
While many positives can be drawn from Nintendo's recently published quarterly results, analyst estimates had predicted slightly higher earnings. The Japanese gaming giant reported an operating profit of 30.9 billion yen during the quarter, which was below the estimated 37.9 billion yen, and quarterly revenue was 221 billion yen during the period, again lower than the projected 232 billion yen.
According to Bloomberg, these results and the slowdown in revenue growth is unnerving investors, with analysts seeing the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as the last hope for Nintendo to achieve its 20 million Switch sales target for this financial year.
Nintendo's newly appointed president Shuntaro Furukawa has responded to this slowdown by noting that the 20 million unit target was put in place as a purposefully challenging number to hit. He said, “from the beginning, we decided on a target that would be challenging to reach, not easy. The holiday season battle begins now.”
Bloomberg reporter Yuji Nakamura has also shared a statement from Furukawa in Osaka today. The president's comments discuss the ways in which Nintendo can help the Switch to grow further.
"We need continuous growth. We must keep releasing new software. That includes DLCs and other contents for big titles that are already out. And more focus on online play. Lastly, more genres and diverse games to draw in people who don't currently play on Switch."
The next few months will certainly be an interesting time for Nintendo, with the next three months in particular seeming crucially important for the 20 million sales target.
What do you think of Furukawa's comments? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments.
[source bloomberg.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 107
“We must keep releasing software” yup....
The sign of Switch Booming Sales Tsunami.
It will slowdown first then quickly sold like hot cakes when the time is coming.
Baffling analysts aren't factoring in Pokémon Let's Go.
I haven't bought anything on Switch in months! PS4 has been taking all my money.
Switch has 'Nothing for me this week.'
"We need continuous growth. We must keep releasing new software. That includes DLCs and other contents for big titles that are already out. And more focus on online play. Lastly, more genres and diverse games to draw in people who don't currently play on Switch."
It would be great if for once Nintendo actually actioned this instead of just paying lip-service and never doing anything about it.
Reggie Version: We set such a high number because we like to do things differently here at Nintendo.
Sounds like a plan. I hope they stick to the plan. More software
2017 was a great year for the Switch. 2018 was rather dull (even with the nearing releases of Diablo 3, Pokemon, Smash Bros., Warframe and so on). 2019 already looks very promising and 2020 should be also a very good year. The worst year could be nearly over and then we will see.
""We must keep releasing new software""
What software ? I bought nothing since Octopath Traveler... o_O
On my PS4, it's like 4 big games per month :
God of War 4
Dragon Quest XI
Red Dead Redemption 2
Shadows of the Tomb Raider
Spiderman
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Soulcalibur VI
Fallout 76
Hitman 2
Spyro Trilogy
Darksiders III
etc..etc...
Where is the software Nintendo ? The ports ? :/
@Anti-Matter Couldn't decide on future, present or past tense?
Well games do take awhile to make to be good and next year, there's amazing games coming for Switch only, plus we got Smash pretty soon, so yeah Nintendo is doing fine.
Mario Odyssey being software nr.1 and not having DLC released for it seems like an oversight.
@GrailUK That's Niantic; and maybe TPC. I doubt Nintendo sees any of that.
He looks too young to be president, but please hurry with the NEW software, not ports but NEW games please
Not really surprising. ...One of my favorite things to do on a Friday is visit a store and see if there’s any big Nintendo release that’s slipped past me. ...However it feels like it’s been months since there was a big release worth a damn. ...So nothing gets bought. ...Of course I do the odd Eshop purchase but those are often just about $10 and it’s once a week.
I’ve purchased Hollow Knight, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Mega Man 11, Super Mario Party, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario + Rabbids DLC and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon this year for Switch and I’ve pre-ordered Pokémon Let’s Go and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate so I feel like I’ve been supporting the Switch decently this year.
The PS4 did a slightly better job this year though. Haven’t purchased many games for it but I’m currently enjoying Spider-Man and I’m looking forward to Resident Evil 2 Remake and The Last of Us Part II. Will be getting Fire Emblem, Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Pokémon next year for Switch.
