Nintendo: Small games are going big

D.I.C.E. 2009: WiiWare and DSiWare overseer Tom Prata demos Mario creator's latest non-game, acknowledges challenges facing the company's digital platforms.

The economy has been a recurring theme at this year's D.I.C.E. Summit. Presentations from EA CEO John Riccitiello and NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier have both suggested that a spate of recent publisher layoffs are less bad omens than appropriate readjustments, but that optimistic point of view is by no means universal.

Ironically enough, one of the presenters putting a dire spin on the state of the industry was Tom Prata, senior director of project development for the high-riding Nintendo of America. The honcho in charge of Nintendo's WiiWare and the upcoming DSiWare digital distribution services opened his Friday afternoon presentation with a simple observation.

According to Prata, the first question in conversations at D.I.C.E. used to be "What game are you working on?" This year, he thinks the question has become "Are you going to make it?"

To help answer that question in the affirmative, Prata pointed to digital distribution--WiiWare and DSiWare specifically--as a golden opportunity for small-scale games. However, he cautioned that it isn't a magic panacea, and he noted four significant hurdles digital distribution has yet to overcome: quality, reach, storage, and promotion.

Digital distribution cannot make mediocre into great, Prata said. Nor can it reach those who don't have their systems connected to the Internet or who simply won't download games. Then there's the issue of systems with limited storage, which prompted Prata to stress that "we have not been deaf to the complaints." While the Wii lacks a hard drive, the company is working on a solution involving the system's SD card slot.

Finally, there's the problem of promotion. It's not enough to make a great game if nobody notices it. Prata specifically said Nintendo will be devoting more resources to support the promotion and development of WiiWare games in the future.

Moving Memo.

Prata wrapped up his presentation with a quick video demo of an upcoming DSiWare product developed under the supervision of Donkey Kong and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Previously announced as Moving Notepad, the game has apparently had its North American name retitled Moving Memo.

A translated and extended version of a Japanese promo clip shown in Japan last month, the video offered a look at a number of Moving Memo's utilities. Players can use the DSi touch screen to write messages, draw pictures, and attach memos to a calendar for personal reminders. The game will also allow users to make flip-book animations and spruce them up with audio recorded through the system's microphone or pictures captured with one of the system's cameras.

Once completed, flip-book animations can be shared with friends or posted on a Web site for download by other Moving Memo users. Those users can then edit and tweak the original animation and re-upload it for others.

The economic climate is presenting game makers with a dilemma, Prata said. If publishers want to survive, then playing it safe with games seems like the best bet. On the other hand, without the innovation of developers, the industry has no future. Thankfully, Prata said, even in this economy, there's room for little developers with big ideas.

128 Comments

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 10:44 pm PT

    The PS3 and the Xbox are similar in graphics but remeber if you have a Wii you will expect high graphics from the Wii.

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 4:28 pm PT

    gameking5000

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 5:20 am GMT

    @puppiemaster

    Graphics is not important if you get used to high quality graphics. If you get used to the PS3 or the Xbox you would find the graphics rubbish. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I am used to them both since I own both a PS3 and 360 console.

  • kavadias1981 posted Feb 23, 2009 11:38 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    kavadias1981

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 11:38 pm PT (hide)

    Oi! Which effing prat dared to thumb down my previous comment? Are you thick or something? Do you think I am wrong and that developers who release shovelware aren't being lazy? Do you think they are actually talented and are releasing quality? Because that is what you are saying by thumbing down my comment. What a moron.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 9:20 pm PT

    @puppiemaster

    Graphics is not important if you get used to high quality graphics. If you get used to the PS3 or the Xbox you would find the graphics rubbish. Gaming started small then as it revolutionised more types of games were created. There are many varieties of gaming and people have got used to big games now. These companies who release games on WiiWare wiill make an effect on gaming later on. You'll hear more of them in the not too far future

  • talkeme

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 3:56 pm PT

    Man am I glad that I didn't get a DSi for Christmas...

  • jmace86

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:58 pm PT

    If Nintendo want digital distribution to take off then how about they sort out the storage issues on the Wii?!
    Either give us a hard-drive or let us boot from SD card, or both! At the moment, the Wii is just a joke in terms of digital distribution!

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:36 pm PT

    slayersdeath200, I played SSBB, I think its rubbish, there are plenty of better games on the Wii.

    Gaming snobbery is pathetic, "I'd not own a Wii, its a gamecube with a pointer, "the Wii's graphics are crap" " it has no games on it".

