thismeintiel said:
I think this is something people are ignoring when they talk about Labo as a toy. Firstly, I don't really recall any toy that sold poorly, or just ok, and then became a massive hit about 8 months later, just because it was the holidays. Usually those things are massive hits within a few days/weeks, and it just makes the holiday season an even crazier buying frenzy. And 2nd, it really doesn't help that you can't just use Labo by itself. You have to have a $300 Switch. Which is why it is mostly selling to those who already had it, instead of spurring Switch sales, like Nintendo wanted it to do. Sure, we may get a $300 bundle during the holiday season, but that's still $300 to play with a cardboard toy w/ a few minigames. |
Except Nintendo isn't expecting Labo to be a monster hit out of the gate. They said they want to nurture it as a long-term product, and Labo is selling at a very steady pace. It's never left the top 5 since launch, so that's an assuring sign that it's off to a good start. Plus, even then, it still did very well at launch. For comparison's sake, lets look at Labo's first week sales in Japan, compared to another Nintendo "expanded audience" title, Brain Age.
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! = 44.166
Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit = 90,410
The Variety Kit alone, outperformed Brain Age's first week sales. And even if it isn't #1 in the following weeks, it's still been in the Top 5 in Media Create since Launch, so while Not a monster seller, the fact that it has legs shows Nintendo is on to something here.
