Nintendo has no idea why core titles don't sell (and more)

[trestres]

I think core games don't sell because most core gamers already own an HD console or have a PC. There's far more options for those platforms, that having to wait for months for a big hitter to come may be disturbing for many. The Wii was really not marketed towards the core, and Nintendo is actually feeling this now almost 3 years into the gen. Plus casual and new gamers need a lot of innovation and simplicity to become attracted, so I think Nintendo will have to shift a lot of energies and resources in trying to make and innovate a lot for new experiences that can be good for casual gamers, while leaving the core experiences as secondary.

If you look how Japan and Others have been receiving core Wii titles made by Nintendo as of late, you will see that they have spur no interest at all and most have been huge flops, while casual games with something new have been able to sell through the roof. Wii is selling mostly to casual gamers as the biggest group, hardcore Nintendo fans as the secondary group and core gamers as a small group that is way too little in comparison to the rest.

I think the initial marketing towards casuals/families, the stigma that Nintendo was for little kids that got carried since the N64 and the fact that there were almost no good core games from third parties during the first 2 years, are what probably drove most core gamers to buy an HD console or stick with their PC.

That may be the main reason why we see casual games becoming hits very easily, as well as big 1st party core games from known franchises, but for the rest of the games, the core ones and smaller Nintendo IP's, there seems that there's no such fanbase willing to buy these games like they do with games on the HD's, and specially the 360. Plus with 3rd party devs still not willing to develop big sized and high quality titles, Wii will never be the best choice for hardcore gamers outside Nintendo fans. It's discouraging but that's how I think it is.

And that's why I think Nintendo is now trying to bring the core back by announcing Metroid Other M which is made by Team Ninja and SMG2, but that's not the what they should be doing, as those games will mostly sell to Nintendo fans, who already probably own a Wii. They should take some risks, and make a couple of huge AAA quality new IP's strictly for the hardcore (No Zelda isn't a new IP), because third parties will obviously never will. But it may be too late already in the gen.