Sales Data Switch hits 114.33 million shipped, updated software numbers

[Christo750]

Hot take; the fact that XB3 isn't selling multiple millions and that Nintendo is seemingly fine with that is a strength, not a weakness. I'm sure they would be ecstatic if a Xenoblade game sold 10 million but, unlike most publishers, they have realistic expectations for each of their titles. It's okay if Xenoblade and Fire Emblem only sell 3 or 4 million. It's okay if Bayonetta and Astral Chain sell less than 2 million. Or that Metroid Dread and most likely Prime 4 will sell less than 5 million. The variety in sales numbers is emblematic of a variety in the type of games they publish. They aren't system sellers, they're momentum keepers. Leave the system selling to Zelda, Mario (Kart), Pokemon, Animal Crossing and Smash.

You’re absolutely right; it is very good. The door is wide open for other Nintendo franchises to get this treatment, especially Star Fox and Kid Icarus, since they’re actually character focused.

 

[jariw]

Personally, I think the Xenoblade game releases and their sale figures shouldn't be seen in isolation:

1. I fully expect that Nintendo plan to make rereleases of the Xenoblade games on future platforms, just as they do with other large, development-heavy titles (like the Zelda games). For example, the remake of Xenoblade Chronicles on the Switch is already the second rerelease of the title.
2. I think the development of the recent Xenoblade games on the Switch is also part of Nintendo's "BOTW2 development strategy". Nintendo doesn't develop a lot of large open world games in-house, and since Monolith is a 1st party studio, the research being made there can also benefit the Zelda team.

 

[AranPrime]

You’re absolutely right; it is very good. The door is wide open for other Nintendo franchises to get this treatment, especially Star Fox and Kid Icarus, since they’re actually character focused.

Well considering the rumors of Uprising HD, I'd imagine we're getting a full blown sequel to Kid Icarus for maybe the next console and that Sakurai is most likely directing it.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

i dont think nintendo is aiming for that, so it wont be okay.

Idk where did it come from that nintendo is satisfied with metroid selling low when they have made multiple attemps at it going wild.

If they really weren't OK with Metroid selling like Metroid, nobody's forcing them to keep doing it for nearly 40 years.

 

[Mr Doggo]

If they really weren't OK with Metroid selling like Metroid, nobody's forcing them to keep doing it for nearly 40 years.

Thats... not my point at all?

Nintendo will never give up on metroid. They also want it to blow up just as much.

 

[meatbag]

They also want it to blow up just as much

Cool if that happens but I think Nintendo has realistic expectations

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

You’re absolutely right; it is very good. The door is wide open for other Nintendo franchises to get this treatment, especially Star Fox and Kid Icarus, since they’re actually character focused.

Star Fox in particular may need some work done on it since I don’t think a pure rail shooter is doing to hot nowadays.

 

[Christo750]

Star Fox in particular may need some work done on it since I don’t think a pure rail shooter is doing to hot nowadays.

100%. It doesn't have to be one, just get the franchise in front of people again and be less divisive than Zero was.

 

[Mr Doggo]

Cool if that happens but I think Nintendo has realistic expectations

Yes, its why i said they will never let metroid die. Theh re fine if it keeps selling the way it is. Buuut...

 

[meatbag]

Buuut...

But what?

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

100%. It doesn't have to be one, just get the franchise in front of people again and be less divisive than Zero was.

I would say that Zero made strides in certain areas while also putting the franchise in a decent place for another well received game if they take it seriously. Things like:

• Exploring the Great Fox
• Talking to the team
• Recruiting some team members (Krystal, Miyu, Fay, Panther(?))
• Progress the story (Perhaps a redone Assault/2)
• Perhaps exploring certain segments of planets before or after
• The ability to customize the vehicles
• Just better gameplay that’s face paced & deep

Yes, its why i said they will never let metroid die. Theh re fine if it keeps selling the way it is. Buuut...

I would never say never. If the series shows continuous drops either from highs or from a perceived base audience in conjunction with no one to really take the ip reigns then it could be dropped. We saw what happened when both Rare & Sakamoto took breaks from the franchise; add in flagging sales would not make me hopeful.

 

[ILikeFeet]

what if the bandai namco remake is Star Fox Assault Deluxe? could be a jump off point for the series

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Thats... not my point at all?

Nintendo will never give up on metroid. They also want it to blow up just as much.

Of course they'd like everything to sell better. But if they were really dissatisfied with how things keep going again and again and again, they'd toss it away like F-Zero.

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

what if the bandai namco remake is Star Fox Assault Deluxe? could be a jump off point for the series

I’d take that if it’s more polished then the initial release

 

[ILikeFeet]

I’d take that if it’s more polished then the initial release

if they're going back to this, I wouldn't be surprised if it was practically a remake with new controls, new layouts, and all new assets

 

[Heron]

Trouble is, if this is the niche they're talented in, saying "Go do something more popular" could be a waste, too.

Might be easier to list which series have new Switch entries that aren't the top of the series. Like uhhh, Wii Sports.

Late getting back to this thread because work is ridiculous right now, but wanted to note that this is a very good point.

Opportunity cost is only opportunity cost if the people involved actually have the capacity to do something different equally well. From art to level design, this style of game might be what they're best at.

I'd also note (not to you, but in general) that all I did is wonder if Nintendo would consider having them doing something else. The one guy who said I was "demanding" it... lol

 

[Mr Doggo]

But what?

But they always made games that have a wider appeal, and invested jn those games.

Metroid Prjme, Metroid Other M, both certainly skme of the most expensive nintendo games of their respective consoles, and now MP4. Nothing new there.

I would say that Zero made strides in certain areas while also putting the franchise in a decent place for another well received game if they take it seriously. Things like:

• Exploring the Great Fox
• Talking to the team
• Recruiting some team members (Krystal, Miyu, Fay, Panther(?))
• Progress the story (Perhaps a redone Assault/2)
• Perhaps exploring certain segments of planets before or after
• The ability to customize the vehicles
• Just better gameplay that’s face paced & deep

I would never say never. If the series shows continuous drops either from highs or from a perceived base audience in conjunction with no one to really take the ip reigns then it could be dropped. We saw what happened when both Rare & Sakamoto took breaks from the franchise; add in flagging sales would not make me hopeful.

