13 replies to this topic

[3Dude]

http://www.siliconer...ation-rainfall/


Going off of that, how much do what fans want or say influence your decisions? [Operation Moonfall and Operation Rainfall are cited as examples here.]



I have to tell you—it doesn’t affect what we do. We certainly look at it, and we’re certainly aware of it, but it doesn’t necessarily affect what we do. I’ll give you an example. I mentioned earlier that our head of product development had a bet on X versus Y—we also had a bet around localizing Xenoblade.



I wanted to bring Xenoblade here. The deal was, how much of a localization effort is it? How many units are we going to sell, are we going to make money? We were literally having this debate while Operation Rainfall was happening, and we were aware that there was interest for the game, but we had to make sure that it was a strong financial proposition.



I’m paid to make sure that we’re driving the business forward—so we’re aware of what’s happening, but in the end we’ve got to do what’s best for the company. The thing we know [about petitions] is that 100,000 signatures doesn’t mean 100,000 sales.



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Something about this really grinds my.... Gears.

(Come on!!! Anybody?)


I think part of it is Im a huge monolithsoft gears/blade fan (not so much saga and kaitos...) Or maybe all of it.

But I think the part that really bothers me is past my instinct to instantly disagree with him because of the aforementioned... Deep down in there... I find truth to his words, particularly the last line.

[TheUltimateWaddleDee]

That last line reminds me of something another game developer said (I think it was the creator of Tekken). I forgot what he was talking about, but something he said stuck in my mind. "You guys say that you will buy two copies of the game to support this, but how maby of you actually go through with that?". As much as I wish petitions are great, not everybody will go through with it, and that's what matters.

[storabajskorven]

Well... the financial impact of a game in the long run isn't only the actual sales, right? I mean, the library of games available for a console also affects the overall image of that console. So all people positively affected by the fact that Xenoblade was available on the Wii in the USA might not have actually bought the game. But maybe it made some people consider the Wii a relevant console. And that's important, especially because it also means more people consider Nintendo a relevant console manufacturer. I'm not saying he's wrong, I just miss that part of the financial equation.

 

I also believe a major petition should be considered a very special thing. I mean, if you respond to it by actually meeting the demands, that will have an impact on how you're viewed as a company, not only by the people signing that particular petition. I don't hink it's necessarily a good thing to do, of course, but it's something to keep in mind. It's a complex issue, there might be an even larger crowd thinking the demands of the petition is ridiculous and that is also something that will affect you, whatever decision you make in the end.

[namkotje]

Tbh, he is just saying the truth. And I agree with him.

[DéliopT]

The last line really is true.

If a signature on a petition implied a fee (like a pre-order) things would be very different.

 

Fans can and will always claim what they want, but this is still a business. And either there`s money in what fans want or there isn`t and companies base their actions on that.

[Lightning_Ninja]

I don't believe that it had zero effect.  It might not have been what tipped the scales, but I do think it helped a little.

 

Still, he isn't necessarily wrong.  That's what I've always been thinking about when I see petitions, and that's what I was afraid of.  How many people who had signed the petition had already imported or pirated the game, and thus wouldn't actually buy it if it came out?  I was relieved when I heard how well it was received and how well it sold.  I actually bought xenoblade just to support further localization, and had no idea how much I would actually enjoy it.  Suffice to say I was extremely pleased with it.

[3Dude]

I don't believe that it had zero effect.  It might not have been what tipped the scales, but I do think it helped a little.
 
Still, he isn't necessarily wrong.  That's what I've always been thinking about when I see petitions, and that's what I was afraid of.  How many people who had signed the petition had already imported or pirated the game, and thus wouldn't actually buy it if it came out?  I was relieved when I heard how well it was received and how well it sold.  I actually bought xenoblade just to support further localization, and had no idea how much I would actually enjoy it.  Suffice to say I was extremely pleased with it.

3 million people pirated xenoblade, according to recorded numbers of tracked bit torrents. (this doesnt include direct downloads, or hosted downloads)

[Lightning_Ninja]

3 million people pirated xenoblade, according to recorded numbers of tracked bit torrents. (this doesnt include direct downloads, or hosted downloads)

I assume that number is worldwide, correct?  Or at least it can't be attributed to only one continent.

 

Do we have accurate sales numbers for how it did worldwide legally?  Vgchartz (although not the most accurate or reputable source) says it sold 0.84 million, but that number sounds small to me.  If it is even slightly accurate, then that 3 million downloads is absolutely disgusting, and this is why we can't have nice things.

[3Dude]

I assume that number is worldwide, correct?  Or at least it can't be attributed to only one continent.
 
Do we have accurate sales numbers for how it did worldwide legally?  Vgchartz (although not the most accurate or reputable source) says it sold 0.84 million, but that number sounds small to me.  If it is even slightly accurate, then that 3 million downloads is absolutely disgusting, and this is why we can't have nice things.

Yes worldwide, Nintendo hasnt taken over the world and region locked the entire internet yet

Vgchartz numbers only report sales data of new retail units...

Unfortunately, gamespot 'aquired' a 'second shipment', and decided to open them all, to sell them as used so they could price gouge the hell outta them....

These sales are not tracked, so we have no idea how many of the new batch were sold. Im guessing it reached a million or is dang close by now.

[GAMER1984]

nintendo marches to their own beat NO MATTER WHAT. they do what they feel is right it is a blessing and a curse.

[Lightning_Ninja]

Yes worldwide, Nintendo hasnt taken over the world and region locked the entire internet yet

Vgchartz numbers only report sales data of new retail units...

Unfortunately, gamespot 'aquired' a 'second shipment', and decided to open them all, to sell them as used so they could price gouge the hell outta them....

These sales are not tracked, so we have no idea how many of the new batch were sold. Im guessing it reached a million or is dang close by now.

I was just wondering if it was known to where those downloads went, like say 1/2 were to NA, 1/3 to EU, and the rest to Japan.  I assumed such information was not tracked by torrent websites, but just wanted to double-check.  It would be interesting to see that kind of data.  Oh well.

 

Still, about 1 million sales with 3 million illegal downloads is disgusting.  The revenue Nintendo saw is only 1/3 of what it could have been if every single one of those downloads turned into a sale.  The much extra revenue could easily fund a lot of games.  And people wonder why more games don't get localized.

Edited by Lightning_Ninja, 04 December 2013 - 05:33 PM.

[Gimbal]

Something about this really grinds my.... Gears.
 

 

Hahahahaha it's funny cuz Xenogears...I think. Anyway I think what he said is true though I agree with Lightning_Ninja that it probably affected them at least a little.

[Robotic Sunshine Commander]

He's right though. They have to do what's right for the company and it's employees.

[Nollog]

So what he's saying is, he won't be in smash 4 ?