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[Skittzo0413]

Twilight Princess was the fastest selling Zelda game before Breath of the Wild and had an almost 1:1 attach rate. Wii Sports came with the system in North America, so you can't compare it with any Switch game.

Do you have a source for that? I was looking up numbers and from the (likely wrong) numbers I could find it didn't seem to be anywhere near that attach rate in the US or globally.

Either way, my point about the conversation being dominated by BotW on the Switch, where it was dominated by Wii Sports on the Wii stands.

 

[HeroR]

Nintendo fans bought it for Zelda, everyone else for Wii Sports. And Nintendo fans are the only ones that bought a WiiU, so it's pretty easy to count them.

A lot of Nintendo fans didn't but the Wii U, so that logic is already flawed. And Twilight Princess had almost an 1:1 attach rate with the Wii while Wii Sports came with the system in North America.

Do you have a source for that? I was looking up numbers and from the (likely wrong) numbers I could find it didn't seem to be anywhere near that attach rate in the US or globally.

Either way, my point about the conversation being dominated by BotW on the Switch, where it was dominated by Wii Sports on the Wii stands.

Yes, it was in the old NPD forums here. Twilight Princess had almost the same success as Breath of the Wild on the Wii. So it just wasn't a Wii Sport machine like some seem to believe.

And again, Wii Sports came with the system in NA. We don't know how many people would have bought it if it wasn't package.

 

[Tigress]

The Switch is a fulfillment of my original dream: current gen console games on a handheld, and it is every bit the game-changer for me that I hoped it would be. So, yes, I'd think many Nintendo gamers have played these games before on other consoles, but we've never played them on a handheld in bed, during a commute, or just plain anywhere. Gone is the shackle of the TV. Portable current gen gaming is very appealing to me, and I'd wager many others as well.

Same here. Sony had promise with the Vita but they gave up on it it seems when it came out (and yet the Vita is my favorite handheld but I've been eyeing the switch as a good successor). And honestly, Nintendo has more of the handheld market anyways so they are more likely to make a handheld more successful. But I was worried about third party support... Bethesda being all in makes me worry a helluva lot less cause they make my favorite games (even with the flaws). If they just got Bethesda and no others but got lots of Bethesda support, that honestly would be enough for me along with the few games I'm interested that are Nintendo specific (Zelda, pokemon, and well, Monster Hunter cept we are gettin one on PS4 and the one on Switch isn't coming to the US so I guess that doesn't count anymore). And, as I said, if they decide to port a portable New Vegas to it, that will sell it to me right there (and I want to be sold on it. I'm very interested in Zelda and I'd love a pokemon machine as well as I just plain love the concept of the Switch but right now it's just not quite enough for me to definitely decide it's worth it on the very limited budget I have).

And the fact that Nintendo has me interested I think bodes well for them... I've never been a huge Nintendo fan and the last Nintendo I was all that interested in was the gameboy color (and only for pokemon but I had more money then to buy a handheld just for a game). Last console I gave one crap about theirs was the NES. So yeah, not a huge Nintendo fan, but this one has me very interested.

 

[cw_sasuke]

I expect COD is already being planned for next year, Activision's smart enough to know now they made a mistake not prioritizing Switch soon enough. Battlefield will probably warrant more tests though.

GTA V, COD and Overwatch are the big 3 for next year... If Nintendo can announce those games next year they really did all they can to push big western games on their console. Others will try to follow if these perform well.

 

[Herb Alpert]

I think Skyrim will sell fine because it is similar to Breath of the Wild in concept. I am concerned that DOOM will under-perform because it doesn't appear that the audience for that kind of game are on Nintendo systems.

I wish doom sells well so we can stop hearing this kind of self fulfilling bullshit prophecy.

