The press events traditionally held by major game companies at E3 are an important opportunity for multiple reasons. The event generates plenty of attention for your brand among consumers and in the industry, and hopefully creates anticipation for upcoming products and in the end increases sales. Of course, with all the attention comes endless analyses, declarations of who “won” E3, and opinions all over the place about how well each company or game did or didn’t do.
Into this charged atmosphere Nintendo is taking a different approach than other console-makers Sony and Microsoft. Rather than a large live, well-attended event that’s streamed to the audience all over the world, Nintendo delivers Nintendo Direct as a video presentation. The advantage to Nintendo is not only a much lower cost (staging a large event in Los Angeles costs millions), but more precise control over the presentation. Embarrassing glitches can be edited out, special effects can be added, and everything optimized for maximum effect.
Regardless of the choice of presentation method, what’s important is the content. From a practical viewpoint, evaluating these events should first be done on how well they set the company up to have a successful holiday season, and only secondarily how much longer term (2016 and beyond) excitement the company generated. Nintendo succeeded well on both criteria.
Nintendo’s in an odd position for the company, where it’s already announced that it’s working on new console hardware, yet trying to keep people interested in — and purchasing — it’s existing hardware. Nintendo did mention that it is working on mobile games, and new hardware called NX — then moved on to what’s exciting right now. The company certainly has a good lineup of software for the rest of the year for both the Wii U and the 3DS line, with Super Mario Maker coming out soon to let players create and share Mario levels, to the return of the smash IP Star Fox in Star Fox Zero. That one is well-timed for the holidays, and should help generate some Wii U sales.
Interestingly, Nintendo announced a partnership with Activision to bring some iconic Amiibo into Skylanders. It seems the toy/game hybrid market is big enough to include cooperation, and certainly kids will get a big kick out of mixing and matching some of their favorite IPs. It’s a smart way for Nintendo to get some more brand impressions out there, and for Activision to bring some of the Nintendo brand luster to its Skylanders line. Might we see a Disney Infinity connection in the future
Nintendo also provided plenty to look forward to in the future, with Metroid Prime returning next year along with a new Legend of Zelda title. In the meantime, though, there will be plenty of 3DS and Wii U titles to capture some holiday dollars
The interesting thing is to compare Nintendo’s presentation to Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft had some significant announcements, including backward compatibility with Xbox 360 games, the new Minecraft title for the HoloLens, a new customizable controller for both Xbox One and Windows 10, as well as a slew of upcoming titles both for this year and next. Microsoft seems to be much more intent on using its success as the PC gaming platform to boost the Xbox, and to bring some of the best of the Xbox to the PC. It’s some smart marketing
Sony generated tremendous excitement at its event, but that was most evident for the titles furthest away (in 2016 and even beyond). Closer to this holiday, Sony offered some exclusive content for the PS4, but on titles that you’ll be able to get on other platforms as well. They did not have as strong a lineup of exclusive titles for the holiday as either Nintendo or Microsoft, but then again Sony still has the lead in next-gen console sales.
Overall, Nintendo’s event stood out for its family-friendly focus. If you were looking to get something for the kids, or to get the kids excited, Nintendo had much more of that than either Sony or Microsoft. Nintendo offered some familiar IP in exciting new configurations, with a lot of it coming in the near future. That should help the company do very well this holiday, despite a rough competitive environment expected at retail.