Tales of Vesperia as well, but not sure which platform I should get it on.
Can somebody help me. It has reached 20 Million or not? https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/10/nintendo_switch_hits_22_86_million_worldwide_sales_has_now_outsold_the_gamecube
@Pete41608
I remember the "Nothing for me this week" comments when we still had the Virtual Console releases on the Wii U. Good times (and actually, not so good at the same time...)
@Cobalt
Why the HECK are you keep saying NO Switch games during 2018 ??
Listen, i bought these Switch games during year 2018 :
1. Lost Sphear (Multi Release)
2. 1-2-Switch
3. Portal Knights (Ports)
4. Overcooked (Ports)
5. Poi : Explorer Edition (Ports)
6. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary (Multi release)
7. Sushi Strikers (Also on 3DS)
8. Mario Tennis Aces
9. Yonder the Cloud Catcher Chronicles (Ports)
10. Go Vacation (HD Remake from Wii)
11. Overcooked 2 (Multi release)
12. Penguin Wars (Multi Release)
13. Little Dragon's Cafe (Multi Release)
14. LABO Toy Con 01
Will buy :
15. Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu
16. Crash Bandicoot N'Sane Trilogy (Ports)
17. Captain Toad (Wii U Port)
18. LABO Toy Con 03
Just look at the number of the games i bought and will buy. Ports , Remaster, Multi Release, Very few Only on Switch.
I DON'T Even care if the games are Ports or Not. Who the HECK Cares !
Will you suddenly LOST your gaming appetite when the games you played on PS4 Suddenly also on Nintendo Switch ??
What make you so HATE with Ports ??
If there is NO Ports, you CANNOT Even play the games from other machines.
And why the HECK you ONLY Care AAA games you mentioned about ??
Those games are NOT EVEN good at all !!
Eurgh! Typical knee-jerk reaction from investors... the Switch is selling very well, is clearly a commercial success and the growth is without any price cuts on either Hardware or first party Software - meaning Nintendo have big tools at their disposal to drive more growth beyond simply announcing and releasing more titles.
The comment he has made on releasing more DLC surely points towards a potential announcement for Super Mario Odyssey? I actually hope not, as I'm banking on them releasing an improved sequel to the game holiday 2019/ first half 2020. I'd hate for a knee-jerk reaction to scupper that and push it out through DLC for the first one instead...
It's amazing Sony and MS go months upon months without releasing 1st party and are like "oh, whatever" whereas Nintendo feels pressure when they're not putting out a new title every other month
@setezerocinco 20 mil in this fiscal year ie march 2018 to march 2019
@nocdaes def not a sequel , to soon, will def be dlc within a few months
Nintendo really are a hard company to understand , the first yr the project 8 mil sales and it ends up been 17. This year they project 20 mil and will prob end up been around 16-18 if lucky. dont see smash/poke making it past 20, halve the people buying these already have a switch. 20 mil will only be reached if china is in play
@Octane but it will shift hardware. Surely they can't be so narrowminde- oh wait. Ye, sure they can.
"We must keep releasing new software"
Someone please help me. I'm struggling to think of any new software Nintendo has released on Switch, since Mario Odyssey, apart from Sushi Striker.
Obviously, I'm not including the likes of DKCTF, CTTT, as new software, despite some new content in them.
I guess you could include XC2 and Torna as new Nintendo software, but still, the list seems pretty abysmal for a 12 month period.
EDIT: Doh! I've just remembered the likes of Kirby and Mario Tennis Aces. Stupid me. But I still think the amount of new software Nintendo has released since, well... half-way through the Wii U era, has been underwhelming.
@Beatley82
English isn't his first language.
@jockmahon now I got it. Thanks!
@setezerocinco
It's sold more than 20 million overall. But they're referring to their yearly goal. They wanted 20 million this year. Which is insane.
"And more focus on online play."
I read that as they missed their 37.9bil yen number by 7 bil b/c not as many people paid for online as they had projected.
