintendo had seemingly forgotten that a new Metroid title was so close to release.
Today’s blue-light special was a FANTASTIC way to promote the game, though. The Metroid Preview channel is absolutely ingenious. Through it, Nintendo is getting the most direct kind of advertising available…letting every single online-enabled console in the States know that Metroid is on its way. Beautifully done.
But again, until today’s homerun, Nintendo hadn’t stepped up to the plate. I made a pre-order on the game last week, and the cardboard stand-up at Gamestop’s entrance - Samus in all her glory - stood as the most marketing I had seen for the game so far.
And Casamassina’s argument applies well to other games, most notably Battalion Wars II. The first game in that series was a sleeper hit…one of the better games available on GameCube. You’d think they’d try to expand that audience with the new game, which looks better than the original in every aspect. Yet Reggie didn’t speak a word of it at E3, nor has Nintendo pushed it otherwise. At all.
Great points, Jack…but I was kinda with Matty Boy on this one. Until Nintendo freakin’ announced “Metroid Month”…
August 10th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Battallion Wars 2 troubles me… it’s not that Nintendo isn’t marketing it, it’s that the game almost doesn’t exist right now. A game like BWii needs a BIT more marketing than one like Metroid. Troubling…
August 10th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
I agree, and the reason why no hype was promoted before was because this was coming.
This blew me away, and im really impressed for the graphics… if you thought it looks great in the magazines… (not NP, those cheap bastars!) you haven’t seen anything!
August 10th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Good post, but you’re a little hard on Matt. Matt’s article was written before the Month of Metroid was revealed and before the blinking blue light this morning telling us about the WiiWare Metroid Channel.
And you know, those are two really good ways to advertise the game, but that’s preaching to the choir so to speak. Johnny FratGuy who goes by Burger King for a Halo 3 Combo after his best bud’s kegger has no idea what Corruption is or why it’s going to be so awesome.
And really, the Halo crowd are just so-called “casual gamers” turned “hardcore”…and they’re hardcore because of a single game. Say what you will about Microsoft, but Halo is a phenomenon. 1 million pre-orders for Halo 3 is astounding and it shows what’s possible when you reach out and grab ahold of additional markets. It worked for Microsoft and Bungie and it is working for Nintendo.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Leave it to Jack to make sense of everything.
I actually love Nintendo’s marketing strategy. Take my parents for example: the first time that they ever played a console was the Wii, and they loved it. Nintendo could spend millions on marketing, and my parents would still probably not know about upcoming games, short of coming to their door and talking to them directly. This in turn leaves me as an Nintendo enthusiast to get my parents excited for games. They trust me, I know what they would like, and it’s free advertisement from Nintendo’s standpoint. I don’t need cardboard statues and flashing lights to get me excited for a game. Often than not, it builds too much excitement which leads to bigger chance of disappointment.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
You are so right, as usual:)
August 10th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
tratch, I was trying to address your point of view with this portion of the post:
“The Wii Ambassador parties proved there is power in letting users decide for themselves, and this Wii Ware demo will prove that there’s few things more powerful than your son or daughter going to school or the park Saturday morning to brag to friends about the cool new download his Wii just received.”
I was kind of obtuse. What I was trying to say is that this word of mouth water cooler talk will rope in those clueless guys you describe, even if they don’t yet have a Wii (seems they’re spending too much time at BK?
)
August 10th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Well worded, bravo, and a big one to Nintendo
August 10th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
I don’t know, there’s something to be said for not having a dedicated website for your game, too. I think there’s a little more Nintendo could have done to get people excited for the title. Sure, we all know it’s Metroid, and it’s got us entranced by the mere fact that it exists, but look at Halo 3. EVERYONE knows Halo, and that’s because Msoft goes nuts with the game. I’m a firm believer that, the more coverage a game gets, the better it sells. Metroid 3 is not really covered that much compared to other games. Matt C explains this fact with the comparisons of MP1 and MP2 and their marketing. With very little coverage compared to MP1, MP2 sold nearly half as much. Obviously something is wrong with that when you have a series as strong as Metroid Prime. And it looks like Nintendo is doing that with Corruption. Granted, they got this awesome Metroid Month thing going on, but for me personally, it doesn’t seem enough. I want merchandising deals. I want my mom to say, “Geez, what’s with all this Metroid stuff? And who’s Samus Aran?” Nope, the only people to know about Metroid already know it’s coming out in a few weeks. And jeez, it’s Metroid Prime 3, the last in one of the greatest series in all of gaming. Can we get a bone here? Even if this Month is an awesome way to start the season, why not start it a few weeks or even months ago? Did they even show Metroid Prime 3 at the E3 conference to get everyone hyped up, or was it buried under WiiFit? I still think Nintendo could do more to hype up the second most popular game they have this year.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
I have my own suspicions about this whole turn of events. Lookout because this is a little conspiracy minded. Nintendo has shut the doors on existing game media knowing that eventually somebody would ask where all the marketing is they keep an eye on the sites and then when they see the editorial is written, BAM! They counteract it. This makes the marketing more potent, not only is it a surprise, but it files in the face of recent news. When people talk about it now they always mention Matt’s article and it spurs more discussion and sends a more potent message of see mister “hardcore” we still love you. Now you get articles written about the articles about Metroid it builds the hype and acts Virulently. Hell IGN could even be in on it (though I doubt it). Am I some crazy dude with a sandwich board on the street or am I on to something.