 

[Jubenhimer]

The Switch to me feels like a culmination of everything they've been doing as well as keeping it capable of reaching standard gamers. It has control possibilities that please the Wii crowd. It has touchscreen possibilities that please the tablet crowd. It has the fully portable capability that pleases the DS/Vita/tablet crowd. It has the standard twin stick control scheme with all necessary buttons that pleases the PS4/XBO crowd.

It lacks in power and that's because of their portable goals. But seeing games like Skyrim SE, Doom, etc possible on this machine tells me this isn't some "Wii" era where the machine was literally incapable of doing what PS360 was doing.

The machine is capable of reaching every kind of gamer if the games are there. The prior Nintendo machines like the Wii really couldn't. The control philosophy was too limited. The Wii-U really couldn't. The controller was too bulky without external purchases of pro controllers. Nintendo found a way to package it all together for every type of gamer.

As PS4 and XBO games continue to strive for more pixels on the screen at once with 4K, it seems like that gives even more opportunities for 720p or 640p games to somewhat match up on a weaker system.

Yeah, that's what's great about the Switch. It takes everything the Wii got right, and simply expands upon and refined it for today's gaming landscape, while improving in areas it fell short in. The Wii always struck me as a console with a great foundation to build on, had been given better handling on Nintendo's part.

In a way, I consider the Nintendo Switch to be a spiritual successor to the Nintendo DS, which similarly had a wide appeal with gamers and developers.

 

[Okami Haundo]

I just re-read the article in the OP and I still can't believe that this is a thing. Skyrim, DOOM, and Wolfenstein 2 being on a Nintendo platform just blows my mind. I know I'll be buying all three, but I hope that these releases work out for them and the partnership continues. That would definitely have the added benefit of applying peer pressure to other publishers that are holding off.

Spoiler

I just want this to lead to Okami HD on Switch goddamnit...

 

[BigDug13]

Words mean nothing. If these games underperform do not expect much.

The system, which is selling extremely well as fast as it can be stocked, is starved for AAA games outside of Nintendo's output. I highly doubt these games will underperform.

Later on when there's a glut of games to buy on the system, maybe games not made by Nintendo start to suffer in sales, but with the portable aspect, I'm not so sure.

I mean of course they only made these games because they PREDICTED the sales to be worth the effort. That's why they did it. They're not trying to "do a solid" for Nintendo here. Everything is based on sales and predicted sales.

 

[packy34]

Hope they port fallout new vegas. Great times ahead for Switch owners.

Bethesda hates New Vegas so I wouldn't count on it

 

[cw_sasuke]

Bethesda hates New Vegas so I wouldn't count on it

... but they love money. If that's the one more people would buy they would release it on Switch. Though I agree that they might just go to Fallout 4 if it's possible.

 

[KageMaru]

Those quotes sound promising. Will definitely read the interview when I'm out of work.

 

[Tigress]

Bethesda hates New Vegas so I wouldn't count on it

Bethesda doesn't hate New Vegas. This is just as stupid as the Obsidian holds a grudge against Bethesda rumors. And that they don't make a port of it isn't proof of them hating it, it's a really old game at this point and they may just not think there's much profit in porting a game that is that old at this point (you don't see them porting 3 to everything either). In fact some of the stuff they tried (and failed) to do in 4 seems addressed to some of the stuff people said they liked about Vegas (like trying to have different factions and not have them be totally good or evil).

That being said, I'd still buy a New Vegas port on a portable and I'd buy Switch for sure if they announced NV for it (it's my dream to get Bethesda games and well Fallout of all sorts on portable and while Vita failed there looks like the Switch will totally succeed, at least with Bethesda games... doubt we'll see any Fallout other than maybe 4 on Switch. Much as I would like to see them they're also all pretty old other than 4 and I could see how Bethesda might feel that they'd be profitable enough to bother bringing up again).

 

[Lord_Byron28]

Do you have a source for that? I was looking up numbers and from the (likely wrong) numbers I could find it didn't seem to be anywhere near that attach rate in the US or globally.

