Nintendo says that sales of its GameCube console are coming in we (1 Viewer)

Peter Kim · Apr 7, 2003

EDIT: Sorry, original title was apparently too long. Should read - 'Nintendo says that sales of its GameCube console are coming in well below forecasts.'

Perhaps Camp was a little more prescient than given credit for (re: Zelda bundle discussion). Despite my hopes that N fares well in the market (I own a GC) so that it receives valuable 3rd party support, unfortunately, like in all races, someone loses.

CNET article

Several major third-party game publishers have said recently that they intend to scale back the number of GameCube titles they will offer, and major European retailers have said they may drop sales of the console.

Andrew_Sch · Apr 7, 2003

Oh well, Wind Waker has already more than justified my purchase of the system. I really only bought it for the unbeatable first-party titles anyway.

Romier S · Apr 7, 2003

I really only bought it for the unbeatable first-party titles anyway.

..and therein lies the Gamecubes biggest problem.

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Morgan Jolley · Apr 7, 2003

Apparently, GCN has been doing the best in terms of sales lately, according to the multiple stories that popped up last week online.

DaveGTP · Apr 7, 2003

If they would release a Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Devil May Cry, Maximo, Tekken, Dynasty Warriors, etc for Gamecube I would buy it over the PS2 versions for the improved controller comfyness and the fact I have 4 first party controllers (although the Dpad sucks for fighting games). GC only seems to see the sucky PS2 game ports or Dreamcast rehashes (I still have my DC!!). The only 3rd party game I have now for GC is Godzilla Melee. I will probably pick up Soul Calibur 2 and FF Chronicles when they arrive here.

Dave F · Apr 7, 2003

GCN has been doing the best in terms of sales lately

That's just a temporary surge due to Zelda, though. Although they have stated otherwise, I'd put my money on Nintendo abandoning the console market (excluding portables, of course).

-Dave

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Morgan Jolley · Apr 7, 2003

Nintendo has said they won't abandon console games until they go out of business. They just need to start making more games more often. 5 a year is not good enough, they need a monthly game and superior ports.

Peter Kim · Apr 7, 2003

They just need to start making more games more often. 5 a year is not good enough, they need a monthly game and superior ports.

No argument here...just too infrequent and delayed first-party release schedule. And when the vast majority of your rep depends on 1st party releases, scarcity doesn't bode well for your bottom line.

However, my personal feeling is that there's always a faster gun in the 'WEST' - the traditional players will fade into obscurity or 3rd party software developers and the non-traditional players (Sony, MS, ?) will ride the crest of all-in-one appliances as part of the newly emerging core business.

It doesn't strike me that N's culture promotes as quick of an evolution as the others in suiting changing tastes.

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Dave F · Apr 7, 2003

Nintendo has said they won't abandon console games until they go out of business

Yes, that is what I was referring to. It's complete ludicrous. Although this is uncharacteristically optimistic for me, I have to believe that Nintendo is smarter than that. What intelligent business states that it will continue on it's current path, even if it means going out of business while ignoring profitable revenue streams? Investors will be shouting for someone's head before that happens.

-Dave

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KevinRB · Apr 7, 2003

It's N64 all over again, but this time it's happening at a quicker pace.

I totally agree with Dave. It's ridiculous to say you are going to stick one business plan until have to close up shop. Imagaine what would have happen to Sega if they followed that approach...

Jeffrey Forner · Apr 7, 2003

..and therein lies the Gamecubes biggest problem.

Isn't it sad that Nintendo should be, in a sense, punished for simply producing the best games for their own system?

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MikeAlletto · Apr 7, 2003

Could it also just be just the state of gaming these days? When the NES was out I had about 40 games. The SNES I had in the 30's almost 40 if I remember correctly. With these later systems I have a PS2 and a Gamecube, but I maybe have 5 games or so for each system. Do kids these days have huge video game collections like it seemed everyone did 15 or so years ago? When the NES was out what competition was there? I don't remember there being any. The Sega Master System wasn't very competitive. Then the SNES and Genesis. Genesis held its own but the SNES just rocked. Now there are 3 big players, you gotta think that they are all stealing sales from each other now that they are all out and running.

