Struggling financially? Why not shoot yourself in the foot?
Satoru Iwata shared with investors during Nintendo's third-quarter results briefing that he, and presumably Nintendo, don't believe that cloud gaming is important heading into the new generation. He said (translated from Japanese):
There are things you can do with cloud gaming and there are things you cant do. We don’t agree that cloud gaming is the future and we are trying to work hard on a future where gaming only consoles are not gone.
Cloud gaming has struggled to gain traction since its inception in 2010. However, it has proven its validity for many gamers, and Sony was so enamored by its prospective potential that it put down $380 million to purchase Gaikai, one of the two largest cloud gaming companies in the world.
In 2004 Nintendo stated publicly that it believed online gaming was just a fad. Within a couple years it became the most important development in console gaming. Needless to say, Nintendo isn't exactly a company known for forethought. Although Iwata acknowledges that cloud gaming has its benefits, his statements echo that he doesn't understand its value.
