Volterra_90 said:
I know, right? I mean, I have a Switch and a PS4, so maybe I'm buying Switch games because I want it? Not because there isn't anything else? XD. In fact, I think the latest PS4 output was far from stellar tbh. I'm playing Dark Souls 3 because I don't feel anything new is worth buy it. Except for some indie games which I prefer to play on Switch because of portability. Well, I enjoyed the first Destiny (I know it's divisive but I feel that gameplay is rock solid and fun), so that might change. |
I think a part of the problem here is that people are misrepresenting the argument (both some of those making it, and some arguing against it). It's not that there isn't "anything else", or that Switch users are" desperate" (both frankly hyperbolic) it's just that there's a smaller general pool of great options. The larger that pool gets (which it will as the console ages), the more spread out the sales will be (attach ratios increase considerably slower than a console's library does). There's a limit to how far that will go though, and at its most extreme you end up with stuff like the appstore where thousands of great apps are literally drowned in shit.
We know from Nintendo's own sales figures that the Switch's overall attach ratio has so far been fairly normal (relative to install base size and growth rate), and that 60%+ of Switch software sales are from 3 games (Zelda, MK8D, and Arms). So if Switch users don't appear to be buying an unusual number of games, yet many indie games are selling far better on the Switch despite being part of a minority of a relatively normal sales trend on a new (if so far very successful) console, it's natural to wonder why. As things stand, the 'less competition is letting some great games flourish on the Switch' seems like a logical explanation.
This isn't a new argument either. The same logic can be (and was) used as a potential explanation for why early cross-gen titles had heavily inflated attach ratios on the PS4 and X1, or why indies initially got so much attention on them too. It wasn't a negative or excuse for them, just an explanation. When something seemingly odd happens, people like to work out why. Problems arise when others decide to add their own spin to what should be a fairly neutral discussion.
