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[VendettaRed07]

(Sorry can't quote everyone who just quoted me lol)

It is true Zelda does have momentum right now, but they are going to want to launch with more than one game. Zelda might be a bit too "big" if they want to launch it with a bunch of third party games and Mario Kart/Splatoon or whatever else as well.

TP worked on the Wii at launch but that was the Holiday. Think a march launch might be a bit different.

I'm just trying to think what a strict businessman like Kimishima would be thinking right now. We've seen he can be merciless. I actually wouldn't be surprised if that is the route they go.

The WiiU version does make it a little problematic but I doubt that would have pushed many numbers anyway. Or if it did, it would take away from possible Switch sales that month.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

Wasn't twilight princess supposed to release in 2005? They held that back for a simultaneous Wii/GC release right.

 

[maxcriden]

Is it confirmed that BotW will launch simultaneously on Wii U and Switch? Because holding back the Wii U version until Holiday 2017 would be asinine.

Whenever BOTW releases for Wii U, it will be no earlier than it releases for Switch. It's the Twilight Princess situation again, except this time concern against badwill for Wii U owners will make the release more simultaneous than it was in that instance. However, they won't risk deflating hype for BOTW by having it come to Wii U prior to releasing on Switch.

(Sorry can't quote everyone who just quoted me lol)

It is true Zelda does have momentum right now, but they are going to want to launch with more than one game. Zelda might be a bit too "big" if they want to launch it with a bunch of third party games and Mario Kart/Splatoon or whatever else as well.

TP worked on the Wii at launch but that was the Holiday. Think a march launch might be a bit different.

I'm just trying to think what a strict businessman like Kimishima would be thinking right now. We've seen he can be merciless. I actually wouldn't be surprised if that is the route they go.

The WiiU version does make it a little problematic but I doubt that would have pushed many numbers anyway. Or if it did, it would take away from possible Switch sales that month.

I see here you're coming from. Respectfully, though, I think Nintendo would be glad to have the problem of a too big game at launch, i.e. Zelda. I imagine they will have to least one Wii U port (Smash, Mario Kart or Splatoon) and at least one zany/casual/system feature title like Wii Sports or Nintendo Land. They will also want their third party partners to feel like they get a chance to shine, too. But if they don't have a killer app like Zelda, then they risk the whole house of cards tumbling down as gamers shrug a bit at the mostly port offerings available. (I realize Zelda is a port, too, but that situation is a bit different because it's not a re-release as Wii U titles otherwise, and as most or at least many third party offerings will be.) My point being, they need something new and buzzworthy like Zelda and since 3D World landed with a relative thud Mario may not have the wide appeal to launch the system with. But if you offer an enhanced Wii U port with significant JP (and WW) market appeal and then Zelda more geared to the West, you may be in a much better position for launch, especially if that additional IP title can catch some eyes.

 

[Dark Cloud]

(Sorry can't quote everyone who just quoted me lol)

It is true Zelda does have momentum right now, but they are going to want to launch with more than one game. Zelda might be a bit too "big" if they want to launch it with a bunch of third party games and Mario Kart/Splatoon or whatever else as well.

TP worked on the Wii at launch but that was the Holiday. Think a march launch might be a bit different.

I'm just trying to think what a strict businessman like Kimishima would be thinking right now. We've seen he can be merciless. I actually wouldn't be surprised if that is the route they go.

The WiiU version does make it a little problematic but I doubt that would have pushed many numbers anyway. Or if it did, it would take away from possible Switch sales that month.

BoTW is the big game though. It has all the marketing push and momentum like others have said. This is the game you make sure launches with the Switch. 3rd party devs have nothing to worry about. People will buy more than one game at launch. You have a Mario Kart, which will sell a ton for a casual and new audience. BoTW brings in the hardcore audience more than 3D Mario from the beginning.

 

[Toparaman]

Emily has a bit more info on the 3D Mario game.

"I don't know if there's a hub world, but this new 3D Mario on Switch has more exploration than 3D World and Galaxy."

Excellent news. Though I think Galaxy 1 was exceptional, I am ready to return to the openness and the verticality of the earlier titles. Gimme parkour Mario.

