Nintendo Should Become Marvel (Phase II)

Nintendo should become more like Marvel.



I know, this article has happened before, but it was a wildly different direction I was discussing. Before, I had mentioned how Nintendo needs to embrace the IPs and allow them to expand into more merchandise, television shows, movies, and more exposure altogether. Pokemon Company (only partially owned by Nintendo) generated 2 BILLION in 2014 alone. That is just one franchise. Nintendo owns over 30 franchises. If just half of them could come even close to matching the sales from the Pokemon brand we are looking at an extra 15-20 billion that would go straight to Nintendo’s pocket—combined with the sheer happiness from the rabid, picky, yet excruciatingly loyal fanbase.

So how should Nintendo Marvel it up? By combining the universes together, and bringing a more intimate presentation to the fanbase that is notorious for their creativity, Apple-like consumer habits, and respectful attention to detail. The Legend of Zelda franchise is the best example of this: it started out as a simple series of games and transformed into one of the golden meccas of gaming---and it’s been nearly 2 years since its latest major title, and nearly 4 years since its latest console title. Don’t disrespect Zelda in front of Nintendo fans though; it’s the equivalent to insulting Selena in front of Hispanics. The love runs deep, through the good times (1998-2002 epic run) and the dark times (Skyward Sword, despite still managing to sell a cool couple million). So what if we run the Zelda universe within the same universe as other Nintendo franchises? How awesome would that be?

Part of the appeal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is all the connections between each of the films—through storyline, cameos, details, and moments that cause a ripple effect to future installments. The events of Captain America: Winter Soldier directly influenced not only Avengers: Age of Ultron, but also Ant-Man and the ABC television show Agents of Shield. How wonderful would it be that in the next Nintendo console/handheld, we see the popular Nintendo franchises blending together to create new and potentially innovative experiences? How awesome would it be for certain characters like Link and Kirby enter new genres of gaming?

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars became a subtle hit that resonated with gamers for generations because it took a familiar face and put him on a very different platform. Super Mario up until then was known for being in platform games and a few spin-offs here and there (Nowhere near as much as today, but Super Mario Kart was still selling like hotcakes back in the 90s), but in Mario RPG he was in a role-playing game complete with a unique cast of characters and unfamiliar circumstances (Bowser as an ally? Really?!!?). It sold over 2 million copies despite not having a European release and the Nintendo 64 appearing in the same year. Nowadays, it’s worth the price of modern games on Amazon. This type of success can be duplicated if you are willing to open the borders a little.

Now, imagine Link joining the Golden Sun universe. Imagine the Fire Emblem cast entering Hyrule to help Link in his fight to restore peace. Can you imagine seeing Link potentially in strategy games, turn-based RPGs, maybe even some medieval warfare games? Heck, imagine Link going up to the skies to help Kid Icarus take on some demons. Can you imagine the Wario universe and the Super Mario universe colliding together for the first time in a platformer since 1992 (Mentioned this idea before: Super Mario World 3)? Imagine Yoshi entering Donkey Kong Country to help out Donkey Kong and his pals? Imagine the kids from Earthbound/Mother joining forces with Professor Layton to solve a major crime? You can take the best of both worlds and blend them in to not only allow the universes and their storylines to connect, but to also allow for unique gaming experiences that we had not seen from our familiar cast.

This could also increase value to certain games you would otherwise not by on normal circumstances. Despite Fox’s popularity in the Nintendo universe, he hasn’t had a hit game since Star Fox 64---and the upcoming one really isn’t ruffling any feathers. To be honest it looks terrible. But if you were to point out that it’s in the same environment as F-Zero and Metroid, and all three are linked in different ways, then interest will grow. Imagine Nintendo creating a way so that if you own all three games different achievements you unlock in one game creates a new adventure or a new side quest in another. In this case, it would also help F-Zero, another franchise well-known amongst the Nintendo crowd but not exactly consisting of celebratory sales.

I had previously stated that the Nintendo NX, or whatever the next major console will be, should become extremely personal and extremely interactive with its hardcore audience. Look at the fanfare associated with Super Mario Maker because of the sheer ability to craft your own Mario game. This type of gaming opens new windows and allows for Nintendo fans to connect with each other and show off their skills and their love for the brand. Adding a dash of Marvel interactivity amongst the franchises we all know and love could create new gameplay/storyline/online possibilities that would breathe life into brands that aren’t as strong, and would create new layers to popular IPs already in successful existence.

Bottom Line: If there is gaming company that can create this type of connection between art, artist, and consumer, it’s Nintendo. And with a little imitating of the biggest cinematic name in the business currently, we can see another rebound from the Japanese giant when the ninth generation rolls around.

