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Why does Nintendo make so many Kirby games?

S

StingX2

Member
If this topic was from 2003/2004 you'd be saying why doesn't Nintendo make kirby games. The series has had major droughts over the years and the last handheld kirby that wasnt a port was 2007. Just like the last console game before Epic Yarn (2010) was Air Ride (2003) a 7 year gap
 
B

Blues1990

Member
I don't have anything to add to this conversation, other than posting this clip from the Kirby anime, especially since it has a sweet dance remix of King Dedede's theme playing in the background.
 
K

Kazerei

Banned
Ryuelli said:
I wouldn't say they do make "so many" Kirby games. The last one that came out was in 2011...
Click to expand...

Kirby's Dream Collection was released in 2012, if that counts. It's kind of funny that Kirby got a better anniversary game collection than even Mario! :D
 
G

ghst

thanks for the laugh
he was always a mid carder who had a couple of good runs and has recently bottomed out at jobber status. he's got gambling debts and estranged kids to pay for, so naturally he's gonna be working longer hours than the superstars.
 
D

Damo Yoshi

Member
Kazerei said:
Kirby's Dream Collection was released in 2012, if that counts. It's kind of funny that Kirby got a better anniversary game collection than even Mario! :D
Click to expand...

Kirby didn't get an anniversary game?

Thus proclaims, Shibata, your holygeezshibata whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
 
T

Tohsaka

Member
It's not like they come out exceedingly frequently. They probably don't cost a ton to make, either, and the sales must justify the cost to produce them.
 
J

jnWake

Member
Most Kirby games are made by HAL anyway, right? It's not like they are taking resources from Star Fox/F-Zero/Metroid development.
 
B

Boogiepop

Member
silkysmooth said:
They sell well, even if they aren't exactly the tried and true formula. I imagine they aren't difficult to develop. Triple Deluxe was announced in October and released in January. No doubt it was in development before that but even still that is a quick turnaround. On top of that Kirby is lovable and fun. The Kirby world is filled with some memorable enemies and such. There has been enough new things tried with the franchise to keep it fresh without it becoming something else entirely.
Click to expand...

I'd probably agree, but it is crazy to think about the lead up to Return to Dreamland. IIRC there were a lot of scrapped prototypes and whatnot, but in theory we saw it waaaaaaaay back on the Gamecube, and I recall it haunting release lists as plain "Hoshi no Kirby" for quite a while too.

But yeah, Kirby's neat, and considering how much of his series output has gone to experimental stuff I don't think it's anything too crazy, either.
 
D

Doctor Decimate

Member
Cbajd5 said:
because eventually one of them will be an air ride sequel

or just a re-release of city trial with online play

someday
Click to expand...

mayweather-money.gif
 
B

BlackJace

Member
Kirby makes bank. The games are short and sweet each and every time, I've liked every one but Squeak Squad and Amazing Mirror at its worst.
 
T

TreasureHunterG

Banned
jnWake said:
Most Kirby games are made by HAL anyway, right? It's not like they are taking resources from Star Fox/F-Zero/Metroid development.
Click to expand...

If wasn't a game made from HAL, from where Iwata was and wasn't a franchise he was directly involved and built his career, he would probably left it to die like he did with most Nintendo IPs.
 
R

RM8

Member
TreasureHunterG said:
If wasn't a game made from HAL, from where Iwata was and wasn't a franchise he was directly involved and built his career, he would probably left it to die like he did with most Nintendo IPs.
Click to expand...
Obviously, this is why Balloon Fight and Adventures of Lolo get milked to death.
 
A

Aquamarine

Member
Cheap to make, they seem to always end up profitable, and Iwata has an affinity for his former job (president of HAL Laboratory).

Kirby is HAL Laboratory's bread and butter.
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
Aquamarine said:
Cheap to make, they seem to always end up profitable, and Iwata has an affinity for his former job (president of HAL Laboratory).

Kirby is HAL Laboratory's bread and butter.
Click to expand...


So much this: they generate a return on the money invested in them. Not really sure why this would be confusing to anyone.
 
