I really hope NDcube do not make it 3 in 3 with not giving us DLC (paid or otherwise) with Mario Party Superstars.

[Waluigilicious]

The Mario Party sales prediction thread at Install Base got me thinking. Most first party games on Switch feel complete and polished, more than ever. Almost all of them feel "Deluxe". Whether that's because they are Deluxe versions (Mario Kart 8 DX, Pokken DX etc), got substantive free DLC (Mario Tennis Aces, Arms, Mario Golf Rush, Super Mario Maker 2 etc), or paid DLC (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Splatoon 2, Breath of the Wild etc).

I love that I can look at most of my first party Switch games, and not get a huge sour feeling of "why is this mode missing" or "why is there such a huge lack of content" etc. Most of them have made up for their shortcomings one way or another.

Enter two games that are begging for DLC (paid or otherwise). Super Mario Party, and 51 Worldwide Games.

Super Mario Party has sold over 13 million. The N64 games we all go nuts about have sold about 2 million each. The next best selling main title is Mario Party 8 at around 8 million and then nothing comes close. The game has only four boards, a series low and simply not good enough.

The team then started working on 51 Worldwide Games. It just so happens to be missing four of my personal five favourite games from the original (Hearts(!), Field Tactics, Word Balloon and Balance), with only Backgammon making it. It also just feels less polished than the DS game. This game has also done surprisingly well, but there is no word of DLC.

Enter Mario Party Superstars. We are getting five boards (optimistically hoping for a sixth). Either way, it is another perfect opportunity for some DLC. But history says otherwise.

Will we ever get DLC for the first two games? Will we get DLC for Mario Party Superstars? Is it just a coincidence we have not got any (new content) DLC from NDcube? Will Mario Party Superstars have 7 boards and countless side modes, negating any need for DLC? I get they are a small studio that move from one game to the next, but surely it will be profitable for them to have a team for DLC?

 

[JustALurker]

I think it also comes down to what type of audience buys DLC. I don’t know if people who pay for BoTW DLC are the same audience as people who buy Mario Party games (it could be the case there is an overlap and Nintendo is missing out big time).

 

[Leo]

Will Mario Party Superstars have 7 boards and countless side modes, negating any need for DLC?

Isn't it already confirmed the game has 5 boards?

 

[Adulfzen]

with Mario Party Nintendo probably sees way more value into releasing a new game every few years rather than supporting an existing one with DLC, Mario Superstars would have to underperform significantly to rethink that approach and that doesn't seem likely.

That being said Superstars seems tailor made for more DLC, paid or otherwise so it's not impossible but I think it's healthier to assume what you buy is what you get.

 

[Mandos]

Isn't it already confirmed the game has 5 boards?

Technically they’ve said 5 N64 boards not 5 total boards. 1/2/3/4 all had a hidden unlockable board and 1’s shop which had a scroll item that unlocked Bowser’s Magna Mountain is back. So it could be a gamecube or some sort of remix board

 

[Leo]

Technically they’ve said 5 N64 boards not 5 total boards. 1/2/3/4 all had a hidden unlockable board and 1’s shop which had a scroll item that unlocked Bowser’s Magna Mountain is back. So it could be a gamecube or some sort of remix board

Oh, I see. Let's hope there's an extra board, then! I love Mario Party, but Super was a bit barebones in terms of content.

 

[Mandos]

Oh, I see. Let's hope there's an extra board, then! I love Mario Party, but Super was a bit barebones in terms of content.

6 boards is the series average FYI and 80 is the minigame average. Probably felt worse in Super tho due to the side modes they chose

 

[Leo]

6 boards is the series average FYI and 80 is the minigame average. Probably felt worse in Super tho due to the side modes they chose

Yeah, Super only has 4 boards. I agree that they probably prioritizing having more side content, and it's very well made and meaty compared to side stuff in past Mario Parties, but at the end of the day, I just wanted to have more boards.

The gane also had some cool things like the custom dice and the coop mode, it's a shame it seems they aren't coming back.

 

[Pandora]

I’m not convincing myself not only for NDcube but overall for nintendo anymore that they will have widespread dlc or content pipelines for a game. I’m honestly of the assumption they’ve already started work on SMP 2 at this point .

 

[fiendcode]

Seems like Superstars has an easy core design for adding a dlc model on to, just remake more classic boards.

 

[N75]

I think it also comes down to what type of audience buys DLC. I don’t know if people who pay for BoTW DLC are the same audience as people who buy Mario Party games (it could be the case there is an overlap and Nintendo is missing out big time).

Yeah, I've been thinking about this too. With how Nintendo was supporting Switch games with DLC right off the bat, I wonder if they have metrics that show people don't really return to Mario Party games after the first week or two.

 

[Josh5890]

I feel like NIntendo is either going to add more boards for free or we are stuck with 5.

 

[Lucifer]

Maybe Super never got any DLC because Nintendo was planning to go back to the actual gameplay style with Superstars. So that might not mean anything.

