Nintendo - Cant handle Europe?

Matt Simis

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/422/422841p1.html


"You may remember that Nintendo wanted to stop the importation of games to Europe by issuing notices and applying pressure... Well Nintendo has now taken it ten steps further by issuing cease and desist orders to importers and retailers who stock imported titles. The orders also apply to the importation of hardware. Victims are also being made to never sell imported Nintendo goods ever again by signing a binding legal document."

It gets worse, more on Ve3d.


I cant see why they would go to such extremes, I mean isnt imported Ninty stuff still bought from Nintendo. I can imagine the Europe branch are a bit pissed their sales are being "stolen" by Nintendo of America, but surely thats a matter that could be resolved internally (ie, release the games at the same damn time).



Matt

super_furry

*sigh* Nintendo Europe really are run by the biggest shower of arsemonkeys. Myabe if we weren't treated like a poor relation to America and Japan, we wouldn't have to import .

Epitaph

Well that's just...geh...

I mean, it's their own fault if people feel the need to import. There was about 3 months between Metroid being released in the US and over here - 3 bleedin' months. And Animal Crossing? The mind boggles...

What about all those that have US/Jap consoles over here: what the f3ck are they supposed to do - mod!? Heaven forfend...

I suppose this draconian effort to cover-up NOE's pathetic performance in relation to the GC will affect GBA imports as well (seeing as all GB games are non-region-specific and are commonly imported).

Epitaph
That's the wrong extinguisher!

Retr0gamer

3 months between the europen and and american release of Metroid prime? It wasn't that bad. It was worse it was 5 months. America got it at the start of november and europe got it at the end of march. Same story with Zelda. Bunch of arse biscuits. Well they aren't as bad as square. All most a year for their games if they come out at all.

super_furry

The problem with Nintendo is, they always have to make things difficult for themselves. What kind of people import games? The dedicated "hardcore" gamers, who more often than not have a very strong brand loyalty. Now who plays Nintendo games? The same dedicated "hardcore" gamers, who more often than not have a very strong brand loyalty. All Nintendo are doing here is alienating their staunchest supporters and in the long run, this will only harm them.

The amount of time it takes them to bring games from North America to Europe is staggeringly long, no wonder people like me feel they have to resort to importing. Six months for SSB: Mellee, four months for Metroid Prime, four months for Eternal Darkness.

Personally I think it's just another symptom of the company's failure to modernise. Nintendo's corporate thinking is still stuck in the late 80's/early 90's when they were on top with the NES and SNES (just look at their failure to embrace online gaming and reluctance to move away from their old mascots). Back then Europe was a small market and Japan and America all that really mattered.

Much has changed since then – Europe is now a bigger market than Japan, and Sony and Microsoft have both thrown down the gauntlet with Sony in particular has revolutionising the gaming marker. However, like in so many other things, Nintendo have been slow to react and insist on doing things the way they’ve always down them, inspite of the fact that the gaming market has changed considerably since the early 90s. This is why they are fighting with newcomers Microsoft for scraps of the console market, with Sony leading the way.

BLITZ_Molloy

Nintendo have always treated Europeans like ****.

Sega used do fairly well here as a result, and Sony have completely taken over more recently. Ireland has one of the highest PS per person ratios in the world. It's all down to good european marketing.

monument

All they want from you lot is to buy the games months and months after they’re released in another parts of the world, in a world with so called free trade is that two much to ask for? Is it?

Tusky

Originally posted by BLITZ_Molloy
Nintendo have always treated Europeans like ****.

Sega used do fairly well here as a result, and Sony have completely taken over more recently. Ireland has one of the highest PS per person ratios in the world. It's all down to good european marketing.

not true, Japan have higher Ireland second highest afaik...

segadreamcast

Silly move by Ninty to be honest - people will still import when they're going away, or by mail order from U.S. or by online retailers? The world is getting smaller - get your act together nintendo or be overrun, that's the new reality now really... right?

mystik

I know I'm gonna get some type of answer to this but i was jus wondering why NOA/NOE don't just release the american games in england and Ireland cos we don't need all the other languages. Maybe we should bombard Nintendo with letters made out of cuttings from newspapers and then they'll think their fans are crazy and they will have to OBEY US!!!!
{Insert evil laugh here}:D

monument

Originally posted by Tusky
not true, Japan have higher Ireland second highest afaik...

About a year ago I think I was told by a games company we had the highest install base of PlayStations (the first ones). Maybe they said one of the highest???

Anybody have the official numbers handy?

BLITZ_Molloy

Europe doesn't even really need PAL games anymore. Pretty much every TV made in the last 10 years has NTSC support.

All the Japanese developers could release games worldwide symultaniously. Dialogue in games is finalised months before the game goes to press. They could begin the translation at a much earlier stage.

50hz modes can be built properly into games if they're taken into account during early development. The lag and border issues can be rectified very easily with a little foresight.

But, many developers choose to see how a game sells and then evaluate whether it should be converted. I think of the 120 games Sega published last year less than half made it to the US.

Speaking of which whatever happened to the PAL 2KX Sega Sports games? I heard they were very good but they never seem to turn up in shops?

de5p0i1er

That been the case we should all get PS2's or xbox's and leave Nintendo to rot.

Wolf

It might be only the thin end of the wedge but unless Nintendo pulls its finger out and quick it will slowly begin to die.

Mark my words you hread it here first.

BLITZ_Molloy

I was reading today that Nintendo Europe have pretty much dropped everything non-essential for GC this year to concentrate on Pokemon. The GBA SP is also selling like hotcakes here. Half a million sales in 2 months.

public_enemy

one of the main problems with releasing games everywhere at the same time is that costs far too much, if its a failure, everybody's f***ed.
we can't feel too bad about release delays between regions, considering it seems to work both ways, i don't know if anyone remembers but goldeneye was never released in japan.

BKtje

y the hell not? only game i ever liked on that piece of ****

dont see how thats an advantage and works both ways, we got 1 game released here before Japan. and we got how many games not released here....?

Tusky

He said one of the highest, not the highest no need to be pedantic now eh?

sigh , he edited it .... :rolleyes:

segadreamcast

Ahem. My mistake. Didn't realise the edited thing appeared in signatures.

Retr0gamer

Goldeneye wasn't released in japan because the japs don't really like FPS. Thats why Metroid didn't do too well in japan. Can't blame them though especially with the amount of tosh fps games on the PC.

Don't think boycotting Nintendo consoles and games would be a good idea. Most companies don't know or care about europe since they are controlled by the main japanese company. Nintendo would probably just see it as not doing very well and stop even more games coming to Europe.

Also I don't see why there are delays in bringing big games to europe. Games like Zelda and Metroid are bound to sell well even if they are only okay games. As for RPG's I don't see the point either. Per population RPG's sell better in Europe than America were dull sports games sell like hot cakes (Even I can't explain the 5 or six basketball games that get released each month in America.

Deadwing

Originally posted by Wolf
It might be only the thin end of the wedge but unless Nintendo pulls its finger out and quick it will slowly begin to die.

Mark my words you hread it here first.

I doubt that, seriously. Nintendo doesnt just make games, it makes CRAZES, the kind every kid HAS to have, and every parent will re-mortgage their house for to placate the little brats. Nintendo has more than enough money to keep them in the game for years, and i doubt pokemon will be their last money spinning craze, so expect to see them around for a long while yet.

Now if only theyd concentrate more on getting their Triple A titles released over here, and at the right times (metriod missing the xmas market, for example) and focus less on persecuting the people who love them most, I.E us poor bastards that have to wait months for a slice of that sweet sweet nintendo gaming goodness.