The financials behind Nintendo going 3rd party

[theRepublic]

Teeqoz said:

the_dengle said:

You haven't convinced me of such. Their games sell pretty well on a console with under 10 million sales, and would presumably sell great on a console with 30 million. 30% more sales is not the amount needed for a huge increase in profits, it's the amount needed to break even on going third-party. A ten-million seller would have to sell at least 15 million to justify the shift. And they would lose the potential of hitting it big with a Wii-like (or even NES-like) success. Giving up the control they have over their ecosystem and the possibility of reasonably popular hardware is a risky endeavor.

The attach rate off their games would scale even if the console sold 30 million. I know Mario Kart 8 has like a 50% attach rate to the Wii U, but it wouldn't have sold 15 million if the Wii U had sold 30 million. How many 10 million sellers do Nintendo have (for home console)? I can't think of any. I can think of plenty that could be if they released them on more platforms.

You are on a damn sales website.  You don't have to think about it.  Just look it up.

1	Wii Sports	Wii	2006	Sports	Nintendo	82.41
2	Super Mario Bros.	NES	1985	Platform	Nintendo	40.24
3	Mario Kart Wii	Wii	2008	Racing	Nintendo	35.15
4	Wii Sports Resort	Wii	2009	Sports	Nintendo	32.63
5	Pokémon Red / Green / Blue Version	GB	1996	Role-Playing	Nintendo	31.37
6	Tetris	GB	1989	Puzzle	Nintendo	30.26
7	New Super Mario Bros.	DS	2006	Platform	Nintendo	29.66
8	Wii Play	Wii	2006	Misc	Nintendo	28.89
9	Duck Hunt	NES	1984	Shooter	Nintendo	28.31
10	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	Wii	2009	Platform	Nintendo	27.96
11	Nintendogs	DS	2005	Simulation	Nintendo	24.66
12	Mario Kart DS	DS	2005	Racing	Nintendo	23.12
13	Pokémon Gold / Silver Version	GB	1999	Role-Playing	Nintendo	23.10
14	Wii Fit	Wii	2007	Sports	Nintendo	22.69
15	Wii Fit Plus	Wii	2009	Sports	Nintendo	21.72
16	Super Mario World	SNES	1990	Platform	Nintendo	20.61
17	Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day	DS	2005	Misc	Nintendo	20.12
18	Pokémon Diamond / Pearl Version	DS	2006	Role-Playing	Nintendo	18.21
19	Super Mario Land	GB	1989	Platform	Nintendo	18.14
20	Super Mario Bros. 3	NES	1988	Platform	Nintendo	17.28
21	Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire Version	GBA	2002	Role-Playing	Nintendo	15.85
22	Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day	DS	2005	Misc	Nintendo	15.29
23	Pokémon Black / White Version	DS	2010	Role-Playing	Nintendo	15.07
24	Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition	GB	1998	Role-Playing	Nintendo	14.64
25	Pokémon X/Y	3DS	2013	Role-Playing	Nintendo	12.72
26	Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Wii	2008	Fighting	Nintendo	12.58
27	Animal Crossing: Wild World	DS	2005	Simulation	Nintendo	12.09
28	Super Mario 64	N64	1996	Platform	Nintendo	11.89
29	Pokémon Heart Gold / Soul Silver Version	DS	2009	Role-Playing	Nintendo	11.72
30	Super Mario Galaxy	Wii	2007	Platform	Nintendo	11.24
31	Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins	GB	1992	Platform	Nintendo	11.18
32	Mario Kart 7	3DS	2011	Racing	Nintendo	10.64
33	Super Mario All-Stars	SNES	1993	Platform	Nintendo	10.55
34	Pokémon FireRed / LeafGreen Version	GBA	2004	Role-Playing	Nintendo	10.49
35	Super Mario 64	DS	2004	Platform	Nintendo	10.25
36	Super Mario 3D Land	3DS	2011	Platform	Nintendo	10.09