TL; DR: Nintendo needs to cease falling into corporate greed, while also being empathetic to their consumers.
Dear Nintendo,
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As a kid, you released titles with compelling stories and fun gameplay that truly shaped my childhood for the better. Not only for me, but for *millions* of people who grew up and are still playing Nintendo games. From your first hit console’s release in 1985 you’ve changed the gaming industry with your innovative technology and marked yourselves down in video gaming history. There was no greater feeling in my youth than purchasing the latest Pokémon game for my Nintendo DS using the allowance I’ve saved up. There was nothing like peeling off the shrink-wrap of the case, popping open the sturdy case of plain gray plastic to reveal the manual and game cartridge. Flipping through the small booklet full of exposition and sharp, beautiful artwork of the game’s characters and world, gave me a taste of what is to come on my virtual journey.
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Now, before I stop sucking-up to a corporate powerhouse, I will preface that I still love Nintendo’s games. I think that ever since the release of the Nintendo Switch, they’ve been cranking out masterpiece after masterpiece. But as I’ve watched the company evolve, I believe Nintendo’s going down a bad path. In recent years, Nintendo’s abrasive side started to rear its ugly head. I’ve always had the idea that Nintendo put out quality content because they cared about the fans. Unfortunately, as with many multi-million-dollar companies, I start to see how little respect Nintendo gives their consumers lately.
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Since 2016, Nintendo has had a strong [track record of terminating fan-projects.](https://www.cbr.com/most-infamous-nintendo-fan-game-shutdowns/) A fan-game is created by fans (obviously) of a certain source-material. In this case, look at the most infamous example; the [Metroid 2 fan remake](https://gamerant.com/metroid-2-fan-remake-cancelled-nintendo/). This was a project not intended for profit, and was compliant with the laws of [Fair Use](https://michelsonip.com/basics-of-ip-blog-series-8-is-it-fair-use-or-infringement/). Yet Nintendo sent a DMCA notice to the developers of the project anyways, halting development in a permanent hiatus. Nintendo does this, all the while they neglect their franchises. Metroid fans during this time have not gotten a mainline title since 2010, a full six years at that point. The only content they have received was a spin-off, which was met with lukewarm reviews. These takedowns are insulting to fans, Nintendo is so adamant on “protecting” their intellectual properties that they are hurting their fans in the process by not allowing them to show how much love they have for Nintendo’s franchises.
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If Nintendo continues this cycle of practically spitting in the faces of their consumers, it won’t take long for Nintendo to realize that their fanbase may dwindle because of their abuse of corporate power, by being blind to the true intentions of their fans. Nintendo needs to take the opportunity to strengthen their connection with their player base and form a symbiotic relationship between each other, so Nintendo can still thrive off their consumers, while receiving and genuinely utilizing feedback from their fans to produce more content for millions to enjoy. Hell, Nintendo could even see about working with independent fan developers. I love Nintendo, and I have great faith that they’ll do great things in the future if they simply listen to what their audience has to say.