As far as loyalty programs go, Nintendo's was basically unrivaled. Sure, Microsoft and Sony give out some free games for signing up, but Nintendo fans were able to register consoles and games in exchange for posters, toys, exclusive merchandise and free games without any sort of paid subscription.
Club Nintendo was the perfect example of how to reward loyal fans, and though there were more than a few items that sold out instantaneously, it's hard to argue the quality of what Nintendo offered up.
Then, back in January, Nintendo announced that it was shuttering its long-standing loyalty program. It came as a shock to fans everywhere: there was seemingly nothing wrong with Club Nintendo (save for a sometimes wonky website), so why close the entire program?
Nintendo was quick to confirm that its previous loyalty program wouldn't be the last, but the publisher has yet to release any real info on its new system.
While fans are still mostly in the dark, Nintendo has opened up a bit on what Club Nintendo's successor will be - to quote Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, it's "not a simple extension of the existing loyalty program..."
As part of the publisher's financial results briefing (via Nintendo Life), Nintendo elaborated a bit more on Club Nintendo's replacement. While the program still doesn't have a name or launch date, Nintendo is pushing for a more connected program - Iwata made it clear that this new loyalty program would extend past simple purchases and into something more:
"What we are aiming to establish is not a simple extension of the existing loyalty program but a loyalty program with, say, the entertainment elements, where the members feel that they have received certain rewards as a result of not only their purchases but also the history of their gameplay and how each consumer has interacted with others."
Iwata then went on to thank DeNA (the company that Nintendo will be publishing mobile games with) for their help in creating this new loyalty program:
"Since it is impossible to define the requirements for this sort of loyalty program 100 percent in advance, we see it very advantageous that we are able to work with DeNA who will be able to flexibly deal with such requirements."
This follows the news that Nintendo would be extending its new loyalty program to include its next console (codenamed 'NX'), as a part of Club Nintendo's successor. The publisher's already confirmed that fans won't see anything from the new console at this year's E3, but there is still a chance that more details surrounding Club Nintendo's follow-up could emerge during the show.
While it's still a pain that fans know so little about the company's new loyalty program, it's hard to argue about playing games with friends in order to win free stuff...let's just hope that this new system's rewards are as great as Club Nintendo's were.
You can expect to hear a lot more about Nintendo's future at E3 2015 this June.
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