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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Furukawa: Announcing Switch/NX So Early Was A "Special Case"

Soundwave on 29 May 2023
zorg1000 said:
Soundwave said:

The Wii U had troubling sales metrics even from the immediate launch ... I don't think the Switch is anywhere near as successful if BOTW was "NSMB" instead. 

It’s like you didn’t read what I said, I specifically said unique entry meaning not another entry in the “New” series.

NSMBU was the 4th entry in 6 years and came only a few months after NSMB2. I’m talking about a title with a new art style and innovative gameplay that feels fresh and a big improvement over previous titles. NSMBU was a very good game but it had no wow factor.

And then there is also the fact about a massive post-launch drought. Switch would have also struggled if BotW was followed by a 9 month drought that ended with Xenoblade 2 in December.

I think Nintendo was bitterly disappointed with NSMB2's performance on the 3DS too. 

Like I think their big hope was NSMB2 would drive 3DS sales through the roof, much in the way NSMB on DS really took that system up a notch ... they had the cheaper 2DS option ready too ... and then .... yeah. 

The game sold well, but the 3DS never really took off in the way Nintendo wanted and I think that cut them deep. At that point if you're Nintendo you're probably going "what the fuck?! These people loved Nintendogs and NSMB just a few years ago, now we're not getting any hardware boost". It must have been a bewildering time there behind the scenes, lol. 

I'll just say it, Nintendo fans can be picky f*cks too. If they don't get a big 3D Mario, Smash, 3D Zelda, mainline Pokemon, big ticket Mario Kart or something like that early in a product cycle especially, there's a whole lot of whining and pouting (not unjustified, but still). It goes back in my view to the GameCube when people lost their shit over no Mario 64-2 launch title.



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zorg1000 on 29 May 2023
Soundwave said:
zorg1000 said:

It’s like you didn’t read what I said, I specifically said unique entry meaning not another entry in the “New” series.

NSMBU was the 4th entry in 6 years and came only a few months after NSMB2. I’m talking about a title with a new art style and innovative gameplay that feels fresh and a big improvement over previous titles. NSMBU was a very good game but it had no wow factor.

And then there is also the fact about a massive post-launch drought. Switch would have also struggled if BotW was followed by a 9 month drought that ended with Xenoblade 2 in December.

I think Nintendo was bitterly disappointed with NSMB2's performance on the 3DS too. 

Like I think their big hope was NSMB2 would drive 3DS sales through the roof, much in the way NSMB on DS really took that system up a notch ... they had the cheaper 2DS option ready too ... and then .... yeah. 

The game sold well, but the 3DS never really took off in the way Nintendo wanted and I think that cut them deep. At that point if you're Nintendo you're probably going "what the fuck?! These people loved Nintendogs and NSMB just a few years ago, now we're not getting any hardware boost". It must have been a bewildering time there behind the scenes, lol. 

I'll just say it, Nintendo fans can be picky f*cks too. If they don't get a big 3D Mario, Smash, 3D Zelda, mainline Pokemon, big ticket Mario Kart or something like that early in a product cycle especially, there's a whole lot of whining and pouting (not unjustified, but still). It goes back in my view to the GameCube when people lost their shit over no Mario 64-2 launch title.

Agreed, NSMB in 2006 was the first 2D Mario in 14 years and NSMB Wii in 2009 the first on a home console in 18 years and was the first with simultaneous multiplayer so both were big deals. By 2012, the 3rd & 4th entries released without any major changes didn’t have the same massive appeal.

I really hope the next 2D Mario has some big changes that differentiate it from the NSMB series, a new art style and some innovative gameplay mechanics can potentially push it back to the 30m+ seller it was on DS/Wii.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.

AJNShelton on 30 May 2023
zorg1000 said:
Soundwave said:

Having a strong launch title that ideally shows off the platform well (sorry but NSMBU did not do this for Wii U, a 2D Mario is a poor showcase for a new console) is more important that anything else frankly. 

I don’t think there is anything wrong with launching with 2D Mario as long as it’s a unique entry and isn’t followed by a large drought.

Wasn't there a rumour about a Super Mario 2D game which wouldn't be part of the New Super Mario series ?



zorg1000 on 30 May 2023
SKMBlake said:
zorg1000 said:

I don’t think there is anything wrong with launching with 2D Mario as long as it’s a unique entry and isn’t followed by a large drought.

Wasn't there a rumour about a Super Mario 2D game which wouldn't be part of the New Super Mario series ?

No clue, I haven’t kept up with rumors lately, however it would make a lot of sense to release one this fall to take advantage of the Mario Movie hype.



When the herd loses its way, the shepard must kill the bull that leads them astray.