R

RM8

Member
TreasureHunterG said:
They were already dead way long before Iwata took the office.
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Speaking of pre-Iwata times, Nintendo released more Kirby games back when Iwata wasn't head of the company. Don't let that fact interfere with the conspiration, though, there's no fun in that.
 
O

Oddduck

Member
Rm88~ said:
Obviously, this is why Balloon Fight and Adventures of Lolo get milked to death.
Click to expand...

Well if you need another example, Sakurai (the creator of Smash Bros) was the creator of the Kirby series.

I would like to believe that Sakurai (as well as Iwata) both play a role in keeping Kirby alive at Nintendo.

Especially since Iwata and Sakurai are good friends.
 
N

npa189

Member
Please understand, Iwata. He cut his teeth on those games when he started out as a programmer. I'd bet we'd see more metroid games if he had worked on one.
 
T

TreasureHunterG

Banned
Rm88~ said:
Speaking of pre-Iwata times, Nintendo released more Kirby games back when Iwata wasn't head of the company. Don't let that fact interfere with the conspiration, though, there's no fun in that.
Click to expand...

While many other franchises, big and profitable in the past, are now in the vault, and probably will remain at it.
 
S

starmud

Member
Outside of the Mario/Zelda/pokemon universe, this really is one of their more relevant and popular franchises....

Kirby liscensing is pretty big.... Much bigger than any of the other B tier IP's they own.
 
R

RM8

Member
Why is it not enough reason for some people that they sell well? Particularly, Star Fox, Metroid and F-Zero are outperformed by Kirby big time. Nope. There has to be something more to it, right? Involving Iwata no less.

Kirby's mascot power is pretty big, he's there with Mario and Pikachu and not with Samus and Captain Falcon, lol.
 
D

doofy102

Member
Maybe kirby games have a unique place in the market and appeal to a wider demographic? Where are the stats for this kind of thing?

In any case, Kirby seems like the kind of game coveted both by the casual pre-teen female market for its adorable visual/art design and the "retro platformer" gaming market for its good gameplay plus visuals which were (paraphrasing) "a refreshing, beautiful change from the usual visuals we see in games." Epic Yarn was obviously catering to both of these audiences. Hence the larger sales.
 
H

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
Rm88~ said:
Kirby's mascot power is pretty big, he's there with Mario and Pikachu and not with Samus and Captain Falcon, lol.
Click to expand...

Yep, there's a reason he's one of the "big four" in Smash. It's Mario, Link, Pikachu and Kirby - not Samus, not Captain Falcon, not Marth.
 
R

RM8

Member
Htown said:
Yep, there's a reason he's one of the "big four" in Smash. It's Mario, Link, Pikachu and Kirby - not Samus, not Captain Falcon, not Marth.
Click to expand...
Now that you mention it... How come there are so many Zelda games compared to Metroid, Star Fox or F-Zero? I say Iwata has a thing for Link. That biased jerk :mad:
 
K

kittens

Unconfirmed Member
The only Kirby game I've ever cared about is Canvas Curse. The lack of a sequel breaks my heart. </3
 
F

Freezie KO

Banned
TreasureHunterG said:
While many other franchises, big and profitable in the past, are now in the vault, and probably will remain at it.
Click to expand...

Are there?

I'm no fan of Iwata, but I think this one is simpler than you're making it. Kirby sells well, and the formula to make successful, traditional entries is right there. I think the 3DS one just reuses the engine for Wii's Return to Dreamland.

By contrast, rebooting StarFox or F-Zero would cost a whole lot more than Kirby. There are arguments for why Nintendo should still do that to revitalize and diversify their platform. But in relation to Kirby, it's clear why the games keep getting made.
 
H

Hero of Legend

Member
I wonder how a Lolo game would be by HAL nowadays. They themselves own that, not Nintendo IIRC.

Or have they been 100% integrated into Kirby as Lololo and Lalala and thus Nintendo-owned?

Either way, I wonder what HAL would come up with if they were tasked to modernize them and have them star in their own game again. Like in a platformer or something.
 
B

BlackJace

Member
Isn't a new F-Zero impossible to make because the team behind it is spread out all over? I feel like there'd still be backlash because it doesn't "feel" like the others.
 
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