The success stories of indie games landing on the Switch eShop continue to roll in, with Alwa's Legacy being the latest to perform significantly better on Nintendo's platform than elsewhere.
Mikael Forslind, Co-founder and Game Designer at developer Elden Pixels, has revealed that Alwa's Legacy has sold more copies on Switch in just over one week than it managed in four months on Steam. It's an impressive statistic, and one that shows just how hungry Switch players are for new indie delights.
We've been hearing tales like this for a long time now, with a number of developers speaking out about the Switch's digital store and how game sales regularly compare positively to other platforms.
Still, huge sales are never a guaranteed thing; in a recent Nintendo Life feature, we spoke to No More Robots' Mike Rose who explained that poor visibility on the Switch eShop is forcing publishers to apply heavy discounts to get noticed.
Do you find yourself more likely to pick up a new indie title on Switch than any other platform? Do you think that the Switch eShop is a great place to find new games, or would you like to see changes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
[source twitter.com, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 25
That is cool! I am not a fan of Metroidvanias, but I am happy for the devs
Happy to see that. I bought it on day one after reading some reviews and play it everyday since then. This game is awesome and really stands out in the crowd of pixelated metroidvanias.
Interesting. The high ratings from reviewers probably also helped it on Switch.
Glad its doing well. Its a phenomenal game.
If you develop a quality game that people will want to play and put at least the bare minimum into marketing then people will find it and buy it. Heavy discounts might be the way to go for average/poor games to sell well but good word of mouth is equally effective. It also helps if your game is a good fit for the platform. I think Nintendo's player base probably has a pretty large number of players who enjoy metroidvanias in general so it's not a big surprise to see them do well on the system.
I am always happy to see another success story on Nintendo Switch!
Is there a physical version of this game? With the success of the first one in mind they should have done it. This time the not-knowing-if-it's-going-to-sell logic doesn't apply.
Some developers complain about the visibility of games on the eshop, and yet there are endless examples of it being a more successful place to sell.
Seems contradictory...
I still say that at the end of the day, the eshop is a great place to sell quality games.
Inb4 someone downplays this.
But yeah, impressive sales for the Switch version. Regarding discoverability and all that on the eShop, this further cements how people judge value. Alwa is $18, for what is considered a great metroidvania. A couple of No More Robots games were $25, and while they may not be considered terrible games, maybe a 7/10 indie title may not be worth it to most folks.
Quality titles get picked up by reviewers. If it then gets reviewed well, then it's got a fair shot and selling well. Titles lacking in quality or that seem generic or substandard probably won't be reviewed and therefore it probably won't sell well.
The point of the article is to highlight their success on Switch as opposed to the Steam version, not their success on Switch compared to other Switch titles. The positive reviews helped, but they likewise should have helped the Steam version, too.
I think @BenAV hit on it. It is a great game, but it also must be a great fit for the Switch (vs playing it on Steam).
Great to hear, I love this game! Feels like a classic nes game in a good way and still with a modern touch, very addictive and hard to put down. Keep up the good work!
Switch is a better platform to play indies on than Steam. Simple as. Every dog and their goose with a well-made indie game on Steam should have ported their games to Switch by now. WTF is Fez and Rakuen?
No offense to that other dev you did an article with, but maybe their game is just for a niche audience and that’s why their sales weren’t the best. I mean that or the game wasn’t any good... I looked up the game they did with that super discount applied and it didn’t look appealing to me at all.
Well deserved ... gorgeous pair of games. Really nailed the aesthetic of the different console gens they were inspired by.
It's good that it has sold well as it's a really good game in itself. I would wish the devs luck in sales on any platform but it's interesting, and actually heartening I suppose, that it has sold especially well on the Switch
This game works better imo on a Switch than a PC.
I play the PC for big blockbuster stuff. The Switch is perfect for the simple pixel side scroller.
Great! Now put in on sale for us po folk!
Yes. My Xbox is for stuff I can't get on the Switch. I really don't use it as much as I should, but a lot of that is due to family not having interest in gaming.
@KryptoniteKrunch I think that example is especially true. I can't speak to them myself, but from what I've seen and read, that developer's games just aren't actually worth what they think they are. The reality is that value is solely dictated by the consumer, not the creator. People will buy anything if it's cheap enough, of course, but they'll also be happy to buy if devs just make games that the audience wants to play.
I can't help but feel that it comes down to controls. Unless you're one of those die-hard "PC Master Race" people, I assume that you like playing a game with a controller instead of a keyboard!
Thanks for the article and awesome to read, Gonna have to put this on my wishlist, this is the first year getting into indie games, usually i'll pick it up on Switch before purchasing it on other systems if I enjoy the game a lot. Handheld mode for indie games on the go is so wonderful lol
Yes, as a gamer I usually get indie games on Switch more than other platforms like PS.
There is something about handheld and indies that just fits...
Got my eyes in Alwa's games.
I'm guessing the anytime, anywhere idea is why Switch versions of indies are so popular. They also tend to be smaller file sizes so fit on the SD card nicely.
Alwas Legacy is on my wishlist for now but definitely getting it, got to play Alwas Awakening first.
Yes, I will always buy the switch version. Physical would be even better but if I buy it on switch it's easy to play on the TV and in handheld.
Tap here to load 25 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...