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I think a subscription service (maybe as a part of the Switch's online service or even separately like the Xbox Game Pass/PSNOW) that lets you access the VC games will mitigate this. As paying $20-30$ or so per year to access the entire VC library as opposed to individually purchasing the games might give people more funds to invest in Indie games and smaller titles. Although, the downside to this will obviously be that many users will not be satisfied with the subscription option and may desire to own their VC library.

It will be a hard act to balance, just looking at the Wii U and 3DS eShop charts, one can see how VC has somewhat stifled other software. Also, contrary to what others say about how Nintendo's quality VC titles should not be held back to accommodate low-quality Indies, I do want to point out that the reason why these VC games tend to sell well is partially due to familiarity and price. When you give people something they are familiar with and like as opposed to something they are unfamiliar with, particularly when people have limited resources or a set budget, they will got with what they find familiar. Another factor is that these indie titles and VC titles are typically priced similarly; this automatically puts Indies at a disadvantage because their pricing reflects a new game that was created with budget constraints and meant to be sold at a lower price on the other hand the older titles in the VC library were designed to be sold at full price and had much higher initial budgets. These VC games, unlike their indie counterparts, have most likely already been profitable on the original system they were released so they can be released for a lower price. Quality does not play a huge role here. One thing that may help increase exposure and familiarity with these indie titles is to A) redesign the eShop with a front page that features these games (as opposed to only showing the latest games and letting older games fall into the abyss) and B) partnering with Indies to increase exposure to their titles. This can be done by offering discounts or even access to select indie games on a time limited basis through the Switch subscription service (which is supposed to have game discounts included).

Last edited by nemo37 - on 18 January 2018