Yeah, Super only has 4 boards. I agree that they probably prioritizing having more side content, and it's very well made and meaty compared to side stuff in past Mario Parties, but at the end of the day, I just wanted to have more boards.

The gane also had some cool things like the custom dice and the coop mode, it's a shame it seems they aren't coming back.

IIRC it had 5 boards with that one secret all golden board. The custom dice blocks were super broken which meant certain characters such as Bowser had a huge advantage over others. With the economy being badly balanced and stars being only 10 all you need to do is use a character that hit hit larger numbers.

Definitely happy they're going back to the OG stuff with Superstars.

 

[Mandos]

Maybe Super never got any DLC because Nintendo was planning to go back to the actual gameplay style with Superstars. So that might not mean anything.




IIRC it had 5 boards with that one secret all golden board. The custom dice blocks were super broken which meant certain characters such as Bowser had a huge advantage over others. With the economy being badly balanced and stars being only 10 all you need to do is use a character that hit hit larger numbers.

Definitely happy they're going back to the OG stuff with Superstars.

That was the fourth board actually. But coop resulted in each board having 2 forms

 

[Lucifer]

That was the fourth board actually. But coop resulted in each board having 2 forms

Oh damn, I guess I forgot how bad it was lol.

 

[MilesTailsPrower]

This game would lend itself extremely well to ongoing DLC. Packs of 10 minigames + 1 board could be released with relative frequency.

They have over a dozen Mario Party games which they could pull minigames and boards from. I can’t imagine it would be much trouble for them to have a small team dedicated to pushing out DLC for this title.

 

[Intoxicate]

When Super Mario Party launched I was so convinced to get DLC. With the Hub it would have been so nicely integrated. But no, nothing, that was pretty disappointing. But with Nintendo you never know, would definitely love an “ultimate” collection of boards and Mini games.

 

[Hocot8]

Well I hope Nintendo and NDcube heard the complaints about lack of dlc. But also saw how when they add content people will comeback like with the online.

This game would lend itself extremely well to ongoing DLC. Packs of 10 minigames + 1 board could be released with relative frequency.

They have over a dozen Mario Party games which they could pull minigames and boards from. I can’t imagine it would be much trouble for them to have a small team dedicated to pushing out DLC for this title.

Call me crazy but I hope from here on out that in the new Mario Party games they bring back a board and 10 or so minigames from the past on top of the new content.

 

[winstein]

I felt that there will be DLC this time around, since this game has "in-app purchases" within the description, unlike Super Mario Party. Now, whether it will be free or paid, that's another matter. If there's DLC, it would preferably be free, but if it's not, I am guess it will have two batches, with a pass that is priced less than the individual ones to incentivise getting both to make it more convenient for online matches.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Dark Cloud]

Super Mario Party had an unlockable board. There’s a very high chance we get an unlockable board with how much they’re playing off the N64 games (especially Mario Party 1!). As far as dlc goes who knows.

 

[Waluigilicious]

This game would lend itself extremely well to ongoing DLC. Packs of 10 minigames + 1 board could be released with relative frequency.

They have over a dozen Mario Party games which they could pull minigames and boards from. I can’t imagine it would be much trouble for them to have a small team dedicated to pushing out DLC for this title.

This is what I have envisioned. A "Gamecube Pack" and a "Modern Pack".

The Gamecube Pack can have a board from MP4 (as they still use the classic formula) and then 10 mini games split evenly between MP4, 5, 6 and 7.

The Modern Pack can have a board from MP8 (Koopa Tycoon Town please) and 10 mini games split evenly between MP8, 9 and 10.

Heck, why not go for a Special Guests pack with a mode from Wii Party or Wii Party U (the one where someone is the cheater preferably) and 5 mini games from each game!

Why do I set myself up for disappointment

 

[k samedi]

I can imagine them doing a few DLC's in the future but if there are no micro transactions in a game it is ultimately more profitable to release new games every few years instead of offering free DLC. The live servicing games are born from the concept of keeping the base active by offering constant updates to get people (mostly the addicts) to buy micro transactions. I don't see Nintendo ever doing heavy micro transaction monetization so that's why they don't do free DLC as much. Smash has been a huge success for them though in terms of paid DLC packs so Mario Party should have a few too at least.

 

[Joedev]

My opinion is that if Nintendo doesn't announce DLC prior to launch, then you probably shouldn't expect it. I feel the same way about content updates. Could it come? Maybe, but it's probably a long shot. For instance, look at what they did with Mario Golf. Right from the start they communicated that they was going to be updates with new characters and courses. If they had that plan then it would make sense to let people know.

With respect to DLC, I suppose they could pivot based on how well it sells, but they likely have a pretty good ballpark estimate of sales and can probably plan off that. I also think that Nintendo is of the opinion that any work spent on DLC would probably just be better spent on the next game.