Either way, my point about the conversation being dominated by BotW on the Switch, where it was dominated by Wii Sports on the Wii stands.

I'd say the first year and a half on the market, Wii had a Core Gamer audience. Super Paper Mario released 5 months after launch and sold over a million. RE4 Wii, a 2 1/2 year old port, sold on par with the PS2 version, outsold the GCN version, sold over 3x internal expectations and released 7 months after launch. Metroid Prime 3 sold almost 2 million copies outselling its predecessor on the GCN, releasing 10 months after launch. Galaxy released 1 year after launch and sold over 12 million copies. Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles released 13 months after launch and sold over a million copies. Super Smash Bros. Brawl released 16 months after launch and sold over 10 million. There was definitely a market for core games but 3rd party developers largely ignored it and gave that audience shoddy ports. After the first year and a half, Nintendo's support for the system dropped off significantly after the first 18 months with Animal Crossing being the only major release for almost a year from Nintendo on Wii. 99% of 3rd party titles were mediocre and with Nintendo unable to singlehandedly support the Wii after the first 18 months led to the core gamers completely moving on.

 

[packy34]

Bethesda doesn't hate New Vegas. This is just as stupid as the Obsidian holds a grudge against Bethesda rumors. And that they don't make a port of it isn't proof of them hating it, it's a really old game at this point and they may just not think there's much profit in porting a game that is that old at this point (you don't see them porting 3 to everything either). In fact some of the stuff they tried (and failed) to do in 4 seems addressed to some of the stuff people said they liked about Vegas (like trying to have different factions and not have them be totally good or evil).

That being said, I'd still buy a New Vegas port on a portable and I'd buy Switch for sure if they announced NV for it (it's my dream to get Bethesda games and well Fallout of all sorts on portable and while Vita failed there looks like the Switch will totally succeed, at least with Bethesda games... doubt we'll see any Fallout other than maybe 4 on Switch. Much as I would like to see them they're also all pretty old other than 4 and I could see how Bethesda might feel that they'd be profitable enough to bother bringing up again).

Bethesda has, at every turn, tried to distance themselves from New Vegas. I guess it would be more fair to say that they treat it as the red-headed stepchild of their Fallout family... even though fans seem to overwhelmingly agree that it’s the best one.

Bethesda is always extremely cagey when they’re asked about NV directly in any context.

 

[foxuzamaki]

I expect COD is already being planned for next year, Activision's smart enough to know now they made a mistake not prioritizing Switch soon enough. Battlefield will probably warrant more tests though.

I'm honestly shocked at activision, COD WWII. I understand but they didn't even have a port ready, well probably skylanders, I think that was a launch game but they haven't even announced anything else for the switch, Activision the ones who want the most money as soon as possible

 

[Renna Hazel]

No, not really. At least not to the same extent people bought the Switch for BotW. Two things stand out to me:

1) The attach rate of BotW was, after a month, over 100% in the US. You never heard anything similar about TP.

2) The conversation about Wii's software was absolutely dominated by Wii Sports and other games like Just Dance. So far with the Switch it's been nothing but BotW and Splatoon 2 for Japan. Even if the actual sales/attach rates of the games were the same, publishers want to hear that the buzz for games similar to theirs (BotW being somewhat similar to Skyrim) is very high. That's how you capitalize on a growing install base.

So there is most definitely a huge difference in the type of audience growing on the Switch versus that of the Wii, and their buying habits reflect these differences. That spells good news for Bethesda.

While Wii Sports was the big seller for the Wii in it's first year, the first holiday season was largely dominated by Zelda. The attach ratio might not have been over 100 percent, but it was incredibly high. Here are the numbers for November 2006 (and you can find the December link at the bottom)

http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/NPD_November_2006

I think Twilight Princess was an important game because it got Wii into the home, which then exposed families to Wii Sports. You can see the following months that the Zelda attach ratio starts to drop.

