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GameCube (Games) Portables (Games) Entertainment Games

Nintendo Cracks Down On European Importers 51

Posted by simoniker from the swimming-monkeys-now-only-safe-method dept.
Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a Gamesindustry.biz article describing Nintendo's attempts to stop European retailers importing Gamecube/GBA games. According to the piece, "..cease and desist orders have been issued to a number of independent retailers by Nintendo this week, demanding that they stop selling imported Nintendo titles and supply details of their suppliers." With handheld titles such as Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire lacking regional lock-outs, and even US/Japanese Gamecube games being playable with the help of Freeloader, Nintendo are clearly worried about imported titles taking away from native European sales, but as Gamesindustry.biz points out, "..the move will prevent [consumers] from playing titles which Nintendo of Europe has failed to release in this territory, such as the highly acclaimed Animal Crossing."
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Nintendo Cracks Down On European Importers More

Nintendo Cracks Down On European Importers

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  • Nintendo shmucks (Score:5, Insightful)

    by n1ywb ( 555767 ) on Friday June 06, 2003 @08:52PM (#6136525) Homepage Journal
    Did anybody else here get their $20 check from Nintendo for price fixing the NES many years ago? Some things never change.

  • Why would Nintendo even care? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by AtariAmarok ( 451306 ) on Friday June 06, 2003 @08:56PM (#6136539)
    Why does Nintendo even care about this?

    It seems to make as much sense as the region system, which prevents me from getting DVD's which are only available outside my region.

    • Re:Why would Nintendo even care? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Babbster ( 107076 ) <aaronbabb@NoSPaM.gmail.com> on Friday June 06, 2003 @09:37PM (#6136668) Homepage
      They care for a few reasons:

      1) Mainstream retailers in Europe aren't going to do a lot of importing because it would damage the deals they get from Nintendo and others when buying high volumes of their games. Therefore, anyone who DOES sell import versions is damaging the market for the mainstream retailers because that means a lot of their customers will have no interest in the game when it's finally officially released.

      2) Because Europe is still the "third string" when it comes to video game distribution, some third-party game publishers don't distribute their own games in Europe and let Nintendo or other big companies do it for them. That means that if Nintendo is publishing a game in Europe that, say, Koei published in Japan and NA, Nintendo gets a better profit margin with both the standard royalty and consideration for doing the publishing. If, however, someone imports the Koei NA version (to continue using that example - I don't know how Koei handles their European distribution) it cuts into the eventual profits of the publishing company when it's officially released.

      3) Marketing. Interest in new releases is diluted by the fact that people have already played the imports. This is a particular problem in Europe sine more Europeans speak/read English than, for example, than Americans speak/read Japanese. This dilution of interest means that marketing dollars aren't going to help out a game that might not be that good because the word of mouth has already been spread by importers. Note that this reason is the primary factor in DVD region coding because most movies are stagger-released around the world to allow for regionalized marketing, and in extreme cases a movie could be in its first month of theatrical release in India while the DVD has been out for two weeks in the US.

      All that being said, I think Nintendo is making a big mistake here. While I understand the goal of making their retailers happy (probably the main reason for the crackdown), they're running the risk of alienating more customers than they already have. Nintendo would do well to work harder on getting their big releases out in both NA and Europe at the same time. After all, nothing they do is going to make the grey market disappear. They'll just force the most visible importers to work more quietly or quit while others come in and take their place.

    • With DVD's at least, the issue is that the movies are available at different prices in different places. One could imagine a similar situation with gamecube games.
      • "With DVD's at least, the issue is that the movies are available at different prices in different places"

        The "out of region" DVD's I am interested in have been available in the other regions, and not mine, for at least 2 years. I am pretty sure there is no intent of ever releasing them in my region, so there is no price difference issue for this.
    • "Why does Nintendo even care about this?"

      Because what's the point of flushing money down a hole to maintain a presence in Europe when the people will just by from NOA anyway? Especially when you have to deal with governments trying to ban all video games outright? Why should they instead try to pander to a market that has been at best apathetic towards them?
  • all Nintendo should care about us moving product, controlling distribution is farcical.
  • They should be taking advantage of the RIAA and taking legal action against Datel. I believe that counts as a "device to circumvent security measures," or whatever the RIAA calls it...

  • Who cares? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by lightspawn ( 155347 ) on Friday June 06, 2003 @09:16PM (#6136604) Homepage
    If Nintendo doesn't want us as customers, Sony and Microsoft might.

    • Re:Who cares? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by metamatic ( 202216 )
      Sony has a lot of the same problems, unfortunately.

      SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) often decides that the most innovative and cool games from SCEE are too good for America. e.g. Wipeout Fusion and Dropship were turned down by SCEA, Vib Ribbon for PlayStation was never released, and so on. If you've written yet another FPS, though, SCEA will release it.

      Sometimes other companies (like BAM!) have stepped up and bought US distribution rights for Sony's European and Japanese titles. Sometimes not.

      I
      • Don't leave out Microsoft!

        I originally thought that Microsoft would be OK, I mean, how could an American based company figure out how to screw American gamers? (Of course, Europe is another story, but I'm making a point...)

        Well, as it turned out, I was wrong. After getting us all hyped up for Shenmue II on the Dreamcast, SEGA makes a deal with Microsoft to not bring out the fully translated Dreamcast version in the United States! Technically, it was SEGA who screwed us, but I tend to feel some symp

  • i'm waiting (Score:3, Funny)

    by fredrikj ( 629833 ) on Friday June 06, 2003 @09:27PM (#6136634) Homepage
    for samir gupta to comment

  • What's the point? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by seinman ( 463076 ) on Friday June 06, 2003 @09:30PM (#6136645) Homepage Journal
    I don't see the point of this. Either way, Nintendo makes money... right? If they don't sell a game in one market, they still make the money off that game, because people buy it from another market. If anything, importing games help them make MORE money, because people who previously would be unable to purchase a game now can do so through various vendors.

    Am I missing something here, or is this a pretty dumb move on Nintendo's part?
    • Here's what you're missing:

      Retailers in Europe want to make money. They make money when they sell things. For instance, games. While it is all the same to Nintendo whether you buy their game in America or in Europe (Barring, of course, the fact that they'd like all of their regional offices to be profitable, and the fact that it's a lot easier to get a sense of where your system is popular if you have some region control), it is not the same to a British game store whether you buy the game in America or in
      • So they've chosen to make their retailers happy, as opposed to their customers. (Well, yes, technically, the retailers are the customers of Nintendo, not the end users...) Wouldn't it make sense for Nintendo to satisfy everyone by making the games available to UK/European distributors? If the Europeans retailers want the games, they can call their distributor and get them for the end users.
        • Except that the games are largely in Japanese. And localization does not take place instantly. And Europe is the hardest localization, seeing as it involves a bunch of languages.
          • Are games localized for each country in Europe and/or the continent as a whole? I was under the impression that they just ran it through the equivalent of the ESRB and shipped an American English version. (Perhaps removing Nazi symbols). This is based just on having looked at a few games in MAME, where the World version is nearly indiscernable from the US.
            • Games are usually translated into French and German, and console games obviously have to be converted to PAL. The English versions are still American English, though. There's also, I assume, a small delay in the UK for the BBFC to classify them, if requred, but I don't know if that amounts to anything.
    • "If they don't sell a game in one market, they still make the money off that game,"

      But if that market is Europe, you need to include VAT. Europeans importing games from North America generally don't pay that VAT, but with the way things worth with the EU, Nintendo themselves will be blamed for it. The EU itself is already seriously considering holding on-line merchants outside of the EU accountable for collecting VAT (!), so how much longer do you think it will be before the EU starts holding NOE accoun
      • The EU itself is already seriously considering holding on-line merchants outside of the EU accountable for collecting VAT (!)

        I'd like to see them try. Worst case scenario is to halt shipments at the border.

        But if that market is Europe, you need to include VAT. Europeans importing games from North America generally don't pay that VAT,

        Gotta pay for those socialist programs somehow.

        And that's just one of the ways that the cost of doing business (at least with video games) in Europe is higher than in

  • Nintendo is dying (Score:3, Insightful)

    by WildBeast ( 189336 ) on Friday June 06, 2003 @10:15PM (#6136779) Journal
    What a stupid move, anyway Sony and Xbox will gladly take over.
  • Father: "Shucks Timmy, it looks like the order got cancelled."
    Little Timmy: "No worries, pop. I'll just download it instead."
  • Nintendo should stick to two things right now...

    Making BETTER games for the Game Cube and
    Making BETTER games for the Gamboy Advance (SP)

    Nintendo's selection of original games have gone down drastically. If a game is seriously crappy then releasing it in another market is not going to save it. Reguardless of what you do to try and stop import releases.

    The market as of this moment cannot sustain another video game war without consequences. If they keep releasing games without content they are going to die.

    • Ummm, nice troll?

