Nintendo President Says Companies Worried About Used-Games, Should Focus on Making Better Games
- Jamiex66
- Jun 17, 2013
- 2 min read
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that companies worried about people trading in their games, should focus on making better games.
Speaking with Polygon Fils-Aime revealed that Nintendo’s trade-in frequency is far less than any other console, which he believes is due to Nintendo titles providing “super-strong” replayability.
“The consumer wants to keep playing Mario Kart. The consumer want to keep playing New Super Mario Bros. They want to keep playing Pikmin. So we see that the trade-in frequency on Nintendo content is much less than the industry average – much, much less. So for us, we have been able to step back and say that we are not taking any technological means to impact trade-in and we are confident that if we build great content, then the consumer will not want to trade in our games.”
Sony was greeted with thunderous cheers and chanting when they announced their PlayStation 4 console would not restrict the usage of used games. Fils-Aime believes this was not just directed towards Sony, but more-so toward “the [publisher] who went earlier in the day.” In this case, Microsoft.
When asked if Nintendo will become more restrictive towards the usage of used-games, Fils-Aime stated that in the end it is up to the publisher.
“The fact of the matter is, we will see what happens with publishers,” he said, “but it seems to me that every major publisher has come and said we don’t mind used games.”
Nintendo has recently found great success through their digital market, with many customers downloading their games directly from the eShop. Yet Fils-Aime believes the physical copy will not go away any time soon.
“I don’t see [Nintendo stopping the sale of game discs] in the future, certainly not the near-term future,” he said. “For us, retail is a key part of our overall business. Retailers play a huge role in driving awareness. Their stores play a large role in consumers having an experience with their interactives.”
In the end, used-game policies are not on Nintendo’s radar. Fils-Aime states Nintendo will continue to create products that provide value for money, and countless hours of entertainment.
“Again, for us, it is about the games. We want to give the consumers a great gameplay experience.”
Jamie Briggs manages Analog Addiction and you can like them on Facebook, follow his daily life on Twitter @JamieAA and his videos on YouTube.
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