Nintendo hints at paid Super Mario 3D Land DLC

By Fred Dutton Published 30 January, 2012

New levels would lengthen its shelf life, "give us new profits".

Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata has hinted that paid Super Mario 3D Land DLC could be incoming.

Speaking during an investor Q&A last week, Iwata discussed strategies for ensuring its games remained strong sellers long after launch.

He argued that offering customers the opportunity to purchase new levels for Super Mario 3D Land would not only bring in revenue from the DLC purchase itself, but would also keep gamers talking about the title, in doing so encouraging more people to buy it.

"In this fiscal year, we are in the transitional phase of platforms when a new platform has not penetrated well and even the software with the most potential for the platform can only sell as much as the number of hardware systems sold so far," he said.

"In other words, however, such software could sell for a long time to come. For instance, we anticipate that Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 will bring in a substantial profit in the next fiscal year and the year after that.

"On the other hand, we will be able to do various things in the field of digital business. Up until now, once consumers who had bought a game got tired of it, they would never play it and it would never draw public attention again. Even if the game had the sales potential to other new consumers, they rarely actually bought it because the consumers who already had bought it would never talk about it again and the game would be considered an old one.

"Having said that, what if we could provide add-on content through the network? As I referred to before, for example, this is the idea of supplying new stages to Super Mario users who want to play the game more but have completed the game and lost interest in the existing stages.

"This will not only give us new profits but will lengthen the life of a product, in that it will never be out of fashion and can keep attracting public attention as long as many people play it."

Iwata offered Wii Fit Plus as another example. Whereas it was originally released as a retail-only product, in the future such an expansion could be offered as a digital download.

"Under the current network environment, we might be able to provide such upgrades to consumers through the network as opposed to just providing the content in a disc form.

"We can recommend that Wii Fit users try new trainings and games, and continue to play the software with a fresh mind, which will give the software a longer life and bring us slightly more revenue."

Nintendo has long since released DLC for its games, offering additional puzzles in Professor Layton, regular costume updates in Animal Crossing and new challenges in Mario Kart Wii, for example. However, it has never charged for any post-launch content.

Last week the company announced Nintendo Network - a new digital platform for both Wii and 3DS that will let gamers communicate with each other and access digital content.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (48) Latest comment 4 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • toythatkills #1 4 months ago

    It's as if they've just woken up from a ten year sleep.

  • Ninja_Tino #2 4 months ago

    DLC, eh? Sounds interesting. Will never catch on.

  • TazerFan #3 4 months ago

    And who doesn't like new profits!

  • el_pollo_diablo #4 4 months ago

    I'd personally rather they just got started on SM3DL2.

  • Falcon9x5 #5 4 months ago

    That's odd...

    Some turnaround in just over two months.

    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-17-why-nintendo-isnt-interested-in-paid-dlc
    Edited by Falcon9x5 at 30/01/12 @ 18:44

  • KDR_11k #6 4 months ago

    I wonder if he actually meant paid DLC, none of the quotes directly refer to paying for the content itself. He sees the profit as a result of people talking about the game more and thus giving it word of mouth advertising.

  • geox30 #7 4 months ago

    I am against paid dlc out of principle, but I am willing to make an exception for this one!

  • Malek86 #8 4 months ago

    @Falcon9x5 do notice, that was Reggie speaking, and I guess he has no clue whatsoever about what Nintendo Japan actually wants to do.

    On a side note, Iwata didn't explicitly say that it was going to be paid DLC. Maybe by "give us new profits" he means that more people might buy the game (or talk about it to their friends) if they know there's free DLC planned for it.

  • oceanmotion #9 4 months ago

    I do wonder what Nintendo would be like with DLC.

    Would it leave any room for releasing the same game again two years later.

    They couldn't be worse than MS with micro transactions. Quite a feat if they were.

