Nintendo: Were not good at core games

In his most brazen statement on the subject to date, Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime has admitted that the platform holder isn’t very good at making hardcore games – and furthermore, that core games aren’t a focus for the firm.

The fact of the matter is we know we create great content for younger consumers, we know we’ve got great content for more casual players, and we want fantastic content for that more active player who loves Metroid or Zelda but maybe also wants something like a BioShock 2 to play as well,” Reggie told IndustryGamers.

And we also recognize that we don’t create that type of content ourselves. We’re not good at it and it’s not a key focus area.

[But] we want that content on our platform, so we have to court third-party developers and encourage them to make those games, but it also has to be financially viable for them as well.”

However, despite his assurance that Nintendo actively encourages third parties to develop core games on platforms such as the Wii and DS, Reggie did add that the core market itself is trickier than it once was.

Look at the most recent NPD results,” he added.

I’m not sure how much was infested into a game like Dante’s Inferno, or how much is invested into a game like BioShock 2, but if that sales level is the best that they will do in a particular month, and it’ll fall off rapidly from there, then those games aren’t going to pay off their investment.”