-Hunter OUT
August 10th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
I don’t really agree with your assessment of Matt’s article. I don’t think he’s complaining that Nintendo hasn’t pandered to him and provided HIM with demos and such. He’s complaining that they have basically been silent regarding MP3. I think he argues that this is bad, not from a personal standpoint, but as a gamer (not a hardcore gamer but gamer with a small ‘g’), because by all accounts MP3 is bound to be great and if it fails to sell better than MP2 or MP1 for that matter it will not bode well for similar games in the future.
It’s also important to remember that Japan is not as taken with the whole franchise as other regions so Nintendo really needs to step up and promote this game.
I agree with the comments above regarding Halo. I had an Xbox and borrowed a copy of Halo from a friend. Know what I thought? Meh…it was ok. But I’ve bought MP1, MP2 and plan to get MP3. Neither of those games were super blockbusters in terms of sales, but look at Halo. It’s sold a buttload and the hype every time one comes out is off the charts.
In short, Nintendo does need to unclinch its tight fist from the buckets of cash it has and market their big franchises like the other big boys.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
crono –
“Sure, we all know it’s Metroid, and it’s got us entranced by the mere fact that it exists, but look at Halo 3. EVERYONE knows Halo, and that’s because Msoft goes nuts with the game.”
I chewed over your comment here for a while. I hope I make sense in my response.
First, I agree. EVERYONE knows Halo, but I’d include an asterisk after that statement. First, everyone knows it, but did everyone plunk down money to buy it? Millions know about Paris Hilton too, but I think you’d be hard pressed to find more than 10% of that number that actually respect her enough to say, buy her CD.
Second, would you agree that when we say “everyone” we’re really talking about a specific type of gamer.
I am reminded of a quote from a classmate WAY back in 5th grade in times like these: “Crest says in commercials that 9 out of 10 dentists recommend Crest. Trouble is, Crest only talked to 10 dentists.” I think we’re all in danger of getting caught in the echo chamber sometimes, myself included. Sure, everyone knows Halo — inside the heavy Internet using community.
MP1 and 2 were a different era; a different Nintendo. It’s the same series, yes, but comparing the marketing approach of the first two to the last is apples and oranges. Nintendo learned from GameCube, and made things better. They also have a direct-to-the-consumer platform in Wii Ware now, meaning traditional methods like dedicated web sites and Matt Casamassina are largely irrelevant now.
Another thing to think about: Do you really think your mom would learn about a game like Metroid Prime 3 from an advertisement or cardboard cut out at GameStop, or from the loud, obnoxious sound of you and your friends playing it in her living room?
Mario Strikers Charged is another good example of what’s going on with Nintendo right now. I recently bought it, and when I went to my parents’ house this morning on an errand, I mentioned it to my youngest sister (first system she’s owned: Wii). She knew exactly what I was talking about, and it’s already on her list of things to buy. Where did she learn about it? From ads? There aren’t any. From the Internet? She surfs, yes, but you can bet she doesn’t use it to surf for Kotaku posts, that’s for sure. No, she learned from friends and other trusted sources, and couldn’t wait to get it and go online (the house JUST got wireless, if you can believe that).
You say you want more marketing? More excitement? I don;t know how much more perfect things could get right now for Nintendo in the marketing department: They spend nothing, and everyone talks about their stuff anyway.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Yesterday I was reading that the DS is about to cross the Ps2 line in Japan as the most sold gaming console. And the Wii is about to do it here in America against the Xbox. All this in less than a year. Do you think Cassamassina or any gaming related publication had anything to do ith that happening? Nintendo is probably sending National Geographic, Forbes, Life, Vogue, Wall Street journal, New York Post, Martha Steward, Conan O’Brien, Telemundo and the Enquirer their copies before Cassamassina. It’s a new world baby!
