The Wii U is now considered a flop due to piss poor marketing and a thin but quality library of software. Nintendo’s next foray into gaming is the Nintendo NX, a codename for their super secretive device due for release next March. Beyond the NX, Nintendo will also be releasing some movies over the course of the next few years.
According to Quartz, Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima spoke with Japanese media outlet Asahi Shimbun, revealing that they have plans to get into making movies, and that their first picture will be out sooner than five years. According to the Associated Press, the movies will likely be anime-oriented, so you don’t have to worry about a live-action repeat like the 1993 Super Mario Bros., film from the husband and wife duo of Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton. For those of you who have forgotten what that disasterpiece was like, YouTuber MarioBuddy has a trailer you can check out below.
To be completely honest, the Super Mario Bros and Double Dragon movies were pure crap as far as video game movies were concerned, but they were both really cool cyberpunk films.
Nintendo distanced itself (and its popular brands) from the movie business after the Super Mario Bros, but they did continue to work with the Pokemon Company in producing theatrical and DVD-based animes centered around Pokemon along with working with other production companies on some cartoons made for television.
Given that their recent short film for Star Fox Zero was actually far better than expected, it would be pretty cool to see a full length feature film based around Star Fox, or even a really gritty sci-fi survival film centered around Super Metroid.
According to Quartz they seem to think that Nintendo’s console and portable days are over with, calling Nintendo’s methods “obsolete”.
The article on Quartz detailing Nintendo’s current console business is written like someone completely out of touch with the gaming industry, almost equivalent to when you tell an old person you have a smart phone and they assume you’re referring to some talking computer like from the 1994 flick Timecop with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
The reality is that Nintendo’s biggest misstep this gen was how they handled the Wii U, and that easily could have been rectified with more third-party support (read exclusives), a price cut and stronger marketing. Otherwise, the Big ‘N’ has been rolling in cash from Amiibo and 3DS software and hardware sales.
Anyway, if Nintendo sticks with making anime then it’s nothing to get worked up over. If they opt for the live-action stuff then they’ll need to get some serious directors and writers on board to turn their properties into worthwhile moving picture ventures.
