Atari Founder Paints Grim Picture for Nintendo’s Future

Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell doesn’t feel too confident in the future of Nintendo. Although the Mario maker has managed to mystify and entertain both young and old audiences alike for many, many years, the industry is changing. The Wii U just hasn’t grabbed consumers like Nintendo thought it would, and while the 3DS is selling like hotcakes in most parts of the world, Bushnell questioned dedicated gaming handhelds as a whole during a recent interview with BBC.

"I don't think handheld game-only devices make sense anymore. Not when you have an iPod or an Android microtablet," he said.

That doesn’t mean that home consoles are as healthy as ever. Nintendo has been able to control a comfortable segment of the market with its creativity and subject matter, but that could be changing before our eyes.

"When it comes to the console market, I think the market is truncating. Nintendo always had a soft spot for young people – they sort of did the 12-and-under pretty well, and the other guys did the 12-and-over,” Bushnell continued. "And now I think the other [consoles] are good enough on those things, and the rush to upgrade from the 12-and-under is not nearly as important."

Bushnell believes that Nintendo could be on the “path to irrelevance,” and when you look at the sales figures for the Wii U, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from. But betting against the company is a tactic that often leads to a lighter wallet, and with the 3DS performing so strongly, there might still be a bit of life in the handheld market.