    Would be nice if they fell on the side of Valve with extra content.
    Edited by oceanmotion at 30/01/12 @ 19:14

  • Daryoon #10 4 months ago

    They attempted this way back with the GBA, before online gaming and DLC was the norm, using the e-Reader, and Pokemon has been technically doing this since the 90s. You know, before anyone makes the usual "late to the party" comments.

  • giapel #11 4 months ago

    Purposefully omitting content in order to release it as DLC a horrible horrible trend. If it is DLC a year down the line with fresh ideas that are obviously different from the main game then I'm on board with that.

  • PinktotheLast #12 4 months ago

    SM3DL really is superb. I would definitely pay for new stages.

  • TheRealBadabing #13 4 months ago

    So they are not willing to spend a bit of effort patching Mario Kart but more than happy to start producing DLC?

  • Anaardvark #14 4 months ago

    Welcome to the 21st century, Nintendo.
    Edited by Anaardvark at 30/01/12 @ 19:38

  • Koozer #15 4 months ago

    I don't see paid-for DLC as Nintendo's style. Free stuff, definitely, to drum up more sales of the base game, ie. the Valve method.

  • Whitster #16 4 months ago

    I would quite happily pay for additions an additional 16 MK tracks a year down the line.

  • -cerberus- #17 4 months ago

    ... and thus Nintendo joins the cunt club.
    Edited by -cerberus- at 30/01/12 @ 20:04

  • ChronoMizaki #18 4 months ago

    They are probably being forced to consider Paid DLC because of its losses and the Investors not being impressed. So I'm not surprised he's done a u-turn.

  • FenderMaster #19 4 months ago

    And yet they decide to release the Wii U without a Hard drive?

    Think ahead just a little Nintendo please! Just look at the Cicle pad pro to see what happens when Nintendo don't future proof their consoles or consider developers needs.

  • HandsomeCrab #20 4 months ago

    Nintendo doing dlc makes me want to cry a little...

  • darkmorgado #21 4 months ago

    He doesn't say they would charge for the DLC. I think when he is talking about "new profits" he is talking about new content bringing people back to the game, which then generates fresh word of mouth, which translates into more sales, when you look at the context of what he was saying.

  • darkmorgado #22 4 months ago

    @geox30 "I am against paid dlc out of principle"

    What principle? You think new content that has cost money to develop should be given away for free?

  • darkmorgado #23 4 months ago

    @Daryoon

    Nintendo actually pioneered downloadable content using the Satelliview add on, waaaaaaaaaaay back in the 80s.

  • PixelEdged #24 4 months ago

    Pfft they ain't got shit on Capcom................yet :(

  • dr_shambles #25 4 months ago

    As long as it's of the superb standard of the rest of the game I'd be up for buying some.

  • darkmorgado #26 4 months ago

    I see the anti-Nintendo trolls are out in force again, negging any comment that doesn't chime with their "hur hur nintendo are shit" line.

  • Jon1292 #27 4 months ago

    And in 2 years time we'll have this crazy newfangled online play matchmaking system!

  • RawNinjaKid #28 4 months ago

    Good Lord, I don't like Nintendo going down this path.

    I am not against DLC in principal per sa. Rather the extra content has not being of a great value offering from the original content. Yes, this includes GTA IV's extra stories and Resident Evil 5 content. Not worth paying extra for.

    This could change, but I rather pay a version of a game once; and that's it!

    But I would like a monthly fee content subscription service that offers "free" content. Being a Playstation + member is working out for me. I just don't buy anything else on PSN!
    Edited by RawNinjaKid at 30/01/12 @ 21:28

  • darkmorgado #29 4 months ago

    @RawNinjaKid

    You think the GTA Episodes weren't worth paying for? Seriously?

    Bloody ridiculous.

  • RawNinjaKid #30 4 months ago

    @darkmorgado

    No. They were just a change of story lines and characters. I suppose that's why they call it DLC add-on.

    But I rather spend that money on a new game. New physics engine a completely new template, if you see what I mean.

