Mario Kart is an established franchise. It's been around for 25 years now. Folks don't see it as a racing game, they see it as Mario Kart, it's almost in a genre to itself. It's practically a party game at this point, bolstered by the Switch's "out of the box" multiplayer functionality.
Tons of people will be buying Minecraft because it's Minecraft. It again will be bolstered by less competition and more word of mouth because it's on that new Switch thing everyone is talking about.
It's literally the Wii/Wii Sports situation all over again where a console is selling well because of it's software and the software is selling well because the console is popular.
I guess I just disagree then, because never in my life have I met anyone, even here on GAF, who has bought a game they didn't want, or in a genre they didn't like, just because of either the name of the game, or because there was nothing else to play.
Minecraft sells a lot because it's a fun game to play that's boundaries are like literally that of the player's imagination. Like Mario Kart, Minecraft is almost a genre of it's own, and there are a LOT of people who don't like that genre. Even if there's overlap, like people who like adventure games, not every person who likes adventure games is gonna buy Minecraft. Either they "don't get it" or the visuals are ugly or any number of reasons. Those people exist. They aren't going to buy Minecraft just because it's Minecraft or because there's nothing else to play on their system of choice.
Likewise, not every person who likes racing games likes cart racers like Mario Kart. If someone has a Switch, and they want a racing game, they're not necessarily gonna buy Mario Kart just because it's Mario Kart. They'll buy NEO or whatever the two other futuristic racing games are out for it are called (or is only one of them out? I can't keep track because there are
so many games in such a short period of time). I own an Xbox One, and I like certain racing games but not racing sims. If there was a lull in releases and just a Froza game coming out during it I wouldn't waste $60 on Froza just because it's Froza, or just because it's a new game during a month or two of no other releases.
That sounds like total madness to me. Are there really people who will spend money on a game they otherwise wouldn't really want to play just because of its name or because there's nothing else to play during that month?
Earlier this year Reggie alluded to a Metroid announcement. He said something to the effect of, check in with me in a year about Metroid and see if we don't have something to talk hour by then. I expect a Metroid announcement of some stripe by the end of the year. I think a 2D Metroidvania is entirely possible but a 3D Metroid wouldn't surprise me and would have a lot of appeal for Western audiences.
How would a 2D Metroid be "Metroidvania" and not just... Metroid? Like... Metroid is part of (the first part even) the word "Metroidvania" hahahaha are there other kids of 2D Metroid games? (genuine question, I've only ever played Prime ;__; )