 

[Lord_Byron28]

GTA V, COD and Overwatch are the big 3 for next year... If Nintendo can announce those games next year they really did all they can to push big western games on their console. Others will try to follow if these perform well.

I don't think we really need to set goals as to what Switch should get. I think COD is a given as Activision will port that to any system. Now that it sees Switch doing well, I expect COD releases. I mean if the DS and Wii got CoD games then I don't see any reason Switch wont. Overwatch, I wouldn't say is as important as GTA or CoD. However, the game would be well suited for Switch. I think it'd be a huge missed opportunity to not put Overwatch on Switch. Unsure about Rockstar and 2K. Support has always been uneven from them. Given how much GTAV has sold, I could see it as a possibility. I also wouldn't mind if they did an HD remaster/remake of San Andreas on Switch, if they couldn't do GTAV.


In terms of my expectations for western support next year, I'd say in addition to Bethesda's support. Activision, Ubisoft and EA porting over all of their annual franchises including some of their more core oriented ones that have typically only been Xbox and PlayStation in the past. I could see series such as Assassins Creed, Watchdogs, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and all EA Sports making their way onto Switch next year. As I said I'm unsure where 2K Games/Rockstar will end up going with Switch. GTA and Red Dead Redemption would be ideal but not as likely. In terms of future Bethesda support. I hope we can get an Evil Within 2 port (get that Survival Horror money since Capcom wants to give half assed support), Dishonored 1 & 2, and Fallout is the most likely next franchise.

 

[whyamihere]

This is something I've been talking about basically since March:



It's such a natural relationship, and it's the #1 reason why the Switch audience is dissimilar to the Wii audience- the Switch audience was brought in mostly by BotW, the Wii audience was brought in mostly by Wii Sports. This directly affects the types of games those people will buy going forward.

I think this is completely correct.

 

[Neoxon]

I don't think we really need to set goals as to what Switch should get. I think COD is a given as Activision will port that to any system. Now that it sees Switch doing well, I expect COD releases. I mean if the DS and Wii got CoD games then I don't see any reason Switch wont. Overwatch, I wouldn't say is as important as GTA or CoD. However, the game would be well suited for Switch. I think it'd be a huge missed opportunity to not put Overwatch on Switch. Unsure about Rockstar and 2K. Support has always been uneven from them. Given how much GTAV has sold, I could see it as a possibility. I also wouldn't mind if they did an HD remaster/remake of San Andreas on Switch, if they couldn't do GTAV.


In terms of my expectations for western support next year, I'd say in addition to Bethesda's support. Activision, Ubisoft and EA porting over all of their annual franchises including some of their more core oriented ones that have typically only been Xbox and PlayStation in the past. I could see series such as Assassins Creed, Watchdogs, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and all EA Sports making their way onto Switch next year. As I said I'm unsure where 2K Games/Rockstar will end up going with Switch. GTA and Red Dead Redemption would be ideal but not as likely. In terms of future Bethesda support. I hope we can get an Evil Within 2 port (get that Survival Horror money since Capcom wants to give half assed support), Dishonored 1 & 2, and Fallout is the most likely next franchise.

Overwatch may be questionable given that Blizzard would have to support another system with updates alongside the existing 3 platforms.

 

[Skittzo0413]

While Wii Sports was the big seller for the Wii in it's first year, the first holiday season was largely dominated by Zelda. The attach ratio might not have been over 100 percent, but it was incredibly high. Here are the numbers for November 2006 (and you can find the December link at the bottom)

http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/NPD_November_2006

I think Twilight Princess was an important game because it got Wii into the home, which then exposed families to Wii Sports. You can see the following months that the Zelda attach ratio starts to drop.

Interesting, I didn't realize the attach rate was so high. I guess the reason BotW stood out was for being over 100% rather than TP just being 85%. But even still, regardless of what was actually bought, Wii Sports still completely dominated the conversation and the coverage of the console after launch and at the very least colored the perception of publishers as to what the install base would be interested in buying.

