@NaviAndMii Are you seriously buying that crap Nintendo is saying about us having to rely on third party support to cater to the core gamer? The Switch struggles to get real triple A support as it is. That's the most pathetic PR excuse I've ever heard. Most people buying the Switch want the first party games, not something they can get a much better experience from on a different system.
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@Krull One can also argue, that a console is simply a step above where you'd use Labo for, and that they'd better stick to stuff like Lego, that'll probably last far longer.
I think the best approach would be trying to stick to the 2017 model with stuff like Labo being extras. Note that I think Wii U ports could count as the potential "big game of the month" so like Tropical Freeze could be the big May game.
Considering Wii U ports counted last year, I don't see why they wouldn't this year . But yeah, we're still seeing a big game in February, March, and May so far, and two more announced for the spring period, so that gives us five (six if you count the original Bayonetta) in five months that are published by Nintendo. I don't see any signs that the release schedule for core gamers is being impacted by this so far, it's not like we won't see summer stuff announced later in the year.
@MFD It's a tough one...for me, personally, I only bought one game for my PS4 in 2017 - GT Sport - for 2 reasons: the PS4 controller has analog triggers (and that precision control really adds to the immersion for me) and I feel that racing sims, as a genre, benefit more than most from the 'extra beef' of the hardware...but, for the majority of multi-platform games, I'd be more inclined to buy them on my Switch (if possible) because I think it offers a better way of playing - unless that version of the game is seriously compromised of course (eg. FIFA - to get the portability factor you have to sacrifice more than just resolution/graphics, unfortunately)
...but that's just me - I'd take portability over power 9 times out of 10 - and that 'novelty' hasn't shown any signs of wearing off quite yet - but sales of the PS4 (in particular) show no signs of slowing down either, so the more 'traditional' style of console is still highly sought after too
My point (which also ties in to @FragRed's response) was more trying to consider the lay of the land from Nintendo's perspective...
Firstly, it's very rare that we get a Zelda and a Mario in the same year - that's as hardcore as you can get! ..not only that though, but they also went even further to reach out to the 'core' gamer by providing a racer (Mario Kart), a shooter (Splatoon), a couple of fighters (Pokken/ARMS) and an RPG (Xenoblade) in year one - a highly satisfying selection of first-party games!
It just shows, to me, that the 'core' have been the priority right from the start....but, secondly, I think that energising the third-parties (to the degree that they did) was quite an achievement last year - and if you have third-parties on board, the 'core' gamers don't have to rely on first-party content so much. That's not to say that I don't want 'core' first-party content - of course I do - but Nintendo is bigger than just me! ..all I meant was that if we get Wolfenstein one month, Nintendo might not need to bring out a rival 'core' game in the same month - they could perhaps use that month as an opportunity to drop something for kids/casuals/parties instead? ..it just gives them that option
They mustn't neglect the 'core' - but they mustn't neglect the other demographics either...having third-parties involved can only help to ensure that everyone feels catered for - that's all I was saying - and having attracted them back (to some degree) it might allow them to diversify their first-party offerings a bit more going forward and perhaps strike a balance that broadens their scope, but keeps all demographics satisfied
@YummyHappyPills I wouldn't count tactical RPG in that list as Nintendo has Fire Emblem but yeah the main ones which will only be supported by 3rd parties are multiplayer FPS and realistic sports/racing games.
@NaviAndMii I'd like to point out we've already seen that once. Take a look at last November. Between Sonic Forces, Doom, Batman, Skyrim, LA Noire, Resident Evil Revelations and a whole slew of smaller games, the lack of a major new Switch title between Odyssey and Xenoblade (unless you count DLC for Snipperclips) was a nonissue. So the theory does hold water, if we can see 3rd parties on board like that on a more regular basis anyways.
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@link3710 Yeah, very true I mean, if E3 comes and goes and we still haven't seen much in the way of 'core' first-party offerings - and the third-party line-up looks a little light - it could be cause for concern...but I don't think that we're anywhere near that point yet.
The 'core' were more than catered for in year 1 - and Nintendo kicked off 2018 with a Mini Direct showcasing a fairly broad selection of games (with, as @YummyHappyPills pointed out, the likes of Ys VIII, Tropical Freeze, Dark Souls etc as 'core' entries) ..I just don't think that one short little video showing off a new concept for a 'non core' market is something worth over-reacting about!
Kimishima seems quite switched-on (forgive the pun!) - learning from Nintendo's historical mistakes seems to almost be his 'M.O.' really! ..I have faith!
@NaviAndMii Sure, third-parties branching out is good, but as I've said, that helps only people who only own a Switch, or who want portability. I can only hope that lasts enough to keep thirds on board then, since if that falls off, the structure itself will unravel.
You're acting as if those games of 2017 will last you that long, to which I must respectfully disagree. As for faith, that's something I'll have in all that is guaranteed. I'll have no faith in anything that is even a little bit uncertain. You know what can happen if you've got full faith? The disappointment that is Scalebound's cancellation.
It sometimes feels like Microsoft is actively trying to get people to play Switch instead of XB1. I loaded up my XB1 today and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was on the Mixer tab (you have to pass the Mixer tab to get to the Store), throughout last year there were plenty of times when BotW, MK8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, Mario Odyssey, etc. appeared too.
@YummyHappyPills I've had that issue too, but how long is a good while? Even after a good ten minutes of charging mine refuses to turn on. Just leave it for a little longer.
@NaviAndMii Sure, third-parties branching out is good, but as I've said, that helps only people who only own a Switch, or who want portability. I can only hope that lasts enough to keep thirds on board then, since if that falls off, the structure itself will unravel.
You're acting as if those games of 2017 will last you that long, to which I must respectfully disagree. As for faith, that's something I'll have in all that is guaranteed. I'll have no faith in anything that is even a little bit uncertain. You know what can happen if you've got full faith? The disappointment that is Scalebound's cancellation.
I wasn't really meaning it that way - I was more just commenting on how their strategy looked from my point of view.
Having a launch year with so many big franchises (Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart, Splatoon, Xenoblade) was to appeal to the core gamer first and foremost...get them on board and you've got yourself a solid user base.
The third-parties tailed off on WiiU - and it'd appear that Nintendo made a concerted effort to bring them back (with reasonable success) on Switch...get them on board and you can incorporate their releases in to your own schedule and perhaps reach out to other demographics in the process.
I wasn't suggesting that Nintendo loaded their year one schedule with enough core games to last through 2018 - just that they loaded it with enough to bring the 'core' players in in the first place...the next challenge is to keep them - and they've certainly got some pretty big franchises remaining up their sleeves (Smash, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Metroid etc) to appeal to those gamers - but, if there's a month (like last November, as @link3710 said) where the third-party line-up is particularly strong, that creates an opportunity for Nintendo to bring out something for a different audience (that month) instead...if not, they can just drop Smash Bros (or similar) to delight the core audience!
It just strikes me as the 'ideal' situation that Nintendo are perhaps aiming for - whether we like it or not, Nintendo is heavily invested in the 'kids' market, so things targeting a younger audience are inevitable - but I'm sure that, having invested so much in bringing the 'core gamers' back in the first place, they won't throw it all away in year two by neglecting that audience - we may just see an evolution of the strategy, that's all.
For me, personally, I probably do have enough games in my backlog from 2017 to see me through 2018 if I wanted (I still haven't even picked up Mario Odyssey!) ..but I appreciate that that's just because of the type of gamer I am - it's important that Nintendo back up Year 1 with a solid Year 2 (Kimishima said it was 'critical' himself) and I'm sure that there'll be plenty to satisfy for core and casual alike
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