Thankfully, Nintendo gets it.
One thing about them, they might be assholes when it comes to game preservation and whatnot, but they always did their own thing based on what they think gamers would like.
They’re a toy company. That’s how they think of themselves. The fun comes first. That’s why they also try new gimmicks in games and then most of the time never do it again. In their minds they already made that toy.
Has anyone told them they can probably use AI to search for opportunities for lawsuits?
Nintendo sues OpenAI after determining it infringes on its patent (JP2002-905518) for a “dystopian AI assistant” used in Metroid Fusion.
I can’t tell if this is legitimate or not. Lol
Maybe the ‘what the customer wants’ route would have been more successful?
It’s too early. In 10 years Nintendo will, it’s the Nintendo rhythm.
You don’t have to shove AI into everything but it allows for a lot of amazing and crazy things. Gameplay first and I don’t think we need AI for this, but a lot of side elements can be handled by AI. Be it sounds, dialogues, voices, randomness in monster or level design etc. In general, AI could be good with filling games with content without it being generic. It will help to elevate content past obviously identifiable “random” content. Same way an AI image doesn’t look AI if it’s well made. However, we’ll get a lot of shovelware stuff of lazy companies, no one needs those.
At least from their games
https://www.neogaf.com/threads/nintendo-now-apparently-uses-ai-“lawyers”-to-dmca-sites….1671298/
Nintendo n…
Wait they did a good thing? huh, that’s… new
Nintendo militantly protecting their IP, to the detriment of pirates, is their prerogative. Inside the dev culture, they’re one of the best and most respected AAA shops in the business. Their games speak for themselves.
The different direction;
No more original IP, and 99% of profits come from litigating against end users.
(It’s the same direction as before, just not including AI yet)
List of a few of Nintendo’s new IPs from the last 15 or so years:
- Arms
- Good Job!
- 1-2 Switch
- Dillon
- Splatoon
- Snipperclips
- Pushmo
- Steel Diver
- Fluidity
- Nintendoland
Just because you aren’t buying/playing them doesn’t mean they aren’t making them. Let’s also not ignore the amount of time to develop a game has increased significantly or how gamers overwhelmingly choose to buy games from well-known IP. They are a company and need to pay their employees. I’m not a fan of Nintendo’s litigation practices, but I’m also not a fan of how whiny and bitchy gamers have become. If they aren’t whining and or bitching, they are harassing developers and actors.
That’s cool now could you tell your lawyers to go in a different direction with respect to mods and fan games?
Is this the Nintendo redemption arc?
Nope, just your regularly scheduled Nintendo technology lag.
Nintendo Lawyers realizing some of their IP is represented in LLM training data and outputs.
If Nintendo weren’t such pricks about their IP, they would be a perfect company. They don’t chase short-lived trends, they don’t make live-service slop or loot boxes, their DLC is usually great (without feeling necessary), they constantly experiment and innovate, and most of their hardware is incredibly durable and reliable (joycon drift being the big exception). But if you make a fan game or host a tournament using one of their games, even if it’s been out of print for 20 years, even if you’re not monetizing it, they will come after you. It’s the one thing I really hate about them.
If Nintendo weren’t such pricks about their IP, they would be a perfect company
They also have some atrocious work culture. Managers screaming at people. Developers routinely overworked to burnout. Leads can be egomaniacal in their pursuit of a particular vision.
The IP attitude is deeply rooted in a company culture of strict control and authoritarian attitudes.
That said, they produce some incredible art and style. So it’s hard to argue with the results.
Wish people would be more comfortable simply feeling inspired by Nintendo and doing their own things, rather than trying to harvest Nintendo IP and fight them for control. Would make everyone happier over the long term.
Wish people would be more comfortable simply feeling inspired by Nintendo and doing their own things
The PalWorld devs did that. Nintendo sued them anyway.
Just out of curiosity, do you have a source for your claims that Nintendo has a bad work environment?
I’d love to learn more about it and verify this claim.
They seem to have really high employee retention:
Nintendo’s employee retention rate is 98.9%, surpassing the national average of 70% thanks to factors like brand strength and a strong employee welfare program.
That said, it’s a Japanese company, and Japanese work culture is very different from western work culture (read: a lot more stressful), but they seem to be doing reasonably well vs their peers.