There is no such thing happening with a "casual" title like that on the Switch, and that's more or less all I was trying to say.

Overwatch may be questionable given that Blizzard would have to support another system with updates alongside the existing 3 platforms.

Well we did have that pre-E3 rumor about a Blizzard announcement but so far nothing's come of it. I wouldn't be surprised to see Overwatch, even though I agree the updates/patches present the biggest problem in porting it.

 

[BigDug13]

Bethesda has, at every turn, tried to distance themselves from New Vegas. I guess it would be more fair to say that they treat it as the red-headed stepchild of their Fallout family... even though fans seem to overwhelmingly agree that it’s the best one.

Bethesda is always extremely cagey when they’re asked about NV directly in any context.

I think they're pissed that gamers actually prefer that game to anything they've created in that universe.

I mean Bethesda seems to get outdone quite often. I found Nehrim to be superior to Oblivion.

 

[Neoxon]

Well we did have that pre-E3 rumor about a Blizzard announcement but so far nothing's come of it. I wouldn't be surprised to see Overwatch, even though I agree the updates/patches present the biggest problem in porting it.

It could be Hearthstone or HotS for all we know.

 

[Skittzo0413]

It could be Hearthstone or HotS for all we know.

Oh, of course. Or Diablo 3 (which I personally would prefer). But the fact that we have such a solid rumor makes Overwatch a bit more likely than if we had heard absolutely nothing about a potential Blizzard game on Switch. That's all I meant when referring to it.

 

[Neiteio]

GTAV seems inevitable, since it's still selling so well and a Switch edition would offer something truly new (portability) that would tempt people to double triple quadruple-dip.

I know I'd get it again despite already owning it on PS3 and PS4; I'm sure there are people here who own it on both those systems -and- PC who'd still get it again on Switch, as well.

My only concern is that L.A. Noire might have a muted sales response because it's, like, the most boring Rockstar game (in my brief time playing it, at least). And then Rockstar might look at the sales and think, "Eh maybe they don't like our stuff."

Hopefully they know that L.A. Noire's appeal =/= GTAV's appeal.

 

[pretty done]

GTAV seems inevitable, since it's still selling so well and a Switch edition would offer something truly new (portability) that would tempt people to double triple quadruple-dip.

I know I'd get it again despite already owning it on PS3 and PS4; I'm sure there are people here who own it on both those systems -and- PC who'd still get it again on Switch, as well.

My only concern is that L.A. Noire might have a muted sales response because it's, like, the most boring Rockstar game (in my brief time playing it, at least). And then Rockstar might look at the sales and think, "Eh maybe they don't like our stuff."

Hopefully they know that L.A. Noire's appeal =/= GTAV's appeal.

I'm not claiming to be smarter than any of the Rockstar execs but it's honestly baffling they're porting LA Noire. I feel like the PS2 GTA trilogy, quickly ported, would outsell LA Noire by multiple times while costing less to port.

I'd love to see V on Switch, but like you I think LA Noire's shittiness might prevent that from happening.

 

[Neiteio]

I'm not claiming to be smarter than any of the Rockstar execs but it's honestly baffling they're porting LA Noire. I feel like the PS2 GTA trilogy, quickly ported, would outsell LA Noire by multiple times while costing less to port.

I'd love to see V on Switch, but like you I think LA Noire's shittiness might prevent that from happening.

Bethesda might be the saving grace here. I think Skyrim and DOOM will both be huge sales successes, so even if LA Noire fails since people find it boring, Rockstar will realize it's not because Switch fans don't like M-rated titles — they do — but it's because Rockstar delivered the wrong one.

 

[Neiteio]

I should add that I might be underestimating the appeal of L.A. Noire on Switch.

