Six to seven years ago, you could've make a highly convincing argument that Nintendo was at the top of both its game, as well as the world, all thanks to the Wii console. But more recently, the company has had a tough go of it with the Wii U falling far behind the PlayStations and Xboxes in their current and next-gen forms. But that doesn't mean the company is willing to throw in the towel just yet.
At Spike's recent VGX show, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime, professed some respect for what Sony and Microsoft's new consoles are capable of, but he didn't mince words either.
"This industry loves brand new hardware and anything that's good for the industry is good for Nintendo, so you know, they're having a fantastic launch, kudos to them," said the exec. "This industry is all about what happens six months down the road, what happens a year down the road."
When asked to clarify, Reggie responded, "For us, what we love to do is to bring great new games, innovative gameplay, that's what Nintendo's known for, and as long as we do that, we're gonna drive our hardware business. We're seeing that right now with 3DS and we're seeing it right now with Wii U as well, on the backs of Super Mario 3D World."
"Some of" may be the key phrase there. Granted, Super Mario 3D World seems to be THE game to have for the Wii U, it could be a case of too little too late. Despite that the Wii U had a serious head start over both the PS4 and Xbox One, it didn't generate nearly the same level of hype, and has ultimately been dismissed from the next-gen category. A number of developers have been passing on developing or porting titles to the system, something that seems like it will continue.
Early sales figures from the Xbox One's launch point to the fact that the console could singlehandedly surpass the Wii U. Nintendo has confirmed that a mere 3.9 million Wii U systems have been sold worldwide to date. Microsoft has already managed to cover a quarter of those sales with the Xbox One in one day alone. Add in the pressure from Sony and its own PlayStation 4, and the writing's on the wall - Nintendo's platform and the console by proxy are in serious trouble.
Still, Reggie soldiered on with a tough face. "What people recognize is that having pretty hardware is one thing, but you need games, and right now we've got some of the top rated games on our system, and it's games that you can't play anywhere else."
True, Nintendo's Wii U does have a more extensive library than either the PS4 or One, but again, that's all thanks to the console's earlier release, and a more varied library doesn't necessarily mean a better one. Nintendo seems to have dug itself into a corner, and there's no telling what it'll take to bring the company back on its feet.