Surely not the only reason, but I feel confident some of their miss is based on overestimating their paid online subscription fees.
should have already released switch sports
Those are still very good numbers. Games have been plentiful and of quality (I don't what rock those who say the contrary are living under) and holiday season is still on the horizon, with Smash looming and Pokemon looming ahead. No reason to worry, but investors are mostly a bunch of stupid meatheads who can't see further than their own nose.
Where's Spyro.
Nintendo bets big on Smash Bros, just like BotW last year... but not everyone likes fighting game. I rather play Civ 6 and Diablo 3.
Numbers are pretty good for how few first party exclusives they've had this year. Hope next year is more interesting though.
The games will keep coming for it...the only thing I wish the Switch had, was a trophy/achievement area on the console itself (not tied with having to go online). Other than that, there's still more games coming out, and they can continue the rush of bringing Wii U titles over (Super Mario 3D World, Yoshi's Woolly World, the first Platoon, Wonderful 101) and they can even re-release some of the Wii classics or even bring Gamecube titles over for the Switch (in the form of re-releasing retail-wise with HD remasters) to help fill in gaps. Other than that, other companies are also bringing more over, and granted that it still won't get as much as the PS4 has (seems that whatever console does the best during the generations, that console gets dumped with everything), it is in 2nd place (I believe it's doing better than Microsoft) and it's getting enough. Nintendo just needs to bring back their old sports franchise (not Mario-type or children type)...compete with Baseball sims, heck, even bring over a new Mario Golf or a possible...Mario Football??? Anyways, Smash will definitely be a big seller for them and Pokemon will help later! Ubisoft will continue with them like they always do, and I'm sure Sega will come through later too! Other games are also probably in the works now, and will possibly be announced in 2019...don't forget that many companies were waiting to see if the system would be a hit, now that they know it is, I'm sure many of those companies have been working on the games. There just needs to be more exclusive titles by other companies, not just nintendo, to get the fans rolling in, but nintendo also has to do their part in advertising other companies games (through TV) instead of just their own...and not advertise games that they already did when they were on Wii U (don't know how many Mario Kart 8 commercials I've seen). As I unfortunately, got rid of my Switch for reasons that we've had to, I am planning on getting it back eventually...but I just need that urge to be able to get it back, and this time actually play it.
A Switch price cut seems inevitable. Wait for Pokémon to launch and cut the price in time for Smash. Or a week after Smash launches, so people still have time to secure a machine for presents.
It does seem like Nintendo threw all its stuff out in 2017 and forgot to hold a but back for 2018. Its heavy hitters are only really just about to come out.
I suspect Smash will help but honestly I don’t see it as the huge system seller some people make it out to be. Pokemon Let’s Go on the other hand could help. It may not be as complex as the mainline titles but that won’t bother the casual and mainstream consumers; which have historically been the audience that have driven the most successful consoles.
Still 2018 has been a good year for me. Definitely more niche titles but honestly I don’t need super-AAA titles year after year constantly.
And anyone who say’s they do may need to revaluate their lives as they have too much time on their hands and playing too many games.
@FX102A Can you play too many games? I mean, seriously, write down what your perfect day/week/month/year/life would be, and the more 'playing' you do, the better, I say.
Was 2018 the same as 2017? No.
It did have a deluge of games though.
Bayonetta 1+2, Kirby Star Allies, Skies of Fury, Punchout Arcade, Go Vacation, Megaman Legacy 1+2, Megaman X Legacy 1+2, Pixeljunk Monsters 2, Bloodstained Curse of the Moon, Hyrule Warriors DE, Capcom Beatemup Bundle, Broforce, Nintendo Switch Online NES games, Valkyria Chronicles 1 and 4, Super Mario Party, Starlink, and coming soon Sega Genesis Classics, Atari Flashback Classics, Pokemon Let's Go, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Different from 2017, but still fun.
Cant wait for Smash, Pokemon and Ninjala!
@KingdomHeartsFan
I think what the majority of my friends did could be an interesting thing to do... they hacked their systems and now they have plenty of games to play...
I'm not fan of hacking so that's why I never did it but it is true that the Switch is much more interesting when hacked... and it's sad... :/
Between that pic of Furukawa and the ominous - yet awesome for all the wrong reasons - "the Holiday season battle begins now", I can't help but think of this.
