News - Iwata strikes down rumors of free retro Nintendo games on Revolution; yes to free demos
Posted by
Josh Freund
at 11:52:16 AM EST on 6.7.2005.
Recently, Famitsu magazine ran an article in which it said that
Nintendo's Revolution could have 221 games available for download if Nintendo decided to make the titles it published in the past available for free. A Nintendo fan called "myahon" from the nintendo.com message boards then compiled a list of Nintendo-published games, using IGN as his source for the info. Lots of websites then started spreading the list, claiming something like "Famitsu has revealed that all past titles published by Nintendo will be free for download on the Revolution!" Some sites even posted the list that myahon had made, claiming that it came from Famitsu. To complete the mix-up, IGN itself even posted the list as a possibility and further spread the "all Nintendo-published games" rumor.
Needless to say, this was a case of misunderstanding that spread and spread, quite humorously spreading back to IGN.
This morning, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata cleared everything up on famitsu.com. Iwata said that the retro Nintendo game downloads will not be available for free on the Revolution. Rather, Nintendo might give some away with each Revolution game you buy, do special promotions, and so on. They're still deciding. The download service itself will be free, but the games will not be.
So, if another site got your hopes up, we apologize for them.
However, Iwata then stated that Revolution will offer downloadable game demos for free. It's obviously not nearly as big a deal as the free retro games would have been, but it's still nice to hear.
Source: Famitsu.com
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nas4 6.10.2005 at 04:41:41 PM
Why that lil B-A-S-T-A-R... how do you spell it? D!!! Thats right.
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svendawg 6.10.2005 at 01:39:32 AM
>if they said that you would be able to play every Nintendo game with the Rev controller, does that mean that you can use it for Gamecube games as well?<
That's the $25,000 question. For the revolution controller to work with N64 games, it'd be a monster, and Nintendo's quest for ergonomic simplicity doesn't really match up with that. I suppose it'd be POSSIBLE to use the Gamecube controller (since they pulled that off with Zelda), but that would mess up anyone who bought a Revolution without owning a Cube. And I can't imagine playing more button-intensive games (say, any of the Aki wrestling gmaes) on the Gamecube controller. Just wouldn't work.
I doubt we'll see a controller design for a while - Miyamoto tinkers with them up until the last second.
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mikey 6.10.2005 at 01:01:37 AM
Some comments below stated that people who had bought these games at full price would be dissapointed if Nintendo was giving them away for free or too cheap. Oppositely, it would bug me if I had to pay twice for some of these.
I payed something like $80 or more Canadian for Ocarina of Time when it came out, and I payed extra to get it as a pre-order bonus with Windwaker. If I have to pay any more than $0 for that game again, I'd rather just play it off the Gamecube disk on the Gamecube controller.
BTW, if they said that you would be able to play every Nintendo game with the Rev controller, does that mean that you can use it for Gamecube games as well?
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kryian 6.10.2005 at 12:27:51 AM
ninx, you misunderstand. The article you linked to does in fact state that the RSX is in development, it is just not under mass production.
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wolvenone 6.10.2005 at 12:12:12 AM
Uhh... maybe not much profit on a single title sold but it'll add up really fast. I mean, since when has Nintendo ever turned down an opperatunity to profit off an older title?
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azu 6.9.2005 at 03:59:43 PM
The games could be really cheap because Nintendo doesn't have to send the games all over the world. Also there won't be those expensive cartridges. All the games are quite small in size (NES games 40-100kB to N64's 10-60MB's), so you don't have to have huge servers to put them all to. Miyamoto has said that Nintendo isn't supposed to make much profit of the service
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draken 6.9.2005 at 10:45:43 AM
Ahh! I understand now. Thanks :)
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drumlord 6.9.2005 at 10:06:40 AM
draken: gamers pay for Xbox Live. What Nintendo is saying is that you won't pay for the equivalent on Revolution. We said "download service" in this article, but basically being online on the Revolution is free. So you can play multiplayer, play game downloads, download extra content and trailers, etc. for free. But downloading actual games will cost you.
