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Kyuu on 20 October 2024
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archbrix said:
Kyuu said:

100%

My main point here is that having a Switch version released simultaneously with the other versions is bound to hurt the sales of the other versions (so... it adds but also subtracts). A lot of Switch players who like these sort of games own a second platform and may favor Switch's portability for multiplats.

If Switch/Switch 2 starts having every major game from here on out released on it day 1, it'll slowly "convert" Playstation players (PC is converting some too). So you're not just "adding" sales. Overall it'll be a net addition, but not by the huge margins that make a notable difference as far as Japan vs the world.

That is not a de facto rule at all.  You're forgetting the large number of people who would be interested in a game on the PS5, but will skip that game all together because it's on a platform they have no interest in.  In those cases, a version of said game on Switch would purely be added sales to the title's total and not taking away from a PS5 version whatsoever.

EDIT: An good example is RE4 on the GC/PS2.  Did the game being on PS2 take away from the GC version's sales?  Absolutely; especially because Capcom announced it shortly before the game released on GC.  But the game's sales were much greater overall thanks to also releasing on another console with a far bigger userbase.

I don't know how anyone can conclude that I'm forgetting this. The net sales of all versions combined would go up for sure (precisely because a segment of gamers will never buy it on anything but Switch) but by nowhere near the margins implied by the install base advantage. It's just not going to make a big difference for Japan against the world.

Switch's got a lot of late ports that ended up selling rather poorly considering its install base. The main reason is simple: "most" (not "ALL") people who were interested in the game got it on the other platforms before Switch became an option. Had those late ports launched on Switch simultaneously with the other versions, sales on Switch would have been higher, but at the cost of lower PS and maybe PC sales.

If RE4 launched on PS2 and GC simultaneously. GC sales (I bought two GC copies btw and one is still sealed lol) would have been a lot lower and PS2 sales higher for ultimately similar totals. But as far as 3rd party software sales (excluding Indies which are priced different and have their own little trends/patterns), Switch vs Playstation is NOT playing out like PS2 vs GameCube. Counting digital, a lot of multiplats sell fairly comparable numbers between Switch and Playstation in Japan. Perhaps over time, Nintendo's large playerbase will revitalize Japanese interest in some IP's. But as it stands, 3rd party sales are quite poor even on Switch, including multiplats that release day 1 on it.

Last edited by Kyuu - on 20 October 2024