August 10th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
By the way, great article JACK! this is what makes blogging better that bloated sites like Ign.com…
August 10th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Watching the gamersphere react to the Wii is like watching someone go through the 5 stages of grief.
Stage 1- Denial
“Wii is a fad. The bubble will burst. It doesn’t have the tech specs to compete with the X360 and PS3. Nintendo should give up the console business and just make software.”
Stage 2- Anger
“Nintendo only cares about casual gamers. Where are the hardcore games? What’s with these stupid Friend Codes to play online? My mom is hogging my videogames.”
Stage 3- Fear
“Nintendo is destroying the industry. If these casual games make so much money, developers are going to stop makiung the big, epic games we love.”
Stage 4- Bargining (I don’t have any good examples of this…yet)
Stage 5- Acceptance…(not there yet!)
I guess my analogy falls apart at Stage 4, but it sure has been a hell of a year to be a Nintendo fan.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
BW is nothing more than Nintendo’s answer to Call Of Duty, one of mega hardcore franchises around, that’s why it sold so bad in Gamecube even when there were no other games to buy… It’s just a matter of tastes and the Nintendo crowd really doesn’t care for 3rd person perspective soldiers and WMD (like that Hammer game) unless it’s something very very very original like Advance Wars or Pikmin.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
It’s all pretty simple really: those of us that already made our minds about buying Metrod Prime 3 (because we enjoyed the previous two MP games on GC… as well as the orignal one, and Metroid II on GB, and SM on the SNES, and the GBA games) do NOT need advertising to tell us about a game.
Metroid Prime 3 will easily sell 250,000 copies between release and December 31st 2007 just because of us (in the Americas). Now, the rest of gamers that are new to the Metroid franchise (or to videogames in general) might be persuaded to download the videos and then decide to at least try MP3 at a demo station… or even just want to buy it in two weeks time because they liked what they saw. In the end I think MP3 can do anything between 650,000 and 2,000,000 copies sold worlwide come March 2008.
I personally like IGN in general and usually agree with Matt C… but this time his opinion seems, I don’t know, just wrong. It’s the same problem that print videogame magazines experienced (and continue to do so) since videogame websites started to show that waiting a month to read about info on something that happened two months ago is not worth it anymore. Now that Nintendo and the Wii have introduced a change into the industry, websites and the “specialized media” want to keep things the same way as they always had been for them (getting gifts with review copies, being flown to lush hotels with all expenses paid to demo some new games, and so on and son)… which, if Nintendo keeps up the great work, is not going to happen.
The term “hardcore gamer” (as well as “casual gamer”)is just a marketing term used by some companies (and many an annonimous gamers on the web). For instance, I own Ogre Battle for the SNES and the N64, games that are considered the some of the most harcore and treasured games by many gamers around the world (great games by the way, and some of the hardest ones to come by)… and yet I also own Cooking Mama and Rayman Raving RAbbids for Wii because I like to have FUN while I game. Gaming is supposed to be fun. Not hardcore, not cassual, no regular. Just FUN.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
While the WiiWare aspect and, by and large, blogs like Infendo now lessen the traditional gaming media importance there is still a need for mass media marketing.
Wouldn’t you agree that the vast majority of Wii, PS2 and DS owners are pretty clueless when it comes to gaming news? These people may hear something from a friend about a new game, or they see a game on the shelf at Targe, or they see a TV ad, print ad or a Burger King marketing blitz but they don’t troll gaming forums. They don’t read fifteen gaming blogs a day. They don’t go to Joystiq, Kotaku, IGN or Game Spot. Heck, they’ve never even heard of those sites. And what’s more, I’d bet a good percentage of Wii owners don’t have the wi-fi connected and don’t even realize that it has networking capabilities.
While this coincides with your point that the typical mom is not going to hear of MP3 regardless, the typical mom is not the intended audience for MP3. I belive that the majority of the intended audience for MP3 would be interested in MP3 if they simply knew about it. And for them to find out about it they have to be exposed to it through a mass media marketing blitz; i.e., print, TV, web and cross promotional.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
@rokerovakero
Battalion Wars is a hell of a lot more than their answer to Call of Duty. It is an RTS crossed with a third-person shooter. Call of Duty is a FPS where you happen to have people around you. At any point you can be any unit switching on the fly and issuing commands to single units or groups of units while garrisoning buildings. Apples and Oranges my friend Apples and Oranges.
-Hunter
August 10th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Sorry, but Matt is right: just compare this “month of Metroid” with what you could call the “year of Halo”… The previews for Halo 3 have been making the rounds on the internet since over a year ago! Also contrast the pathetic “month of Metroid” with the marketing machine launched to promote Metroid Prime on the GameCube. There is NO comparison!
As great as these Metroid Prime Corruption videos on VC might be, don’t you all think they are coming a little late in the marketing game? And who knows, maybe Nintendo put them up in response to articles like Matt’s!
Even if Metroid Prime Corruption outsells Halo 3 (yes, it could still happen!), there is no denying that what Matt is commenting on, its marketing, is not on par with even the marketing of other Nintendo first-party franchises…
August 10th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Oh, and, rokerovakero, Hunter is right: comparing BW to CoD is almost like comparing it to Tetris… there is almost no connection, other than the war theme!
Pikmin has far more in common with BW than CoD!
August 10th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
@rdaneel72
I like the way you think, but I view it more like an only child who has a new baby brother or sister show up one day. The existing audience is used to every game being geared toward them, Nintendo the parents in this scenario assure the older child that they still love them by buying them new toys as well (Metroid, Zelda etc.). Despite the parents efforts to show balance whenever the new baby, expanded audience, has something offered to them the older child gets jealous and lashes out. “The new baby is stupid and can’t appreciate awesome things like I can” or “The new baby is ruining everything I am going to run away, that will show them”.
The other analogy I use is that we left them behind in the past generations and it is like a breakup. We dated for a long time, but I was unhappy she didn’t have a CD drive or her tastes were too childish so we stopped dating or only dated casually after that. Now she has lost a few pounds and learned some new tricks while meeting a new guy at the same time. We are again jealous and lash out in the hopes that this new love will be abandoned and we will once again be the object of her affection.
-Hunter
August 10th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
rdeneel72 actually makes a great point. I think “Stage 4″ of bargaining was the whole “I’ll get a Wii60 combo instead of PS3.” The acceptance won’t come around I believe till early 08. Reason for this is because by then, Wii will have outsold the 360 by a significant margin, More first-party titles will be out, more news on more “hardcore” titles since more developers are coming on, etc…
As far as the rest of the article, I think Matt C has the same mentality as most of the media does in thinking “hardcore” IS gaming. They have also seemed to pigeon-hole the term to mean someone who plays FPS or some other type of combat strategy, sandbox style layout and desires online multiplayer experience. And for some reason, they believe the “hardcore” are more faithful and deserve more attention than any other gamer.
First off, what’s the difference in “Twilight Princess” and “san Andreas.” People will term “San Andreas” as a “Hardcore” title, but not “TP”. They are both sand-box style. You still got missions, you can still do side quests, get weapons, etc. But because one is set in fantasy and characters don’t spew blood, and the other is more “real” and violent, the “other” is “hardcore” and is praised more. To me, that is rubbish.
The funniest argument I heard was that Wii was alienating true gamers. Reason I find it funny is because many many many of the purchasers of the Wii are people like me who literally grew up gaming. From Atari, Coleco, Commodore, NES, Master System, Genesis, TG-16, etc etc… I feel I and my generation are more “true gamers” than this new generation, because we gave everything a try (mainly because it was that or TV at the time–no internet).
“Hardcore” is a subset of the gaming culture, not the entire thing.
Nintendo’s marketing (or lack thereof, depending on who’s side you take) is pretty good and more complex than most think. They use TV to market it to the older crowd as well as the younger crowd (Kids and their parents). They use magazine ads and internet sites to market to the “hardcore” or moreso those who are more invested in the gaming community. Word of mouth is still the best marketing as it is the one aspect that still has the most integrity. Near everyone has said one time or another that a commercial hyped a product more than it was worth (basically people felt cheated and lied thru marketing). Using the Wii to directly market to their users is great because you need a Wii to even play MP3. Since they don’t have to market MP3 to MAKE people buy a Wii (as MS NEEDED Halo to sell XBOX–and don’t tell me they didn’t, just look at the history), they are marketing to those that will make a difference to their bottom line.
And it stands with Ninty’s mission to make the most profit. Less marketing money spent, more profits. Also, why market something more than a month from release? All that marketing is a waste for a game since it’s not THAT hard to save $50. It’s not gonna take 3 months to save that, so why market it then?
One month is a great time to save. Also, c’mon, really, I think game reviewers do more harm than good.
Back in the day, we had no instant access to reviews and had to rent/buy games we knew nothing but what was said on the cover. Sure it was a gamble, but alot of cult classics would have been DOA if reviewers had thier say, literally. Gems like Clue CLue Land, Ice Climber, and Lode Runner would have fallen to reviews..