The game has similar appeal to many popular TV dramas that are period pieces (i.e. Mad Men, etc), which is all the rage right now. So maybe having something like that you can enjoy bit by bit in a portable format will find an audience.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Yeah, there is an untapped market of people that only play Nintendo games. So money on the table for the taking and you can see that with what has been successful on the platform so far. Bethesda is going to reap a lot of the rewards/benefits for being the first major third party (alongside Ubisoft) to commit to the platform with their games.

I'd normally say that this untapped market of Nintendo-only gamers is really hard to crack, especially with stuff like Doom, Wolfenstein etc. but given this docked/undocked USP the system has, an audience that enjoys these games and wants it with them portably...developers could cultivate an audience for these games.

 

[Cerium]

I'd normally say that this untapped market of Nintendo-only gamers is really hard to crack, especially with stuff like Doom, Wolfenstein etc. but given this docked/undocked USP the system has, an audience that enjoys these games and wants it with them portably...developers could cultivate an audience for these games.

There's also a window of opportunity this early in the system's life. AAA current gen games are a total novelty; Nintendo fans are going to take a look at these games even if under normal circumstances they might not have.

 

[Oregano]

I'd normally say that this untapped market of Nintendo-only gamers is really hard to crack, especially with stuff like Doom, Wolfenstein etc. but given this docked/undocked USP the system has, an audience that enjoys these games and wants it with them portably...developers could cultivate an audience for these games.

That's what it's all about though and that's what publishers consistently fail at on Nintendo platforms. For one thing Bethesda isn't holding anything hostage and there's no obvious element of a test.

Announcing both Doom and Wolfenstein 2 is a very savvy PR move that most publishers would have completely fumbled.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

I'm not claiming to be smarter than any of the Rockstar execs but it's honestly baffling they're porting LA Noire. I feel like the PS2 GTA trilogy, quickly ported, would outsell LA Noire by multiple times while costing less to port.

I'd love to see V on Switch, but like you I think LA Noire's shittiness might prevent that from happening.

If they are porting LA Noire to all systems it probably signals that they want to develop a new game in the series.

 

[Neoxon]

Oh, of course. Or Diablo 3 (which I personally would prefer). But the fact that we have such a solid rumor makes Overwatch a bit more likely than if we had heard absolutely nothing about a potential Blizzard game on Switch. That's all I meant when referring to it.

Fair enough

 

[Snakeyes]

With the Switch, Nintendo is targeting games who typically play games on a smartphone, but have never felt comfortable with, or had the time for more conventional home console games before. The system was designed to make home console gaming more accessible to those gamers who up to that point, have only been familiar with apps like Angry Birds or Clash of Clans.

You're way off. Like, how do you look at Switch promo material and think "Yeah, this is clearly aimed at smartphone gamers"? Nothing in their current marketing approach suggests a direct attempt at upselling the system to the smartphone crowd.

The Switch's target audience is what you see in the ads; people who aren't adequately served by the established gaming platforms. If we ignore the Switch, someone who wants to play a video game on a current-gen device has two options; mobile and PC/PS4/XB1. Mobile games are (for the most part) simplistic and/or shallow, but extremely convenient. PC and traditional console games are elaborate and engrossing, but are a much more restrictive experience that requires commitment. It's just you and your PC/console, both tied to your monitor/TV for several hours. Moreover, with Wii sales falling off a cliff and Wii U being a disaster, console gaming moved away from local multiplayer, becoming a more solitary experience than it used to be.

With that in mind, the Switch's target audience likely includes;

1. People who would like to play console-quality games but don't want to commit to a stationary platform. People who game but no longer have the time to do so, mobile gamers interested in a meatier experience and the Japanese market all fall under this category.
2. Lapsed gamers. These are people who drifted away from gaming due to changing trends at some point before or during the 7th gen.
3. People who want to play games in a social setting. With two functional controllers in every box, Switch has the biggest focus on local multiplayer since the SNES.
4. Nintendo fans.
5. PC/PS/XB owners who are satisfied with their current machine, but still want the option to take their favorite games away from the monitor or TV.