    People like you just come across as simple minded and ignorant.

    Gaming is about having FUN and thats what the Wii does on mass. Not everyone wants to play with themselves for hours on end, sometimes they only have 5 minutes free or only play when they have friends around, these people out weigh the serious gamers by a large majority.

    I dislike lots of the games on the Wii, some are utter crap and yet some of the games on the PS3 and 360 are utter garbage as well. Unlike the PS3 & 360 these utter crap games are more noticeable, you would not go out and buy say "my little pony 3" for the Wii as you would have a pretty great idea its not a serious game, but you might buy say "Lair" for the PS3 and think it's going to be great, but its complete crap. Every console has seriously bad games on it, it's just the most popular system always has the most, look at the PS2, some fantastic games, yet most were not worth a look.

    I can't stand people that think the Wii is rubbish just because it's not as powerful as the 360 and PS3, "it's graphics are rubbish", graphics mean bugger all, I could not get off Space Invaders on my Atari in the 70's not because of the graphics, but because of the innovation. The NES in the 80's, innovation again and so on, the bar has always been raised after every new generation reincarnation, be it Cartridges to CD's to DVD, analog sticks etc.. That is all the Wii has done, it's taken gaming to the next step of innovation and made gaming FUN to the massive again.

    Before you label me as a casual gamer, take some time out and look at my profile pics and look at the list of the games/systems I own, I own every major console since 1978 and while the Wii is not my all time FAV console, it is by no means the worst and still has a place in today's generation of consoles.

  • Nomad0404

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:26 pm PT

    Wiiware games need to be good like Lit or World of Goo not rubbish like Pirates!

    Also you can demo games from XBLA you can't WiiWare games you have to pay for them and take a chance. This is a big flaw.

  • raghraghragh

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 1:17 pm PT

    Call me when you start making actual games again.

  • slayersdeath200

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 12:44 pm PT

    @ LittleDuck, yes i have played these games and the only one i seemed to enjoy was ssbb. Oh yes, wii fit is such an inventive game... With you and your sad impulse of buying all these wii boards you're just depriving bored house wives of there wii fit... shame on you! Wii sports is just boring and if you move the controller wrongly (the baseball for example) your arms have a spaz out. Also, they don't play differently you can see the similarity's in the games. Res 4 is a gamecube remake, Pikimin is another. They are just churning party games out for the sake of it. You are obviously a nintendo fanboy!

  • chappy_man

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 12:02 pm PT

    they have a point. Innovation comes from small companies with big ideas, Even now loaded nintendo had to first come up with Mario, "jumpman" back in the day and now its a staple of the nintendo franchise. So I say Wiiware has potental to develop ideas, and concpets that may create new and better games for us wii gamers. But another nice thing is although nintendo is focusing to the casual the third parties on the wii are going more for hardcore, so I wouldnt be suprised if we saw alot of good games for hardcore and casual coming out simaltaniously. Not to mention theres more then likely alot nintendo is holding back as to thier planned line up for the hardcore. Right now its just a crappy waiting game, but some time once the games we want come out I am sure the wait might not even seem that bad. Besides if they keep taking longer and longer to bring a quality hardcore title out, chances are it will be something good. People are upset they have to wait for the next big thing for blizzard (in example) but when it comes out its more than likely the most fun and well done game. I say if nintendo is going a similar route, I can live with 1 or 2 good hardcore games year.

  • Dahaka-UK

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 11:31 am PT

    Yes thats right Nintendo, you just keep proving us core gamers right by making even more crappy shovelware titles for the non gamers. Keep using all that "hard earned" money *chuckle* to make even more crap. It only shows how much you don't care about real gamers anymore and that your sales mean nothing.

  • voodoochild815

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 10:17 am PT

    the ecconomy is hitting all of us. and i can see why the game industry is hurting, i haven't purchased a game since december. luckly that game was l4d and its keeping me busy xD.

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 9:58 am PT

    Developers don't have to go nuts with their budgets and make the most expensive yet fantastic game ever. Go back to basics and remember what it used to be that excited gamers back in the 16-bit era. Well constructed and addictive games like Secret of Mana, A Link to the Past and Donkey Kong Country. A short burst of playtime was Street Fighter 2, Sonic the Hegdehog, Streets of Rage or Super Castlevania 4. These games are still fantastic to play today and yet are just as cheap to make now as the shovelware we get on the Wii. Developers have absolutely no excuse for making shovelware and blaming things like low budgets. The reason is pure laziness and this really ticks me off.