I think you can apply this to anything really. Its not going to happen so i dont see it as a great talking point.

Of course they'd like everything to sell better. But if they were really dissatisfied with how things keep going again and again and again, they'd toss it away like F-Zero.

See first comment.

 

[MisterSpo]

Nintendo Switch compared to some other Nintendo consoles

• The start of the fiscal year changed from September to April so FY 5 for NES was just a seven month period. The NES shipped 0.34 million after FY10.
• Nintendo Switch has shipped 6.68 million with two quarters remaining and is forecast to ship 19 million for FY6.

This is a really interesting comparison - thank you for all your graphs! Switch looking to potentially have a much more gradual sales curve than other Nintendo systems. I don't see shipments collapsing the way they did for DS, for example, going into the seventh financial year (though obviously DS peaked higher). While I'm not sure Switch will get to DS/PS2 territory, I do think we're going to see it cross the 140 million mark before it's discontinued.

Late getting back to this thread because work is ridiculous right now, but wanted to note that this is a very good point.

Opportunity cost is only opportunity cost if the people involved actually have the capacity to do something different equally well. From art to level design, this style of game might be what they're best at.

I'd also note (not to you, but in general) that all I did is wonder if Nintendo would consider having them doing something else. The one guy who said I was "demanding" it... lol

I don't think it's unreasonable to wonder if Nintendo have Monolith Soft work on other projects; it's now the case that they have a role in the Zelda series, for example.

I think the issue was maybe people interpreting the suggestion that they drop Xenoblade in order to move on. I think it's more likely Nintendo will continue to expand Monolith Soft in the hope they can handle another franchise of their own as well as Xenoblade and assisting with Zelda. Given they're near 300 staff now, they might already be working on a new, non-Xenoblade title.

 

[curl-6]

Unless I'm missing some, Switch now has 14 games with over 10 million in sales. (The 11 in the OP plus Luigi's Mansion 3, New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, and Splatoon 2)

Mario Party Superstars, Splatoon 3, Switch Sports, 3D World, Scarlet + Violet, and Tears of the Kingdom should all get there too, which would put it at 20 games once they do, which is absolutely insane and double the previous record holders, DS and Wii.

 

[Raccoon]

Unless I'm missing some, Switch now has 14 games with over 10 million in sales. (The 11 in the OP plus Luigi's Mansion 3, New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, and Splatoon 2)

Mario Party Superstars, Splatoon 3, Switch Sports, 3D World, Scarlet + Violet, and Tears of the Kingdom should all get there too, which would put it at 20 games once they do, which is absolutely insane and double the previous record holders, DS and Wii.

it doesn't really matter if switch hardware breaks records, nintendo as we fans think of it has never been stronger

 

[Lord Azrael]

Well, i had MK8 (+ DLC), then i buckled and bought it again for a gaming night on switch.
This year i was so close to buying it again, since i somehow lost the cartridge somewhere 2-3 years ago...
Its a universal game. if you want multiplayer, there are almost no games tht are as easy to pic up, play, make fon for the good ones as well as the fresh players, and are effortless to explain.
MP is more involved (every minigame needs an explanation, and the boardcan take some time + off times for different players)
Smash? as much as sakurai tried it, the distance between fresh players and veterans even in the most causal modes is to big,
and the chaos can be overwhelming (same with the roster)
What else is there? i just feel MK hits the sweet spot so well, that there is nothing competing with it,
and it just is the best feeling/playing kart racer.

I would say Mario Party is better at bridging the skill gaps than Mario Kart is

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

I think you can apply this to anything really. Its not going to happen so i dont see it as a great talking point.

It can apply to anything. I mean it’s not likely but I’m not gonna sit there and proclaim it never happening either. The series already faced a mini version of the “never happening” scenario we are talking about currently.

 

[Oregano]

On the Xenoblade talk I think page 20 of their presentation document is particular important. Specifically:

• Nintendo has carefully crafted each title in accordance with the characteristics of the IP. This approach toward software development has not changed since we started developing titles for Nintendo Entertainment System.
• With each new release, we implement initiatives to encourage both existing fans to play the title, and broad initiatives — both in-game and outside the game — to introduce the game's characters to people who have not played the title.
• We have worked to develop these initiatives in ways that suit each IP's individual characteristics, so that even more people can enjoy our games.

Nintendo understands the importance of having series with different characteristics and appeal, and how they can appeal to existing audiences and expand them too.

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

I don't think it's unreasonable to wonder if Nintendo have Monolith Soft work on other projects; it's now the case that they have a role in the Zelda series, for example.

I think the issue was maybe people interpreting the suggestion that they drop Xenoblade in order to move on. I think it's more likely Nintendo will continue to expand Monolith Soft in the hope they can handle another franchise of their own as well as Xenoblade and assisting with Zelda. Given they're near 300 staff now, they might already be working on a new, non-Xenoblade title.

They have seemingly tried to pitch other games but each of them were rejected. So it seems like Nintendo wants them to be stewards of Xenoblade first before we start seeing other games.

 

[Mekanos]

Well considering the rumors of Uprising HD, I'd imagine we're getting a full blown sequel to Kid Icarus for maybe the next console and that Sakurai is most likely directing it.

Wishful thinking.



The original game sold moderately and Sakurai described it as one of the most challenging development cycles he's been through. Even if somehow this Uprising HD rumor pans out, you're jumping 3-4 steps ahead.

 

[Deformed_Lunchbox]

Hmm was it expecting Splat 3 to be a bit higher, don’t think it will hit 10 mil before the end of the year after all.

Don’t underestimate Christmas. It has another 400k from Japan alone this fiscal year.

