By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close


How does Splatoon honestly appeal to the people who like Battlefield and Grand Theft Auto though? It doesn't really. 

That's part of Nintendo's issue is they are known for and like to make very family friendly, Disney-approved type franchises in an industry where "third party support" really means hyper-violent action games and sports sims for the jock crowd and not a whole lot else. 

In a way, Nintendo's decline in the console market, seeing what's its become is fairly understandable. Sony/MS can just tap into that audience better because there is no conflict in content there, they are all about hyper violent action games and sports titles. 

Nintendo's never going to be competetive head-on with Sony/MS for all the big third party franchises, that's kinda part and parcel of the problem too. Third parties don't need Nintendo, Sony/MS let them access all the consumers they really want, so Nintendo is basically just the third wheel. 

What?  No, I was saying Splatoon was the only game recently outside Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart, and Smash to get any marketing worth a penny. 

And even those were mismarketed sometimes.  Not that it was one of their diversification IPs :P.  Diversication would be found in Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, F-Zero, Metroid, Fatal Frame, Golden Sun, even Mother plus 3rd party exclusives and spinoffs like Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2, Wonderful 101, No More Heroes, Last Story, etc.  They own and have worked with 3rd parties to make some decidedly NOT childish games and new IP.  They just never, ever market those worth anything.  If Xenoblade Chronicles X was an upcoming Sony exclusive, they would never let us hear the end of it.  They would show it off everywhere, talk it up, advertise it constantly as release approached.  Nintendo, on the other hand, didn't just not market the first Xenoblade they freaking kneecapped it before sending it west.  Metroid Prime?  That would get the freaking Last of Us treatment; you wouldn't be able to escape that game if Sony or Microsoft were making it.  Problem is, Nintendo spends money making these games (the aforementioned IP and of course third party exclusives like Bayonetta 2 or No More Heroes) and then do exactly nothing to market it.  They have potential for an extremely wide appeal.  They don't because despite having the resources and IP, they seem to think that adults develop telepathy, especially in the west, and don't need to be informed of or sold on anything.

But this conversation isn't really going anywhere and these quote trees are getting ridiculous so let's call this done. :P

Nintendo's never really been great at marketing. The last generation they weren't outmarketed was in the 1980s.