  • BigDaddy973

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 9:57 am PT

    Merrr, Nintendo I don't know what to think of you...

  • angelGP32

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 9:32 am PT

    AngelCage-2: you're right, and it's going to take their toll. I already know Wii-owners, that have bought the shovelware, and now have to second guess their purchases because they don't know if what they are buying is crap or not. This is only going to HURT developers. Most people aren't going to read reviews and stuff, so they get burned more often. You can only get burned so many times before you totally give up. I gave up a long time ago and sold my Wii, what junk.

  • dark_surge

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 8:44 am PT

    Well, I agree with Nintendo in that it gives smaller companies a remote chance of surviving in the market today. One person can no longer make a "full" game for current consoles like they used to in the 80's. Instead, you are required to have bloated incomes and corporate agendas

    At least shovelware gives the little guy a chance. Good or bad, one can only blame themselves for downloading a bad game, especially considering how easy it is to research things like that nowadays.

  • Adziboy

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 8:31 am PT

    "Join the industry and make those epic games you so crave. That's my plan in life."

    Oh how I wish college and university will make this come true. Gaming's a big part of my life and for one day to be able to turn all the ideas I get into real, epic games would be, well, a dream.

  • Link_Destined_1

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 8:01 am PT

    Ameotoko: The video game industry is for profit, and if shovelware is the way of the future, then sadly, they will follow the money. Of course, I suspect there will always be developers who strive to make quality games. There will always be Zeldas, Mario adventure/platformers, Final Fantasies, Grand Theft Autos, etc. But if you want to prevent this from happening, don't sit and whine. Join the industry and make those epic games you so crave. That's my plan in life.

  • Mush_Mouth

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 7:51 am PT

    I'll hand it to nintendo - the enormous amount of shovelware on this console is probably something they expected, and that was probably the biggest reason for them to introduce wiiware games to begin with. The little guys out there that are developing these smaller games are probably trying a lot harder to make a product, as opposed to companies like Sega and EA crapping out another addition to their dead franchises.

  • Ameotoko

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 7:48 am PT

    What I'm more worried about than anything else is the Wii's success influencing Microsoft and Sony... If the other two companies start thinking that they want to tap into the runaway success that is the casual market, it only makes it worse for the rest of us who want good games. What publisher (unless they were motivated to produce great games rather than purely for making money) would spend huge amounts of development money when they can shove out crapware for cheap and recoup any losses almost instantly?

    Very worrisome for me, I hope Sony and Microsoft resist the temptation and discourage their 3rd parties from it as well...

  • AngelCage-2

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 7:30 am PT

    more shovelware? GREAT, jsut what all the people want and is waiting for!!!!!!!!!! i'm not kidding, all the wii-fans just keep buying all the crap that is released for the system... THAT's is what makes all the developers just make crap-games, cause everyone will buy it cause they are on WII

  • Rect_Pola

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 6:55 am PT

    While I don't have an internet connection on my Wii, and I do agree with Mush_Mouth's demand for full games, I'm in support of Wiiware and DSiware. There's certainly no shortage of talent and getting access to a market would be good for them. On one hand, having ANY price means it may never score the viral effect like free things, but on the other, they wouldn't be buried under the tide of free user-created content like in Little Big Planet or it's ilk.

  • Mush_Mouth

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 5:53 am PT

    I don't want minigame collections. I don't want wiiware games with little to no depth. I don't want updated ports of old gamecube or ps2 games (because all the ones I want, I already own on ps2 anyways). I just want some normal games on this console. Is that too much to ask?

  • angelGP32 posted Feb 23, 2009 5:05 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    angelGP32

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 5:05 am PT (hide)

    What you guys need to remember is this. Nintendo has NEVER been about hardcore. Think about it. From 8-bit until now, all the "hardcore" games were from 3rd parties, not Nintendo themselves. Nintendo had what, Zelda and Metroid, that's it. So you can't say Nintendo abandoned a core user, they haven't, they've made their core stronger. If you want those hardcore games from the developers you loved as a kid, get a 360 or PS3, if you want the same old Nintendo crap, with extremely poor 3rd party support, then get the Wii

  • EcksBocks360

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 5:02 am PT

    God, I hope they're using all this money to make GOOD GAMES...

  • rgame1

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 4:56 am PT

    world of goo rocks.

