• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

So... why the hell is Switch launching in March? Why not Holiday 2017?

Status
Not open for further replies.
dragonyeuw said:
I'm guessing it has to do with launching within a specific fiscal period, before year-end perhaps?
Click to expand...
This is the actual reason. Nintendo needs profit on the books for Fiscal 2016, and this gives them a necessary capital infusion in year-end reporting.

Also, it's flat-out wrong to say there's a void between Zelda and Mario. Splatoon 2 will probably push as many Switch units as either of those two games.
 
- Fiscal year
- They really can't afford to stretch out Wii U / 3DS any more
- They won't have to compete with new hardware or hardware deals on launch
- Establish a decent foothold for the holidays

There's not much reason to wait for the holidays when by that time there's likely going to be a good degree of games from them such as Zelda, Mario and Splatoon 2, and even if they delayed it I highly doubt they'd cluster together a bunch of their titles. They'd still be likely to spread them out in terms of release.
 
I think if they released it during the 2017 holiday season it would get crushed. It would be going head to head against the PS4 Slim and Xbox One with an identical price point, smaller library, and less impressive specs. Plus there's the outside possibility that the PS4 and XB1 could get price drops by the 2017 holidays making them cheaper than the Switch.

Nintendo screwed up with that price. Launching in March is a smarter move
 
The Albatross said:
If anything, I'm happier that it's not coming out during the holiday season. There's too much that comes out then. I wish more games and game companies would just shift the release calendar around instead of loading in the back of the year.

That said, the launch lineup is the worst of any console without a doubt. Zelda, that's all. Seems like it would make a hell of a lot more sense to wait until the summer when Splatoon 2 drops, and then there'd be a couple major releases.
Click to expand...
Do you remember the N64?
 
Because the hardware is ready. Who cares if some functions don't work, Nintendo fans have experienced worse.

Also, in fall they'll be competing with Scorpio. In March, they're sold out everywhere.
 
Memento said:
MK is a port and ARMS is an unproven new IP with nothing suggesting it could be big at all
Click to expand...

Because it's a new IP it doesn't count? What kind of nonsense is that? People complain Nintendo relies on its franchises too much and they annouce a major new IP in the launch window and it isn't allowed to count?

What. the. fuck?
 
Sephzilla said:
I think if they released it during the 2017 holiday season it would get crushed. It would be going head to head against the PS4 Slim and Xbox One with an identical price point, smaller library, and less impressive specs. Plus there's the outside possibility that the PS4 and XB1 could get price drops by the 2017 holidays making them cheaper than the Switch.

Nintendo screwed up with that price. Launching in March is a smarter move
Click to expand...

Not really an identical price point at least during the holiday season.

Sony and MS constantly sell their consoles for 249 during the holidays.
 
This is my big question, as well. Why this Early?

Sounds like Early Access / Early Adopter tax. $300, which limits demand so there isn't a giant shortage, and then a price drop heading in to the holiday season when more games and more functionality is in.
 
Cash in on the early adopters, who will buy day one at any price?

Then by Holiday 2017 it should be way more appealing for the normal folks.
 
My guess is to get best of both worlds. Guaranteed sell out of initial stock @ $300 for people who were going to buy it no matter what. Price cut at holidays along with "real" launch aka a Mario game to advertise. With the market Nintendo is catering to, I don't see any benefit of delaying launch.
 
Probably because it will look even more embarrassing when holiday 2017 comes, their preorder slots are not filled up within the same date it was opened.
 
Not really getting the doom and gloom here. Mario Kart, Splatoon, Zelda, XenoVerse and Mario are way more than any recent consoles has on their first year. The only arguable ports are Kart and Zelda but they're ports for a pretty insignificant portion of the gaming population. I think this thing could do very well, especially if we hear about Pokemon, Smash and Pikmin at E3.
 
Soft launch. They'll push marketing hard, have Mario and Pokémon and bundles for the holidays. They'll pretend that's the real launch. The early 'launch' timing likely has fiscal year-end ramifications.

I'm OK with being a guinea pig, I guess. I just hope they've got a hell of a lot more planned. Pleeeease.
 
Memento said:
MK is a port and ARMS is an unproven new IP with nothing suggesting it could be big at all

Now Splatoon 2, I didnt know it was 2017. But I dont think that is too different.

I mean, 3 big games (system sellers) during 9 months? For a new console?
Click to expand...

That's pretty standard for any new console, from a first party perspective. Zelda, Mario Kart, Splatoon and Mario is a much better than Wii U's first 9 months, which had NintendoLand, NSMBU and WarioWare.
 
Ushojax said:
The financial year ends in March, they have to launch or the shareholders are going to shit.

Just be thankful that they actually have an AAA game on day one this time, rather than Steel Diver or NSMBU.
Click to expand...

Shareholders are going to shit even more after a poor launch and subsequent months. if that was their reason they really need to re-examine their priorities.
 
Lord of Ostia said:
Do you remember the N64?
Click to expand...