Again, hardcore is a niche, just like not all teens like Emo, but the media sure thinks so.
Sorry for the long-winded comment. I talk alot too!
August 10th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
@ invis:
“Sorry, but Matt is right: just compare this “month of Metroid” with what you could call the “year of Halo”… The previews for Halo 3 have been making the rounds on the internet since over a year ago!”
Invis, I love ya man, but did you read my rather lengthy comment above explaining why this is a moot point? Dentists? Preaching to the choir? All that jazz?
The year of Halo panders to only one person: the Halo player. It doesn’t expand the market or sell systems. Those buying Halo 3 in a few months are those people who already own an Xbox 360.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
@Derek B
Nintendo spent 90% of E3 talking about casual games for one sole reason. Since E3 is the “biggest” video-game-related event, you don’t just have gaming press there — you get people from say…New York Times. Nintendo wanted to make sure those “non-gamer” audiences knew about the Wii just as much as we do and make it seem like the product for them own. Obviously, because that means more cash for Nintendo. Since most people beyond the age of 30 don’t play video games whatsoever, it makes perfect since to recruit them; it’s a like a gold mine waiting to be tapped, and Nintendo’s gotten there first. Nintendo, like any company, is out there to make money, and if that means — to many hardcore gamers — “betraying” us, then they’ll do it. Sure they want us to enjoy there products, but money is more important to Nintendo than our enjoyment of the product(s) will ever be.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Oh yeah, hardcore gamers exist… but I’m not sure if it is wise to “market games towards this minority”. A hardcore gamer is defined by: Wants more of the same, despite demanding “innovation” and hates “non-games” like Nintendogs or Sudoku and Brain Age.
Nintendo has just learned that not showing decent previews or demos (*OMG*) to the press people or letting customers play demos via the online service (*ZOMG*)
EQUALS
more sales. Plain and simple. I’ve noticed in the last years that demos and preview version often get flak’ed by journalists and gamers alike.
Nintendo does an evil thing and just doesn’t show you anything (best example the “staged” press demoing of Zelda:TP) before the release. Afterwards many people simply buy the games because of the big franchise name on it… even at E3 they didn’t show games that much… which I entirely expected because that’s the game Nintendo plays right now: Don’t tell people about your games, let them buy it and find out… because there are no previews or reviews available in time for customers to make up their minds.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I see where you’re coming from, Jack and while I agree for the most part with your reply, I have this one thing to ask: Do you think Metroid Prime 3 will sell the number of units it deserves? From my standpoint, I don’t think Metroid will sell anywhere near the amount it deserves, and I still think Nintendo could help save it from that. I mean, the developer has done its job, it’s a great game. We just need to get it into as many homes as possible, and I don’t think Nintendo has done its end of the bargain. Also, even though Halo tends to sell more to the Xbox 360 owners, I would like to see what numbers it would have pulled had there been no advertising, or less. Even though it’s just advertising, it opens the idea of getting the game to more people than it would have had there been none at all. Paris Hilton may not be that good, but I’m willing to bet her “popularity” is what made her album sell whatever it sold. It’s the knowledge of existence that Nintendo is failing to create with everyone, other than the hardcore. The more people know it exists, the higher the chance it will sell. That’s what I see with Halo. If my mom saw me playing Metroid in my room, she would just assume “Goodie, another video game.” But if she saw that game on billboards, commercials, coke bottles, she may actually try to see what it’s all about.
Basically, I think Metroid deserves more than what Halo is getting. That may sound a little envious and stupid, but it’s true. Metroid is on the same line as Halo, maybe even better, and it doesn’t deserve to sell anything under 1 million. As of now, I don’t see it achieving that.
What also sucks in my mind, which you can easily disagree with, is the necessity for wireless connectivity to get that message for the Metroid Channel. As you pointed out, some people are either just getting wireless or don’t have it yet. What about those consumers? The only way they can know of the channel is through the Internets, which is basically preaching to the choir. This happened to me, as I turn off the standby connection (the thing gets too hot and it conserves energy). It’s an awesome way to send the word out, but you only hit about 10 million viewers, which can be quadrupled if a commercial for MP3 was shown on American Idol, or had a logo on a Coke can.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Jack, you’ve hit the nail on the head with this rant. IGN and others should come down off their high horse and realize that Nintendo is in this for the games and the gamers, not the gaming media. And just reading through some of the other comments on this one, looks like Nintendo has successfully created “anti-hype”; by NOT saying or showing very much, Nintendo is still managing to capture people’s attention on the game. The psychology behind Nintendo is pure genius. It’s a perfect marketing device and it’s totally cost free to the company. By keeping the game relatively out of the lime light and not in mainstream advertising, the game doesn’t become a sell-out, i.e. the game has made no compromises to popular culture and will remain true to itself in design and concept.