  • ShiroBen #31 4 months ago

    Nintendon't. Nintenpleasedon't.

  • darkmorgado #32 4 months ago

    @RawNinjaKid

    Plus new game mechanics and gameplay additions that weren't in the base game.

    So... new content, new mechanics, new characters, new storyline...

    Pretty much new game then.

  • Kygzab #33 4 months ago

    I hate these slippery slopes, they are everywhere and everybody's sliding down them.

  • Jay1983 #34 4 months ago

    @el_pollo_diablo
    They actually announced a new Mario game a few days ago...

  • Jay1983 #35 4 months ago

    @darkmorgado
    mid 90s actually, but yeah. lol

  • Baleoce #36 4 months ago

    I could have sworn a couple of months back that Nintendo came out and stated that they didn't approve of DLC and thought a game should come out complete. I remember really respecting that statement when I saw it back then.

    But then I realized something. This isn't CoD, with annual releases and large amounts of DLC that keep you constantly packing money into an ever-churning engine.

    This is Nintendo. A company that, when they *do* release a game, it is usually the only game of that I.P. you are going to see for a very long while. And that game is usually of a very high standard. So what better way to plug the gap than to release additional content for the people who enjoyed it and want to continue enjoying it.

    They won't abuse their consumers by holding back potential content or spamming us with it for crazy extra-charges. I trust them to do DLC right if they choose to at all.

  • Puim #37 4 months ago

    Hmm some kind of downloadable content, interesting idea.

  • trugs26 #38 4 months ago

    If there was downloadable content for Mario Kart 7, I'd buy it. I'd love to play on some extra tracks.

  • kirankara #39 4 months ago

    @RawNinjaKid
    Then you don't buy the dlc. If you however liked it and wanted more of the same, but slightly different stories etc etc, then it's completely worth it. Personally I didn't like gta 4 much and wouldn't buy dlc for it, but is say they're exceptional value

  • super_monty #40 4 months ago

    DLC spreads like AIDS.

  • Shadders #41 4 months ago

    If Nintendo publicised that their games would have free DLC x months after launch it would stop people trading in, which in turn would mean people shopping in GAME/GameStation would only be able to buy new copies which would be more profit for Nintendo.

    I actually think that if used and publicised intelligently, all publishers could really put a few kicks into the pre-owned market using free DLC.
    Edited by Shadders at 31/01/12 @ 08:21

  • super_monty #42 4 months ago

    @trugs26 If half the tracks were not recycled old ones you wouldn't need the DLC.

  • super_monty #43 4 months ago

    I really like my 3ds and one of the great things about handhelds is that the games did not feel half finished and incomplete.

    Now the evil reached even handheld devices.

  • super_monty #44 4 months ago

    @Kygzab I know what you mean. I haven't pirated a game for about 25 years.

    I am tempted not to buy nothing anymore and pirate everything I can just to stick up 2 fingers to all this DLC and DRM shit.

  • HornsDino #45 4 months ago

    Although thrilled at the thought of more SM3DL levels, I am wary of this. Will it a) be paid, and b) be tied to a console? If it is tied to a console then that's a bummer for people in my situation where my kids (and me!) share the same cart. If it's free though, bring it on ;-)

  • CallousB #46 4 months ago

    I doubt it would happen...but it would be great if they opened the likes of Smash Bros up to 3rd party character DLC.

  • cawley1 #47 4 months ago

    Hate DLC, never bought any, apart from some scenes for that iPhone 'Say what you see' game, but additional levels and tracks for either of these big hitters would be excellent, and I would certainly buy.

    As someone else said, if it appears sometime later and is a genuine add-on, then fair enough, but in that case surely Nintendo would want to hold off for SML3D 2?

  • alexbulluk #48 4 months ago

    Good. SM3DL is a fantastic game, but I've 100%ed now and I don't want to replay it over again. New levels on the other hand, would be awesome.