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Forums - Gaming - Where Does Nintendo Go If Wii U Never Takes Off?

sales2099 on 22 January 2013
Soundwave said:
sales2099 said:
Nintendo has learned that they need casuals to stay alive. WiiU just doesnt bring in the same crowd that Wii did.

Expect this to be the last "core first" Nintendo console, because frankly, there aren't enough core to support them anymore.


There is no where to go with a "casual console" either though. iOS/Android/tablets have sucked all that type of gamer up. 

I think Microsoft will try a middle ground console with the 720 and try to push Kinect 2 and the broader Windows TV type features as a main selling tool next time out though. 

Well then, in 5 years Nintendo will be SOL no matter what they do then lol



Xbox: Best hardware, Game Pass best value, best BC, more 1st party genres and multiplayer titles. 

 

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Gamerace on 22 January 2013
Soundwave said:
*Sound Of Rain said:

 

If the Wii U manages to sell 20 Million+ like the GameCube did, they will likely just release another System in 2017 and move on.

If Wii U fails completely as in pulls a Saturn or Dreamcast and manages only 8-10 Million lifetime, I'd assume that Nintendo would stop making Home Consoles, and focus on their Handhelds. I personally don't think that would ever happen though. 

Plus, unlike back in 2001, a lot of people buy more than 1 System per gen. PS2 completely dominated while the GC & XB were left with only the Deepest and most dedicated fans. Wii wasn't ALL Casuals. People had a PS3 + Wii or 360 + Wii. Sure, it wasn't their main System but it was their 2ndary. 

Once the Wii U expands its library, it will start selling fine IMO. Also, not just Mario or Zelda. I'm talking other games too like Kirby, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Starfox, The Wonderful 101 and many more. Sure they don't sell AMAZING on their own but they still have a following and can still help sell Systems. I am a believer of library's selling Systems not individual games. I could be wrong but I expect Wii U to also be the 2ndary System for a lot of people because of the exclusives. Orbis + Wii U or Durango + Wii U is likely IMO.

 

 


One of the problems I think Nintendo has with their franchises is many of them appeal to the same audience. The Kirby and Donkey Kong Country fan is likely to be the same person who's a Mario fan. Ditto for the Animal Crossing folkes. 

It would be a different story if Nintendo's top five franchises were say ... Mario, Zelda, Halo, Pokemon, NBA 2K, and God Of War. That would bring in a more varied audience. 

If NSMBU and Nintendo Land aren't selling the system, then I don't see Kirby or DK or even Animal Crossing (not nearly as big on consoles) doing much other than selling to the same core Nintendo fanbase. 

If Nintendo had more variety in their franchises that genuinely appealled to very different market segments, as I mentioned above, then yeah, I would agree with this premise. 

It amazes me that you folks forget Nintendo's real main franchises.  Games like Wii Sports/Wii Fit, Nintendogs and Brain Age sold WAY more systems for Nintendo, and appeal to a very different audiences than Kirby, DK, Starfox, etc.

Wii U needs something like that.  Not WiiU Fit mind you.  That's been there, done that, old news which won't appeal to anyone now.  They need something fresh.



 

Soundwave on 22 January 2013
Gamerace said:
Soundwave said:
*Sound Of Rain said:

 

If the Wii U manages to sell 20 Million+ like the GameCube did, they will likely just release another System in 2017 and move on.

If Wii U fails completely as in pulls a Saturn or Dreamcast and manages only 8-10 Million lifetime, I'd assume that Nintendo would stop making Home Consoles, and focus on their Handhelds. I personally don't think that would ever happen though. 

Plus, unlike back in 2001, a lot of people buy more than 1 System per gen. PS2 completely dominated while the GC & XB were left with only the Deepest and most dedicated fans. Wii wasn't ALL Casuals. People had a PS3 + Wii or 360 + Wii. Sure, it wasn't their main System but it was their 2ndary. 

Once the Wii U expands its library, it will start selling fine IMO. Also, not just Mario or Zelda. I'm talking other games too like Kirby, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Starfox, The Wonderful 101 and many more. Sure they don't sell AMAZING on their own but they still have a following and can still help sell Systems. I am a believer of library's selling Systems not individual games. I could be wrong but I expect Wii U to also be the 2ndary System for a lot of people because of the exclusives. Orbis + Wii U or Durango + Wii U is likely IMO.

 

 


One of the problems I think Nintendo has with their franchises is many of them appeal to the same audience. The Kirby and Donkey Kong Country fan is likely to be the same person who's a Mario fan. Ditto for the Animal Crossing folkes. 

It would be a different story if Nintendo's top five franchises were say ... Mario, Zelda, Halo, Pokemon, NBA 2K, and God Of War. That would bring in a more varied audience. 

If NSMBU and Nintendo Land aren't selling the system, then I don't see Kirby or DK or even Animal Crossing (not nearly as big on consoles) doing much other than selling to the same core Nintendo fanbase. 

If Nintendo had more variety in their franchises that genuinely appealled to very different market segments, as I mentioned above, then yeah, I would agree with this premise. 