August 10th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
@Jack:
Point taken… about the Halo 3 vs. Metroid Prime 3 advertising. But you have to admit, the marketing for the original Metroid Prime on GC was way above the marketing for MP3, and it started over a year before MP’s release, and it was everywhere, not just in “hardcore”-related venues!
Matt’s question was simply this: why has Metroid being forgotten by Nintendo’s marketing department? Followed with a very reasonable warning: MP2, although better than MP1 in many aspects, sold less than half the volume of its predecessor. He arguably blames it on the lack of marketing, and says it could happen again with MP3, especially since the launch timing against a new Halo is being repeated.
You all argue Nintendo doesn’t care because they don’t need the sales that bad, but what about the developer, Retro Studios? Don’t they care?
August 10th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Invis - I totally agree with you. Jack, you are wrong on this one.
Nintendo is not even marketing MP up to the standards of their other “hardcore” franchises. Compare their effort on MP to that of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Metroid deserves better than this.
So far, their marketing of MP is only getting to the people that already know how great it will be. Those people are buying it already. Nintendo has a huge opportunity to push it not only to the casual crowd, but to the MS and Sony crowd. The ones that buy the Halos and GTAs.
I agree with the main points in Matt’s article: Nintendo is missing an opportunity with Metroid, and I bet Retro is not that impressed with the effort either.
Jack, I know you are a Nintendo “FanMan”, and a very thoughtful, intelligent one. But sometimes Nintendo does make mistakes ;).
August 10th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
I will say, “most” everybody that owns a Wii knows about MP3 and those who doesnt will be told by those who have it…
I know about MP3 since last year E3 or before if can recalled and seen it on tv shows like in G4TV or on Spike tv and on magazines..
The only thing left is if Nintendo start nailing flyiers on every light poll..
If sombody is not familiar with Nintendo’s games like a non-gamer but still goes to any game store to purchase a Wii game of thier like and anywhere he goes he see a big poster near the front door of MP3 and go to the Wii’s section and still sees some more mp3 posters and cardboard stands , dont you think he will ask the clerk what’s this game is all about ? ….cuz he see it in every game store he goes too..
My point is, a non-gamer still has to go to the game store and buy a Wii game, if he doesnt know about mp3, he will notice , he will be interested , because he see it everywhere he goes when he is buying a Wii game of his like and specially played on his favorite console ..
I will agree the on the above about HALO, the mayority not saying all of the gamers, that will buy halo already own a 360… but they are those that will only buy a 360 just for halo , but i call that a minority
Now the oppisite is, the mayority of the so called hardcore gamer are holding back from buying the Wii until the big guns start coming out ..
MP3 will be a blockbuster in sales and one of the first console sellers this year.. The Wii is at 10+million sold at this point not including those still holding back from buying the Wii until the true games start coming out ….
August 10th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Nintendo pays millions of dollars to their marketing department. For games like Metriod and Mario they don’t even have to spend a penny in marketing and it would still sell millions of copies. It already has a huge fan base. All they would need to do is have a press release stating that a New Metriod game was coming out and pixy dust falls over the gaming community and millions of Metriod games are flying off the shelves. Nintendo knows this, so why waste the money.
That is why you see more and more things like Wii fit and and Wii Sports get all of the advertizing dollars. Those are the games that Nintendo is telling you that you “NEED” to buy through their advertizing efforts.
Nintendo doesn’t have to tell you, the gamer (hardcore or casual) that you “NEED” to buy Metriod. You and I are going to buy it anyway, so why waste the money in advertizing.
August 10th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Jack- I think you are way off the mark on this one. The article was posted a couple of days before Month of Metroid was posted. The only information to suggest it before hand was the two images of legacy Metroids some NeoGaffer found. Which, while interesting, never actually guarantees anything (think ‘Zombies ate my Neighbors’ esrb rated in March). The article Matt C. wrote was a valid point, because I do read several mainstream magazines (National Geographic, Time, GQ…I work in a dentist office, and there is little else to do on break..) and have not seen anything about Metroid. Plenty about Wii though. I thought his article was pretty damn spot on.
I love metroid to death, I don’t need telling, but commercials would be nice for one leg of ‘Nintendo’s Holy Trinity’ so that people could at least SEE the game on TV…that is after all what ‘mainstream media’ is. Heck we got Big Brain academy commercials a couple weeks before it launched…and that was a DS port (though a pretty killer game to boot).
