Nintendo Direct, The Gaming Press, And You.

Usually Nintendo Direct is standard stuff with Iwata and/or Reggie talking and we may get some new screen shots or a trailer or two for something half interesting with release dates if we are lucky. Yesterday Nintendo did things a little differently. We got the standard non gaming talk with Iwata apologizing about WiiU's lack of Nintendo software for January and February. Then we got announcements. We were told a new Smash, 3D Mario, and Mario Kart would be shown at E3. The rumored Yoshi game made it's debut. An odd Shin Megami x Fire Emblem was announced along with the promise of more crossover games like that in the future. Then huge two bombs were dropped by Nintendo. A full on remake of Wind Waker and a new Monolithsoft Xeno game. They announced more in that short time then most companies do in a year. It got people talking and interested in their product and message boards lit up all over because of it.

They did it without the help of the gaming press.

They left them out of the equation completely. No party, office visit, or trips. No exclusive content for anybody. Nintendo cut out the middle man. Just a simple video of the president of Nintendo talking about games and showing them. I think the last time Nintendo did anything for the gaming press was around the 3DS launch when they used the girls. I remember the WiiU launch date and price reveal was a event and the press knew nothing before hand. You can find videos of Marcus, The Annoyed Gamer from Game Trailers, complaining about Nintendo because they wouldn't give the gaming press special treatment.

Do you think the gaming press realize how quickly they can become irrelevant? If Sony and MS did Direct type videos and reduced the money they spent on ads on gaming sites it would probably reduce the press down to nothing. No more signed bags of Doritos for you.

Does the gaming press deserve the cold shoulder from Nintendo? Yeah, they probably do. The Nintendo is doomed meme exist because the gaming press have been writing about the death of Nintendo for years and continue to do so. Eventually people are not going to play ball with you with if you trash talk constantly.

What do you think?

I think MS and Sony should follow Nintendo's example, but they probably won't.

I don't know if they are really trying to get "rid" of the gaming press or if they just want to establish a connection with their customers.

I personally love the N Directs, it's a really cool idea and really well executed. It's like a mini E3 where it's okay if nothing cool gets announced cause your not really expecting it.

Nintendo just want to control what information they put out and avoid the editorialising that all games press do when they write up news stories. They're not trying to get rid of the games press just circumvent its more critical elements.

The gaming press have never been more relevant than now as we roll up to the next generation. Nintendo actually do more for the press than most, providing capture kits for the 3DS and Wii U and so on. I've yet to see Sony come up with a recording solution for the Vita so that press can capture video from it for reviews and suchlike.

As long as they are straight up I wish every company did a thing like this each month. That said, it doesn't make the press pointless. Not every game is going to get the same attention at these things, and no company is going to point out why some of those games suck and why you shouldn't play them. That's something the press will always need to be there for. If it's just in the realm of announcements fine, but there will always be a need for a third party to show you the crappy side of all the sun shine and rainbows that events like that show us.

Yeah, game journalism is just copy-pasting press releases anyway. No editorials, no providing context, or, god forbid, critical voices.

In the first sentence I read "Iwata" as "hate". Am I that sleep deprived or is there something weird going on in my subconscious?

Direct information from the devs/publishers instead of some journalist trying to tell me his opinion on a series? I'm totally game.

I think Nintendo direct is a fantastic idea. Sony and MS should take note. Leave announcements and broad strokes for the console manufacturer or large publisher, and then leave all the "special treatment" for the game devs.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

Direct information from the devs/publishers instead of some journalist trying to tell me his opinion on a series? I'm totally game.