 

[Aether]

I would say Mario Party is better at bridging the skill gaps than Mario Kart is

It is... But the down time between rounds and the explanations for the mini games can lead to people loosing interest / drifting off. MK is imediate, easy to grasp, and even coming in last is less crushing then being destroyed in smash (you reached the goal by yourself, thats an achivement), and driving feels (for most people) inherently fun (not every minigame in MP is fun)

In short, its not just bridging the gap.

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

Here is the Q&A using DeepL. Full English translations should be soon. I posted this on
InstallBase

Spoiler: Q1

What is the positioning for the next fiscal year? Next fiscal year, Nintendo Switch will enter its seventh year since its launch, and new businesses, such as IP development including movies, will be developed. What are your plans for the Nintendo Switch in the second half of its lifecycle?

President Shuntaro Furukawa: For the next fiscal year, we will first work hard during the year-end sales season to surpass the full-year sales plan for the current fiscal year.
I believe that Nintendo Switch will continue to enter its seventh year with momentum.
Currently, Nintendo Switch hardware sales are growing steadily. In terms of demand, although new demand is different from the past few years, we are seeing a variety of demand, including demand for multiple units in households and replacement demand for the Nintendo Switch (OLED model) from the previous model, thanks in part to the release of "Splatoon 3" and "Pokemon: Scarlet Violet" special edition hardware. In the next fiscal year, the Nintendo Switch business is also expected to generate a variety of demand, including demand for multiple units in households and replacement demand for the Nintendo Switch (OLED model). In the next fiscal year, we intend to conduct the Nintendo Switch business in basically the same way as in the current fiscal year.
In the next fiscal year, we intend to conduct the Nintendo Switch business basically in the same way as in the current fiscal year.
In the software business, we will release "Pokémon Scarlett Violet" next week.
We have already announced plans for the release of "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom", "Pikmin 4" and other titles related to Nintendo's important IP. As you mentioned, "The Super Mario Brothers Movie" is also a very important new initiative for us. We will comprehensively work on these measures and steadily accumulate concrete examples of contact between our customers and Nintendo IP in line with the basic strategy I explained in my presentation today.

Spoiler: Q2

What initiatives do you have in mind to further increase the number of Nintendo Switch Online members and the enthusiasm of subscribers?
What initiatives do you have in mind to further increase the number of members of Nintendo Switch Online and to increase the enthusiasm of subscribers?

Furukawa: As of the end of September 2022, the number of paying subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online has reached more than 36 million accounts.
The number of paying subscribers to Nintendo Switch Online is more than 36 million as of September 30, 2022. Although there are some customers who do not renew their membership after their subscription period expires, the number of members is increasing in line with the increase in the number of customers playing Nintendo Switch and the launch of titles that support online play. In addition, NintendoSwitchOnline + Additional Packs, which was launched last year, is gradually increasing as a percentage of total subscribers, mainly due to the addition of NINTENDO 64 titles.
Nintendo Switch Online is a service that allows customers to play Nintendo Switch for a long time, so we are considering various initiatives, including the enhancement of the service content. As I mentioned in my presentation today, we aim to maintain a long-lasting relationship with our customers through their Nintendo accounts, and Nintendo Switch Online is also in line with this basic strategy. Nintendo Switch Online is also in line with this basic strategy and is intended to ensure that customers can enjoy their Nintendo Switch experience for many years to come.

Spoiler: Q3

Please tell us why there was a difference between the initial sales of "Splatoon 3" in Japan and overseas. I understand that overseas sales are generally slower than in Japan, but the difference in sales of the previous title, "Splatoon 2," was not as large as the difference in sales of this title. Are there any macroeconomic factors at play?

Furukawa: The initial sales of "Splatoon 3" were very large in Japan, so I think we are seeing a large difference in sales between Japan and overseas.
I think the difference in unit sales between Japan and overseas is large. In fact, "Splatoon 3" is off to a strong start overseas as well, surpassing its predecessor, "Splatoon 2. The reason for the larger initial sales in Japan can be attributed to the market environment. In Japan, Capcom's "Monster Hunter Rise: Sun Break" was released at the end of June, and the Nintendo Switch started to see a boost in sales, especially during the summer months. After that, "Xenoblade 3", "Kirby's Gourmet Fest", and "Mario Kart 8DX Course Additional Pass" helped to keep the operation at a very high level. The timing of the "eve of the Splatoon 3" event was particularly exciting in the Japanese market. We knew that the key to "Splatoon 3" would be to attract not only the most dedicated Splatoon fans, but also those who had previously played the series but had drifted away from it. In addition to this, what we had expected was the large number of new customers. This is a similar trend not only in Japan but also overseas, and I think this is a result of the Nintendo Switch reaching more customers compared to when we released "Splatoon 2" in 2017.
In other words, we believe that we were able to increase the utilization of the Switch sufficiently in preparation for the launch of "Splatoon 3", which is why the initial sales volume in Japan was higher than we had expected. Conversely, we are positive that there is still room for sales growth overseas.

Spoiler: Q4

The yen has been weakening recently, but do you have any plans to change hardware prices because of this? Also, Nintendo Switch has been on the market for six years. Have the recent inflation, depreciation of the yen, and changes in the competitive environment changed your idea of aiming for a longer lifecycle?

Furukawa: We have no plans to raise hardware prices at this time. However, we will continue to raise hardware prices as the yen continues to depreciate on a larger scale and over a longer period of time than expected.
However, since the yen continues to depreciate on a larger scale and over a longer period than expected, we will continue to monitor the situation and carefully consider the possibility of raising hardware prices. It is true that the profitability of hardware, especially in Japan, has been declining due to the long period of significant yen depreciation.
Our perception of the impact of other factors, such as inflation, remains unchanged. We do not believe that there will be a significant impact at this time, but we will continue to monitor the impact on our product sales.