Anyways, you are off the mark.
August 10th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Dlin, I suppose we’ll see how off I am after Metroid launches, eh?
August 10th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
No matter how well Metroid Prime 3 does after launch, we will never know how well it could’ve done with more marketing.
I’m not saying it should be marketted as much as say Big Brain Academy. But I do believe, since it appeals to the “hardcore” crowd, it should be given the same attention as Super Smash Bros. That is, if they care to grow their Metroid IP. The signal they are sending to me as a fan and consumer is that they don’t want to invest as much into Metroid as Super Smash Bros.
I would place any amount of money on SSBB selling 3x as much as MP3. And some of that credit can be placed on the marketing effort.
August 10th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Matt Cassamassina is beginning to feel that sensation of traditional web based media declining in its importance as blog style media and direct-to-customer marketing (a la the wii downloads) are on the rise. People like matt were probably laughing their asses off as sites like IGN made print-only magazines mostly irrelevant but now that they are getting the same treatment, they can’t figure out what happened.
August 10th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Metroid and Mario games are big franchises where Nintendo can just announce a game and let it sell on its name alone. They do a little promotion, but for the most part, those games sell themselves. For brand new IPs, which just so happens to be these so-called “casual” games, they have to promote those more to get out the word. These “hardcore” gamers just want to be catered to. They’ve grown so accustomed to it that when new gamers come in, they feel like they’re encroaching on their territory. It’s a natural reaction. They just have to change the way they’re thinking because Nintendo has changed the face of gaming.
August 11th, 2007 at 1:26 am
I don’t think Matt C was complaining about HIM and IGN or even the gaming press in general being shut out. I think it was an honest, “Why aren’t you actively promoting your biggest game?” question.
And frankly, it’s quite valid, too.
OK, great. Nintendo released the Metroid Preview channel. But the kicker there is that, essentially, that move ONLY appeals to the “hard core”. The people who checked out the Metroid Preview already own a Wii!
That might help push the software numbers, but it isn’t going to help Nintendo expand their console base very much. It’s nice that everyone who owns a Wii probably knows about Metroid now…but that doesn’t reach out to people who don’t own a Wii and, thus, can’t see the Metroid preview. It’s almost incestuous, in that sense.
Basically, by bypassing the traditional media and advertising outlets, Nintendo risks the game losing it’s “System Seller” potential.
There’s still very, very much a role to be played in traditional advertising…probably more so that Nintendo’s word of mouth strategy, really. Nintendo is completely ignoring that is seems, though. “Everybody” knows what Halo is because there’s been/about to be ten metric shit-tons of hype and advertising for it. “Everybody” who owns a Wii knows what Metroid is now…but that’s it.
Metroid might not be a Halo killer, but it could certainly knock offother big guns Bioshock of COD4 if Nintendo ALSO embraced the traditional advertising and hype routes. But to date, they haven’t and they likely won’t. I’ll put money down that Metroid, while still selling respectfully, won’t break 2 million.
August 11th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Jack- by ‘Off the mark’ I meant:
I think you misread Matt’s editorial. He was thinking that Nintendo SHOULD do something exactly like the Month of Metroid but better, tv ads, print media the whole nine yards really. It wasnt some sort of aniquated media person bitching from the ‘hardcore’ standpoint.
Who knows? Maybe I am just too much of a Metroid fan that I wish this leg of Nintendo amazingness got as much hype as Zelda or Mario, at least now it has its own month! How many Hyrulians can say that?(…well I guess anyone who took part in Camp Hyrule could…)
August 11th, 2007 at 11:46 am
“First, hardcore is a marketing term invented by Sony and Microsoft and the sheepish media to describe an imaginary sect of gamers and appeal to their egos”
Damn Jack normally I agree with you….. but this statements gotta be one of the most moronic things I have read. If any thing the label is formed from the addiction of games to gamers in the first place, people who play 30+ hours a week, complete in comps, and clans are “hardcore”. When you define the word away from gaming it means the same thing. “unswervingly committed; uncompromising; dedicated:” Its like you have never signed up for a beta before and been asked if you were a hardcore gamer or a casual gamer. Its been going on long before the newgen console wars. So stop trying to blame other fanboys for claiming to be hardcore just cause they play systems that might allow them to follow such a lifestyle.
BTW- you could debate if being a console gamer period is “hardcore” imo PC gaming is the only true hardcore lifestyle.
August 11th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
[...] on wii.com), with the title shipping in less than three weeks. Writers on the ‘Net, have defended Nintendo’s unique approach, saying the Month of Metroid is [...]