After the quick chuckle, though, I realised how sad the mere idea of a "Holiday season battle" is. Unless you're thinking of the trope, it's truly a sign of how commercial Christmas has been made by the modern world.
On the non-sentimental side of things, however, if Nintendo finally decides to act up on the N64 Classic Mini trademark, then they have an easy win by marketing the console as "the late-nineties console that actually has a kart racer in it". Never thought I'd see again the day Nintendo could "pull a SEGA" in advertising - especially given Final Fantasy VII being on PS Classic is one last middle finger from the Midgar Cannon firing squad before, in 2019, the inevitable happens - but the opportunity for them to do so is RIGHT THERE.
I have a backlog to get through, so if 2018 has been a slow year for big new titles, I've been more than grateful for it.
@Cobalt
Every system ever gets more interesting when it’s hacked
Love the way people act as though no games are released at all. It's always charming.
The truth is different systems target different people. I've used my Switch the most right now because it's portable and I'm always out and about. My PS4 is stuck at home.
I also prefer being able to focus on one series of games portably and at home on my TV. Not everyone is like that. Do your research before you buy a console that's a year and a half old guys.
We also need to mention that apparently, the DLC focus is bigger than we're implying in the article.
This basically confirms DLC for Smash Ultimate, which seems already dead-set on throwing some curveballs at us. If we're getting DLC and is even more than what we got on Wii U and 3DS - seven fighters, nothing to sneeze at by any means! - then crowd pleasers are definitely a possibility.
@MarinaKat
Well...
Penguin Wars is a game that better played for waiting the line or playing for 10 - 15 minutes.
Quite worthy, despite the first Loading time was pretty long like LEGO CITY Undercover.
It feels like an HD GBA games.
@Spanjard The game in 2nd also doesn't have DLC.
@GrailUK
Not much hype online for Let's Go, maybe that's the reason.
Even though fans online are probably a minority among Pokemon's target audience.
@AlexSora89
To be fair Nintendo are a business. They only exist to make money. I don’t disagree with you about the commercialisation of Christmas but Nintendo are just doing what they have to do.
I don't think they are gonna hit that mark they set. But I am also not worried about the Switch. It's selling well, and they have a very impressive line up of games coming over the next several months/next year. For sure, before 2018 is over, I'll be getting Civilization 6, SSB Ultimate and Pokemon Let's Go. Adding to the 50+ games I already have on Switch.
Next year, for Sure, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, Pokemon(2019), Wargroove, Steins;Gate Elite and Metroid Prime. And those are just the ones I know of off the top of my head.
@electrolite77
Of course! Mine was just an aside thought, that's all. I did delve into the actual constructive comment afterwards.
The Switch is still doing well. Everyone new the number was high when they projected it. However, with the Pokémon title and Smash, they are going to move a lot of units this holiday season so it is still not out of the question.
That said. The first three quarters of the year was slow, but what do you expect? They were coming off a previous year where they released arguably two of the best games of all time.
It seems like some people think you can just throw a game together. Rockstar only releases a game every couple of years. Nintendo is releasing multiple games as well as supporting a system.
2019 looks to be a solid year, and if they get some of the same support that they had from third parties this year, it should be outstanding.
I don't get this doom and gloom. Things slowed down, sure, but it's still been a great year for the Switch. 2019 will also pick back up, but let's not forget you've got two system sellers coming out very soon.
Day 1 DLC for Pokemon and Smash conformed. I doubt there’s anything else DLC-wise in the pipeline.
(I say that secretly hoping for more Mario Kart 8 DLC/Odyssey DLC/Splatoon 2 DLC/Zelda DLC)
@KingdomHeartsFan a good game can be played more than once.
Also the Switch's portable form factor makes it easier to play quickly during lunch breaks at work, when the main tv is occupied, or a quick gaming session while waiting for dinner or whatever.
As someone who didn't game enough during the early 2010s due to my busy and financially poor life I've also been able to grab up many titles I missed since I don't have a Steam account or PS4.
It works for me and many average consumers skipped the Wii U. (I didn't but I did miss out on a lot of games I wanted to buy.)