The Mexican theme in the footage is super promising too. Hoping the levels take a lot of multicultural influences.

 

[sanstesy]

There's no better holiday title than Mario. And it would be pointless to have both Mario and Zelda at launch.
And Zelda is unlikely to release later than March, they would have cancelled the Wii U version if it was the case.

Releasing Zelda on Wii U is mereley keeping a promise they made to their customers, they would have never cancelled the Wii U version no matter the release date. It's just an obligation at this point.

And Zelda is as much a holiday title as a 3D Mario, almost no difference.

 

[maxcriden]

Excellent news. Though I think Galaxy 1 was exceptional, I am ready to return to the openness and the verticality of the earlier titles. Gimme parkour Mario.

The Mexican theme in the footage is super promising too. Hoping the levels take a lot of multicultural influences.

Sounds awesome. I'm looking forward to playing Dia de la Mario a little over a year from now.

 

[WordAssassin]

Sounds awesome. I'm looking forward to playing Dia de la Mario a little over a year from now.

Sounds like you might be playing it way sooner than that.

Emily Rogers ‏@ArcadeGirl64 4h4 hours ago
I wouldn't be surprised if 3D Mario ends up being a day one launch title for Switch instead of Zelda...That's all I'll say on that.

That's not to say that Zelda won't/can't be a launch window title. But 3D Mario was much further along in development than anyone thinks.

This isn't speculation. I'm basing this off things I've been hearing for 3-4 months now. 3D Mario sounds like it's practically finished.

 

[maxcriden]

Sounds like you might be playing it way sooner than that.

I missed those. Thank you! I'd be thrilled.

 

[MoonFrog]

Emily has a bit more info on the 3D Mario game.

"I don't know if there's a hub world, but this new 3D Mario on Switch has more exploration than 3D World and Galaxy."

Interesting. I wonder how they would square that with the "3D gaming was a mistake" rhetoric of the past few years (was always sad to read Miyamoto quotes about Mario 64 at its time versus how he talked about the inaccessibility of 3D gaming in more contemporary times--basically sounded like telling his past self he failed at Mario 64). I have a hard time seeing them totally abandoning the New Super Mario Brothers revolution in Mario, which saw the revival of 2D platforming conventions in both 2D and 3D, but frankly I feel both 2D Mario and 3D Mario need to go some new places, even if that is partly retreading abandoned ground.

Sounds like you might be playing it way sooner than that.

Would be surprising (probably in a good way), if true.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

Wii had Mario, Zelda and Metroid all inside the first year. And it had a killer new IP in Wii Sports. And it had big titles like Super Paper Mario in that first year and they really brought it with the Virtual Conaole in that first year too. Nintendo was on fire in the Wii launch window, and that was when they still had the DS to support too.

Hopefully Nintendo bring it with the Switch like they did with Wii. Got a good feeling they will.

 

[Voysa Reezun]

What are the odds that Nintendo gets a few 3DS games ported over to Switch? I've been dying to play Kid Icarus: Uprising, but I don't have a 3DS and I honestly don't plan on getting one until I can find one for a double-digit price.

However, I'd buy some of the bigger 3DS games if I could get them on Switch. I hope they focus on 3DS ports as much as they do WiiU ports.

If the new Mario is more 64-like, I am all in. That, BotW, and a low-enough launch price (c'mon, $250!) are more than worth my time and money.

 

[120v]

BOTW seems like more of a system seller than 3D mario. especially in a March release, you're going to be aiming a little more at the "core" crowd. an open world large budget zelda fits that bill

 

[Dark Cloud]

BOTW seems like more of a system seller than 3D mario. especially in a March release, you're going to be aiming a little more at the "core" crowd. an open world large budget zelda fits that bill

It is a system seller. 3D Mario isn't a system seller like BotW because BotW speaks to the core audience and Zelda always has, but in this instance it speaks even more because it's open world, which these gamers love today.

 

[WordAssassin]

I missed those. Thank you! I'd be thrilled.