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wolvenone 6.9.2005 at 12:39:17 AM
Well, there's probably gonna be "some," free content and services, so saying the service is free but the download isn't is a fair statement.
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draken 6.9.2005 at 12:06:01 AM
Quote: "The download service itself will be free, but the games will not be."
I find this statement to be a little odd. Isn't this like saying "It's free to come into my porno shop, but that big black dildo is gonna cost you?"
What exactly is 'download service?'
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ninx 6.8.2005 at 09:31:37 PM
Okay..I understand what you are saying now.
I don't believe it will take Nintendo long to take stuff out...
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vinny 6.8.2005 at 07:55:38 PM
Ninx, I know that. But developers can use specs that Sony gives them to at least get an idea of what they can do with the PS3's final GPU.
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ninx 6.8.2005 at 05:56:34 PM
Understood pixy..
terpfen:Read the 1st paragrah here: http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=5063
And Note They said theyll take some things out to make it simpler so what is harder....To just take out some things or to finish a Chip?
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pixy misao 6.8.2005 at 04:46:14 PM
"bluelander - 6.7.2005 at 08:00:59 PM
I don't think that would be possible. Unless maybe you were willing to cross your eyes the whole time"
If Nintendo has the technology to run N64 games on a portable (with more memory for extra features and better graphics) on a little microchip sized DS cart... you can't tell me that they aren't able to rework VB games to play on a tv. You underestimate Nintendo's R&D.
"ninx - 6.7.2005 at 07:23:39 PM
Yes Pixy I was also thinking about the portables tooo But then theirs the Evolution......"
It depends on what the GB Evolution can do. GBC added color to the old games, GBA & SP sharpened up the picture considerably, (and stretched it if you prefered) ... that still doesn't answer the question of finding those old GB games, which are really old by now. But some of the games are really great like Zelda DX, Metroid 2, Operation C, Castlevania 2 and huge list of others.
If the backbone of the Nintendo Revolution is to truly replace the Gamecube, then it should consider Gamecube's GB Player to be a great part of the formula, (and one of the best video game purchases I've ever made if I do say so myself). I know the idea is for these GBA and DS games to be portable, but many people don't like and/or don't have any reason to play games on the go. If Nintendo is really aiming for the broadest market they should consider every angle of game player.
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terpfen 6.8.2005 at 04:21:33 PM
ninx, the RSX has been in development for some time. It's not finished--it's begun. There's a vast difference between a GPU not being finished and a controller not being finished.
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hoof 6.8.2005 at 12:32:25 PM
Also, emulating GB, GBC and GBA games would be a brilliant move - you download the cart to your Revolution, then wi-fi it to your DS and play it there. This could help kickstart the DS-Revolution compatibility and keep it afloat.
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hoof 6.8.2005 at 12:29:18 PM
Another great way for Nintendo to make money out of this would be to advertise while you download. Not just new games or Nintendo products, but things like McDonalds or Nike. I wouldn't mind sitting through a commercial or a number of print ads while I download a couple of games - it would encourage Nintendo to keep the download prices low to increase the number of downloads and subsequently the number of ads viewed.
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ninx 6.8.2005 at 12:25:28 PM
I love the name Revolution, THey should keep it...
Rare did make Games for Nintendo's handhelds BUT Microsoft has now pushed them from it to work on the 360.... Microsoft said that they would never make for the DS although they themselves like it.
And NigNFanboy..........NO! Those prices are reasonale esp. considering the fact of not having to retail and no packaging or such....I believe alot of Zelda titles even are going to go free with a purchase of a Zelda Revolution.
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bluelander 6.8.2005 at 05:19:21 AM
Well, I seriously hope they keep the name "Revolution." It's a very powerful sounding name, and it's just what they need. Plus, they've been hyping a console called the "Revolution," and changing the name may destroy a lot of that hype. And since the media loves killing Nintendo's image by labling their system as being "kiddie," they need to refrain from giving it a cute name like the "Nintendo Fun-Machine" or something like that.
Oh well, I'm no marketing expert, so everything I just said may be completely wrong. But then again, I like the name "Revolution" and I think they should keep it.
