Nintendo is finally taking digital distribution seriously
By Daniel Kaszor
January 17, 2012 - 07:30 ET | Last Updated: January 17, 2012 12:30 AM ET
Has Nintendo Co., Ltd. finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel for notorious digital distribution ignorance – selling games over the internet that are then distributed digitally rather than on a physical disc? New evidence suggests Nintendo may finally be treating the online sales channel with some respect.
Late in 2011, I was sent a preview code for *Pushmo*, a fun puzzle game offered exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. This was followed a few weeks later by preview codes for a couple of other eShop games. For those who review games regularly, this isn’t an uncommon practice among publishers. But Nintendo's decision to send software preview codes instead of physical ones is notable for several reasons.
First, some background: Nintendo has had a digital offering since the launch of the Wii in 2006, but it has been very difficult to find information about what would pop up. Nintendo was known for announcing games on its Wii Virtual Console – which offered titles for older systems like the Super Nintendo on the Wii – just a few days before they went live.
Nintendo started offering original downloadable content through its WiiWare and DSiWare channels, but it was almost impossible to know what was coming out when. The fact that Nintendo made noise about *Pushmo* and other games on the 3DS eShop signals that the company might have changed course and decided to start promoting what’s hitting the eShop.
Second, this is actually a fairly complex technical change for Nintendo. Until a recent update, it wasn’t possible for reviewers to receive preview codes to download games from the eShop. If a company wanted to send their game for review, they had to send the reviewer a certain amount of Nintendo Points (store currency) and then the reviewer would purchase the game. This created tension on both sides of the equation, as the reviewer was essentially taking money from PR, and the PR person had to trust the reviewer to actually buy the game in question.
The update now allows Nintendo or third parties to send more direct proofs to reviewers, and for reviewers to have easier access to them. Both of these things might seem like insider baseball, but they represent a fundamental shift in attitude from Nintendo regarding how content on its digital distribution channels is perceived.
In the past, the problem wasn’t that Nintendo didn’t have a large quantity of content on its digital channels — it actually had quite a few things in its Wii Shop — but that the same content was apparently treated more as a long-tail way to make a few extra dollars rather than a service that should be pushed to the forefront.
This is important because in the five and a half years since the Wii launched in 2006, there has been a digital distribution channel, the App Store, which has gone on to shatter sales expectations and redefine one of Apple’s core markets. While Nintendo hasn’t given the eShop nearly that much attention yet, these moves show that the company seems aware that it’s important to do so.
Major press this week: There are the main versions of this week, but you should definitely check out *Pushmo*, which is truly delightful.
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Each Tuesday in Code Download, Daniel Kaszor looks inside the business of video games with news, analysis, and a sneak peek at releases.
Posted in: FP Desk Tech, Video Games Tags: Digital Distribution, Code Download, Nintendo
Daniel Kaszor
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