Yep! I'm still thinking Mario is gonna be their summer game, June or July. I'd love it earlier but I'm of the crowd that thinks they need to give a bit of breathing room to their franchises and third parties. If BotW launches plus either a port or a "proof of concept" game then they should give those, plus third party launch games, a couple months to breath. Summer of Mario!

Would be surprising (probably in a good way), if true.

Check this out:

There's a rumor that the Switch reveal was delayed from September to October because they wanted to include Mario but it wasn't running smoothly.

We know from years of interviews that things like framerate and optimizations are the last thing that Nintendo focuses on with their games - core gameplay etc always comes first, then they tighten up.

Now we have a rumor that Mario is much further along than anyone suspects.

So if these two rumors are true they match perfectly with how Nintendo designs games. Mario Switch is in the optimization stage now (reveal rumor) which means it's close to the end of development (Emily rumor).

IT'S ALL FALLING INTO PLACE

*stares at cork board with tweets connected by red strings, chain smoking furiously*

 

[Charles Foster Kane]

I'm just so glad that Mario seems to have decent long jump and triple jump back!!!

Open world Mario?

 

[Anth0ny]

Wasn't twilight princess supposed to release in 2005? They held that back for a simultaneous Wii/GC release right.

correct.

and then they ended up delaying the GC version a couple of weeks so Wii version came out first.

100% expect the same thing with BOTW on Switch.

 

[Aldric]

Interesting. I wonder how they would square that with the "3D gaming was a mistake" rhetoric of the past few years (was always sad to read Miyamoto quotes about Mario 64 at its time versus how he talked about the inaccessibility of 3D gaming in more contemporary times--basically sounded like telling his past self he failed at Mario 64). I have a hard time seeing them totally abandoning the New Super Mario Brothers revolution in Mario, which saw the revival of 2D platforming conventions in both 2D and 3D, but frankly I feel both 2D Mario and 3D Mario need to go some new places, even if that is partly retreading abandoned ground.

Well Miyamoto also made it clear multiple times the 3D Land/World formula wasn't the future of the franchise and that it was a temporary attempt at getting more people interested in 3D Mario. Given how these games didn't really grow the 3D Mario player base it makes sense that they're apparently giving up on it to focus on what fans of the traditional formula want.

l'm really liking that new direction from core Nintendo teams. A fully open, exploratory Zelda, a return to nonlinear expressive platforming with 3D Mario... Now all l need is a solid Metroid title and everything is forgiven.

 

[oti]

I really hope there will be Mario DLC. I don't want to wait years again for more Mario.

Zelda on the other hand should stay away from DLC. Unless it's a new mode (Survival?) or multiplayer of some sorts.

 

[Snakeyes]

Interesting. I wonder how they would square that with the "3D gaming was a mistake" rhetoric of the past few years (was always sad to read Miyamoto quotes about Mario 64 at its time versus how he talked about the inaccessibility of 3D gaming in more contemporary times--basically sounded like telling his past self he failed at Mario 64). I have a hard time seeing them totally abandoning the New Super Mario Brothers revolution in Mario, which saw the revival of 2D platforming conventions in both 2D and 3D, but frankly I feel both 2D Mario and 3D Mario need to go some new places, even if that is partly retreading abandoned ground.

Maybe he had an epiphany a la Aonuma.

 

[Peterc]

Emily has a bit more info on the 3D Mario game.

"I don't know if there's a hub world, but this new 3D Mario on Switch has more exploration than 3D World and Galaxy."

I still think it could be open worls, so you don't need a hub. Or mmo?

 

[BronzeWolf]

Mario DLC sounds good. New levels and missions sound awesome.

Zelda doesn't lend itself so well, I don't see DLC happening there.

 

[sanstesy]

3D World was the perfect game & idea for the original Wii where they had all the casual audience; intuitive multiplayer, easy control scheme, no camera control woes and it is simply a great designed game at that. It would have probably sold as well as the NSMB games in that era and it was clearly developed with that audience in mind. It was a case of a right game at the wrong time, but they didn't forsee the Wii U just failing this hard.

Now they don't have the casual audience anymore and as a result they will design their games differently. That Miyamoto quote doesn't contradict anything.

 

[Akhe]

Emily has a bit more info on the 3D Mario game.

