Nintendo’s dream console became the seed for things to come.
They might have even found themselves out of business shortly thereafter.
Yet, as Nintendo prepares to launchthat exact consolein 2017, nobody seems too surprised.
Is that because times have changed and gamers demand something different?
Nintendo didnt always behave like this, though.
They werent always so interested in producing hardware so fundamentally different from everything else on the market.
The N64 lost the console sales race to Sonys PlayStation by an astonishing 69.56 million units.
It didnt matter that the N64 was technically more powerful and it didnt matter that the N64 cost less.
Because of this, gamers and developers flocked to the PlayStation.
This was Nintendo at their most irresolute.
They were determined to learn from the lessons their competitors had taught them.
Miraculously, though, thats exactly what Nintendo had on their hands by the time 1999 rolled around.
That year, rumors of a Nintendo project codenamed Dolphin began to permeate the game industry.
Those rumors were absolutely true.
As Shigeru Miyamoto put it, the Nintendo 64 weeded out weaker developers at an early stage.
In the long term, I think that was necessary.
Almost a rite of passage.
Along the way, the rest of Project Dolphin started to take shape.
In order for Nintendos plan to fail, everything would have to go wrong.
Everything Goes Wrong
As you may know, the GameCube did not release in the year 2000.
Its always the case with Nintendo, said Imanishi.
The hardware is already completed, but the software is not.
That lovely sentiment would quickly become unraveled by a few emerging economic practicalities.
Chief among their concerns, though, was how easily gamerscould theoretically pirate DVD-based games.
Oddly enough, this was also the chief concern that prevented them from utilizing CD-ROM technology for the N64.
The situation in Japan was a little bit different.
The problem was that fewer and fewer people were purchasing two consoles.
Once the GameCube actually did make it onto shelves, things didnt get any easier.
They still believed that the old guard would rally to them when they called the banners.
Because they were wrong, Nintendo ended up forcing GameCube owners to endure months without a notable release.
This issue was compounded by Nintendos hesitance to pursue more mature titles.
They still want to playMario, but they want some other stuff.
Not everyone was convinced that there was room in the GameCubes library for many M-rated experiences.
Because of this, the GameCube retained a kid-friendly image that Nintendo struggled to shake.
The changing industry betrayed Nintendo on the hardware front as well.
The reason behind Nintendos seeming disinterest tends to change based on who you ask.
Others,like Iwata, claimed that they just didnt think online gaming was a viable business.
Instead, they spent yearsmaking excusesfor why they still hadnt developed a viable online platform.
By the end of the GameCubes lifespan, excuses were all Nintendo had left to defend themselves with.
Pride turned to arrogance.
Nintendo started to develop contempt for the gaming community, said Mercury.
They felt as if they were being betrayed by the gamers they created.
When told this,Reggie Fils-Aimesaid, Look, dont bullshit me.
How do you guys really think this thing is going to hold up?
Everyone went silent for a moment.
When they did speak, they continued to speak in vague rhetoric.
Then again, its not that Nintendos marketing team was much of a help themselves.
which seemed to be the question they themselves were struggling to answer at the time.
Eventually, all the infighting and indecisions caught up with Nintendo.
Behind the scenes, numerous longtime Nintendo executives retired or left the company.
They encouraged other companies to follow their lead.
Besides, the money just wasnt there.
The writing was on the wall only two years after the GameCubes release.
In doing so, they both acknowledged the trends of popular console gaming and willfully abandoned them.
Its a philosophy that continues with the impending release of the Nintendo Switch.
We made it as a culmination of everything leading up to it, but it really underwhelmed.
This line of thinking doesnt give us anything else to shoot for, does it?
Thats how I felt.
Nintendo had designed the GameCube as the console that would answer the problems of the past.
In doing so, they gave themselves nothing to aim for.
Microsoft and Sony looked towards the future to see how they could beat Nintendo.
Nintendo looked towards the past to have a go at recapture what made them great.
These fans treat Nintendo like a safe harbor from the scary ever-changing world of video games.
In some ways, this is exactly how Nintendo wants to be seen.
Matt Byrd is a staff writer.
