Touch! Generations
{{short description|Nintendo brand for videogames}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox brand
| name = Touch! Generations
| image = Touch!_Generations_US_logo.svg
| caption = North American and South American logo for the Nintendo DS
| producedby = Nintendo
}}
{{nihongo foot|Touch! Generations|タッチ!・ジェネレーションズ|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a brand created by Nintendo to denote games on the Nintendo DS and Wii that are intended to appeal to a broader audience (mainly adults and the elderly) than the traditional gamer. Nintendo originally introduced the brand in Japan in April 2005; it was subsequently introduced in North America and Europe in June 2006. Nintendo retired the brand with the launch of the Nintendo 3DS in 2011, six years after its introduction.{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/iwata/iwata_asks_-_nintendo_3ds_30756_30757.html?topic=9#top|title=Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS|page=10|quote=Iwata:But we decided that, whereas before we had established a Touch! Generations brand, created special corners in shops and used a special logo, the company has decided not to use this brand name for Nintendo 3DS|date=2011-01-20|access-date=2011-01-20}} Despite this, some games that were introduced under the brand continue to receive follow-up entries on the contemporary and future Nintendo consoles.
The Touch! Generations brand was initially conceived in Japan as a response to the country's faster population aging rate compared to Western regions, with Nintendo seeking to attract non-traditional gamers to supplement their shrinking target market of hardcore gamers.{{cite news |last1=Kalning |first1=Kristin |title=Games: They're not just for kids anymore |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15702318 |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=NBC News |date=14 November 2006 |language=en |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904174937/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15702318 |url-status=live}}
Games
{{see also|List of Touch! Generations titles}}
The initial line-up of Touch! Generations games in Japan, launched between April and June 2005, included Electroplankton,{{Cite interview |title=【鈴井匡伸氏】4.全てを理解して作る |last=鈴井 |first=匡伸氏 |url=https://www.famitsu.com/guc/blog/sakekan/9623.html |date=2011-07-07 |work=Famitsu |language=ja |access-date=4 September 2023 |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904174937/https://www.famitsu.com/guc/blog/sakekan/9623.html |url-status=live}} Nintendogs, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!, and Big Brain Academy.{{cite news |last1=岩本 |first1=有平 |title=「まさにミリオンセラー連発」--任天堂岩田社長が語るニンテンドーDS戦略 |url=https://japan.cnet.com/article/20093614/ |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=CNET Japan |date=26 December 2005 |language=ja |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904174938/https://japan.cnet.com/article/20093614/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite speech |last=Iwata |first=Satoru |author-link=Satoru Iwata |title=The Current State of DS |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/dsconference/index.html |event=Nintendo DS Conference Autumn 2005 |location=Tokyo |date=2005-10-05 |access-date=2023-09-03 |archive-date=30 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830041152/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/dsconference/index.html |url-status=live}}
Big Brain Academy and Magnetica were the first games in North America to have the designation for the Touch! Generations brand, with both releasing on June 5, 2006; they were followed up by Sudoku Gridmaster on June 26.{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=Nintendo Shuffles Touch Generations |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/05/30/nintendo-shuffles-touch-generations |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=IGN |date=30 May 2006 |language=en |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904174937/https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/05/30/nintendo-shuffles-touch-generations |url-status=live}} In addition, several previously released games were labeled under the Touch! Generations brand.{{cite news |last1=Jana |first1=Reena |title=Nintendo’s new brand targets aging gamers |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna13488930 |access-date=4 September 2023 |work=BusinessWeek |date=22 June 2006 |language=en |via=NBC News.com |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904174939/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna13488930 |url-status=dead}} The games for Touch! Generations vary between different countries.{{cite web |last1=Kietzmann |first1=Ludwig |title=Nintendo losing their Touch (Generations)? |url=https://www.engadget.com/2006-06-01-nintendo-losing-their-touch-generations.html |website=Engadget |access-date=4 September 2023 |date=1 June 2006 |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904174937/https://www.engadget.com/2006-06-01-nintendo-losing-their-touch-generations.html |url-status=live}}
In Japan, the brand had massive success, especially with the Brain Training games ranking high in game sales. A soundtrack also exists with music from some of the games. It was released on October 14, 2008 and could be obtained only from Club Nintendo for 400 coins.
In North America, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! was released on April 16, 2006 in the United States and in Canada on April 17 of that year, but the Touch! Generations brand was not launched until June 5, 2006.
The Touch! Generations brand was introduced in Europe on June 9, 2006 with the release of Brain Age, which was renamed Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?.{{Cite press release |title=Nintendo Pushes the Touch! Generations Brand in Europe |date=23 May 2006 |publisher=Nintendo |url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/11620/nintendo-pushes-the-touch-generations-brand-in-europe |access-date=4 September 2023 |via=Nintendo World Report |archive-date=4 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904174937/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/pr/11620/nintendo-pushes-the-touch-generations-brand-in-europe |url-status=live}}
Reception
The Touch! Generations games have been received well. The Nintendogs series is one of the most popular DS software titles, selling 23.96 million units as of May 2009, followed by Brain Age at 19.01 million units{{Cite web|title=1UP Nintendogs News: Miyamoto Hints at a Cat-Based Game|last=Watts|first=Steve|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176754|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731100200/http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176754|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-31|publisher=UGO Entertainment|date=2009-11-03|access-date=2009-01-22}}{{Cite web|title=Lifetime Wii, DS Software Sales Data Show Impressive Numbers|author= |website=1UP.com |url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174148|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120731082112/http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174148|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-31|date=2009-05-09|access-date=2025-03-29}} and Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! around nearly 15 million units as of September 2015.
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.touchgenerations.com Touch! Generations official website]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20101129155512/http://touch-ds.jp/news/touchgen/index.html Touch! Generations official Japanese website]
{{Touch! Generations}}
{{Nintendo DS/DSi}}
{{Wii}}