I’m pretty sure this was the exact opposite of what Nintendo wanted to happen when they cut the 3DS’ price – Natsume has delayed two of its games for the 3DS until October due to slow system sales.
Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove is the first game, and was released in Japan in July. The western version is now all complete, but has been pushed back in the hope that sales for the handheld will pick up. Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns is also out now on DS in Japan, but the 3DS version has been pushed back to October as well.
It’s a vicious cycle for Nintendo – the more games that get delayed and cancelled, the less likely potential buyers are to pick it up, but without consoles out there in players’ hands, publishers aren’t willing to spend money on developing titles for it. Here’s hoping that Nintendo have a trick up their sleeve at their pre-TGS event in a few weeks to kickstart both sales and development.
Source: Nintendo World Report
R4U Eldave0
Perhaps this will teach Nintendo that when gamers buy a new handheld/console they actually want something to play on it! Releasing the 3DS without a Mario/Pokemon game in sight was madness imo. Don’t get me wrong, the games they showed at this year’s e3 looked great but they should have been the launch titles for the device, not games which creep onto the market several months after the handheld’s release.
KeRaSh
Are they halting production of said titles or are they simply not releasing finished games? I’d say releasing a title earlier will earn them more money no matter how many 3DS units have been sold so far. When sales pick up their game will still be out. It just won’t have that new release freshness surrounding it. If I want a game for a console that I picket up later in the lifecycle I won’t ignore games that came out earlier. Pretty weird descission…
bacon_nuts
This sucks. Why don’t they just wip out a couple of original pokemons?
colmshan1990
This doesn’t look that bright a decision from where I’m standing.
Are they waiting for more competition before releasing?
Good luck selling against Mario…
bunimomike
Even though the game is ready to launch/release it still needs to be pressed/manufactured/etc., and I’m guessing they want to see a bigger user-base before committing to such a cost.
Lymmusic
Maybe delayed til after the release of the new dual thumb stick 3ds and right thumb peripheral that is rumoured but definitely not coming out, oh no, definitely didnt drop the price to clear old stock ready for a new form factor, nooooo….
Phobia
Nintendo messed up thinking consumers would buy 14 different version of the same console! DS, DS Lite, DSi, DS XL and 3DS. Granted the 3DS is quite a big step forward it is pretty much the same thing. People just don’t have the cash to buy a new handheld every 6 months!
The Lone Steven
Ninty are really struggling to get the 3DS to take off. This could lose them a few thousand sales. If the game is ready to be released, then do it now to avoid the chaotic months of gaming. I don’t know if there are any releases for the 3DS within the next few weeks.
Ninty must have a few tricks up their sleeves. I wonder if the entire past catolgue of Ninty’s game will be made aviable on their store as that may help to boost the 3DS’s sales.
Crocadillian
I honestly don’t think they can redeem themselves. The console was outdated at launch, and the extra features feel more like gimmicks than something truly game enhancing. I would hope Nintendo wouldn’t make the same mistakes again, but the Wii U has no hard drive and is likely to let publishers have online systems, so I have little hope for them in the future :£