Nintendo wants to end the delay in the launch of products in Brazil

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Since returning to Brazil, Nintendo has been expanding its bet on the local market. In October, the Japanese company took another step in this direction by announcing the beginning of the sale of games in physical media in the country. And the news shouldn’t stop there.

“We are increasingly bringing more products and services, but there is still a lack. Where we eventually want to go is to launch our products in Brazil on the same date as the global launch”, says Bill van Zyll, Senior Director and General Manager for Latin America at Nintendo, who was in Brazil to check out the company’s stand at the BGS (Brasil Game Show).

Nintendo had ended its activities in Brazil in 2015, blaming the “local business environment” for making its distribution model unsustainable. The company only returned to operate directly in Brazil in September 2020, when it launched (three years late) the Switch in the country.

“We never forgot Brazil. It has always been a very important market, but we had to start from scratch in relation to the model we had for the country years ago. the market in the long term”, says Van Zyll.

In an interview with Sheetthe executive also talks about Nintendo’s challenges to localize games into Brazilian Portuguese and about the pricing of its main releases.

Nintendo launched the Switch in Brazil in September 2020, nearly three years after its global launch. Why did it take so long? First we had to develop our business plan, our distribution plan for Brazil. We also had to adapt the product to the country, as [adequação às regras da] Anatel and change the outlet. All this took some time, but we never forgot Brazil. It has always been a very important market, but we had to start from scratch compared to the model we had for the country years ago. It was the time it took for us to make this return in a way that worked for us and the market in the long term. Our focus is to maintain continuous and stable growth.

Is there a plan to open a factory in Brazil? Not currently. We are focused on working with well-established distributors in the country who know the market and how to work with retailers here in Brazil. For us it is working very well, they help us to bring the product to the country as it should be.

What is the next step for Nintendo in the country? Continue with this work and make all the products and services that Nintendo offers in other countries available. We’re running after it. Each time we are bringing more products and services, but there is still a lack. Where we eventually want to go is to launch our products in Brazil on the same date as the global launch. It’s the mission my boss gave me, but we do it for consumers and our fans. It’s going to take a while to get there, but that’s our goal.

Nintendo announced the start of selling games in physical media in Brazil. Of the titles the company is releasing, which Mr. Do you believe it will be more successful with the Brazilian public? I believe that everyone will be successful, because they are the so-called “evergreens”, who continue to sell even after the launch. But one I have to highlight is “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”. This game is more successful in Brazil than in other Latin American countries. Even more so than in the US. I think because it refers to the classic “Zelda” games, which have always been successful with nintenistas in Brazil. That’s why we have great expectations for the release of “Tears of the Kingdom” in the country, in May.

And we can’t forget to mention Pokémon. We have “Pokémon Legends: Arceus” and we will release two more games soon [“Pokémon Scarlet e Violet”]. We chose ten [títulos para lançar em mídia física no Brasil], but soon will also arrive Pokémon. We believe that all games will sell very well.

Speaking of Pokémon, when it was announced that “Scarlet and Violet” would not arrive in Brazil with localization for Portuguese, there was a lot of complaint from fans. How is the choice made of which games will or will not be localized? We are in the process of developing our capabilities and resources. With each game developed, we evaluate and make decisions according to what is possible. we ask [para localizar] every game, but we haven’t reached that point yet.

What are the difficulties in locating a game for Brazil? Localization is something very different from translation. Translation can be quite simple, but in localization we try to capture all the emotion and humor of the game in a new language, and that costs a lot. Nintendo is very dedicated and committed to the quality of its products and the customer experience. If we have a situation where a game isn’t ready, we wait until it is. An example is “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”. We now have a release date, but we postponed it because the game wasn’t at the level it needed.

Localization is time consuming, we want to do it well and we are still developing the resources to do it. We already have several games [localizados para o português]. The intention is to expand this capacity and locate more and more titles for Brazil.

Is this process done by Nintendo itself or by a third-party company? Because of this commitment to quality, most of this process is done in-house. On the one hand, this guarantees the great quality of the localization, but on the other hand, it ends up taking a little longer, even to develop this expertise.