And before the pot calls the kettle black every system ports over its best games from the previous generation. Fact of life.
Its why Super Mario Bros 3 and Resident Evil are remembered fondly by gamers.
Nintendo won't be able top the Switch's first year for a while, I think. Letting year 2 drift through with its current momentum and buzz, then ending 2018 with pokemon/smash is a solid strategy, as long as they really make a big push for a strong year 2019.
The alternative of putting all their resources towards having a strong first two years, then fizzling out afterwards would have taken YEARS off the lifespan of the system. I truly believe that as far as long term sales go, they made the correct choice here.
""We must START releasing new software""
There, fixed that for you 😉
@Pete41608 Missed a lot of great titles then, depending on how many months that is. As for me, I can't play through the games fast enough compared to how fast they're coming out!
This is what I've grabbed/will grab (without mentioning already released titles that I also bought) during these past few months:
June:
1. Hollow Knight
2. Crash Bandicoot N'Sane Trilogy
3. Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion
July:
1. Octopath Traveler
2. Code of Princess EX
August:
1. Iconoclasts
2. Okami HD
3. Dead Cells
4. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
5. Blade Strangers
6. Not really a title but new Hollow Knight DLC ayy
September:
1. SNK Heroines
2. Hyper Light Drifter
3. Undertale
4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna
5. Labyrinth of Refrain
6. Valkyria Chronicles 4
7. Dragon Ball FighterZ
October:
1. Dark Souls Remastered
2. Valkyria Chronicles
3. Yomawari: The Long Night Collection
4. Gal Metal
5. My Hero: One's Justice
6. 7 Billion Humans
7. Windjammers
8. The MISSING
9. Starlink
10. Tricky Towers
11. Disgaea 1 Complete
12. Super Mario Party
13. Death Mark
November:
1. Transistor
2. Pokémon Let's Go
3. MechaNika
4. Warframe
December:
1. Atelier Rorona
2. Atelier Totori
3. Atelier Meruru
4. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
5. Dragon: Marked for Death
That's all I could think off, probably missed a few. 40 games since June, not counting titles already released on the platform prior to June 2018... Not bad.
@Pete41608 Me neither, this year only bought 2 switch games ! And will only buy one more !! Last night I played Red Dead 2 for the 1st time and after 15 mins what I really felt was Poor Nintendo they ain’t got a shot at reaching this standards
I realized when I bought the Switch that there would be a couple games I year that I’d want. Unfortunately, there’s nothing this year I want. I was going to buy Smash, but I won’t play it much. I haven’t turned on my Switch in 2018. It’s hard to stop playing great games on other systems for decent games on Switch (and I’m not wasting time with ports). I think Luigi’s Mansion 3 will be my next game.
@Octane niantic has nothing to do with Let's Go. And for the millionth time, Nintendo owns the majority of TPC as well as all Pokémon trademarks
@Bizzyb because they have 3rd party releasing tons of big games. So it does not matter if they release a 1st party game or not.
https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/10/30/red-dead-redemption-2-achieves-biggest-opening-weekend-in-entertainment-history
Those usually only comes from Nintendo on their hardware. Why now it all rest on Pokemon and Smash (aka nintendo) to move Switch in the holidays. People look to them.
@Anti-Matter cool it, little Timmy
Yeah, more games, obviously. Smash looks incredible, and 2017 was an all-time great year for game releases, and not just on Switch. So I'll cut them some slack for 2018. But they need to bring out the big guns in 2019.
I think a few things have come into play here that Nintendo just didn't see coming.
They probably didn't expect the Online service to have such a negative impact on their hardware and software sales as a whole.
Most people would say Nintendo had 2 games coming for the holiday season this year, but Nintendo would have said 3... The other being Mario Party, they more than likely expected Mario Party to do similar numbers to their other bigger games too. My guess is, the fact that sales have fallen off a cliff after less than a month on the market is a real shock to them.
You couple this with the 3rd party holiday onslaught that Nintendo has gotten, missing out on big hitters, well Nintendo need to roll up sleeves and make some changes.