Bethesda's ports appeal to 1 and 5, and could potentially sell to 2 and 4 as well.

Breath of the Wild for example, may seem like a daunting open world, but once you play it, it's actually a very simple game, as it only asks one thing from the player, just explore. Sure there's more to it if want to dig deep, but that simplicity, combined with it's pick-up-and-play short-burst sessions typical of mobile gaming is what makes it so appealing on a casual level. You can just run around chopping trees for half an hour if you want, and still have fun.

It's arguably the hardest Zelda since the NES games if you want to make any real progress.

 

[Annoying Old Party Man]

Yeah, that's what's great about the Switch. It takes everything the Wii got right, and simply expands upon and refined it for today's gaming landscape, while improving in areas it fell short in. The Wii always struck me as a console with a great foundation to build on, had been given better handling on Nintendo's part.

In a way, I consider the Nintendo Switch to be a spiritual successor to the Nintendo DS, which similarly had a wide appeal with gamers and developers.

I find it is the final form of the Wii U. Same premise, but without the faults. It's like they had to churn the Wii U out, to understand that their vision is correct, but lacking in some significant departments.

Now they are delivering, and the Wii U is like a bad dream.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

If they are porting LA Noire to all systems it probably signals that they want to develop a new game in the series.

This might be true but they also need to make a good first impression with Switch owners and GTA V would have been the better way to start that relationship.

 

[Cerium]

This might be true but they also need to make a good first impression with Switch owners and GTA V would have been the better way to start that relationship.

LA Noire was already in development, for GTA V they'd have had to commission a team just for that. And they had no way of knowing the system would be successful.

Bethesda had no way of knowing either, come to that. Todd Howard gave an interview months ago about how they didn't know how the system was going to do but they would support it anyway. It's just no one believed him because he's known for stretching the truth sometimes lol.

 

[MindCollizion]

I'm glad they're giving the console a chance. I'm on board there with them and will be purchasing their software.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

LA Noire was already in development, for GTA V they'd have had to commission a team just for that. And they had no way of knowing the system would be successful.

Bethesda had no way of knowing either, come to that. Todd Howard gave an interview months ago about how they didn't know how the system was going to do but they would support it anyway. It's just no one believed him because he's known for stretching the truth sometimes lol.

Sometimes you gotta gamble. Rooting for Bethesda that theirs will pay off!

Edit: come to think of it, Bethesda did have some information to go on as both Monolithsoft and Aonuma were talking about Skyrim and Elder Scrolls a lot during the development of XBX and BOTW.

 

[MCN]

Sometimes you gotta gamble. Rooting for Bethesda that theirs will pay off!

It will if I have anything to do with it. I'll be getting Skyrim, DOOM and Wolfenstein.

 

[eighty(one)]

I loved Skyrim; Doom was probably the best shooter last year and I had a blast with it on PS4; Wolfenstein New Order was amazing - so I'm down for the sequel. I love playing my Switch away from a tv for comfort a lot of times - so this system will be my choice for good ports.

Bethesda also earns my dollars for committing to Switch - with their best wares and putting effort into the ports, when the expected likes of Capcom, Activision, EA and Ubi are all MIA.

Too bad for them!

 

[Jubenhimer]

You're way off. Like, how do you look at Switch promo material and think "Yeah, this is clearly aimed at smartphone gamers"? Nothing in their current marketing approach suggests a direct attempt at upselling the system to the smartphone crowd.

Considering all the advertising and promotional material feel like a Samsung Phone commercial featuring hip young melenials and families with the Switch primarily undocked, I'd say that yes, they are targeting the Smartphone audience. Even before the Switch was unveiled, it was said that Nintendo aimed to get Smartphone gamers into console games. I mean hell, even Nintendo admits this themselves when they describe their strategy for their phone games.