In Brazil there is a very rooted culture of game piracy. Was that an obstacle for Nintendo’s return to Brazil? Not. Piracy is a problem that exists all over the world, so it didn’t influence it. We are always looking at what we can do to minimize the effects of piracy, but it is a global problem, not just in Brazil.

A common complaint in Brazil is about the price of games. Mainly in relation to Nintendo’s own titles and the lack of promotions for these games. Why does the company adopt this pricing policy? We always look for the most efficient way to bring our games to all markets. In Brazil, our goal is for them to be as accessible to the Brazilian consumer as possible. In this way we fulfill our mission of making people smile. We are always looking at how we can be more efficient and bring these experiences to bear in a more accessible way. There is no difference between how we set prices for Brazil and for other countries. What exists are realities in the country that impact prices, for example exchange rates, taxes and also distribution costs. As for the price difference, there are simpler games that require fewer resources and are therefore cheaper. And there are games that require such a level of resources and development that if we want to make that kind of game, it comes at a cost. In the end, it’s a balance. We try to make the game more accessible, but we also have to take into account the type of game and its complexity.

Both Sony and Microsoft are investing in game subscription plans. Nintendo has Nintendo Switch Online, but it works differently. Does the company consider following the path of its competitors? Things are changing and developing in the market. Each platform is following a path and the situation of each one is also a little different. Our subscription gives you the possibility to play online and play classic NES and Super Nintendo games, which are super popular here in Brazil. Now we also include Nintendo 64 games. So there are more and more games that we are making available on a subscription basis. We’re still not at the level of what some others are doing, but I’m sure we’ll continue to evolve.

Is there a plan to bring games from other consoles, like the Wii, for example, to Switch Online? For now we have no information. What we can see is that we started with the NES and Super Nintendo and now we are arriving at the Nintendo 64… So, we’ll see.

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age of empires 4

(PRAÇA)

On the 15th, the “Age of Empires” franchise turned 25 years old. To celebrate, there’s nothing better than experiencing “Age of Empire 4”, released last year after 16 years without a new title in the series for PC. The game uses the Middle Ages as a setting and maintains mechanics that turned the series into a real-time strategy game classic, which will undoubtedly please fans of the franchise, especially those who played “Age of Empires 2” when they were younger. “Age of Empire 4” is available for free to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on PCs and is expected to arrive next year on Microsoft consoles.

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news, launches, business and what else matters

• The first game in the “The Witcher” franchise, released in 2007, will get a remake. CD Projekt Red announced that the game is in development under the codename “Canis Majoris” with the graphics engine Unreal Engine 5. According to the company, veteran developers who worked on the last two games in the series are among those responsible for the remake.

• Microsoft revealed that it was well below the growth target for the Xbox Game Pass game subscription service. The company had set a goal of 73% growth in the number of subscribers to the service in the fiscal year ending in July, but the growth was only 28%. This is the second time the company has fallen short of its forecast after exceeding expectations in 2020.

• Along with the 25th anniversary celebrations of the “Age of Empires” franchise, Microsoft announced “Age of Mythology: Retold”, a remake of the mythologically-themed real-time strategy game “Age of Mythology”. The new title promises to renew this classic with modern graphics and updated gameplay and create a definitive edition of the game.

• In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that Microsoft intends to face the duopoly of Apple and Microsoft in the mobile gaming market and that, for that, it is essential that the company’s purchase of Activision Blizzard is approved. . The executive also stated that even after the deal is closed, the “Call of Duty” series will continue to be released on PlayStation consoles “as long as it makes sense”.

• The launch of the game “The Callisto Protocol”, a space horror title developed by the creator of the “Dead Space” franchise, has been canceled in Japan. According to the studio Striking Distance, responsible for the game, the Japanese rating agency considered the game too violent and asked for changes so that it could be released in the country. The studio did not accept the request.

• Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker, founders of the studio Rocksteady (responsible for the series “Batman: Arkham”), have announced that they are leaving the company. In a post on the studio’s blog, the developers say they are leaving the company to “start a new adventure in gaming”.

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