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pokoko on 01 November 2016
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Veknoid_Outcast said:
pokoko said:
It's the path that they've chosen. Changing that path now would require serious effort and money, neither of which Nintendo seems keen on dedicating to western third party developers and publishers--though they will give money and attention to Japanese third party develops and publishers. If I were a Nintendo fan, I think I would be more annoyed about that discrepancy than anything.

Otherwise, many companies do just fine by sticking to a niche.

It's a bit different being a hardware manufacturer than simply a content provider, however. A niche company on iPhone, for example, potentially has access to all of iPhone's consumer base. When your entire platform is niche, on the other hand, you have to continually find ways to bring in new customers to make up for the ones you lose naturally over time. A lack of growth will eventually lead to contraction and brand erosion down the line.

I see what you're saying, but what is niche about Pokemon, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart? About Tomodachi Life and Monster Hunter? Smash Bros. and Splatoon? These are titles that appeal to a wide variety of demographics. If anything Sony and Microsoft risk contraction, as those companies (and third parties) are relying more and more on entrenched customers spending more instead of recruiting new customers. Look at PS4 Pro and Scorpio. Not exactly reaching for the lowest common denominator.

Relatively speaking, and as a platform.  They're niche in terms of what they do not offer compared to more open platforms.  If you don't like the term, just sub in something else.  They're like Toys R Us or Bass Pro Shop compared to Wal-mart or Target.  They have a more narrow focus and product range and thus a lower potential base-line.  

In order to augment that number, they would have to do something besides just replicate the same type of line-up the Wii U had.  Hardware gimmick/innovations, third party support, and combining their software output are all methods of doing that.  The first two are proven, while the last one has to prove that it will do the trick.

To follow that up, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being more specialized.  Often, specialized companies have greater profit margins.  Nintendo could finish in "third place" and still do quite well for themselves.