The Non-Existent and Suddenly Now Required Hype Machine of Nintendo

Look at this trailer. Honestly, take a good look at it. It doesn’t reveal too much plot but unveils enough content to get you excited for a movie that is still many, many months away. And when that time finally, finally comes it will dismantle the box office and will handily walk away with millions of dollars without a single review actually affecting it. Marvel and Disney have now become the kings of hype in the Hollywood business. They have taken familiar properties and made each movie a major event, a major chapter in the comic book universe. And unless there is a total, epic flop to the likes of a Green Lantern, then we are going to see their strategy remain consistent for years to come.




Activision has essentially copied this strategy by making every November the month of the Call of Duty. They have thrown three different companies to make these games to ensure that there is no cancellation, no delay, no issue, and a meticulous consistent schedule. With the video game industry being as cutthroat as ever, Activision’s yearly delivery of Call of Duty games has been a near miracle, and the astounding success that follows shows that gamers don’t mind the product in the least bit. And with the upcoming version releasing for the XBox One, PS4, PS3, and XBox 360 we will be sure to see more great financial numbers arriving for what has become the biggest third-party publisher in the land.



Notice we are missing a company in there…





Nintendo has once again lost another third-party franchise because of its WiiU still utterly lacking in third-party sales. And this leaves Nintendo without a consistent presence in the month of November. Yes granted they do use the month often, but there isn’t an anticipation for the month unlike that of the online FPS community with their Call of Duty. What Nintendo is totally lacking is their convincing of American and European gamers to look forward to November and a consistent output of video games. Even though we have seen plenty of Super Mario on the WiiU, we have yet to see Zelda, Samus, Kid Icarus, Fox, Captain Falcon, Kirby, and even Pikachu make some noise on the system.

Nintendo needs to adapt the Marvel technique of releasing games. Nintendo needs to set release dates for popular franchises well ahead of time and build the hype through posters, through trailers, through sneak peeks from other games, and through perky rumors that will invade the Twitter and Gaming Universe. No more secret release dates, no more uncertainty until merely months before the actual release, and biggest of all no more scattered release dates. They need to realize that great games will die a quick death if given an awful release date no matter how good it might be. Eternal Darkness was a psychological horror video game released in 2002 in the month of-----June. If they had simply waited until late September/early October in the Halloween season we probably would have gotten a different result. Nintendo has a strong brand connection and needs to find a way to keep the hardcore crowd excited while entice the curiosity of those looking from outside the bubble.

Pretend like Nintendo tomorrow unveils this upcoming major gaming lineup:

Super Smash Brothers 4:
November 2014


Star Fox: Alpha Unit:
September 2015


Metroid: Extinction:
November 2015


The Legend of Zelda: Beyond the Grave:
September 2016


Super Mario World 3: Triple Threat:
November 2016


Pokemon Universe:
November 2016

Wouldn’t that entice curiosity out of you, even if it might be years before you actually see the game? Wouldn’t it stir up conversation? Wouldn’t it stir up the slightest bit of controversy seeing this lineup? Now, not all games have to attach a long-time-from-here release date, but the major franchises deserve this hype, deserve the press months before the finished product even arrives. And you and I both know that we will see most (hopefully all) these franchises on the WiiU, so why not give us some anticipation to chew on? Why not give us a couple first-looks and first-glimpses to get us excited? Give us small trailers, some awesome posters, something.

Avengers 2 is still 7 months away and it is the most discussed movie of the entire month of October. And that was all because of a trailer. Nintendo’s brands and franchises and fanbases are strong enough to draw the similar type of hype. You can’t spit a small E3 trailer and be done---remind us of what’s coming. With Nintendo pretty much being all by itself with this generation, it needs to churn out as much as possible out of the exclusive IPs that it owns. Smash Brothers this year would be the perfect jump-starter for these other franchises to grow some fans, grow some hype, grow some anticipation, and give the Nintendo WiiU some desperate life.



Nintendo, you have great ideas being done by talented people. Let the world be aware of this.

Nintendo Should Become Marvel

We all know that although Nintendo is far from the financial dire straits of Capcom, Square Enix, and even Sony, the company has definitely seen better days. The 3DS is outpacing the Game Boy Advance but is far, far below the selling rate of the DS, the WiiU is a total disaster with very little to look forward to in 2014 even despite the higher-profile lineup, and the brand image itself has also taken a couple hits within the gaming community.

Super Mario isn’t quite moving as much hardware as in the past, the third-party companies are inches away from fully abandoning the WiiU ship, and even though the new system is going the same interactivity path of the Wii (which was a huge smash) the formula is definitely not working the second time around. The Mario franchise, the Wii Fit franchise, the Pikmin franchise have all come out for the new system but missing that essential fanfare that we had seen in the Wii when involving these games .

