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Is The Wii U Making Nintendo Suicidal?

Is The Wii U Making Nintendo Suicidal?

As much as I love Nintendo, the fact that they canceled their E3 press conference yesterday has me a little worried. I’m not quite willing to say that they’ve given up on the Wii U just yet, but, as my Magic 8 Ball would say, all signs point to yes.

Admittedly, though, the cancelation does have some merit. With the entire industry focusing on Sony and Microsoft, it’s going to be hard for Nintendo to elbow their way into the spotlight. So, sinking a ton of money into a press conference probably doesn’t feel like a good investment.

But this is exactly why Nintendo needs to have a conference.

These three companies are about to spend the next five or six years battling for the spotlight. Handing nearly all of the press coverage over to the competition during the industry’s biggest event doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence about Nintendo’s plans for 2013. Let’s not forget that Nintendo is the reigning champion of the video game industry. The Wii has sold nearly 100 million units since it was released in 2006. When you compare that to the 77 million PS3s that have been shipped, or the 76 million Xbox 360s, Nintendo’s little console is the clear winner. However, by canceling their press conference, Nintendo is willingly taking a back seat to the trailing companies, which might make the Mario publisher look as though it’s losing stamina.

Is The Wii U Making Nintendo Suicidal?

If we’re being honest, though, Nintendo is losing stamina. They don’t have any gigantic plans for 2013. If they did, they’d hold a press conference. I’m sure that we’ll see some extraordinarily good Nintendo games crawl out of their development studios within the next 12 months. But it’s starting to look like 2013 is going to a difficult year for Nintendo.

Psychologists who are trained to deal with suicidal patients often encourage them to plan for the future. People who make plans typically have a more optimistic outlook about their lives and are less likely to kill themselves. Nintendo’s lack of planning makes me wonder if the Wii U is about to commit suicide.

Anyone want to buy a doorstop?

By
Josh Engen
News Director
Date: April 25, 2013
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