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bignfanboy 6.8.2005 at 04:56:53 AM
I think the prices you guys are suggesting are way to low. I mean come on... a dollar for a game? Even five dollars sounds crazy to me. Do you think Nintendo would sell Ocarina of Time for $5 measly bucks when there are plenty or people who would pay much more for it. I would easily pay $20 to $30 for FFIII or Goldeneye. And by the way, has Nintendo decided the name for their next system will be Revolution or are they just calling it by it's "code name" until they call it something else.
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thehawk 6.8.2005 at 03:32:57 AM
Seriously. Microsoft doesn't mind Rare making GBA games. Selling Snake Rattle n Roll online would be almost EFFORTLESS profit, and would have practically no harmful effects on Microsoft or the Xbox 360. Why would it? If RARE does have the right to withhold the game, I don't see why they would.
On the other topic, yes it's easy to emulate games. But try gathering four buddies around your computer to play Goldeneye or Super Mario Kart. It's not as fun and comfy as on a couch in your living room with a larger TV. The other issue is convenience. You turn on the Rev and the games are all there... you just pick one, not worrying about the best emulator, compatibility, graphic settings, and other stuff. Emulation's still a nice option, but if the games are cheap it wouldn't hurt to buy them for the comfort of your living room.
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kokoyor 6.8.2005 at 02:16:25 AM
You know...Rare still develops for NINTENDO'S handheld line?
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ninx 6.8.2005 at 02:01:42 AM
Vinny.....Do you know that The PS3's RSX has not even begun being devoloped....?
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vinny 6.8.2005 at 01:48:00 AM
Oh yeah, did you guys hear that the Rev's controller isn't even finished? Wow, talk about being behind. At this rate, developers won't have know what kind of hardware they'll be working with. I can see the Rev launching with 200 games, but they'll all be from the past. I bet Nintendo will use that excuse.
I really hope other companies jump on to this... Imagine all those great games from Square, back when they didn't suck.
Sorry if this wasn't the climax you guys were expecting.:p
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teitoku 6.8.2005 at 12:59:17 AM
*readies the tissues*
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bloodix 6.8.2005 at 12:22:47 AM
here comes he climax!
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dswhore 6.8.2005 at 12:19:29 AM
The plot thickens...
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drumlord 6.8.2005 at 12:13:09 AM
Actually, to be completely accurate, it depends on who owns the rights to it right now, not who developed or published it. But in nearly 100% of all games, the publisher ends up essentially owning the game. So in Snake Rattle & Roll's case, Nintendo does own it and gets the right to decide whether or not it gets released.
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ninx 6.7.2005 at 11:36:01 PM
Hold up, it depends on the publishing?
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andonuts 6.7.2005 at 11:15:19 PM
"Microsoft owns RARE, and therefore, you won't see Snake Rattle & Roll on the Revo."
It depends on who published it, not who made it. Anything that's published by Nintendo could be made available for download. A game like Goldeneye, for instance, would be fair game.
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duque501 6.7.2005 at 09:54:02 PM
I bet that at revolution launch they will offer free games for download if you suscribe your console ,for a period of time, and of corse you wont be able to download all the list,
Every month i think they will unlock new avaible games to download for free.
And obviously if you buy a Revolution game tnen you can download a similar game of N64, SNES or NES.
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catz 6.7.2005 at 09:52:24 PM
heh, like people won't find a way to actually use their rom collection in revo :P
Nintendo realize this (they be stupid if they didn't), so the fee is just a buffer until some people found a way.
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teitoku 6.7.2005 at 09:38:08 PM
"For God's sake, who cares who it was made by!"
Microsoft owns RARE, and therefore, you won't see Snake Rattle & Roll on the Revo.
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kryian 6.7.2005 at 09:13:07 PM
They WILL give away games, but they won't give away ALL of them. Just because roms DO exist does not mean everyone downloads them, or even knows about them. For example, in my apartment, we have 4 gamers, and 5 computers. You won't find an emulator on ANY of them. Not all of us like to steal.
