There’s been a lot of debate concerning whether Nintendo dropping out of having a huge E3 conference this year is a good or bad move for the company. Many feel like E3 no longer has the powerhouse presence it had before digital media was so prevalent, while others feel its the one chance game and console developers have to shine. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter weighed in on the debate in the latest episode of his Pach-Attack show after a question from Twitter asked his opinion on whether it was a good idea or not:
I think it is a crappy decision because you don’t get many opportunities when you’re a console manufacturer to have the entire world focused on games. But you asked was it a good business decision and, from your basic economics, it’s a profit deal. If you’re expected revenues from spending money are bigger than the amount you have to spend to generate those revenues, then it’s a good business decision.
I think that Nintendo gave this a lot of thought – they said we don’t really have anything new to show…we don’t really have any new Wii U games that are going to shine that are playable and, oh by the way, the reason that Fox News, ABC, etc, are all here is to look at the next Xbox and PS4, then we’re just going to look bad next to them.
I think not doing it, probably, is a good business decision. I just think, as a gamer, and as someone who is interested in the industry, I would prefer to see everybody represented at every show. Nintendo made a business decision, and ultimately, it is probably the right one.
Pachter’s summation of why Nintendo dropped out of having an E3 conference this year reiterates what myself and John stated in our earlier articles. Right now Sony and Microsoft are the two juggernauts in the room and attempting to go toe to toe with them would be a bad decision. Next year, once new console releases are out of the way, Nintendo will likely resume their grand E3 conference, albeit with the many regional changes that were implemented after this year’s financial report.