Spoiler: Q5

He mentioned that he recognizes that the issue in the game console business is that the hardware generation change makes it impossible to play past software, and the contents are lost. However, nowadays, by utilizing the Nintendo Account and making new hardware backward-compatible, it may be possible to semi-permanently inherit content in the game console business, just as in the video game business. I think there are both advantages and disadvantages to making newly released hardware backward compatible with previous hardware.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director and Fellow: We used to offer a system called "Virtual Console" that allowed users to play old software on new hardware.
We used to offer a "virtual console" that allowed people to play old software on new hardware. In comparison, video can be enjoyed for a long time as long as you have a playback environment. However, the rights for video are complicated, so Nintendo is proceeding with the project with the rights firmly secured. It is true that in the past, software development for game consoles was carried out in a dedicated development environment that differed for each hardware. Therefore, when the hardware was changed, the development environment could not be inherited, and software released on past hardware could not be played without modification. However, since the software development environment itself has been gradually becoming more standardized recently, it is generally easier to create a replay environment that allows software for past hardware to be played on new hardware. However, Nintendo's strength lies in creating new games, so when we release new hardware, we would like to propose unique games that cannot be realized on existing hardware.

Spoiler: Q6

What are the highlights of "The Super Mario Brothers Movie" (scheduled to be released in Japan on April 28, 2023)? What are the highlights of "The Super Mario Brothers Movie" (scheduled to be released in Japan on April 28, 2023)? Also, you have been pursuing a strategy to increase the number of people who come into contact with Nintendo IPs, starting with "Mario" and including mobile, video, and theme parks. What are your plans for the long-term development of Nintendo IPs?

Miyamoto: In the movie "The Super Mario Brothers Movie," we have been working with Chris Meledandri, the founder and president of Illumination Inc.
Mr. Miyamoto: For the movie "The Super Mario Brothers Movie," I have worked with Mr. Chris Meledandri, the founder and president of Illumination, for seven years from the planning stage and six years from the production stage. During this time, we have thought about the appeal of adapting games to film and what our customers are looking for.
For example, novels and manga have already been enjoyed by customers, including their stories, so their visualization is guaranteed to be interesting to some extent. On the other hand, the "game experience" is what makes games interesting to customers, so we are not sure if visualizations based on the "game story" will necessarily be interesting to them. Those who have played games expect visualizations that do not betray their memories of the games, while those who have not played games expect entertaining works. We have spent a lot of time on how to overcome these two challenges. We have spent a lot of time on how to overcome these two challenges, and I can say that I am feeling a positive response, so I hope that you will enjoy our games.
As for "expanding the number of people who come into contact with Nintendo's IPs," we have been working on this theme since around 2014. Nintendo has changed from a company that made Hanafuda (Japanese playing cards), to a company that made playing cards, to a company that made video games, and what is important for us is that we have owned many of our own characters and IP. I think of Nintendo as an office full of globally recognized talent. Recently, companies that maintain and develop their own infrastructures are inevitably more powerful than others, but we want to be a strong company that can be equal with anyone else as a company that creates and manages its own content as well as develops its own content.

Spoiler: Q7

I believe that we are now closer to our customers through the Nintendo Account and Nintendo Switch Online, and that we have better visibility into user activity and other aspects of our games than before. I would like to know if this kind of information has any impact on the development of software and next-generation consoles.

Shinya Takahashi, Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer: There are more and more opportunities to hear from our customers through SNS and other means, and we receive a variety of information.
Although we cannot accept all information as it is, we need to always think about how we can make our games more enjoyable for our customers and proceed with development while referring to how they respond to our games.
I would like to develop products that customers can enjoy while also having fun thinking about what kind of interesting things we can achieve, including new initiatives for Nintendo Switch Online.
Director, Senior Executive Officer
I feel that the Nintendo Switch generation has brought us closer to our customers through the Nintendo Account.
I feel that the Nintendo Switch has brought us closer to our customers through the Nintendo Account. While there are many activities based on the basic strategy I explained at today's briefing, I believe that Nintendo's unique hardware-software integrated business will continue to be at the core of these activities. While the most important aspect of our dedicated game consoles is to deliver unique game experiences, we also believe that we must continue to develop both hardware and software, taking into consideration the ease with which our core game business can be connected to customer experiences outside of the dedicated game console through the Nintendo Account. We will need to work on the development of both hardware and software, taking into consideration the fact that it will be easier to connect the core game business to the customer experience outside of the dedicated console through the Nintendo Account.
We are not at a stage where we can talk about next-generation consoles yet, but our most important goal is to create unique products that integrate hardware and software, and we hope to successfully link these activities with the Nintendo Account.

https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2022/221109_2.pdf

 

[Luminoth9090]

This is a really interesting comparison - thank you for all your graphs! Switch looking to potentially have a much more gradual sales curve than other Nintendo systems. I don't see shipments collapsing the way they did for DS, for example, going into the seventh financial year (though obviously DS peaked higher). While I'm not sure Switch will get to DS/PS2 territory, I do think we're going to see it cross the 140 million mark before it's discontinued.

I agree, i don't see Switch dropping to 5 million for the next financial year, if it can stay in the 15 million range that would be great.

 

[Luminoth9090]

I haven't played FF7R, but this would greatly disappoint me. I love how unique Xenoblade's battle system is.

I get why it doesn't have mass appeal, but... I dunno, I think a lot of people would be disappointed if they did something as drastic as that (though I realize there are also people who feel the battle systems are one of the few downsides to the games).

If they make an overhaul to the battle system to make it more appealing, I'm instead going to go further against the grain and say I'd be interested in an online multiplayer approach. A return to X or a similar style that's less character driven would be a great way to incorporate a free-flowing multiplayer party kind of thing. Of course, sacrificing a character-driven narrative when they're the best they've ever been at it isn't a great move either... but I wouldn't mind a break from that style for a game.

The Battle system is great for you but not for normies, to attract the average gamer the battle system may have to be "dumbed down". A good change IMO would have actions for regular attacks, block and dodge rather than the automatic attack and block and dodge happening randomly. I know it's anecdotal but i know people who just can't get into the series because they can't get past the battle system not being fun for them. Even Final Fantasy had to change from turn based to real time action to appeal to more people.

