Nintendo's Next: The morning after

Actually, it's two or three mornings after, but that doesn't make for a witty headline.



Games Asylum called it a kafuffle. GamesIndustry.biz called it a global game of Chinese Whispers. 1up called it the most confusing day of Nintendo news in some time. Whatever you call it, it definitely wasn't the worst media circus I've ever seen, owing largely to the quick response of both Nintendo of America and Nintendo Co. Ltd.



The pattern around the web seems to have been this:

1. Post a story that features the Shimbun story prominently, perhaps mentioning that Nintendo spokespeople have started to deny the rumors.
2. (optional) Post an update (or two or three) to the story to include Nintendo's refutation more prominently.
3. Post a follow-up story completely dispelling the rumors and talking about Nintendo's official announcement of their console plans and E3 2004 unveiling date.

Cubed3 also has a nice sequence of events on this one for those of you keeping score at home.



I could go on about how some stories managed to get it right the first time by waiting a little bit and some others seemed to ignore vital facts just to get a good headline. I probably shouldn't bother, though, since Rob Fahey of GamesIndustry.biz has beaten me to the punch with some choice criticism of the press that beats anything I could have written:



"Many journalists have pet theories about what Nintendo's future, and most of them focus on the company pulling out of hardware - ranging from the popular idea that the company will "do a Sega" and produce software for other platforms, to the more bonkers concepts of it selling re-branded Microsoft Xbox 2 hardware or even teaming up entirely with Microsoft to take on Sony. None of these theories have any particular foundation in fact, and they should not have influenced coverage of Iwata's comments - but influence it they did, as writers dived headlong at the story in the belief that it confirmed their own favourite Nintendo conspiracy theory.



This is hardly the proudest hour for online game media, and it illustrates the need for journalists - even some of those working for large professional sites - to more effectively divide fact from speculation and opinion in their reporting.



All I have to add is: Well put.