Also, and this is the most important part, there is pretty much NO WAY that this service will not be profitable. Nintendo, a company that is and always has been about making a profit, WILL make a profit off of this, probably a great one. What reason does Nintendo have not to offer this service?
And...George Harrison...bleh. I don't really like that fellow. I'm content listening to what Iwata has to say, and no one else. Screw the rest.
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williamsburroughs 6.7.2005 at 09:11:19 PM
I'm bursting at the seams...
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vinny 6.7.2005 at 09:03:31 PM
Iwata also said you will get free game downloads for buying a new game (like if you buy a Rev game, you'll get two free downloads- or something along those lines I'm guessing).
I don't think it was fair to assume the downloads would be free... They have to host the file and pay for the bandwidth, not to mention that they paid to keep all the copyrights and stuff.
I think the fairest pricing option is this:
$1.00-2.00 NES games
$3.00-5.00 for SNES games
$7.00-10.00 for N64 games
I think anything more than that would be crazy... plus, they should do special offers like, buy any two Super Mario Bros games and get Duck Hunt for free.
BTW, any word as to if this will include old GB and GBC games?
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andonuts 6.7.2005 at 08:57:33 PM
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/06/07/news_6127066.html
So now NOA is saying "Well actually they might be free, no one really knows anything."
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beavis christ 6.7.2005 at 08:50:24 PM
"If you don't realize that, you're not a gamer."
That was stupid enough to quote.
Moving on, it should be interesting to see how people react to buying roms from Nintendo when they can download them for free. Maybe it'd be a better idea for them to give away the games to foster a relationship with their consumers. If people are already used to their systems giving them roms when the next system comes out that can emulate a GC they'd have a better chance getting people to pay for them. At least that's how drug dealers operate and they never seem to go out of business.
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ninx 6.7.2005 at 08:40:48 PM
Yeah VB wouldnt be possible......
But even I an Nintendo Fan love this wole thing,blkstarr as Their are many games that I would love to play that I didnt get to.....Have some of my fav. games on 1 console...
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demoncrono 6.7.2005 at 08:27:13 PM
it would be possible to have virtualboy on the television screen. just..i would hope they would change the color from red ya know? ouch
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bluelander 6.7.2005 at 08:00:59 PM
"hell throw Virtual Boy in there as well"
I don't think that would be possible. Unless maybe you were willing to cross your eyes the whole time.
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blkstarr 6.7.2005 at 07:26:00 PM
Past Nintendo gamers are the one's who were interested (are interested) in the service in the first place. I'm sure the fact that the game is free now wouldn't have bothered them that much since they'd gotten all the play time out of them previously anyway. Besides that, if they somehow lost their copy of said game, they could have just gotten this back for free.
But with that said, what were the chances of these games being free anyway? Nintendo's still a company and therefore all about the profit. I may download games every now and then, but it'll obviously be the games I'm willing to pay for. The rest I could easily emulate as I've done before.
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ninx 6.7.2005 at 07:23:39 PM
Yes Pixy I was also thinking about the portables tooo But then theirs the Evolution......
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dswhore 6.7.2005 at 07:21:41 PM
Making them free would have made a lot of past Nintendo customers angry.
I'm all about free demos and promotions...
I have to say, I'm looking forward to the Revolution more and more everyday.
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pixy misao 6.7.2005 at 06:52:43 PM
I have to weigh in myself to mention that I didn't think that the games would be free. I might see why people might think that if they believe every rumor that comes down the pike, but considering that Nintendo was charging 20$ a cart for the GBA NES Classics, (one of which was the original Donkey Kong from 1981 btw... Nintendo's 2nd video game... and the foundation of their very existence!) it would sound like quite a desperation move to give their entire library away for free.
Since I will be buying Revolution games, and they will give certain games for free in that way, as well as offering free demos to check out the game to see if you like it... this news doesn't sound so bad. Considering how long some games are, paying say 20$ for Donkey Kong 64 doesn't sound so shocking. Then again getting it and the SNES Country trilogy for free for buying a new DK game on the Revolution sounds a lot better.