 

[MisterSpo]

Unless I'm missing some, Switch now has 14 games with over 10 million in sales. (The 11 in the OP plus Luigi's Mansion 3, New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, and Splatoon 2)

Mario Party Superstars, Splatoon 3, Switch Sports, 3D World, Scarlet + Violet, and Tears of the Kingdom should all get there too, which would put it at 20 games once they do, which is absolutely insane and double the previous record holders, DS and Wii.

Monster Hunter Rise might get there on Switch sales. The last reported Switch total was 8 million units, two weeks before the PC version launched (it's now at 11 million including PC).

 

[curl-6]

Monster Hunter Rise might get there on Switch sales. The last reported Switch total was 8 million units, two weeks before the PC version launched (it's now at 11 million including PC).

Good catch!
Yeah depending on legs that one may very well make it too, though annoyingly we may never know as I doubt they'll ever give a platform breakdown.
Now that I think of it, maybe Kirby could eventually leg it's way there too, over 5 million in 6 months is a good start.

 

[brainchild]

Wishful thinking.



The original game sold moderately and Sakurai described it as one of the most challenging development cycles he's been through. Even if somehow this Uprising HD rumor pans out, you're jumping 3-4 steps ahead.

As much as I would want a sequel (it's one of my favorite games of all time), I would 100% be fine with just a HD remaster. I hope it happens even it if it's particularly difficult to pull off.

Nothing wrong with a little wishful thinking as long as we recognize it for what it is.

 

[MondoMega]

Unless I'm missing some, Switch now has 14 games with over 10 million in sales. (The 11 in the OP plus Luigi's Mansion 3, New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, and Splatoon 2)

Mario Party Superstars, Splatoon 3, Switch Sports, 3D World, Scarlet + Violet, and Tears of the Kingdom should all get there too, which would put it at 20 games once they do, which is absolutely insane and double the previous record holders, DS and Wii.

I’d be surprised if Minecraft hasn’t passed that on Switch already, or at the very least is nearing it. Only insight we have is Japanese physical sales thanks to Famitsu but even there it’s at 2.8m, a consistent evergreen seller. It’s a worldwide phenomenon so I wouldn’t anticipate Japan being an outlier.

 

[ILikeFeet]

Kid Icarus Uprising probably should get a sequel more than a remake. though I guess a remake could come as an appetizer

 

[MondoMega]

Uprising is one of those games that I do think would benefit a ton from an upgraded rerelease; if just to make it more accessible with a different control scheme. Obviously a lot more 3DS games will need salvaging too but this one stands out as needing the full “Version Up” effort.

I know Sakurai said it would be difficult but he says that a lot; during the Smash 4 era he said 50+ characters is an unmanageable count and that cuts are inevitable; then look at what happened. He likes to challenge himself and prove himself wrong. I don’t believe any of the current rumors about it from certain “insiders”, but I do believe it has a chance of happening and could possibly be Bandai Namco’s Nintendo 3D Action Game remaster we saw recruitments for earlier this year.

 

[ILikeFeet]

Uprising is one of those games that I do think would benefit a ton from an upgraded rerelease; if just to make it more accessible with a different control scheme. Obviously a lot more 3DS games will need salvaging too but this one stands out as needing the full “Version Up” effort.

I know Sakurai said it was difficult but he says that a lot; during the Smash 4 era he said 50+ characters is an unmanageable count and that cuts are inevitable; then look at what happened. He likes to challenge himself and prove himself wrong. I don’t believe any of the current rumors about it from certain “insiders”, but I do believe it has a chance of happening and could possibly be Bandai Namco’s Nintendo 3D Action Game remaster we saw recruitments for earlier this year.

Smash has one thing going for it that a lot of games don't: sales. it's easy for Nintendo to justify the time an expense for it. meanwhile, KIU sells a million on the 3ds and we can't get a sequel

 

[ertaboy356b]

100%. It doesn't have to be one, just get the franchise in front of people again and be less divisive than Zero was.

I say give Starfox to Monolithsoft for 1 game and turn it into an Open Galaxy game.

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

Official Eng translation of Nintendo’s Q&A

Spoiler: Q1

I would like to hear how you are thinking about your next fiscal year. Next year will be the seventh year since Nintendo Switch launched, and you will also be moving forward in new areas of business such as IP expansion, including a movie. As Nintendo Switch progresses further into its life cycle, I would like to know how you will complement it with those other businesses.

Shuntaro Furukawa (Representative Director and President):
First, we will concentrate our efforts into this holiday season sales with the goal of
outperforming our sales plan for the current fiscal year. We believe this will allow Nintendo Switch to continue its momentum into its seventh year.
We continue to see robust sales for Nintendo Switch hardware. In terms of first-time purchases, there are certainly differences from what we saw the first few years after launch, however, we have been able to generate different varieties of demand. Examples include demand for multiple systems within the same household and replacement demand for users moving from the original Nintendo Switch model to Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, both helped by the release of special editions of the hardware with Splatoon 3 and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet themes. In essence, our approach to the Nintendo Switch business next fiscal year is similar to this fiscal year.
In terms of software, we have Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet slated for release next week. For the next fiscal year, we have already announced The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4, both titles featuring key Nintendo IP. And as you pointed out, the upcoming The Super Mario Bros. Movie is very important to us and is an example of one of our new initiatives. Tying these initiatives all together, based on our strategy as discussed in today's presentation, we intend to work to continually build more and more touchpoints between people and Nintendo IP.

Spoiler: Q2

What kind of initiatives are you considering to further increase the number of Nintendo Switch Online members and to bolster the enthusiasm of existing members?

