[HN Gopher] Mario Is Moving Away from Mobile Games, Reveals Nint...
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       Mario Is Moving Away from Mobile Games, Reveals Nintendo's Shigeru
       Miyamoto
        
       Author : adrian_mrd
       Score  : 30 points
       Date   : 2023-04-04 21:37 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (variety.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (variety.com)
        
       | bdcravens wrote:
       | I was pretty disappointed when they cancelled mobile Dr. Mario.
       | That said, I think aggressively maintaining control is probably
       | the best move - mobile is a race to the bottom, where you smother
       | gameplay with pay-to-play and/or ads.
        
         | Multicomp wrote:
         | yeah this one hurt me too. i just had to go back to my backup
         | copy of dr mario 64 on emulation
        
         | asdff wrote:
         | This could have been the perfect opportunity to flip the mobile
         | model. Screw it, charge $30 for the game and let it be a one
         | time purchase, no micro transactions aside from content like
         | new maps years from now, and no free version. People will still
         | buy it because its mariokart, just like they buy the $60
         | version for their $300 switch, or how they buy skyrim 4x for
         | each platform it gets rereleased on.
         | 
         | These major developers with prolific IPs come to the mobile
         | market and act like they free+micro model is the only way to
         | sell on mobile, but its also not like they've tried to
         | experiment at all beyond just blindly following what everyone
         | else is doing. Maybe the blind are leading the blind currently
         | in this space, but there's no way to tell until someone steps
         | up and finds the courage to try something different.
        
           | ei8ths wrote:
           | totally agree, if i do mobile game, i try to find paid games
           | because i cant stand what the free mobile games are.
        
             | asdff wrote:
             | I do this with most apps honestly. The best is when you
             | find what is now a rarity: the free app that lets you pay
             | 99 cents to remove banner ads and use it forever. Usually
             | when I find them, they haven't been updated in years so its
             | probably a matter of time before they are no longer
             | compatible with the latest ios, sadly. Seemingly every app,
             | from the first party unique great apps to the junkiest
             | crapware clone apps, now has a monthly and annual
             | subscription option with essential features locked behind
             | them.
        
           | InitialLastName wrote:
           | Having software that you have sold as a permanent license
           | running on devices controlled by a third-party is just asking
           | for permanent support issues.
           | 
           | How often do we see apps abandoned that can't justify the
           | software development to keep up with OS updates? If you are a
           | company with a "consumer-friendly" image to uphold, releasing
           | a one-time-purchase game on someone else's system in the
           | modern era amounts to assuming an indefinite liability for
           | limited revenue.
        
       | brucethemoose2 wrote:
       | > Mario Kart Tour has generated $300 million
       | 
       | Its crazy how this is considered a "failure" for Nintendo.
       | 
       | Then again, they spend more developing the "game" part of Mario
       | Kart Tour than most mobile games, so maybe it isnt really worth
       | it when a match 3 game can make twice as much?
        
         | zug_zug wrote:
         | Well I don't think it's a failure because it didn't generate
         | enough money, I think it's a failure because it a certain class
         | of microtransaction-centric game does brand damage to perhaps
         | the premiere game brand in the world.
        
           | bobthepanda wrote:
           | Also, Nintendo famously maintains an iron grip over all its
           | IPs, especially Mario.
        
           | asdff wrote:
           | I feel like brand image considerations went out the window
           | when you could race a mercedes benz gle in mariokart.
        
             | parker_mountain wrote:
             | It's a mild inclusion of a luxury car brand. I don't think
             | it really hurt nintendo.
        
               | asdff wrote:
               | My head is spinning trying to fit Mario's GLE purchase
               | into the canon
        
               | nonethewiser wrote:
               | Mario kart canon?
        
               | neonnoodle wrote:
               | He's leasing
        
           | hanniabu wrote:
           | > microtransaction-centric game does brand damage
           | 
           | Now this is pretty crazy but hear me out.....they could have
           | just not turned the game into microtransactions
        
         | jgon wrote:
         | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold over 50 million copies at a price that
         | has mostly been $60 and which I don't believe has even dipped
         | below $40, so that should give you a flavor for the types of
         | numbers they are looking for when it comes to Mario Kart.
        
       | chrisco255 wrote:
       | I think the Switch did at least decisively succeed in competing
       | with mobile gaming (in particular for the demographic that
       | Nintendo traditionally targets) and ensured that large phones and
       | tablets would not erode Nintendo's niche there.
        
       | dragontamer wrote:
       | Isn't "Fire Emblem: Heroes" doing pretty well in the mobile space
       | though? Decidedly not "Mario", but still Nintendo. There's also
       | Pokemon: GO, though "The Pokemon Company" is only partially
       | controlled by Nintendo. (The non-nintendo bits could be pushing
       | mobile gaming).
       | 
       | I'd be surprised if Nintendo pulled out entirely --- I can see
       | how Fire Emblem's brand works better with microtransactions than
       | Mario does.
        
       | anon115 wrote:
       | when gameplay constraints collides with capitalistic mobile
       | contraints. good game but bad business.
        
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       (page generated 2023-04-04 23:01 UTC)