It amazes me that you folks forget Nintendo's real main franchises.  Games like Wii Sports/Wii Fit, Nintendogs and Brain Age sold WAY more systems for Nintendo, and appeal to a very different audiences than Kirby, DK, Starfox, etc.

Wii U needs something like that.  Not WiiU Fit mind you.  That's been there, done that, old news which won't appeal to anyone now.  They need something fresh.


It's much harder to create a new "Wii Sports/Fit/Brain Training" type hit. I don't think Nintendo has that franchise this time around. Nintendo Land so far is failing to become that "water cooler talk" game with casuals. 



Claymore on 22 January 2013

Little tip Nintendo made more money off the Gamecube than Sony did off the PS2.



Gamerace on 22 January 2013
Claymore said:
Little tip Nintendo made more money off the Gamecube than Sony did off the PS2.

True.

Also true - Gamecube wasn't a loss-leading machine like WiiU (or PS2, 360, PS3).  Right now Nintendo is just losing money selling WiiUs.



 

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Gamerace on 22 January 2013
Soundwave said:
Gamerace said:
Soundwave said:
*Sound Of Rain said:

 

If the Wii U manages to sell 20 Million+ like the GameCube did, they will likely just release another System in 2017 and move on.

If Wii U fails completely as in pulls a Saturn or Dreamcast and manages only 8-10 Million lifetime, I'd assume that Nintendo would stop making Home Consoles, and focus on their Handhelds. I personally don't think that would ever happen though. 

Plus, unlike back in 2001, a lot of people buy more than 1 System per gen. PS2 completely dominated while the GC & XB were left with only the Deepest and most dedicated fans. Wii wasn't ALL Casuals. People had a PS3 + Wii or 360 + Wii. Sure, it wasn't their main System but it was their 2ndary. 

Once the Wii U expands its library, it will start selling fine IMO. Also, not just Mario or Zelda. I'm talking other games too like Kirby, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Starfox, The Wonderful 101 and many more. Sure they don't sell AMAZING on their own but they still have a following and can still help sell Systems. I am a believer of library's selling Systems not individual games. I could be wrong but I expect Wii U to also be the 2ndary System for a lot of people because of the exclusives. Orbis + Wii U or Durango + Wii U is likely IMO.

 

 


One of the problems I think Nintendo has with their franchises is many of them appeal to the same audience. The Kirby and Donkey Kong Country fan is likely to be the same person who's a Mario fan. Ditto for the Animal Crossing folkes. 

It would be a different story if Nintendo's top five franchises were say ... Mario, Zelda, Halo, Pokemon, NBA 2K, and God Of War. That would bring in a more varied audience. 

If NSMBU and Nintendo Land aren't selling the system, then I don't see Kirby or DK or even Animal Crossing (not nearly as big on consoles) doing much other than selling to the same core Nintendo fanbase. 

If Nintendo had more variety in their franchises that genuinely appealled to very different market segments, as I mentioned above, then yeah, I would agree with this premise. 

It amazes me that you folks forget Nintendo's real main franchises.  Games like Wii Sports/Wii Fit, Nintendogs and Brain Age sold WAY more systems for Nintendo, and appeal to a very different audiences than Kirby, DK, Starfox, etc.

Wii U needs something like that.  Not WiiU Fit mind you.  That's been there, done that, old news which won't appeal to anyone now.  They need something fresh.


It's much harder to create a new "Wii Sports/Fit/Brain Training" type hit. I don't think Nintendo has that franchise this time around. Nintendo Land so far is failing to become that "water cooler talk" game with casuals. 


If anyone can do it, it's Nintendo.  They have pulled it off time and time again.  If you look at top 50 all time sellers, Nintendo practically owns the list.

Having said that, so far, I'm not seeing anything in the pipeline that will raise WiiU's fortunes. 



 

runqvist on 22 January 2013
Claymore said:
Little tip Nintendo made more money off the Gamecube than Sony did off the PS2.


Little tip, please provide some information when making claims like that. Protip, the picture you are going to post does not single out gc, it shows overall profits.



Immortal on 22 January 2013

Even if Wii U "fails" and falls to N64/GC levels, Nintendo will just make sure it's profitable soon and ride it out until the end of the generation. It's not going to do worse than N64 anyways so they can just live with it and return to mainly profiting from handhelds.



 

“These are my principles; if you don’t like them, I have others.” – Groucho Marx

runqvist on 22 January 2013

And I think Nintendo will go the way of the dodo.If their home console brings losses which I see it do, they will have to consider if they should release successor for Wii U.

Their handhelds will be losing a lot of marketshare for tablets and whatnots, so they can't retreat there either. I see nintendos future as a 3rd party developer, much like sega.



Soundwave on 22 January 2013
Claymore said:
Little tip Nintendo made more money off the Gamecube than Sony did off the PS2.


False actually. Sony made a tremendous amount of money off the PS2. 

Nintendo made a lot of money in those years because of the GBA and also because it was the peak of the Pokemon craze with all the merchandising/movies/etc. raking up huge dollars.