During a recent question and answer question at a Nintendo investor meeting, company president Satoru Iwata discussed the issue of region locking software for the Nintendo consoles. Currently, Nintendo is the only company that makes region-locked video game consoles, including the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U. Generally, fans hate region-locking and are frustrated by it. While Iwata’s words are not a definitive affirmation that Nintendo will abolish region-locks, his statement is encouraging. Hopefully, Nintendo will reconsider removing region locks for the Wii U and 3DS.
Per a translation of Iwata’s answer to the question of region locking at the meeting from ZeldaInformer.com, Iwata stated, “We realize that it is one thing that we must consider looking to the future.” While it might not be the answer fans want to hear, it is better than nothing. I am happy to see Iwata’s statement address the issue. Nintendo realizes this is an area they will have to change in the future.
Region locking is an archaic and ridiculous convention that needs to be completely abolished. There are some good games that are available overseas that will never be localized or re-released for other countries. If a fan wants to buy and purchase that game, the mere idea that a player cannot play a Wii U game on a Wii U console because of a region lock is ridiculous. Considering that the Wii U is behind in the console wars, Nintendo should be looking for every angle it can to make its hardware more appealing to players. That means removing region locks from Wii U and 3DS.
Iwata’s answer implies that the issue of region locking comes from a publisher or “seller” side. Frankly, that sounds like a safe “corporate speak” answer. I do not see how region-free games would hurt the sales of a particular publisher. For starters, if the region locks are taken out of the equation, that makes certain game titles more accessible to players. If the games are never localized for that particular player’s region, and the player still wants to seek the game out and buy it, a region lock prevents player from buying the game. That could be an additional, potential sale and profit for Nintendo.
With the current climate of the video game industry, Nintendo should be looking for any edge it can get, including region-free consoles. Iwata’s excuses no longer hold much weight because PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are region-free. If Sony and Microsoft can pull off restriction-free consoles, Nintendo should be able to do the same. Region-locking is an antiquated notion that no longer has any place in the industry.
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