That’s a lot of pressure in Sakurai. Kind of ufair I’d you ask me. Ninte do should have prepared better and invested in more game’s like BotW and Mario Odessey this year.
I honestly feel they didn't advertise LABO properly at all.
They had probably hoped for more free word-of-mouth, viral, and played-it-at-a-friend's-house marketing.
We had the robot kit playable to guests at an expo last month as a fun activity, and nobody had heard of it.
He's not wrong, but the comments come off as generic damage control. Granted, investors can be grumpy, dangerous beasts....
"More focus on online"....
What?
Hope this doesnt mean they're going to go the F2P route.
They do need more local and multiplayer games though.
@KingdomHeartsFan some people perhaps. Nintendo's software sales are doing fantastic for the year so far though.
In summary: sorry you find the Switch offerings of 2018 disappointing.
I'm happy with them and I'm sure 2019-2020 will bring enough new games to keep most of us happy.
@Razer
Not having a big summer-hit ready this year was probably a head-scratcher to last year's early adopters who enjoyed Splatoon 2.
And honestly, I had expected them to bust out something big. LABO kind of could have been that big summer holiday thing for parent-kid bonding, but they really ought to have done a much better job with the marketing.
@gortsi Whoops, I read ''Pokemon GO''. Stupid names! They're way too similar.
@Octane
Too similar? Or... conveniently similar?
@Pod So when children ask for Pokemon Let's GO for the holidays, they wake up on boxing day to discover they're allowed to play Pokemon GO on their parent's tablet. Great idea
@Octane
Haha, I was thinking more in the vein of parents having a good idea of what they are looking at when kids shove a the game box, or a picture of it, in their face.
@3rdParty
Oh I should hope so.
I certainly consider LABO money well spent. And the Vehicle Kit seems to now have concept covered in terms of raw content, which was a common complaint levied against Variety and Robot.
@KingdomHeartsFan
Eh, I'm not suggesting people buy a Switch solely for the purpose of playing/using LABO.
Add Snes, Gameboy, N64, GBA, Gamecube, DS and Wii games to the online service and that will shift millions of units. No company's retro games have aged as well or are as emulated as much as Nintendo's. Do they not see that. I would gladly pay a £50 a year subscription for that. Also get more development studios working on bigger more diverse games. Splatoon is the only new core franchise I can remember them releasing in recent memory.
last game I got was megaman 11, and next game is smash. Still wish we had some more announcements. I really am interested when dragon quest 11 hits switch since I'm waiting to get it on switch more than likely. I really wish we were getting a real pokemon title this year i've been having the itch to play one, but don't feel like digging out the 3DS and still am probably not going to be buying let's go because I don't like what they are doing with the game so far.
I am unsure of how many systems Pokemon Let's Go and Smash Bros will sell. A mainline Pokemon game would shift a ton of units but this one seems like it is basic and for fans/obsessives/pre-teens only. Smash Bros is also a game for fanboys and I am sure all us fanboys own a Switch already. I hope I am wrong.
They need to fix the issues, voice chat, online package, Netflix, etc
@Cobalt
Yeah thats alot of games you bought on your ps4 within the months. So how about you take those "time" to complete each and every one of your games now instead of waiting for Nintendo to release theirs.....and dont forget your backlogs too. Have you platinumed spiderman? GOW?
By the way RDR 2 is easily a 300hrs game and im still playing it now and enjoying every moment of it. If anything to me... Nintendo pls not release anything until i get RDR 2 done.
Arent you supposed to be playing your games right now???what are you still doing on your phone and browsing and commenting posts for a site dedicated to Nintendo fans???
"We must keep releasing new software. That includes DLCs and other contents for big titles that are already out. And more focus on online play."
This could be taken as him wanting to make "live service" video games and that doesn't sit well with me.
"Lastly, more genres and diverse games to draw in people who don't currently play on Switch."
What a coincidence, I just so happen to have made a thread about what genres Nintendo should be tackling next a while ago, I'm like a seer or something.
@KingdomHeartsFan
I'm thinking it maybe could be, if they knew it existed, and knew what it was.
But most don't know it exists, and many that do have the wrong idea about what they will get.
