You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here
Future Nintendo consoles may drop region locking techniques that restrict the use of import games, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has told investors during a Japanese Q&A (translated by NeoGAF).
“The game business has a history of taking a very long time with localisation among other things,” Iwata said, “such as having to deal with various issues of marketing in each particular country, or games that have made use of licensed content that did not apply globally.
“Region-locking has existed due to circumstances on the sellers’ side rather than for the sake of the customers. In the history of game consoles, that is the current situation.
“As for what should be done going forward, if unlocked for the benefit of the customers, there may also be a benefit for us.”
If Nintendo was to unlock its systems it may have to tighten up its worldwide release schedule. Whilst an improvement over systems from the past, Wii U titles can still arrive in Europe several months later than elsewhere. Take Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker which launches November in Japan, December in the US and early January in Europe.
“Unlocking would require various problems to be solved,” concluded Iwata, “so while I can’t say today whether or not we intend to unlock, we realise that it is one thing that we must consider looking to the future.”
Both the Xbox One and PS4 allow imported software.
Source: NeoGAF
About the Author