August 11th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
I fully expect Nintendo to launch a TV commercial blitz targeted to the game’s expected marked 1 or 2 weeks before MP3 launches (in particular, look for it on pro wrestling shows).
Nintendo isn’t marketing the game to its fullest potential, no, but keep in mind that marketing in line with lesser games than Halo 3 and Gears of War costs upwards of $2 million; Nintendo would need to sell around $400k-500k units before they broke even on their expenses. Keep in mind that Nintendo is a Japanese company and Metroid isn’t a very popular series in Japan (you’ll notice that it’s primarily American companies that bother to market their games to the US market).
All-around, I expect that Nintendo feels there’s greater profit in letting the game be a sleeper hit while they focus their money on their larger franchises (Mario and Smash Bros.) this year. Releasing Prime 3 in August - instead of the standard September releases for the industry - also shows that they want more time for word of mouth to help its Christmas sales. …Well, that, and they don’t want to run it against Halo 3.
August 11th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Just a quick note to Jack. Wii’s did not light up across the world. It was just the Americas…Europe, at least, is still out in the cold on this one. Ironically, this ‘exclusive’ advertising has actually made my friends feel ignored! Not the best global message!
August 11th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
“I think it was an honest, “Why aren’t you actively promoting your biggest game?” question.”
Thats the point. We know matt was being honest which just goes to show he still doesn’t realize whats happening.
“I don’t think Matt C was complaining about HIM and IGN or even the gaming press in general being shut out.”
Oh really?
Did you even read the article?
How about these comments?
“the initial unveiling was back in 2005 and since that time, we’ve had only three chances to go hands-on with Prime 3, all of the sessions limited to under an hour (actually, all but one limited to fewer than 10 minutes). By comparison, we had more time with the original Prime at its first E3 appearance, and were able to milk that title with weekly video updates; unfortunately, Nintendo has not let us take any extended video of Corruption. Furthermore, the publisher has allowed only scarce access to the development studio, which means that we’ve been unable to talk to the people making the game to dig deeper into its intricacies.”
Sounds an aweful like like complaining to me.
How about this?
“it kept Prime 3 locked away in its private suite and even then allowed press very limited time with the title.”
Oh, poor press got very little time with the title. What a pity. Wha!
Hell, even matt concedes that his article is to a certain extent, just a bit of whining on his part when he says the following:
“Maybe we’re just bitter that we haven’t been able to play more of Prime 3 yet. ”
Yeah, they’re sad. Listen to this.
“we’re still not even sure when we’ll get the game for review”
OMG, did you hear that? Matt Cassamassina does not know when he’s getting a review copy of the game! Holy shit. This is news. How dare Nintendo leave him in the dark!
August 12th, 2007 at 2:03 am
This is the dumbest argument I’ve ever heard. Matt Cassamassina is officially retarded.
August 12th, 2007 at 4:27 am
Honestly, this is nothing new. It’s not the neglect that Cassamassina thinks it is, and it’s not the revolutionary PR move that Infendo seems to think it is.
It’s just a spendthrift business move. Nintendo has just never been very big on advertising a game BEFORE it comes out. Why get people hyped up about something that they can’t drive down to the store and buy? It doesn’t make much business sense. We’ll probably see plenty of ads and such for MP:3 after it hits stores.
August 12th, 2007 at 10:28 am
Actually Kipple makes a fine point. Nintendo does not like to hype something up that you can’t then go out and purchase. We saw the same lack of “pre” advertising with the Wii and maybe this is just following suit.
August 12th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
[...] Until then, Nintendo seems content to basically not give a flying focker. And that seems to be working out just fine. (more…) [...]
August 13th, 2007 at 6:30 am
What I find ironic is that Nintendo is putting their adverts of Metroid Prime 3 on a Wii channel that you will only get or hear about if your Wii is connected… but Metroid Prime 3 will NOT have any online material! So, many of the people who would be interested on it probably don’t have their Wiis connected!
August 14th, 2007 at 5:20 am
InvisibleMan, a majority people use internet features without necessarily wanting to have downloadable maps or internet deathmatch. And if being online required online features, explain VC’s huge success. Castlevania has no online. I think you assume people who are on the internet or who use the internet want to play games with other internet users all the time and with every game. Video games should not be bollywood movies.
I also think, InvisibleMan, you are also assuming this si their only advertising strategy. TV ads will air.
August 14th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I’m in agreement with jeff. I really hope that metroid prime is not an online game, but my Wii is connected to the internet and I am glad to get the video previews for it on my Wii. I’ve downloaded lots of VC games too. Can’t wait for Super Metroid!