Dalila · Apr 7, 2003

Well, we did all try to tell you... that they are firmly in 3rd place. Which like I said before, once a company puts out a credible effort in the portable market the big N will be in a Lot of trouble.

Kelley_B · Apr 7, 2003

there is a reason why they don't have many 3rd parties, their 3rd party licensing system sucks and is VERY expensive compared to MS and Sony.

Jeff Kleist · Apr 7, 2003

Kelley hit it on the nose

Why are 80% of GBA titles 16-bit rehashes? Because it's impossible to make money on all but the bestselling GBA titles.

I don't know what they charge to publish on Cube, but I bet Sony and XBox at least give a far better ROI

Nintendo has no one to blame but themselves for their current problems. Horrible controllers(yes I know some of you people like their never-ending quest to make the dpad unuseable) bad marketing, ignoring online play, it's killing them.

FAO Schwartz was clearing GCs out on their website abouta month ago for $69!

They'd better hope Yamauchi dies before it's time for SuperGameCube so they can quit before they're behind again.
A shame really, I'd buy a GC if only SonicTeam would make a new Samba de Amigo game.

Graeme Clark · Apr 7, 2003

When the NES was out what competition was there? I don't remember there being any.

There wasn't any, mainly because Nintendo didn't allow it. If you were a 3rd party publisher for the NES, you couldn't develop for anyone else. Since they were the dominant system, that wasn't a problem for them

That was "outlawed" though and the competition has been chipping away since. The Genesis really only survived because they were able to get some 3rd parties signed on.

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James D S · Apr 7, 2003

Although I feel a bit vindicated, this news still sucks.

Isn't it sad that Nintendo should be, in a sense, punished for simply producing the best games for their own system?

This is not surprising news considering the hoops companies must jump through to produce for the Cube. I would not shed a tear about Nintendo being "punished." As I see it, they punished themselves.

Can't their self-defeating licensing policies, that end up suffocating their system, be traced all the way to FFVII? I think so.

In any event, I feel as though I have gotten my money's worth out of the system - But I doubt a great many others feel the same way.

...More to that "further tarnishing [of] their image" we spoke of earlier.

What a pity.

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James D S · Apr 7, 2003

Genesis held its own but the SNES just rocked.

Held its own? I seem to recall it doing a little better than just "holding its own."

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Masood Ali · Apr 7, 2003

I'd put my money on Nintendo abandoning the console market

I think its a little to early in the Gamecube's life-cycle to be making predictions about Nintendo dropping out of the home console market. Besides, even in third place, they're still pulling in 1/2 a billion dollars in profit for this fiscal year.

When is MS supposed to get out of the red for their Xbox venture?

And even if sales of the GC continue to decline, the Japanese are not one for quitting the game before its absolutely necessary. The Dreamcast was doomed early in its life-cycle but it still had a healthy career, and Sega didn't pull out of the hardware business until their accountants forced them to.

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Sean Moon · Apr 7, 2003

It truly saddens me to see the writing on the wall of Nintendo leaving the console market supposedly. THe rumors have been around for months now.
No matter what happens, I will be by them until the end. Why? Because ALL of my greatest memories playing games are from a Nintendo system. I still say they have the best quality control of all the gamemakers. Not only in the software but in the hardware.
They have made some mistakes over the years, but damn do I forget about it once a new game by them comes out.
If they leave the hardware market, I would like them to go to MS almost exclusively, almost like a back stab to sony for sony backstabbing them years ago(remember, you only have a playstation because nintendo got chicken and dropped the SNES CD ROM). It would be odd to see Mario on another system, but if thats what it takes to keep Mario, Zelda and others coming, then bring it on.

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