However (and I know I'm not the only one who's thinking this) Nintendo should also include their Gameboy system's games to the planned downloads (hell throw Virtual Boy in there as well). Especially considering how difficult it is to find many of those old black and white (green and yellow?) games. Gameboy is a major part of their "20 years of Nintendo content" so it would be foolish not to consider. As well as import games which didn't make it to the US!
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xen piranha 6.7.2005 at 06:38:16 PM
Dave - If you actually want to see N64 graphics on a big screen nowadays you have a much stronger stomache than I do. Older games look better at low res. Get yourself a gamepad and *bam* you are set. Y'know why I know that? Because I am a gamer, bitch.
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demoncrono 6.7.2005 at 05:32:01 PM
snake rattle n roll = teh awesome
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sgt. baker 6.7.2005 at 05:12:08 PM
bluelander, I dont think they will only have games available for download if you buy a REV game.
Yeah sure, the occasional one will be. But that will be to help promote Rev game sales. As long as they dont do it too much.
This could also be a cool way to get new games undet the same type of format for the older consoles. I mean, if say.....CAPCOM wanted to make another old school Mega Man game, they could do it. And that would be cool.
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bluelander 6.7.2005 at 04:56:14 PM
I think this pricing sounds reasonable:
NES game - $5
SNES game - $10
N64 game - $20
I just hope I can download any avaliable game I want. If I have to buy five specific games and register them online in order to have access to certain downloads, they I'll just pass on buying the Revolution. But if I can just simply pick the games I want and pay for them, then that'll be fine.
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dave 6.7.2005 at 03:43:13 PM
Yeah no s*** you can do emulation on your PC; that's one of the main reasons Nintendo is doing this with the REV. But, there is a huge difference in playing on your PC versus a console connected to the TV. It's like saying watching a movie on home TV (even big screen) replaces watching a movie on a giant theater screen. If you don't realize that, you're not a gamer.
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sgt. baker 6.7.2005 at 03:15:24 PM
tsundae - 6.7.2005 at 01:59:21 PM
For God's sake, who cares who it was made by! Do you tell little kids Santa doesn't exist? Do you watch movies and question the plausability of a dinosaur really being genetically reconstructed? Do you masturbate and think about how many people died to make the mag you're wanking to? You're a sour, nit picky, dried up old fart and I'm sick of your stink.
Little too much anger there. Chill out.
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tetsuo500 6.7.2005 at 02:40:40 PM
$5 is way too much. That's the price that I'd pay to buy the game second hand from a shop. I already have all the old games I want on original consoles. The only thing I'm paying for is the convenience of having them all on the one system.
It doesn't matter - someone will work out a way to upload ROMs directly from a computer and it'll all be over.
The thing that'll be awesome about this service is if previously unreleased games get put up for download.
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xen piranha 6.7.2005 at 02:39:58 PM
Its called emulation. Its backwards compatible with cube. The rest my computer can handle.
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beever 6.7.2005 at 02:19:33 PM
I think the pricing will still be fairly reasonable. The reason Nintendo's doing this is to pull in people who played those old games and would like to visit them again (let's not get into emulation, k?) I think those people would be much more willing to pay for these games if they saw that they were at a very low cost.
I want to see the prices kept pretty low, considering they don't have to worry about packaging and all that stuff, and the games are already made anyways. For me, what I'll be willing to pay will come down to the quality of the game, extra features (if any), and so on. For example, I wouldn't be willing to pay beyond some small "standard" fee for a so-so game that didn't have to be modified in any way, but if a good, previously-unreleased game were put up for download, I'd be willing to pay more than the "standard" fee for it (if they even decide to make a standard fee).
I could see Nintendo somehow using the My Nintendo feature on their website to give out free downloads, since they already use it as a way of giving promos and things for free. I'd like to see the prepaid card thing that was mentioned awhile back used, also (packaged in with some Rev games, perhaps?)
I like the ideas of free demos and firmware upgrades, though. Yippee.
