| Shadow1980 said:
And no individual game, nor any particular lineup of notable games released over a brief period of time, has ever caused an increase in baseline sales lasting for months on end. It. Just. Doesn't. Happen. A system having a good performance in general does depend greatly on the strength of its library, but actual sales growth for periods longer than a month or two is, as far as can be determined from the data, not the result of any one game or even a group of closely-released games. We've never seen a strong lineup in one year (or half-year, or quarter) do it with any other system before. Why assume it's suddenly a thing with the Switch? |
WiiU + Mario Kart 8:
In general these effects are better visible on a weak console like WiiU. But there are past examples like Pokemon on Gameboy.
The momentum of a console doesn't come from thin air. It is the value you see in it overall, which is mostly defined by it's games. So a certain game may push you from fence sitting to buying the device. This is often close to the release of the game, but has an extended effect as now new people got onto the fence with this game and slight pushes are enough. Or maybe on some the effect is delayed, because they need to save the money or something.
And yes, a system seller also works on the back of the already established library. But that doesn't change it's status as a system seller. Because all the library did was make a background of games that read into the decision making like: after I played the system seller, I still have something to avoid the console gathering dust.
See all the comments aka: I don't pay 300€$ for just Mario. Realize that these comments were never made for say Picross. Because it is really clear nobody buys a system for Picross. But making these comments means people actually start considering a system for that game they make the comment about. They were transformed from uninterested in the system to sitting on the fence. And that is the power of a system seller. A torrent of smaller games does not do that, it doesn't move the needle. But the system sellers do. And yes, maybe you need multiple of the system sellers to be convinced. That doesn't change their status, because each time it releases a new bunch of customers are in reach for marketing and sales and offers and word of mouth to be converted to purchasers.
EDIT: You say the momentum was a result of COVID-19. But despite the lockdowns and virus effects hitting countries at different times, the "virus related effect" hit all around the world coincidentially at the time of the Animal Crossing release. And despite the virus related lockdowns increasing over the year, the virus momentum did wear off with time after Animal Crossing:
Too strange. I also guess some virus hit at the time New Super Mario Bos 2 hit 3DS, as momentum stayed at least 30K above the first half of the year in 2012:
