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Nolan Bushnell Thinks Nintendo is on the Path to Irrelevance

Nolan Bushnell said in a recent interview with the BBC that he thinks that Nintendo could be headed for a downward spiral.
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In a recent interview with the BBC, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell stated that because of the Wii U’s lack of impressive sales, Nintendo is heading towards the slums. Initially I was a little confused as to why Bushnell would say such a thing–but then I realized that he knows first hand.

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The Atari is now irrelevant for consoles.

Sorry, but the Atari has been pretty much irrelevant in terms of gaming consoles for the past twenty years at least and I don’t think that we should take his advice on the topic. I think that the proof is in the results; Nintendo has been a successful company since their fruition and have made plenty of games that have supported them through slumps in sales and brought them right back to the top. Games like Super Mario Bros., Zelda, Donkey Kong, Mario Kart and many more have proven to stand the test of time.

Microsoft should be the one worrying

Just because Nintendo refuses to get involved in the pettiness that is the Microsoft and Sony feud doesn’t mean they are going to be irrelevant and replaceable anytime soon. If any company needs to be worried about their future, it should be Microsoft and the Xbox.

Handhelds and traditional consoles should join forces!

In the interview, Bushnell also says that he doesn’t think the future of the gaming industry is in solely handheld consoles. I think that he may have a point there, but I will go on further to say that I think a combination of handheld and console gameplay is where the industry is headed. Which, if I’m not mistaken, is exactly what Nintendo is trying to do and once they perfect the balance they will once again be the leaders of their field. 

Let’s face it, no smart phone can take the place of a 3DS and no handheld can completely take the place of a console. Once the industry finds out how to balance the two, we will be in business. What are your thoughts on Bushnell’s comments? Leave yours down below!


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Miranda Kirk
Former member and Senior Intern of the JTP program, woo!