There is no denying that Nintendo has been a huge part of gaming history. You see the video game market crash of 1983 in the west happened thanks to some of Atari’s disastrous decisions in game making. Nintendo stepped up to the plate and brought back consoles to the Americans (the videogame industry in Europe was still going strong in the PC market). Thus when a lot of were still in our diapers, the NES became the home console of the generation. These days though Nintendo has been receiving a lot of flak for their recent products. This fact combined with a shift in the market away from so called “gimmicky” consoles has led to a multitude of gamers moving away from Nintendo and asking for them to produce games on other consoles. But, Nintendo is stubborn and refuses to turn away from the console market and with possibly some good reasons; if time has shown us one thing it is that you can never count Nintendo out. Today we will discuss 6 reasons why Nintendo will never go third party.

6. Nintendo is Stubborn:

Nintendo as a whole has always played by their rules (which has come back to bite them in the rear a few times). In many interviews throughout the years Nintendo has made it clear than if they ever leave the console market they will take their IPs with them. Yes, the big N guards their product zealously with very few times permitting other companies to utilize them (in the rare cases it does happen like the Phillips CD-I games it is due to legalities more than anything else). Recently though, Nintendo made a bit of small history by relaxing their licensing policies after the passing of Satoru Iwata and the election of their new CEO Tatsumi Kimishima though, but what this means for the company we have yet to find out. However, one thing is clear, Nintendo has not given any indications that it will start producing games on other consoles, and for now it continues to push its own consoles even in the face of adversity.

5. History Repeats Itself:

Nintendo has a history of experimenting with consoles. From the creation of the Gameboy to the DS or even the Wii towards the unfortunately named Wii U they have always managed to find a hit after trial and error. It’s important to note that because Nintendo is willing to experiment when they hit a big prize it tends to be extremely popular, even if it doesn’t take off quickly the systems tend to find a niche in the market and exploit it rather well. If Nintendo decided to stop experimenting and trying new things, the market shifts would not be as impressive as they have been and we must remember that some of the innovations they have created have become standards in the business. It’s only a matter of time until Nintendo find the next big hit, but until then they have to stay in the business of console making. Not all of their inventions are successful (*cough* Virtual Boy *Cough*, but sometimes you have to fail and try again. Nintendo simply has to bide their time and ensure they don’t keep shooting themselves in the foot until they strike gold.

4. Sega is an Example:

Sega used to be a top contender against the NES and SNES back in the days of our youth. But, after several (failed) attempts at modernizing their systems, Sega decided to cease production of its Dreamcast console (a great platform by all respects) and decided to shift towards third party software manufacture. Sega did find relative success in its endeavors as a third party, but their primary mascot Sonic has been on a downwards spiral ever since this began. Sonic still has a significant fan base attached to his name, but with games like Sonic 06 and Sonic Boom being massive bug addled flops the quality of his name has certainly lost some of its luster. Nintendo is nothing if not a huge factory of Sonics’ and what do we think will happen to the quality of their IPs once they start mass manufacturing games without basing their characters around the consoles they themselves designed? It’s important to note that once the inspiration to create is lost and all it becomes is a literal Mario factory then there will be no incentive to innovate and the metaphorical well will dry up leaving us with a blue armed Luigi wearing a bandana with boxing tape.

3. Nintendo has Deep Pockets:

Nintendo might be slightly overzealous in their attempt to innovate in gaming. Yet, they are surprisingly careful when it comes to their spending habits. A big tradition in Nintendo was to ensure that money would be saved for rainy days and it continues to this day. There are estimates out there which speculate that Nintendo could spend the next 35 years without making profit and still operate fully without having to fire a single employee (I can’t confirm nor deny if this statement is true). Nintendo has at least a few generations left in its lifespan and they will certainly be able to fund all of their little experiments by themselves.

2. The NX:

This is Nintendo’s latest baby and experiment. A console which is strangely enough not being designed to replace either the Wii U or the 3DS the NX stands alone as its own concept. So far it has been kept under wraps rather well with speculation being the only information that has been laid down for the masses. It’s important to note that the new Zelda game is being co-developed for the NX and the Wii U simultaneously (which could either be a terrible decision or a really positive one there is no in-between). They obviously are playing it safely this time around and trying to avoid breeching consumer trust on those who gambled on the Wii U (which has all but, been a commercial failure). Who knows what this little console will bring to Nintendo’s future, the NX could be that spark which ignites the fire within them once more.

1. Nintendo is learning:

As I mentioned earlier Nintendo is extremely stubborn and set on its old ways. This stubbornness coupled with some terrible decisions by their leadership is what led them to a precarious situation when it came to profits. However, with a new leader at the helm and one who is an expert in finances, Nintendo has managed to start making progress towards new policies that will perhaps allow it into the future. Nintendo is obviously learning from their mistakes in the past and started accepting that mobile markets are shifting towards different roads other than simply handheld portable consoles. They are also starting to relax on their unwillingness to loan out their mascots and IPs. This could symbolize a new beginning for Nintendo one which is more open to outsider and not as reclusive. If this is the case then Nintendo will stave off the need to ever go third party developer for a long time perhaps even forever. But, until then who knows what the future holds for the Big N?

Dash The Bomber

Dash The Bomber is a sailor is his 20's with a penchant for goofy, yet deep thoughts. An avid gamer for generations he has played everything from the Atari 2600 to the PC in which he writes his work on. He currently lives in the middle of the ocean and appreciates donations in order to buy goodies from Amazon while deployed (makes his life slightly better). You can help the guy out by donating here: paypal.me/dashthebomber.