I do. This is about the same, so I shouldn't say "without a doubt," but should say "This is arguably the worst launch lineup ever, along with N64." I think Mario 64s impact is greater than new Zelda's, though new Zelda looks great, Mario 64 changed games for ever and was a breakthrough.
 
Ushojax said:
That's pretty standard for any new console, from a first party perspective. Zelda, Mario Kart, Splatoon and Mario is a much better than Wii U's first 9 months, which had NintendoLand, NSMBU and WarioWare.
Click to expand...

Not even WarioWare; another minigame collection with a Wario skin on it.

I actually liked Game & Wario
 
Memento said:
I mean, they wont even have a complete online structure until Fall. WTF?

The line up is atrocious. Basically the console will be a Zelda machine until Mario Odissey comes out in the holidays (if its not delayed...).

I am baffled with the decision... this thing will die a slow death after the launch hype dies. Zelda will have to keep it afloat from March until the Holidays. How is that viable?
Click to expand...

I still would like to know more about the underlined.
 
Cheebo said:
Yeah, no.

Splatoon was primarily an offline multiplayer game first of all, and they are adding a significant single player mode for the sequel.
Click to expand...

Is that a typo? Splatoon's offline multiplayer was extremely bare-bones. More bare-bones even than the single player mode. Or am I remembering wrongly?
 
Chindogg said:
The lineup's better than PS4's and Xbox One's launches. Folks looking at things with rose tinted glasses hard.
Click to expand...

Are you serious? The games available on launch day are Zelda and 1,2 Switch. The latter most likely being a pack-in game. That means there's only one game that you can purchase and it's also on the WiiU. How is that a better launch lineup than the PS4/XB1?

PS4 had 26 games and XB1 had 22. Even if you're not interested in the majority of them, you can't possibly argue that launching with 1 game is better than 26/22.
 
giphy.gif
 
Cheebo said:
Yeah, no.

Splatoon was primarily an offline multiplayer game first of all, and they are adding a significant single player mode for the sequel.
Click to expand...

Are you high?

Anyway, Splatoon 2 bombing because of paid online doesn't seem likely to me. For starters, online will be free for it's first 4-6 months, and Splatoon delivered so hard on it's promise of post-release content and events that there's bound to be LOT of trust towards Splatoon 2. Also, trailer already had hints of more story/single player content.
 
Principate said:
Shareholders are going to shit even more after a poor launch and subsequent months. if that was their reason they really need to re-examine their priorities.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the world of accounting, where the infallible logic of numbers leads to corporations making terrible decisions to avoid looking bad on a spreadsheet.

Honestly, the Switch will do the numbers it needs to on the back of Zelda alone.
 
Dumb question. The launch year is crazy strong - three of their biggest AAA franchises with new games in the same launch year.

It's unprecedented and the strongest launch year from them ever.

Zelda is too big at launch, it would take the shine from their other big games if released at the same time . So launch DAY is light around Zelda, but one, two, three months later and you're playing several other AAA games from Nintendo.

You can't judge launch day when Zelda is launching day one. The other killer apps are ready but chosen not to release now. Wouldn't be any different Holiday. It would be unwise to put them together.
 
Crayolan said:
Because they couldn't drag out (the lack of) Wii U releases any longer.



It amazes me how many times I've seen "Switch only has Zelda and Mario!" since the presentation. I know the lineup is bad but Splatoon is not some random C-tier title.
Click to expand...

Splatoon wasnt presented as an A Tier title. It was presented as. "Look new maps and weapons"

Where was the Single player portion that sold many on Splatoon 1? Where were the added modes? Splatoon 2 as presented felt like a 60 dollar Map pack with DLC weapons
 
Galang said:
They should have waited, but I don't think they're really in a position to hold out any longer. Imagine if this had launched last year. I understand the delay now
Click to expand...

I actually think this is it. From shareholders they literally can't hold out any longer. They don't have the third party support to coast whilst preparing a new console like most manufacturers do. There has to be a point where they abandon the WiiU and commit to the Switch and this is it.

I think the holiday bundles and pricedrop is highly likely, whilst getting money from early adopters. And that annoys me more because I know I won't be able to resist until then because I'm an idiot when it comes to shiny new games consoles.
 
I think people are forgetting E3 is around the corner. They didnt want to bust their load at this event. I am sure at e3 more announcements are coming.
 
nynt9 said:
Their fiscal year ends in march and they need to show profits to shareholders before it ends.
Click to expand...

The wisdom of the publicly held company rears its head. Release something now to make a little money instead of later when it is significantly more likely to be successful and make more money.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Why The hell do so many gamers hate AI?
2 3 4 5
208
3K
boo replied
[Gameranx] Why a SUPERMAN Video Game Is So Hard To Make
2
69
550
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt replied
Why the hell Square Enix never remaked Final Fantasy VI?
2
71
1K
icecold1983 replied
Why is Nintendo still so secretive with announcements? Switch 2 feels oddly empty for the future
2 3 4
171
3K
Midway-AGNC- replied
Why Fidelity is Ruining Graphics
47
611
IAmRei replied
Top Bottom