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archbrix on 16 March 2015
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Soundwave said:
Areym said:
Splatoon and Mario Maker will not move many units, even in bundle form. A magnificent E3, price drop and heavy, HEAVY zelda marketing will make it more likely.


I think a big chunk of the Zelda fanbase is already on the Wii U. 

There's been Zelda: Wind Waker HD w/bundle, Hyrule Warriors, and the Zelda franchise also plays a big role in Smash Brothers ... so there's plenty of reason for core Zelda fans to already be on board. 

I don't think it will cause a big hardware boost at all, especially another cartoon-style Zelda, that's not the art style the "general gamer" who usually doesn't care for Nintendo IP but might be willing to buy in for Zelda goes for. 

I don't think Splatoon will do what Nintendo fans are hoping for either, in fact I think it will be lucky itelf to topple 1.5m LTD ... which is no system seller. '

I wouldn't be stunned honestly if Mario Maker actually ends up with the best LTD sales out of Nintendo's 2015 releases. 

Pretty much agree with your entire post and I wholeheartedly agree with the bolded.  While many forum-goers aren't all that hyped for Mario Maker, it really does have the most potential to appeal to a lot of people, especially the broader market.  Aunt Kathy that's now in her late 30's probably won't have the patience for Zelda and would likely find Splatoon's control scheme too complex, but she remembers Super Mario Bros and the incredibly intuitive controls and design method of Mario Maker could very much appeal to her when making/playing levels with her kids, nieces and nephews.

Of course, none of this means much without proper marketing.  Something similar to the first 20 seconds or so of the reveal trailer would be perfect for a commercial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLS458ekSEI

But Nintendo should really go a couple of steps further for the holidays and reveal a WiiU with a new sleeker, more aesthetically pleasing Gamepad coupled with a reasonable price drop ($249-$269) that comes bundled with MM (probably pre-installed).  Now add in the variety that Zelda, Starfox, XCX and Splatoon provides and that would give the console the most potential to do much better in every market.