Wii Essay

Michael Winters                                                                                   Prof. Lamin

2/15/15                                                                                              Wii Case

Summary:

Unfortunately for Nintendo, the company has seen declining sales and increased competition since the early 1990’s.  New entrants and higher grade technology has diminished market share and revenue for the Japan-based firm.  The recent years have not been kind to Nintendo, but there is a hopeful opportunity on the horizon.  This comes in the form of licensing popular games like Super Mario Brothers for use on commonly used smartphones and tablets.  There are a slew of reasons to implement a strategy such as this and this report pinpoints the potential major upsides of the decision. First, the license would tailor to a broader crowd of millennials and young professionals who grew up with these titles.  Nintendo would also be able to increase revenue without decreasing current sales.  Finally, the gaming company could take advantage of the handheld trend which has seen success in U.S. and global markets.  This report will dive deeper into these reasonings and provide support to backup statements.

Reason 1:  Appeals to a Broader, Casual Gaming Audience

In an age of superior technology and constant innovation, serious gamers are all after the same goal.  This breed of individual seeks the best graphic card coupled with exciting, original game play with features that trump all other systems.  They have no interest in nostalgistic adventures and their focus is being the biggest and baddest on the newest and best gaming console. Although this market does exist in our current landscape, there is a significantly higher demand for more casual, almost addictive games.  For example, Angry Birds, a smartphone based app where one launches fowls into a fortress of pigs for points, took over the mobile gaming market in 2010.  Users were enthralled with the new sensation which didn’t require any extra equipment, simply just the smartphone that seemingly everyone had at the time and currently still possesses.  This is where Nintendo has a huge opportunity to license its popular games such as the Super Mario Brothers franchise.  The introduction into the smartphone gaming market would work on many levels for Nintendo.  Just as with Angry Birds, users would be able to access and enjoy Mario’s famous adventures at the tap of a screen.  No waiting, shipping extra equipment, or setup would be required.  Currently, if a consumer wants to play the Super Mario game they first have to purchase the console, purchase the game, purchase the controller, and hope that its viewable on a more advanced television screen.  A licensing agreement would both eliminate the hassle for users and puts royalties towards Nintendo’s bottomline.  

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