"I don't know if there's a hub world, but this new 3D Mario on Switch has more exploration than 3D World and Galaxy."

Oh god... please be true...pleeeeeease. Mario World: Breath of the Galaxy.

 

[KingSnake]

Holidays work always well for Nintendo. They don't need to hold on Mario for that.

Nintendo rather needs to overcome the challenge of launching a system in March and holding up the momentum from March to the holidays when it will pick up automatically. Mario games are long term sellers. SM3DW hasn't even performed that well during its launch month (during holidays), but in the end sold very well LTD.

Given the hybrid nature of Switch, I think a Pokemon game (be it even a remaster) or a new Animal Crossing has much better potential to set the holidays on fire than a Mario 3d.

I'm not convinced it will happen, but a launch with Zelda&Mario 3d would really give Switch a much needed jump start for a March release. Would drive also the April sales and May can be fired up with a Mario Kart or Splatoon.

 

[oti]

So let's assume both Mario & Zelda come out at launch. Let's assume a Switch games costs 50€. Let's assume there will be a Nintendo Land kind of game bundled with the hardware for 250€. So we're looking at 350€ total. Would you buy any other game like Skyrim or NBA 2K at that point? Would you go 400€ after getting three Nintendo games?

 

[FloweryMarston]

The line between "port" and "new game" feels blurred with Mario Kart/Splatoon Switch. Mario Kart Switch sounds way better than MK8 on Wii U.

https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/status/795038382560776192

 

[KingSnake]

So let's assume both Mario & Zelda come out at launch. Let's assume a Switch games costs 50€. Let's assume there will be a Nintendo Land kind of game bundled with the hardware for 250€. So we're looking at 350€ total. Would you buy any other game like Skyrim or NBA 2K at that point? Would you go 400€ after getting three Nintendo games?

Personally, yes. I see myself getting some third party games, if they exists (like FIFA or For Honor or Skyrim)

Other than that I don't think Nintendo cares about people buying 3rd party games. Ideally a decent 3rd party games line-up would attract also people who would prefer buying Skyrim rather than a Mario 3d along side Zelda.

 

[Orniletter]

Mario and Zelda on lauch day is such a bad idea, Zelda alone is literally enough to start things off on a good note.

What matters is a stream of high quality content, releasing both on day one would not only overshadow whatever thirdparty support Nintendo managed to get, they'd even cannibalize each other.

It just won't happen.

Edit: Of course Nintendo cares about you buying thirdparty games, what a silly thing to say. They get a lot of royalties through thirdparty 3DS developers and they want in on that sweet PS4&X1 thirdparty money.

 

[KrawlMan]

It is a system seller. 3D Mario isn't a system seller like BotW because BotW speaks to the core audience and Zelda always has, but in this instance it speaks even more because it's open world, which these gamers love today.

How is 3D Mario not a system seller compared to Zelda?

• 1998 N64 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 7.60
• 2000 N64 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3.36
• 2003 GC The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 4.43
• 2006 Wii/GC The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 8.58
• 2011 Wii The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword 3.67

• 1996 N64 Super Mario 64 11.91
• 2002 GC Super Mario Sunshine 5.91
• 2007 Wii Super Mario Galaxy 12.69
• 2010 Wii Super Mario Galaxy 2 7.41
• 2013 WiiU Super Mario 3D World 5.01

(sourced from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games / http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Legend_of_Zelda )

Looks like 3D Mario is ahead on every system and I would assume overall sales also correlate with system sales.

I'm plenty excited for BotW, but in recent years Mario has disappointed me far less than Zelda. Not to mention we haven't even seen what the new Mario has to offer, and it could be just as exciting to core gamers as what Nintendo is doing for Zelda.

Also claiming that "gamers love" open world is a huge generalization. Open world is a common direction for development, and plenty of games aren't necessarily better off because of it. I've liked some open world games, but it's almost never because they are open world. For instance, Xenoblade X and even Witcher 3 could have benefited from some focus, especially after the first 10 hours when my own "open world fatigue" sets in.

 

[KingSnake]

What matters is a stream of high quality content

I surely hope that this stream of high quality games is not all depending on one Mario 3d game, but on actual games releasing monthly no matter if Mario 3d releases in March or November.