Shuntaro Furukawa (Representative Director and President):
First, we will concentrate our efforts into this holiday season sales with the goal of
outperforming our sales plan for the current fiscal year. We believe this will allow Nintendo Switch to continue its momentum into its seventh year.
We continue to see robust sales for Nintendo Switch hardware. In terms of first-time purchases, there are certainly differences from what we saw the first few years after launch, however, we have been able to generate different varieties of demand. Examples include demand for multiple systems within the same household and replacement demand for users moving from the original Nintendo Switch model to Nintendo Switch – OLED Model, both helped by the release of special editions of the hardware with Splatoon 3 and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet themes. In essence, our approach to the Nintendo Switch business next fiscal year is similar to this fiscal year.
In terms of software, we have Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet slated for release next week. For the next fiscal year, we have already announced The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4, both titles featuring key Nintendo IP. And as you pointed out, the upcoming The Super Mario Bros. Movie is very important to us and is an example of one of our new initiatives. Tying these initiatives all together, based on our strategy as discussed in today's presentation, we intend to work to continually build more and more touchpoints between people and Nintendo IP.

Spoiler: Q3

I would like to hear about why the initial unit sales for Splatoon 3 were so different in Japan, versus abroad. I know that in general, the overseas markets tend to get off to a slower start than the Japanese market, but the regional difference for Splatoon 2 was not as large as the difference this time around. Do you think there were any macroeconomic factors impacting this?

Furukawa: For Splatoon 3, I believe the difference in unit sales between Japan and elsewhere appears large because of the extremely high initial sales volume we saw in Japan. However, the title is off to a strong start outside of Japan as well, with numbers higher than we saw for Splatoon 2. The market environment is most likely one of the reasons why the initial response was so strong in Japan. Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak released at the end of June, and user activity in Japan started to increase especially during the summer. Subsequent releases including Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Kirby’s Dream Buffet, and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass add-on content helped maintain a high level of engagement. We held the Splatoon 3 Splatfest World Premiere during that time, and were able to generate a great deal of excitement, particularly in the Japanese market. One important consideration for Splatoon 3 was how we can deliver the game not only into the hands of active users who have long been passionate Splatoon players, but also those who previously played but are taking a break. It turned out that, in addition to these two types of players, the number of new players has far exceeded our expectations. A similar trend is present outside of Japan as well, and we believe this to be the result of bringing Nintendo Switch to even more users than at the 2017 release of Splatoon 2.
To summarize, we believe initial unit sales in Japan were much higher than anticipated because we were able to sufficiently increase Nintendo Switch engagement towards the release of Splatoon 3. Conversely, we view it as a positive that there is potential for further sales growth in markets outside of Japan.

Spoiler: Q4

Have you considered changing the price of hardware given the recent depreciation of the yen? In addition, with Nintendo Switch in its sixth year, are there any changes to your approach to lengthen the product life cycle, given factors such as the current levels of inflation, yen depreciation, and changes in the competitive environment?

Furukawa:
Currently, there are no plans to raise the price of our hardware. However, the yen has
depreciated at an unexpected level for a long duration, so we will carefully consider as we monitor the situation going forward. It is true that for Japan in particular, hardware profitability has decreased due to the prolonged depreciation of the yen.
How we view the effects of inflation and other factors remains unchanged. While we believe there is currently no major impact, we will continue to monitor various factors of our product sales.

Spoiler: Q5

You previously acknowledged the challenge in the dedicated video game platform business when the hardware generation changes. The previous software is no longer playable on the new hardware, necessitating a start from scratch. However, by utilizing Nintendo Account or maintaining backward compatibility on new hardware, it now seems possible for content to endure across hardware generations, similar to how visual content is treated. I think there are both advantages and disadvantages to having newly launched hardware maintain backward compatibility with previous hardware, but what kind of internal discussions have you had about this subject?

Shigeru Miyamoto (Representative Director, Fellow):
In the past, we built a service called Virtual Console as a way for players to enjoy classic
games on more modern hardware. In terms of compatibility, visual content has an advantage because it can be enjoyed continuously as long as you have a playback environment. However, legal rights for visual content can become quite complicated, so I have mentioned before that Nintendo is proceeding with visual content with a firm grip on the rights. Previously, software development for dedicated video game systems was conducted in development environments dedicated to each hardware platform. This meant that those environments could not be brought forward when the hardware changed, and it would become impossible to play software released for previous hardware without making changes. However, the software development environments have recently been gradually integrated. So, generally speaking, it has become easier to implement an environment where software released for past hardware can be played on new hardware.
Having said so, Nintendo's strength is in our creation of new entertainment, so when we release new hardware going forward, we plan to continue to offer new and unique gameplay that cannot be realized on existing hardware.

Spoiler: Q6

I would like to ask about your thoughts on expanding the “Mario” IP. What expectations should we have for The Super Mario Bros. Movie (to be released in Japan on April 28, 2023)? Also, you have moved forward with the strategy of expanding the number of people who have access to Nintendo IP through mobile, visual content, and theme parks, with Mario leading the way, but what fields are you considering expanding into next? I would like to hear about the long-term expansion of Nintendo IP.

Miyamoto:
For The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I have been working together with Mr. Chris Meledandri,
the founder and CEO of Illumination, from the start, through seven years of planning and six years of production. During that time, we have thought a lot about the appeal of transforming games into films and about what audiences are looking for.
With novels and comics, people have already enjoyed their stories, so I think movie adaptations guarantee a certain amount of enjoyment. But with video games, it is the gaming experience that makes them compelling, so a movie that adheres to the story of a game will not necessarily be interesting. Moreover, people who have played the game will expect a movie experience that is faithful to their memories of the game, while those who have never played the game will expect a movie that is enjoyable as an independent piece of entertainment. We spent a significant amount of time trying to figure out how to overcome these two challenges. While it is a bit presumptuous to say so myself, I think we managed to get it right, so I hope you will enjoy the movie.
Since around 2014, we have been conducting business to expand the number of people who have access to Nintendo IP. Nintendo has transitioned from a maker of hanafuda playing cards to a maker of western playing cards to a video game company, but an important aspect throughout these changes is that Nintendo has held many characters and IP of its own. I like to think of Nintendo as an entertainment agency full of world-class talent. These days, we live in a world where companies that deploy and maintain their infrastructure are inevitably in power. But we want to be a strong company that can match up against anyone by creating and managing content, as well as having the capability to disseminate the content ourselves.

