Topic: Should Nintendo double down on working with "AA" studios?

One thing I like about Nintendo vs. most major publishers is that they're regularly able to occupy a middle-ground between AAA and Indie games in terms of scope and production values. With most of their games, you can tell they're given a larger budget than a typical Indie game, but most also don't rival the sheer costs of conventional AAA games. Over the years, Nintendo has worked regularly with mid-sized independent studios in both Japan and the West, such as Good Feel, Platinum Games, ARIKA, and Next Level Games.

However, it's getting a bit harder to find developers in this field, as Sony and Microsoft are buying up more studios to prepare for next generation. I feel like Nintendo could be a viable "AA" publisher in addition to their main AAA franchises, in a similar vein to THQ Nordic or Take-Two's Private Division. I think Nintendo should try and get more developers like From Software and DOTNOD to make original "AA" exclusive titles for them, in addition to their regular partners.

The more options we have the better. Trying to just be AAA ranking misses the point of the Switch success.

Honestly I'm shocked Nintendo hasn't bought and bailed out either Level-5 or Nippon Ichi. Both companies are stumbling so I assume both would be easy acquisitions. But acquiring development studios hasn't been Nintendo's MO. They've been content with contracting external development here and there.

I think the rate of first party releases is as good as it'll get.

I'm not referring to acquisitions mind you, simply talking about Nintendo taking in projects from mid-sized independent studios that other publishers wouldn't touch. It's essentially what they do now, but I think they should double down on doing it.

@TheMisterManGuy Indie companies are filling those gaps and some don't need to do much to get Nintendo onboard. Produce and Demo quality game and they will come looking or pitch Demos to the public to get feedback.

@TheMisterManGuy I don't like first party companies buying 3rd parties because that limits options for gamers. But that said Nintendo does need to continue to court the companies it has still supporting it. As stellar as Nintendo's first party content and indie support have been this generation, they'd not have had the amazing flow of games without that 3rd party AA support.

Another benefit of many AA titles is that they haven't fully jumped into the Activision/EA realm of microtransaction laden hell. AA titles also don't strive to compete for the creatively dead hyper-realism that Sony and Microsoft have pushed as the standard. And I want Nintendo to support them to support games getting made that aren't just another hyper-realism shooter/survival game.

On an unrelated note I think the reason Borderlands 3 is getting so much hype is because it's one of the few AAA games that isn't just following the crowd and making yet another game with the same visuals as 25 others in the last year.

I think Nintendo has to just maintain balance. They’re doing the right sort of thing with Koei Tecmo and Namco: offering jobbing work for big first party games that helps to keep those companies financially stable and grow in terms of capacity regardless of how commercially successful their own games are.

There’s always companies like those. You don’t always need to own the pipeline all the way through...

He’s not talking about buy-outs; Iwata mentioned it once in a Q&A session with investors and I assume Nintendo still works by that particular reasoning; buying studios is essentially buying a name, not the people there.

(Especially not Level-5; they’re a mess.)

I think Nintendo has been working on getting more out there games for several years now. I think its mostly projects they believe in themselves and feel would strengthen the library. Especially in recent years;

Tokyo Mirage Sessions - Atlus

Project Zero 2, 4, Maiden of Black Water, Hyrule Warriors, Fire Emblem Warriors, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 - Tecmo-Koei

Bayonetta 2, 3, Wonderful 101, Astral Chain - Platinum

Metroid Samus Returns - Mercury Steam

Deadly Premonition 2 - Toybox

Or have Bandai-Namco or Koei-Tecmo work on Smash and Fire Emblem respectively. I’m pretty sure there are more examples, but Nintendo is putting in work.

I want Nintendo + Konami to create DDR Ultimate Nintendo with songs from Nintendo games (ARMS, Miitopia, Animal Crossing, Star Fox, Kirby, etc) and of course those songs should be appear on DDR arcade as well so i can show off in public with level 18 on Challenge Nintendo Boss songs. 😅

Or Nintendo + Konami to create Chibi Boxing / Kickboxing games like K-1 Pocket GP GBA. Make it in 2.5D or 3D style and i will play them.

I think with Modern development tools, the vast majority low-mid level games will look miles ahead of GameCube titles by default considering that shaders and particle effects are dirt cheap with many engines these days. Yoshi's Crafted World for example, looks far beyond what the GameCube was capable of, considering its in Unreal Engine 4. But it wouldn't surprise me if it had the budget of an average GameCube or Wii title.

No one's mentioned Spike Chunsoft? Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is pretty well enduring at this point, I'd hope we'll see another one soon. Also, Pokken with Bandai Namco was another of their recent collabs.

I'm hoping MercurySteam will have another collaboration to announce next year, given the usual three year gap between their games and the silence from them. They have two development teams after all, and I doubt all their resources are going to supporting Spacelords.

As for what's coming next? Well, Ubisoft having another collaboration seems near certain considering Mario & Rabbids did so well, and I think both businesses know the Star Fox collaboration is the only thing that kept Starlink from being a complete bomb (due to the finance model, the game itself was a blast I don't regret getting at all)

We know Atlus is doing TMS#FE Encore, so I doubt anything else is in that pipeline right now. Platinum has Bayo 3 going on of course, and with Astral Chain just released I'd wager they don't have any other collaborations going on quite yet.

Capcom's last collaboration with Nintendo was... Minish Cap I think? I don't see anything new there unfortunately. Inti Creates is avoiding publishing houses at the moment, and I don't really know what I'd trust them with.

I think if we get anything truly out of the blue though, it'll be Paradox, FromSoftware, or Arc System Works. All three are just the right size to co-develop a major title, and have enough ties to Nintendo to be asked. FromSoftware is the least likely of course, but I can't count it out.

@Anti-Matter Do you really think music from Nintendo games would be well suited to a fast paced dancing game like DDR? Maybe some of the music from ARMS or Splatoon 2, or a couple Mario songs, but Animal Crossing? Most AC music tends to be really slow paced and relaxing. It's good music, but not really dance music, in my opinion.

But I totally agree, I would like to see a DDR on Switch. I just don't know how well it would sell, since it would require a dance pad.

@Heavyarms55 I'd like to point out DDR Mario Mix is a thing that actually exists in case you weren't aware.

@link3710 Oh yeah, now that you mention it. Wasn't that a GameCube release? I forgot about it.

@Heavyarms55
Check this out Initial D Eurobeat style of F-Zero song from Youtube.

Some other Nintendo Dance songs.

Slow songs like Animal Crossing are still danceable. Even there are very slow DDR song (usually Ballad songs) used on Arcade.

@Heavyarms55 Yup, it was during the same period that gave us Sluggers, Strikers, and all the other Mario spinoffs.