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Nintendo is now officially open to the idea of “mergers and acquisitions”, which is potentially a big deal. Given their position in the games market, they probably won’t do anything drastic, though its fun to speculate. One of the more popular ideas that has been floating around the internet for some time is that Nintendo should outright acquire Sega. There are several benefits to this course of action, listed as follows:
1. Nintendo Bolsters its Resources
Satoru Iwata has already gone on record saying Nintendo was unprepared for the increased expense of crafting HD games. Sega likely has hundreds of employees who have been working on HD systems since their advent with the Xbox 360 in 2005. Also, with the influx of talent, Nintendo could create new internal studios. These teams could work on revitalizing Nintendo’s backlog of older franchises that haven’t gotten love in years. Or perhaps they could form think tanks bent on creating the next cuddly character to join the Nintendo ensemble. Regardless, Nintendo is becoming an uncomfortably huge outfit that needs more people.
2. Mario and Sonic Under the Same Corporate Banner
Very few people still harbor the notion that these two mascots are directly competing in 2014. Mario is still an icon that continues to help shape the gaming landscape. Meanwhile, Sonic has been stumbling around for over a decade, desperately trying to find a formula that works and an audience to consume it. We are now at the point where Sega is partnering with Nintendo and exclusively releasing Sonic titles on their platforms. If this isn’t a sign of things to come, what is? Next thing you know, we’ll finally see the culmination of our childhood fantasies with a Mario and Sonic team-up title. The nostalgia factor alone would make it rocket off store shelves. And even if none of that happened, at least we would finally get some Sonic games with quality control.
3. Access to New Markets
Nintendo wants to put its fingers in more pies — just look at their new wellness initiative. Owning Sega would get their products into more than just living rooms. Sega could start making Nintendo-oriented arcade cabinets or use their television connections to get Nintendo themed cartoons into production. At the very least, Sega knows how to brand and advertise their products far better than Nintendo seems to. The marketing people at Sega could probably do a world of good for Nintendo in both the east and west.
4. Access to a Backlog of Sega Franchises
Nintendo can port and remake titles like no other, so why not recycle some of the classic stuff Sega will clearly never revisit? Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Chu Chu Rocket, Crazy Taxi, Ecco the Dolphin, Ghost Squad, Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes, Jet Set Radio, MadWorld, Panzer Dragoon, Phantasy Star, Shenmue, Super Monkey Ball, Toe Jam and Earl, and more are just gathering dust. Let’s see some get HD remakes and put on the Nintendo E-shop. Or even efforts to revitalize some of the more promising and timeless series. These IPs already have the ground work laid, Nintendo would just need to dump a bit of money into polishing them back up. It is much easier to sell a product that already has an audience then it is to come up with new ideas, so it already fits in line with standard Nintendo procedure.
5. Publicity
Media outlets have been criticizing Nintendo’s conservative schemes for the greater part of a decade. They claim Nintendo is stagnating and unwilling to gamble on unorthodox ideas. Well, putting aside your differences and cooperating in any capacity with your oldest rival is definitely good press. For Nintendo this would be a grand venture, even if it happens everyday in our world of faceless conglomerates. The ripple effect this would have on the Japanese and American games industry would be seen for a long time, and help prove Nintendo is determined to stay a fixture in the market. Also, just imagine the leagues of rejoicing internet fanboys who would be brought to tears by such lovely news. It would be like unveiling Half-Life 3, multiplied by a thousand.