  • especensor

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 4:38 am PT

    @mattcake. its just DSiWare. Just what were you expecting?

  • mattcake

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 4:29 am PT

    Moving Memo? So basically the kind of low tech animation program I was using 20yrs ago on the Amiga? Altho DPaint was way better than this Well that's a not a waste of Miyamoto's talents at all is it... I look forward to his next project, "Calculator".

  • xplosiv_shift

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 4:00 am PT

    @ Poison_Me_Rum

    totally agree though the 360 is the best choice for anyone wanting to play games. good games

  • Poison_Me_Rum

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 3:01 am PT

    I love this whole casual/hardcore gamer nonsense. It just makes me realise how pathetic and whiney gamers are today. Nintendo are trying something new, they're making games for everyone. They've always had a family friendly attitude towards games, and the Wii so far has been pretty friendly to families.

    I own all three home consoles and both handhelds that are on the market, and I love them all. I'm not a "hardcore" gamer, nor am I a "casual" gamer, I'm just a gamer. When a good game comes out, I will buy it, I will play it, and I will love it. Sure, there's an awful lot of third party crap out there, but for every Imagine DS game there's something like 50 Cent. Each console has it's fair share of crap, but they also have their fair share of stunning games.

    At the end of the day, we are gamers, and the sooner people realise that the better. It annoys me how there always has to be some sort of divide, a right and wrong way to play games. There is no hardcore or casual, nor does it matter that you prefer to play on an Xbox, Wii or PS3. If you play games, and get some sort of enjoyment out of it, that's all that matters. That's the reason I play video games.

  • LittleDuck

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:18 am PT

    Slayer, have you played any of the games? I'm curious. Oh yes, no more heroes is EXACTLY like killer 7 and galaxy is the perfect clone of super mario sunshine. Not to mention Wii Sports, I mean the genre of pick up and play casual sport simulation has been so overdone. And Wii Fit. I mean my house is currently built around unused console fitness boards.

    The reason the wii is so popular is because everything plays differently. All it is is a few decent serious shooters off dominating the market completely.

  • slayersdeath200 posted Feb 23, 2009 2:01 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    slayersdeath200

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:01 am PT (hide)

    In all honesty i dont have a clue why the wii is so popular, the wiimote works when it feels like it doesn't work over a certain sized tv 32" i think, and the games that they are churning out seem to be all the same or remakes of gamecube games, and the party games just god damn suck!

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 1:58 am PT

    @topraman517
    Not if Nintendo keep it up. Keep making these games that attract people. Nintendo need money to make games that's how the "classic" games are released. It is NOT a bad console. It just specilises in causual games. All these hardcore fans are not understanding. Think of it in a different angle.

  • topraman517

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 10:17 pm PT

    Nintendo is a company, not a rock band...of course they care more about money than they care about their hardcore fans. Back in the day, video games only appealed to kids and the hardcore, so that's who they made games for. During the Gamecube era, mature games were the most popular, so they (unsuccessfully) tried to get more mature games for the console. This time, Nintendo decided to jump in on the casual game craze before everyone else. All us hardcore gamers were fooled into thinking the Wii would revolutionize gaming, when the real purpose of the Wii's motion controls is to make video games accessible. Honestly, do you really think Sony and Microsoft "care" any more than Nintendo about their fans? That being said, I think casual gaming is a fad that will die out fairly soon. I honestly don't know anyone who plays Wii minigames on a regular basis.

  • GatCloudX

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 9:14 pm PT

    oh so hes basically saying you have to make casual games like pets monkey crap to survive because if its not in the pets series of games on the ds it wont sell very well.....

  • HappyBB

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 8:46 pm PT

    So, how will people w/o a DSi play the said utility/program in this article? Will the title come out on a cartridge? Probably not! Nintendo said that DSi is by no means to replace the current DS systems. I would believe that when moving from the original DS to the DS Lite. However, as Nintendo puts more focus on the digital distribution channel, ppl would either be forced to buy a DSi, or given up on the downloaded titles. I wanna enjoy the DSwares, but I don't wanna buy another DS system, and current DSes don't have additional storage means. Will Nintendo help people like me? Will they?

  • GhostfaceL94

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 8:45 pm PT

    Thumps up if you hate the wii thumps down if you love it.

  • GaoFryGar

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 8:04 pm PT

    I have to agree with the last two posts. After all the casual gamers get bored of Wiifit and Wiisports and Wiiknitting or whatever Nintendo will drop back into its proper place behind Sony and Microsoft. I hope this shows the hardcore nintendo loyalists that all Nintendo cares about is money and that they could care less about the people that helped keep their company afloat all these years.