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thehawk 6.7.2005 at 01:59:49 PM
I think the iTunes comparison was a great idea.... to just get online, pay a couple bucks, and wind up with a few of your old favorites. It would be nice to get some credits toward a few retro games for free when you buy your Revolution. Or when you buy a game, you get $5 toward any retro games you want, if they don't have a specific one in mind for you already.
If you think abou it, Nintendo's still trying to make money off of a lot of their old games with the GBA, so "free" never made a whole lot of sense. Sure, I'd like them free, but I understand their need to charge money as long as it's not much.
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tsundae 6.7.2005 at 01:59:21 PM
For God's sake, who cares who it was made by! Do you tell little kids Santa doesn't exist? Do you watch movies and question the plausability of a dinosaur really being genetically reconstructed? Do you masturbate and think about how many people died to make the mag you're wanking to? You're a sour, nit picky, dried up old fart and I'm sick of your stink.
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sgt. baker 6.7.2005 at 01:26:08 PM
wolverone-
You made a mistake there.
You mean COMPANY and free dont go together. Not just Nintendo.
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aerobica 6.7.2005 at 01:16:36 PM
Snake Rattle N' Roll is UNQUESTIONABLY worth $5. And yes, it was made by Rare.
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wolvenone 6.7.2005 at 01:15:01 PM
Yeah I knew this "free games," bit sounded really off. This is Nintendo after all, Nintendo and free don't exactly go together like PeanutButter-n-jelly.
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bloodix 6.7.2005 at 01:03:18 PM
also, Iwata also said that you can take the SD cards with retro games on it and store it on your computer.and also says that there will be security/protection on it so that they cant be sent to other people. so this is good news :)
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kryian 6.7.2005 at 01:03:03 PM
Like others, I did not expect Nintendo's games to be free. Besides, if they were free, why not just include them WITH the system, so even those without broadband have them? I AM glad to see that they are running promotions through their heads. I'd love for a SNES game or two to come free with some Revolution purchases.
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ninx 6.7.2005 at 12:55:03 PM
Didn't wexpect it to be Free.....That would simply be spectacular!
I hope it's a package plan....I mean 200 gammes free would be the greatest...But Theyve got to make some money! I think like a monthly fee for unlimited downloads would be enough for me!
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teitoku 6.7.2005 at 12:52:07 PM
I'm pretty sure RARE made snake rattle & roll...at any rate, nintendo didn't....so if you see it anywhere it's going to be on an xbox.
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dave 6.7.2005 at 12:39:17 PM
$1 NES, $2.50 SNES, and $5 N64 games is a good price point to avoid used game shops and internet piracy/emulation me wishes/thinks~
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tsundae 6.7.2005 at 12:31:45 PM
Treat'em like music on iTunes, a buck a piece. Problem solved.
Sorry, but Snake Rattle n' Roll isn't worth $5 dollars, nor is it making any money as we speak... people will buy more if they're cheap enough, and be happier with your company.
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bloodix 6.7.2005 at 12:27:47 PM
i knew they werent going to be free. to many peopl jumped to a conclusion that they were
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stormfeather 6.7.2005 at 12:26:55 PM
I do hope though that the games will be cheap. I wouldn't mind at all plopping down 5 bucks for an old retro game to play, or more for the really good ones, but if they try to milk too much out of this I'll be losing respect and not plopping down my dough.
As far as charging *something* goes, though, it makes sense to me, and I'm not hurt and offended at the mere thought (as I'm sure some will be *rolls eyes*)
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vudu 6.7.2005 at 12:26:51 PM
As long as they're reasonably priced, it won't matter in the end. I will easily pay between $5 and $10 for certain NES and SNES games.
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teitoku 6.7.2005 at 12:26:08 PM
What? I had never heard a rumor of FREE retro games; only that you could download retro games and play them on the R.
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demoncrono 6.7.2005 at 12:10:30 PM
i never even expected them to be free from the beginning. why would they? nintendo has got me to buy mariobros.3 three times already, what would stop from paying for a fourth copy? :P
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drakken 6.7.2005 at 11:56:11 AM
Too bad. It was nice to dream that it might be true. :p
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