Spoiler: Q7

The proximity between consumers and Nintendo is now closer through Nintendo Account and Nintendo Switch Online, and I think it has become easier than before to see things like user activity in games. Do you think this kind of information will affect the development of software and the next-generation platform?
Shinya Takahashi (Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer):
Tools like social media provide us with more opportunities for feedback from consumers and
we receive a variety of information. Although we cannot adopt all of the input as they are, we need to always pay attention to how people respond to our games and then think about how we can entertain them as we proceed with development.
We want to develop products that are fun for consumers while also enjoying the development process exploring what kinds of interesting things are possible, including new initiatives for Nintendo Switch Online.
Ko Shiota (Director, Senior Executive Officer):
In the Nintendo Switch generation, it feels like we have gotten closer to our consumers via
Nintendo Account. I think an integrated hardware-software business that captures the spirit of Nintendo will continue to be central to many of the activities that spring from the strategy described in today's briefing. The most important thing with our dedicated video game platform is to deliver a unique gaming experience. In our development of both hardware and software going forward, we must consider ways to more easily connect our core video game business with the consumer experiences outside of our dedicated video game platform through Nintendo Account.
We are not at a stage where we can talk about the next-generation platform. But we think it is most important to create unique integrated hardware-software products. The activities we leverage through Nintendo Account should be well connected to those products.

 

[Ray00101]

Starfox is an easy one.

Give it to the team that made Starlink. Keep the structure of the game the same, but have a few on-rails levels on each planet/a few in space, maybe 15-16 of them (sorta like Sonic frontiers handles platforming levels, they don’t need to be organic or tied into the existing open world).

Once you’ve beaten the story mode, arcade mode with just the linear levels is accessible from the start menu.

 

[Skittzo]

Starfox is an easy one.

Give it to the team that made Starlink. Keep the structure of the game the same, but have a few on-rails levels on each planet/a few in space, maybe 15-16 of them (sorta like Sonic frontiers handles platforming levels, they don’t need to be organic or tied into the existing open world).

Once you’ve beaten the story mode, arcade mode with just the linear levels is accessible from the start menu.

You'd have to convince Ubisoft to spend the time making a game with a sales ceiling of like 5M. And then you'd have to convince Nintendo to foot the bill for that time, which will be pretty high since Ubisoft would rather spend that time and effort on something more lucrative.

 

[Aether]

Starfox is an easy one.

Give it to the team that made Starlink. Keep the structure of the game the same, but have a few on-rails levels on each planet/a few in space, maybe 15-16 of them (sorta like Sonic frontiers handles platforming levels, they don’t need to be organic or tied into the existing open world).

Once you’ve beaten the story mode, arcade mode with just the linear levels is accessible from the start menu.

Im still kinda confused. Platinum was actually a good developer for that game, but the focus on repeating Starfox64 and to have that control scheme was... well, miyamotos decision and the downfall of the game.

Bayonetta has chapters. Would work well for Starfox. They have experience with Shooters (Bayonetta Sections, Vanquish, Nier,...). Having the game expand and having setpieces, secret sections, new weapons / manuvers / ships being unlockable like in bayonetta would work great, having different dificulty setting and a grading system would work great to.

In other words: taking Bayonettas structure but instead of a batshit crazy story having it somewhat more "grounded" and straight forward + swapping character action gameplay for shootemup gameplay, and i think it would have worked great.

Otherwise, having it be more of a straight shoot em up with smaller budget (and smaller price...) would also work well, having a handfull of mid fidelity levels and banking on the charm of the characters, would work well.

Its... i really dont understand whats so hard for them with this franchise, especially, it will never be a huge seller, but it should not be to hard to get it to 1 or 2 million with an aproachable well made charming title.

Graphics: most of it could be in space or over alien planets, so keeping it simple but stylisch could keep the graphical cost down, and instead have some good models for a handfull characters that you often see like fox and friends.
Dont overdoo it, style over fidelity would be the way.

 

[Renmazuo]

People, at least those from the Xenoblade side, aren't really hand wringing over Xenoblade 3 sales because they are bad, it's just more Xenoblade 2 fueled catastrophism ("if the game doesn't convincingly outsell 2 what kind of message are they gonna take from them?"). Already seen this sort of crap happen with Fire Emblem. Expectations also became slightly inflated due to hype, back in February when the game was announced I remember posting something like just matching 2 would already be great, but at some point significant growth over 2 kinda became the baseline assumption for the game (I myself am guilty of this). I don't think it will have quite the legs of 2 but it doesn't strictly need them either since the launch sales were already strong.

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

You'd have to convince Ubisoft to spend the time making a game with a sales ceiling of like 5M. And then you'd have to convince Nintendo to foot the bill for that time, which will be pretty high since Ubisoft would rather spend that time and effort on something more lucrative.

Never mind that currently Ubisoft is kinda of a mess at this point with development. I think they need all hands on deck for all their other projects. The only team that I think would be free to do it would be Milan after the completion of M+R

Im still kinda confused. Platinum was actually a good developer for that game, but the focus on repeating Starfox64 and to have that control scheme was... well, miyamotos decision and the downfall of the game.

Bayonetta has chapters. Would work well for Starfox. They have experience with Shooters (Bayonetta Sections, Vanquish, Nier,...). Having the game expand and having setpieces, secret sections, new weapons / manuvers / ships being unlockable like in bayonetta would work great, having different dificulty setting and a grading system would work great to.

In other words: taking Bayonettas structure but instead of a batshit crazy story having it somewhat more "grounded" and straight forward + swapping character action gameplay for shootemup gameplay, and i think it would have worked great.

Otherwise, having it be more of a straight shoot em up with smaller budget (and smaller price...) would also work well, having a handfull of mid fidelity levels and banking on the charm of the characters, would work well.

Its... i really dont understand whats so hard for them with this franchise, especially, it will never be a huge seller, but it should not be to hard to get it to 1 or 2 million with an aproachable well made charming title.

Graphics: most of it could be in space or over alien planets, so keeping it simple but stylisch could keep the graphical cost down, and instead have some good models for a handfull characters that you often see like fox and friends.
Dont overdoo it, style over fidelity would be the way.