 

[BronzeWolf]

IF Switch comes with Zelda+Mario, I believe the first party to release a good game around may will make bank

 

[Dark Cloud]

https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/status/795038382560776192

That's what lots of people have been saying, especially with Splatoon. It almost looked like a sequel. This is great news for me.

 

[KingSnake]

IF Switch comes with Zelda+Mario, I believe the first party to release a good game around may will make bank

Really. Nintendo can even skip April or leave it for third parties.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Maybe he had an epiphany a la Aonuma.

He made a peculiar comment about Splatoon saying how it finally made 3D platforming viable, or something like that!

 

[Orniletter]

I surely hope that this stream of high quality games is not all depending on one Mario 3d game, but on actual games releasing monthly no matter if Mario 3d releases in March or November.

Well, I do too ? 3D Mario won't make or break Switch, no.

It's still absolutely unnecessary, by any metric, to release what are literally 2 of Nintendo's best performing, most prestigious titles (3D Mario and Zelda) on a single day.

 

[KrawlMan]

Really. Nintendo can even skip April or leave it for third parties.

If Nintendo has managed to court third parties in any way this round, and actually has some decent support for launch, they need to consider how much people will spend around the launch time frame and whether or not third parties can get an edge in over their biggest game releases.

Not saying Nintendo should avoid releasing more than one game, but Mario + Zelda is a knockout combo for consumer wallets. Even IF a third party wanted to put a great new game on the system, it risks being completely ignored alongside those two.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/status/795038382560776192

I really don't understand how MK Switch could be way better than MK8. MK8's course designs and production values were phenomenal. The issue I see is if you make a game better than MK8—perhaps by adding a Double Dash mode, a new Battle Mode, 16 new courses, a few new characters, and maybe even a Mission Mode—why even bother ever making a new Mario Kart game again? It would be perfection.

Spoiler

Please do this, Nintendo. The game would be legendary.

 

[Pokemaniac]

https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/status/795038382560776192

I'm still very suspicious over the use of the word "port" when referring to these two games. The footage from the reveal trailer suggested that that was, at best, misleading.

 

[Jim_Cacher]

https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/status/795038382560776192

There are follow-up tweets.

https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/status/795048670903275520

You can't call them sequels because half of the content is old. You can't call them ports because half of the content is new. Hmmm...

You can call them sequels if you are EA sports though.

Lol at the second tweet.

 

[BronzeWolf]

Smash, Kart and Splatoon Switch are probably very similar to their originals that they do not deserve the new number, but different enough that they are not straight up ports.

If Nintendo has managed to court third parties in any way this round, and actually has some decent support for launch, they need to consider how much people will spend around the launch time frame and whether or not third parties can get an edge in over their biggest game releases.

Not saying Nintendo should avoid releasing more than one game, but Mario + Zelda is a knockout combo for consumer wallets. Even IF a third party wanted to put a great new game on the system, it risks being completely ignored alongside those two.

I think that in this case, unlike with the Wii, the consumer will be more confident to buy into the system if they have a good reason to buy the system with just the opening titles. That will help with install base and if Mario/Zelda experiences are a good taste of what the system offers, a third-party game in April/May could capitalize on that good feeling.

People point out to the Wii situation where install base was enormous, but with very low third-party attach rate. I think the consumer of that era was very different than the one Nintendo is chasing now. Wii consumer wanted the gimmick, Switch consumer will want the games.

 

[Charamiwa]

I really don't understand how MK Switch could be way better than MK8. MK8's course designs and production values were phenomenal. The issue I see is if you make a game better than MK8—perhaps by adding a Double Dash mode, a new Battle Mode, 16 new courses, a few new characters, and maybe even a Mission Mode—why even bother ever making a new Mario Kart game again? It would be perfection.

Spoiler

Please do this, Nintendo. The game would be legendary.

Maybe the idea is to go for the game as a service route? Expand on this perfect version of Mario Kart for the entire life span of the console.

Same could be true for Smash 4. How do you top a game like that? Maybe you just don't. You just keep the community alive with new content + esport.