  • kkevguy47k

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 7:17 pm PT

    misterstatus has the right view on things. most people did buy it just because its the latest fad i belive. i have it and a ps3(also my comp is great for games) it just sits there. all the games suck and/or get old really fast besides some nintendo series games (brawl, twilight princess).

  • misterstatus

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 7:05 pm PT

    I agree that most "hardcore gamers" are just kids with nothing else to do. Or perhaps, kids who simply choose not to do anything else. I have a friend who's 12 year old kid is failing in school because he spends all his time playing Halo. I guess that qualifies as "hardcore".

    I own all three systems (Wii, 360 and PS3) but only so I don't have to worry about which system a game comes out on. And I do think the Wii has some great games for people who bought it to play games. I just don't believe the majority of Wii owners bought it to play games. I think they bought it simply because it's become the latest fad. By the time Nintendo releases their next system, most of these people will have long forgotten why they ever bought a game system and Nintendo will drop back into third place, where they've been for most of the past 10 years.

  • maxgil2

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 6:20 pm PT

    Looking @ the line-up for 2009, I'd say Wii is pretty safe..& having just played HotD Overkill ..Im certain of it. Whether or not they churn out kiddy trash, as long as long challenging/adult content games are also being churned out..Im fine with it.

  • ducky386

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 5:54 pm PT

    As far as the battle of hard core vs casual. If you own all the system it's because there are some games that not available on any other system, i say most of the hard-core gamer are kids that have nothing better to do with there time, i think a casual gamer is some who is working or has a life and doesn't want to spend thousands of hours playing a game or being able to get into a video game with out taxing there brains. My self being an in between, i would like a game i can get into that doesn't take all of learning curve, but is a good game. So what does that make me?

  • misterstatus

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 5:19 pm PT

    I don't really understand all this "casual" vs "hardcore" gamer nonsense. I've never heard the term "hardcore gamer" used so much as I have in since the Wii came out. Apparently if you own a Wii, you're a casual gamer, and if you own an Xbox 360 or a PS3, you're a hardcore gamer. What if you own all three? Does that mean you have an identity crisis?

    To me, either you enjoy playing video games, which makes you a gamer, or you don't, which makes you a non-gamer. Most of the people who are buying a Wii are non-gamers. Sure, there's the regular Nintendo crowd who bought it to play Mario, Zelda and Smash Bros, but Nintendo's systems have been trailing in third place since the SNES died out. The Wii has "short term success" written all over it. Nintendo, sorry to say because I've been a fan for years, will find themselves back in third place soon enough.

  • maverick_76

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 5:16 pm PT

    Cool app., but that is what it is, an app. I'm sure the I-Phone has a similar app. as well. Nintendo, you guys gambled and got the casual market, the problem with that is most customers buy the Wii, a few games and maybe a controller, but that is it. These are not hardcore gamers that buy the newest stuff every month, these people center their purchases of these items around the holidays. You guys managed to grab the largest share of the market, yet the market you cater to spends the least amount of money on software, period.

  • amhero15

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 5:08 pm PT

    In my opinion, the Nintendo Wii is pathetic, the last great system for Nintendo was Nintendo 64. I loved Legend of Zelda: Ocarnia of Time.

  • kono11

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 4:16 pm PT

    Hope hardcore games are joined with casual games. (Casual-Hardcore games)
    Ex: There's a Casual Mode in the game beside the original game.

  • lostn posted Feb 22, 2009 4:11 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    lostn

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 4:11 pm PT (hide)

    Nintendo is killing hardcore gaming. They are introducing a lot of new gamers, but they are getting me out of gaming. Nintendo for me has destroyed gaming in this generation. Once developers realise that small games are more profitable they will stop making big budget games, and then Sony and MS will make Wii-clones instead of good systems. Hardcore gaming will soon be dead, and it's all Nintendo's fault.

  • dennis8

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 3:54 pm PT

    nintendo... pls stOp with all this crapware.. moving memo??? comeon! uve got a great catalogue of 1st party characters u can tap into and still... the only thing we see after all these years are the same retro pixelated stuff.. im not saying its a bad thing, but pls, get with the times.. Honestly, if it werent for all the great first party titles that are on the wii, im pretty xur we wudnt c where the wii is today.. coming from a long time nintendo dude, pls.. change is a good thing

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