The issue with Zero was that P* wasn’t the main developer for that game. It probably would have been different had they been fully in charge.

The other issues with P* was that they really didn’t find their footing with the other games modes till Nier. You can see the level up they have done in a game like Bayo3. I think now would be a better time for it then with Zero.

As much as people say selling 1-2mil shouldn’t be hard it is for some of these smaller or obscure franchises. Probably now would be a better time to do it though. However, the game is going to be different then what diehards may want it to be.

 

[Aether]

The issue with Zero was that P* wasn’t the main developer for that game. It probably would have been different had they been fully in charge.

The other issues with P* was that they really didn’t find their footing with the other games modes till Nier. You can see the level up they have done in a game like Bayo3. I think now would be a better time for it then with Zero.

As much as people say selling 1-2mil shouldn’t be hard it is for some of these smaller or obscure franchises. Probably now would be a better time to do it though. However, the game is going to be different then what diehards may want it to be.

Oh, shure, nier was later, but even moments in vanquish and bayonetta showed that interest and talent in that genre was there, and im shure that would they have been given more freedome they would have worked it out prior to nier and would have had it deeper then nier. (the shooting segments are actually pretty simplistic (yet good)).

And i sad miyamoto, but overall its mostly a nintendo game with help from platinum from what i gathered.
Shure, Wii U would have been a test for it, 1-2 could have been hard (on the other hand, a well crafted nintendo game un an underserved console would have solde to people that are not the audience but want a quality game for the platform).

I put it on a level with Bayonetta and Metroid, but with characters that are better marketable to a mass audience.
(and i would expect the development to be cheaper then both of those, if done as i explained above)

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

Oh, shure, nier was later, but even moments in vanquish and bayonetta showed that interest and talent in that genre was there, and im shure that would they have been given more freedome they would have worked it out prior to nier and would have had it deeper then nier. (the shooting segments are actually pretty simplistic (yet good)).

And i sad miyamoto, but overall its mostly a nintendo game with help from platinum from what i gathered.
Shure, Wii U would have been a test for it, 1-2 could have been hard (on the other hand, a well crafted nintendo game un an underserved console would have solde to people that are not the audience but want a quality game for the platform).

I put it on a level with Bayonetta and Metroid, but with characters that are better marketable to a mass audience.
(and i would expect the development to be cheaper then both of those, if done as i explained above)

I don’t think Star Fox is reaching 1-2 mil on WiiU. Probably would be closer to Bayo2 in sales.

Regardless I wrote in another thread what I think SF can do to garner more appeal. If you combine that with what P* is doing then I think that should make for a good game overall. @ILikeFeet brought up a scenario where an Assault remake might be a thing. I think that may be a good choice to bring SF to the market.

 

[Mr_No_U]

For 100 Famicoins you can now delete somebody else's post.

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

For 100 Famicoins you can now delete somebody else's post.

Does that also come with a verified check mark

 

[Aether]

I don’t think Star Fox is reaching 1-2 mil on WiiU. Probably would be closer to Bayo2 in sales.

Regardless I wrote in another thread what I think SF can do to garner more appeal. If you combine that with what P* is doing then I think that should make for a good game overall. @ILikeFeet brought up a scenario where an Assault remake might be a thing. I think that may be a good choice to bring SF to the market.

... this would be a bad choice.
The series did needs to break out of this loop.
Starfox 64 was a "soft reboot".
Adventures was not a starfox game (but okay, it did contribute to the world)
Assault was a sequell to adventures and also a starfox game.
Command was reusing a lot of the unreleased ST2 and the worlds of other games.

The last 3 games where:
remake of 64 (again Starfox 1 story...), Star Fox Zero heavily used callbacks and stuff...

and thats fine in a series with a lot of entries, but starfox is a series where half of its releases are either reimaginings or remakes.

The series needs a fresh take. I know space is limited in how it can look.
Heck, assault wasnt even that well received, it has a metacritic of 67 (and i know, metacritic is not that meaningfull, butit means its not an uncontested masterpiece). So remaking an okay to good game instead of making a great new one with fresh takes to revitalize the franchise...

kinda gives me FE remake vibes on the DS. Theres a time for remakes, but not currently with starfox.

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

... this would be a bad choice.
The series did needs to break out of this loop.
Starfox 64 was a "soft reboot".
Adventures was not a starfox game (but okay, it did contribute to the world)
Assault was a sequell to adventures and also a starfox game.
Command was reusing a lot of the unreleased ST2 and the worlds of other games.

The last 3 games where:
remake of 64 (again Starfox 1 story...), Star Fox Zero heavily used callbacks and stuff...

and thats fine in a series with a lot of entries, but starfox is a series where half of its releases are either reimaginings or remakes.

The series needs a fresh take. I know space is limited in how it can look.
Heck, assault wasnt even that well received, it has a metacritic of 67 (and i know, metacritic is not that meaningfull, butit means its not an uncontested masterpiece). So remaking an okay to good game instead of making a great new one with fresh takes to revitalize the franchise...

kinda gives me FE remake vibes on the DS. Theres a time for remakes, but not currently with starfox.

What loop is SF stuck in?

• SF1 (original)
• SF2 (sequel)
• SF64 (reboot)
• Adventures (sequel)
• Assault (sequel)
• Command (sequel)

Where is the third game? Regardless the last three games are:

1. SF643D (remake)
2. Zero (reimaging)
3. Star Link (cameo)

From what I’m looking at I’m not seeing that many remakes or reimaginings. Certainly less then half. And, while the series does probably need a fresh entry to promote growth; you still need to lay the foundation for that. I don’t think it really matters how it was received then since a lot can change with a remake. Samus Returns proceeded Dread; Metroid 2 was a maligned entry in the series yet the remake has an 88 MC. Samus Returns did well enough to show a return to the franchise with Dread revitalizing it.

If the choices are between remake or hoping that a new game comes out then I’ll go with the former.