Pikmin 3’s sales are laughable. New Super Mario Bros. U and Super Mario 3D World lacks the initial launch success of not just Grand Theft Auto 5 but even Smash Brothers Brawl, a Wii game from multiple years back that managed to move plenty of hardware sales. The brand isn’t powerful anymore, as the gaming community has far too many other options and many of them at far cheaper prices. Flappy Bird, a phone game that uses sprites from the Mario games was selling at $50,000 a day. Donkey Kong Country, a franchise that once upon a time was the best in the entire business, has a new installment that is quietly coming out with barely any press.

With all the gloom and doom, Nintendo announced that they might become more lenient with their first-party brands and franchises. They are considering branching them out into non-video game ideas more often. The head honcho of Nintendo Iwata was quoted in a magazine recently discussing how Nintendo might need to remove some of their strictness to increase exposure and profits.


If it were up to me, Nintendo should look into the history of another company that ran down a similar path.



Marvel.



It might be harder to remember this now, especially with Disney running the show, but Marvel once upon a time was struggling to remain relevant when its main source of income was a medium that was being replaced by competition. In the mid-90s, because of struggling sales, bad decisions, and horrible bosses the company actually declared bankruptcy.

But Marvel was able to rise up and make a comeback because they changed their image, expanded its audience, and branches out their licenses to movies, more video games, more television shows, and much more merchandise. They licensed their IPs to an entire theme park, and the rest is history. Now the main Marvel characters are household names, and some of the biggest movies in history come from Marvel characters. The biggest worldwide smash of 2013 was Iron Man 3, and the third-biggest worldwide hit in history is The Avengers.

Marvel is worth far more than the 4 billion Disney spent on them. Nintendo can go down this same route too.

Nintendo is already worth 14 billion. They will be fine for a while. But if they truly expand their IPs into new directions, then their value would increase, their image would improve, and it could potentially become the necessary rebirth that would allow for companies to have newfound faith towards the innovative company.

Imagine Nintendo selling the film rights to Disney for that long-anticipated ACTUAL Super Mario movie. Imagine Dreamworks getting the rights to an Earthbound movie. Imagine cinematic versions of Metroid, Star Fox, Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, and F-Zero.



Oh, and let’s not forget that Pokemon reboot.


Imagine seeing television shows of Kirby, Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, Wario Land, Animal Crossing, Donkey Kong, and other characters that already had their movies. I can see Disney XD and Adult Swim jump all over some of these IPs.

Imagine Marvel or DC working together with Nintendo and us being able to get comic book variations of massive franchises like Zelda, Metroid, Super Mario, and Pokemon.

Imagine finally getting more Nintendo merchandise. Most of the Nintendo-based merchandise is fanmade, and to an extent far more creative and made with much more craft than the usual shirts from the company.

Now, keep your imagination flowing. Imagine seeing Nintendo-based apps and small games for mobile phones, Apple products, tablets, and Galaxy devices. Nintendo has far too many IPs to have to resort to one of their heavy-hitters to be put in a phone. I can see bringing back some old-school SNES games to become the next Angry Bird or Flappy Bird. Tetris Attack is one of the most addicting games ever made, and giving it the smart phone connectivity features could give it a brand new audience for a new generation of youngsters. A slew of their handheld franchises like Professor Layton, Brain Age, Big Brain Academy, Wario Ware, and Advance Wars could also find new life in tablets and phones because of its accessible simplicity.

Nintendo has so many IPs, so many in-house franchises, so many ideas; it’s been foolish to not distribute them in multiple ways up until this point---especially when the company’s brand name is taking a few hits. With the movie industry and television industry being bigger and more available than ever, this is Nintendo’s chance to display its creativity to the world through more than just games—but other forms of entertainment like movies, television shows, internet shows, comic books, etc.

Just like Capcom and Square Enix, Nintendo must think outside the box to increase exposure and give their upcoming systems and games a chance to be in the limelight for a longer period of time. What better way to promote the upcoming Kirby game than a successful television show on Disney Channel? What better way to get us excited for the next Metroid game than to back it with a high-budgeted production hitting cinemas worldwide just the week before? Sometimes all it takes is a big movie to move units in the gaming industry. Toy Story 3 the video game sold 4 million copies across all platforms in 2010, and that game wasn’t even anticipated.


You are sitting on a gold mine Nintendo. Just because your games aren’t selling doesn’t mean that your IPs outside your usual industry will also fail.

Seriously, we would all pay good money for a Peter Jackson Legend of Zelda movie.