Roundtable: Is Nintendo making the right call on E3?

By skipping the usual media briefing, is the Mario maker adapting to the times or just admitting defeat?
Nintendo

nintendo-europe.com


On Monday, Nintendo revealed that it will not be participating in annual E3-opening media briefing blitz. Instead, it will be holding separate, smaller events: one for its retail and publishing partners, and another at its E3 booth where a small group of journalists will be invited to play their latest games.
While it's still unclear exactly how different the impact of Nintendo's E3 showing will be without the traditional media briefing, the GamesIndustry International staff pondered a different set of unknowns. With the largest E3 headlines expected to go to new consoles from Microsoft and Sony, just how significant is Nintendo's absence from the media briefing arms race? Does this move speak more toward Nintendo's position in the market, or the relevance of the decade-old E3 formula for an industry in upheaval? And perhaps most fundamentally, is this a wise move on Nintendo's part?

Steve Peterson

Nintendo's decision to skip a big E3 event in favor of smaller events and some Nintendo Direct videos seems puzzling. Sure, putting on a big event at E3 is expensive (both in staff time and money), but it's a cost-effective way to reach mainstream media (the gaming press will cover Nintendo news however they get it). Why would Nintendo bow out?
"Nintendo's got a weak hand, so they're trying to play E3 as cost-effectively as possible."
Steve Peterson

I can think of several reasons. First, it is expensive, and Nintendo's trying to hit that 100 billion yen profit goal for the year with Iwata's job on the line. Second, Nintendo's event last year didn't generate the wave of enthusiastic press coverage they were hoping for, so why try again when it didn't work last time? Third, Sony and Microsoft will certainly get lots of attention with brand-new hardware; Nintendo's Wii U is not new and thus will suffer in direct comparison.
It's the direct comparison that Nintendo is looking to avoid, since the Wii U doesn't compare to the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft in raw performance. Plus Nintendo won't have anywhere near as many important new games to talk about as the competition, and certainly the Wii U won't have the level of third-party support the other guys will. Nintendo's strategy is to play it lower key, let the other guys have all the hoopla and spend all the money, and look to get some attention for a few important Wii U software titles.
Nintendo's got a weak hand, so they're trying to play E3 as cost-effectively as possible. There's no way Nintendo would win a direct PR battle at E3; better to save the money and spend it on marketing at Christmas, since sales are the ultimate goal. Nintendo will focus on direct connections with retailers and media, hoping to leave a good impression with minimal spending.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ght-call-on-e3