      Seriously, what the hell are you talking about? There's Eternal Darkness, Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Zelda: The Wind Waker, Pikmin, Animal Crossing and Super Smash Brothers Melee. Each of those first- or second-party games is not only Gamecube exclusive, but a system seller as well. Name seven exclusive PS2 titles that justify a system purchase. I dare you. (The XBox has all of one.)

      Furthermore, the Gamecube hardware is the cheapest on the market, at $150.

      I'm not a Nintend

      • Actually, none of those games you listed were system sellers for the GameCube. For all practical purposes, about the only people buying those games were Nintendo fans, and they've owned the GameCube since it came out. That's why even when all those games appeared, GameCube sales still didn't surpass Xbox sales for the particular month in North America or Europe that they came out.

    • In the same paragraph, "Resident Evil can only be done so many times before the series just bloats and dies." and "It took them this long to release a Mario Kart game?"

      So, what, you do or do not want them to overdo sequels? A whole bunch of Mario Karts per system, or only one?

      The same thing is happening with sports titles. Unlike back in the day, when all I'd have to do is buy Blades of Steel and enjoy the best damned hockey game ever, EA has made a franchise out of releasing the same damned crap over a

  • Import is not illegal (Score:3)

    by johannesg ( 664142 ) on Saturday June 07, 2003 @05:29AM (#6137975)
    Why exactly does Nintendo believe something illegal is going on? There are no laws that restrict the citizens of Europe from buying in Japan, nor are there any laws that restrict Japanese shops from selling to European clients. If I wanted to order a dozen copies of a Japanese game there is absolutely no problem as far as the law is concerned. Moreover, I have the right to resell those copies in the local market.

    Nintendo, on the other hand, is trying to control the distribution channel. I suspect that might just be illegal; it certainly sounds rather monopolistic. Maybe the commission should look into this again, although with their glacial speed we could expect a decision no sooner than 2015.

    • Not Quite True (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Shanoyu ( 975 )
      Actually, you do not have this right in Japan. Several years ago Japanese video game producers lobbied for and got a law which essentially made it illegal to sell used copies of video games at stores. I am not all that familiar with Japanese laws regarding the sale and resale of media, but I believe this restriction also applies to movies.

      The reasoning behind the law states that the sale of the video game represents the sale of the video game experience to the consumer, not the media itself. Thus the co
      • Several years ago Japanese video game producers lobbied for and got a law which essentially made it illegal to sell used copies of video games at stores.

        Holy Sh*t, thanks for the wake-up call! We're going to have to keep our eyes open for the RIAA and MPAA pushing for something like this (probably at the state level) soon.

      • If this is true for video there are a number of stores that seem to visibly ignore the law.
  • Thats why I own a US and PAL gamecube.

    I bet that they are working on adding regional protection to games now that freeloader can't get past. I don't know if this is possible with the gamecube, but its the next logical step.
  • "..the move will prevent [consumers] from playing titles [...]"

    no.

    the move will make consumers play pirated games instead of imported ones.
  • I was actually interested in buying a GameCube for a moment the other day after seeing SuperMonkeyBall2, thought it would go nicer with PC gaming.

    Thanks for reminding me why I was disinterested in the 1st place, the same reason as XBox.
  • This isn't any worse than region coded DVDs, strict EULAs, DRM or putting tariffs on steel. Maybe these are unfair comparisons. But companies like Sony and Microsoft do things that are just as bad. Ofcourse, just because everybody else is doing it, doesn't make it right. Anyways, I'm done with my micro rant. I'm gonna go play my legally distributed copy of Animal Crossing now. :)
  • Instead of preventing Europeans from circumventing Nintendo of Europe, why not make NOE a better choice? If people are buying from America, then why not listen to what they want and provide it?

    Instead of staggered releases, just release the game at the same time in Europe, and people won't have to import it... AND they'll be buying from European stores. And why not look and see what's being imported most, and bring it over to Europe if it isn't there already?

    Isn't this just common sense? (But then, I gues
  • What I found most interesting in the article, rather than the distributor crackdown was this quote from the author:

    "...it's hard not to see this latest move as the thrashing of a platform holder which is becoming increasingly irrelevant in this territory and is grasping at straws to explain its own miserable failure."

    Thats a big call, but Rob Fahey (the author) knows his stuff. I'm not sure if I agree with him here though...???
  • I'm fairly sure "parallel importing" of games is legal. I know it is for music. I also know it's legal in New Zealand. Region coding is illegal in New Zealand. If you think Nintendo is doing something wrong in your region, you really should be talking to your polititions in an attempt to get parallel importing protected. It should be your right to get products from wherever you want, as it should be your local store's right to do the same. The Global Economy doesn't just mean that companies can use sl

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