The Switch's target audience is what you see in the ads; people who aren't adequately served by the established gaming platforms. If we ignore the Switch, someone who wants to play a video game on a current-gen device has two options; mobile and PC/PS4/XB1. Mobile games are (for the most part) simplistic and/or shallow, but extremely convenient. PC and traditional console games are elaborate and engrossing, but are a much more restrictive experience that requires commitment. It's just you and your PC/console, both tied to your monitor/TV for several hours. Moreover, with Wii sales falling off a cliff and Wii U being a disaster, console gaming moved away from local multiplayer, becoming a more solitary experience than it used to be.

With that in mind, the Switch's target audience likely includes;

1. People who would like to play console-quality games but don't want to commit to a stationary platform. People who game but no longer have the time to do so, mobile gamers interested in a meatier experience and the Japanese market all fall under this category.
2. Lapsed gamers. These are people who drifted away from gaming due to changing trends at some point before or during the 7th gen.
3. People who want to play games in a social setting. With two functional controllers in every box, Switch has the biggest focus on local multiplayer since the SNES.
4. Nintendo fans.
5. PC/PS/XB owners who are satisfied with their current machine, but still want the option to take their favorite games away from the monitor or TV.

Bethesda's ports appeal to 1 and 5, and could potentially sell to 2 and 4 as well.

While those are key demographics as well, the primary target demographic for the Switch is still casual gamers, who have largely been raised on game apps on their phone. Keep in mind, the Switch isn't meant to replace your phone, it's meant to compliment it as a secondary product, like a tablet. So it likely this demographic can own both a Switch, and a Phone for games. You yourself described exactly why casual gamers don't really play console games. They're too big and too demanding. The Switch is designed to get away from this by having console games that can be played even in short bursts like Breath of the Wild.

It's arguably the hardest Zelda since the NES games if you want to make any real progress.

If you want to complete the game, then yes it's hard. But that's not the point. The game is designed to be fun, even when you're not really doing anything. The world is so expertly crafted that even mundane tasks like harvesting supplies, or just going from place to place can be fun. Remember, casual gamers like a bit of challenge too.

 

[Maxrunner]

Marvel vs Capcom Infinite dev laughed too when asked about the possibility of a Switch version. I think execs will get skinned alive by investors at the next meeting lol.

Spoiler

sorry I can't stop ranting about Capcom, I'm just too salty

Do you have a link on this?

 

[Jerm411]

I wonder if Fallout is a remote possibility for the Switch.

I really thought and still think we might get a Fallout 3 port....I don't know about 4, if it's possible I see no reason to bring it over. It could bring some fresh appeal to the game for lapsed fans or those who didn't play it.

Also Spelunker and Fear Effect.

I skimmed by this and thought it said Spelunky...about dropped my phone in excitement lol.

 

[D.Lo]

A lot of Nintendo fans didn't but the Wii U, so that logic is already flawed. And Twilight Princess had almost an 1:1 attach rate with the Wii while Wii Sports came with the system in North America.

Yes, it was in the old NPD forums here. Twilight Princess had almost the same success as Breath of the Wild on the Wii. So it just wasn't a Wii Sport machine like some seem to believe.

'An old NPD forum' is not a source, you need to post a link if someone asks for a source

It's not true, after four months it had a 2/3 attach rate, and it dropped very fast after that. Here is the data I have for TP's first four months.

Wii
November 476,000
December 604,200
January 436,000
February 335,000

TP
November412,000
December 519,200
January 189,000
February 130,000

That's a 67% attach rate. And it kept dropping from there. In March TP was #20 on NPD and we got no number but it was extremely likely to be <100k as #10 was 150k.

For comparison BoTW had an 88% attach rate for EU+US for its first four months.

 

[Maxrunner]

Marvel vs Capcom Infinite dev laughed too when asked about the possibility of a Switch version. I think execs will get skinned alive by investors at the next meeting lol.

Spoiler

sorry I can't stop ranting about Capcom, I'm just too salty

He sure must be laughing now...