Also, and this is just me speculating, we're hitting a parent generation where parents are so exhausted with keeping up, that they have generally afforded very little time to sharing their own ideas of what constitutes meaningful entertainment with their children.
One thing is letting them watch whatever they want on YouTube. That's not TOO different from Television. But only taking them to plays/movies/concerts that the kids say they want, and feeling they have to "put up with it" instead of taking them to something they as parents consider valuable is something I'm seeing a lot of. Same with the kind of music played at home. It's what the children want to hear.
Parents like that would never get LABO unless a child specifically asked for it.
@3rdParty
I don't think I wrote anywhere that I think LABO is doing poorly, but it evidently isn't quite yet hitting the kind of mass market audience that some of their internal department heads had crossed their fingers and hoped for.
The holidays will be a good time for boxes of that size and price, and with all three kits from the initial trailer out, there's something for everyone.
More software? Yes! Always!
BUT, some of that slow-down IS contributed to Nintendo ONLINE being poorly handled, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
I know people who were dead set on buying a Switch this past month but quickly backed out once Nintendo ONLINE was launched and those folks saw how featureless it was in comparison to PSN and XBL, even at only $19 a year.
So Nintendo, if you're reading any of this, you NEED to fix it. You need to give us the "Robust Online Service" that you promised us. You can't just sit on your hands about it. It's too big of an issue to ignore. Online play is a HUGE part of gaming along with accompanying features like dedicated servers, voice/party chat throughout the whole console system (not just in-game), leader boards, achievements, player activity feeds and competent mobile apps. This is all standard stuff now. Why aren't you guys following this model??
Please Nintendo START LISTENING. Do more than just simply slapping some NES classics into the package while leaving everything else virtually the same prior to ONLINE's launch. Gamers everywhere know that overall, your service is bad! Hell, even YOU know it's bad via YouTube feedback. All of the issues we have with Nintendo ONLINE have been covered to death there, so I'm pretty sure you guys know what all the problems are. Fix them so that you guys don't chase away anymore potential sales over it.
@3rdParty
I am again not implying at all that it is failing, or that it is not being accepted by the audience that it IS reaching.
But it has been quite poorly advertised in some parts of the world, and it has been in danger of being (and in some cases has already been) taken off shelves again by retailers that didn't move units.
All I am saying is that some parts of the corporate decision making machine seem to have hoped for a stronger word-of-mouth effect, and a subsequent better buzz and sell-through during summer.
Things might not have gone as fast as they could have, but now it's all out there and available, and I'm personally loving it, so I'm hoping many more will as well. I'm sure sales will only increase.
Need to have a sale on the Switch system or at least add a game or 2 on the sale. Also, NVIDIA has gamestream tech already and should have been included on the Switch. It would open up the Switch to a new market, the PC player that would like to play mobile or on the TV. Lost opportunity for Nintendo and NVIDIA.
"We need continuous growth. We must keep releasing new software. That includes DLCs and other contents for big titles that are already out. And more focus on online play. Lastly, more genres and diverse games to draw in people who don't currently play on Switch.
A focus on DLC and online play is disturbing. Online is not what Nintendo does well. Online is not what Switch does best. IF they want to make Switch, the machine with low storage and portably non-online play into a DLC online monster, then why not just adopt PSNow/XCloud, etc. and be done with it? This guy, I don't know that I'm fond of him. He seems to have the wrong ideas of what makes Nintendo sell. I'm not sure his idea of the future of Switch is what most of us want it to be.
And since when does DLC sell consoles?
@Razer I fear Nintendo "making changes" means retreating into a Wii like hole, accepting they can't compete with the core industry, and just going in an opposite direction of what long-time fans want.
@Pod I agree that the lack of any major summer game was really a major failure. I could see ports in Winter, even Spring. But other than Torna the only summer game was Tennis. That's apparently a system seller to a degree. But it had almost no buzz to it. E3 was a wasted opportunity to keep Nintendo in the buzz of the hardcore by doing "The Super Smash Show", and wer'e a few weeks away from LGPikachu and I've seen no real advertising for the masses. Meanwhile RDR2, Fallout76, CoD is everywhere.
