14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo has reached a pretty high level of success in the last years, as both its Wii console and its DS handheld have dominated sales charts month after month, and, if analysts are to be believed, things won't change anytime soon. While the Wii is definitely here to stay, the DS, through its subsequent revamps, the DS Lite and the recently launched DSi, will surely attract new people.
This is of course backed up by a wide variety of content, of which Nintendo is largely responsible, and by first- and second-party titles. But, as with most companies, some titles are aimed at only a certain territory, like Japan or North America, and such a fact creates tension among gamers who aren't part of said territory.
However, Nintendo aims at delivering the best content to all of its customers, says Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime, who talked with GameDaily about this problem. He went on to say that games were targeted at specific regions because that was where they would sell better. While shooters or action games were favored in North America, RPGs were popular in Japan. But his company was trying to please everyone and released games in all territories.
“Different games are appropriate for different audiences,” says Fils-Aime. “Each region around the world has already developed its own identity. Games like Metroid Prime tend to be more popular in the West, while Japanese audiences favor RPGs. But no matter the region, Nintendo strives to bring the best content to its audiences. That sometimes means niche titles don't always make it but it also ensures that we are getting the best content.”
Such statements and attitude towards customers are something that other companies should definitely take notice of. Nintendo has become so successful because it offered its customers great and almost problem-free experiences. Perhaps if more developers and publishers acted like the Japanese company, then we might see an even bigger increase in game popularity.