Excluding the WiiU re-releases and "first portable ports" of older 3rd party games, their year, Christmas to Christmas, consists of Tennis, Sushi Striker, Torna, LGPikachu, Smash, and Starlink/Starfox DLC, Kingdom Battle DLC, and Splatoon DLC. That's not much for the main part of the year. There's been quite a few good 3rd party launch games, Valkyria 4, etc. But that won't move consoles (if you're buying a console for those you'll buy a PS4 unless you want Switch for other reasons.) Civ6 is so far console exclusive on Switch.
With everything combined they have a lot of games this year. WiiU games for the people that skipped WiiU (which is most), a few good exclusives, and a few day and date multiplats, a bunch of older classic games that have never been portable. But they advertised it all very poorly as usual, hoping for word of mouth sales to do the job.
I'm a Switch superfan but I've gone nuts on XB1/PS4 since the start of 2018 using the switch mostly for summertime outdoor play and Xenoblade.
Edit: Oh and I forgot about Kirby this year, but while it was fun, it was kind of short and shallow compared to Planet Robobot, as though it was raced out to get it out.
Maybe we should stop hiring, listening to, or taking any advice from external analysts? Reading the piece up there, it says that outside analysts over guessed things, and now for some dumb reason Nintendo has to make excuses for others mistakes despite having an amazing year in sales. Time to stop listening to those clowns and taking financial advice from them to the level it can damage a company victims of their stupidity.
@Dezzy I had a feeling.
@Cobalt I mean most of those games you can get on PC anyways, PS4 isn’t dominating any more than Xbox and PC are. Red Dead and Spiderman are really the only two console exclusives to worry about this season that Nintendo needs to compete with.
With the strong rumours about a revision of the Switch due in 2019 they will really struggle to sell the 20 million they suggested. It was extremely tough already but that just made it nearly impossible. It will sell well over the next few months, Pokemon (although not the Pokemon we are after) along with Smash, Mario Party and evergreen titles it will shift some serious units over the holiday's. It will sell very well but not quite as well as they had hoped is my prediction.
Labo did ok, but that's about it. It was not a serious system seller but not a failure either. However, Nintendo may have been better off putting these resources into other ideas for the system.
@Pod i think possibly they were trying to play it safe with labo? What with all the "you're trying to sell cardboard" publicity they got when it was first released.
Not sure though, i know some of it is meant to be quite decent since the launch but I've never tried it.
@Cobalt @RazorThin
"...most of those games you can get on PC anyways, PS4 isn’t dominating any more than Xbox and PC are..."
Tell that to Ubisoft that just reported Q2... 44% of sales is "dominating". I mean actually more than X1/PC/Switch combined🙄
@Agramonte Anyone can skew numbers to show what they want.
Trolls just hate the fact that a Switch can have more games without AAA. All games are ports and just because Switch gets them it must bind your britches. And that it can still sell without AAA games just hurts the fanboys.
He's like the definition of "basic".
@Cobalt Well get rid of it then. End of problem.
@Cobalt
Why does having no games to play on the switch bother you? Didnt you just mentioned the list of ps4 games you bought?? Play those and seal your N.switch away until their games arrive. If it was such a letdown sell it off.
Nothing since octopath? Sure go play AC odyssey, RDR 2 and based on the list of games you mentioned, i suggest you start off with tomb raider......
I do hope that more DLC means more mario kart 8 tracks. I really think that game could be sustained for the switch's lifetime.
@Cobalt this is what fanboys does when they find they play last fiddle the urge to bind their britches must hurt their manhood. To that I saw that your own fault. Can't take it then stop posting fanboy hatin then.
I can see some people complaining about not getting new games on Switch.
That's because you guys haven't tried to complete 100 percent on Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or Zelda Breath of the Wild.
@NEStalgia
It's still a pretty good year, and as a big fan of indie games, I'm certainly not the one who's been in need of something to play.
@3rdParty
I'm certainly hoping it'll stick around. Nintneod announced that they would enjoy working with outside developers on future kits, for maximum inventive power.
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