 

[Neoxon]

Smash, Kart and Splatoon Switch are probably very similar to their originals that they do not deserve the new number, but different enough that they are not straight up ports.

The rumored Smash port is the one that I'm most curious about, namely on if Sakurai's involved or not. It could give us some insight on how extensive the updates will be, assuming that the Smash 4 "port" is happening.

 

[Dark Cloud]

There is a follow-up tweet.

https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/status/795048670903275520

Please please have a true Battle Mode!

I'm guessing it will have at least 4 new cups.

 

[KrawlMan]

I really don't understand how MK Switch could be way better than MK8. MK8's course designs and production values were phenomenal. The issue I see is if you make a game better than MK8—perhaps by adding a Double Dash mode, a new Battle Mode, 16 new courses, a few new characters, and maybe even a Mission Mode—why even bother ever making a new Mario Kart game again? It would be perfection.

Spoiler

Please do this, Nintendo. The game would be legendary.

Just adding a proper battle mode, double items (like the trailer UI showed), new characters and new cups would make it "way better" in my opinion.

Back when I actually played Mario Kart 64 with friends, we almost exclusively played battle mode. Bringing that back, and fleshing it out online would be a huge improvement.

https://twitter.com/ArcadeGirl64/sta...48670903275520

You can't call them sequels because half of the content is old. You can't call them ports because half of the content is new. Hmmm...

If half the content is new, I could easily call that a sequel. In fact if that's true, they'd hurt themselves not calling it MK9. Every Mario Kart game is built on the shoulders of the previous iterations, reusing tracks and characters that we've all seen before.

 

[KingSnake]

It's still absolutely unnecessary, by any metric, to release what are literally 2 of Nintendo's best performing, most prestigious titles on a single day.

21 (28 in EU) November 2014 says "Hello!". Also 21/22 November 2013, incidentally with Mario and Zelda.

 

[Deleted member 465307]

Just adding a proper battle mode, double items (like the trailer UI showed), new characters and new cups would make it "way better" in my opinion.

Back when I actually played Mario Kart 64 with friends, we almost exclusively played battle mode. Bringing that back, and fleshing it out online would be a huge improvement.

I'm skeptical that they'll change the Battle Mode because I remember someone on the development team—producer, director, someone else?—digging their feet in and defending the mode. If they actually expanded it and made dedicated arenas for this Version 1.5, that'd be very big and could definitely get a lot of attention.

 

[KingSnake]

If Nintendo has managed to court third parties in any way this round, and actually has some decent support for launch, they need to consider how much people will spend around the launch time frame and whether or not third parties can get an edge in over their biggest game releases.

Not saying Nintendo should avoid releasing more than one game, but Mario + Zelda is a knockout combo for consumer wallets. Even IF a third party wanted to put a great new game on the system, it risks being completely ignored alongside those two.

People buy more games at launch than usual. 3rd parties know that on a Nintendo console that will always compete against 1st party games for the money. Nintendo will never make their schedule to somehow cater the third parties. Most people buying Switch at launch will be Nintendo's strongest fans. They will look for the 1st party games first and foremost. Nintendo will have more than 1 game at launch anyhow. So if the second hand will be Mario 3d or Nintendo Land 2, it doesn't change the situation for the third parties. What if could change is the number of people buying Switch at launch and in the following month.

The only hope for 3rd parties success on Switch is the ability of Switch to attract also a different audience at launch and after. An audience in addition to the Nintendo faithfuls.

 

[Movalpolos]

So what are the chances this will bomb harder than Wii U? Is that even possible?

 

[Speely]

If half the content is new, I could easily call that a sequel. In fact if that's true, they'd hurt themselves not calling it MK9. Every Mario Kart game is built on the shoulders of the previous iterations, reusing tracks and characters that we've all seen before.

I sort of think they should call the enhanced ports "Mario Kart Switch" and "Splatoon Switch," etc. I agree that calling it something like Mario Kart 8: Enhanced would be a bad idea, but calling it MK9 could perhaps cause some confusion for future sequels of their franchises. Is it a totally new game or a game that exists already with a lot of stuff added? Is it Smash 6 or is it 5 + more stuff, like 5 was 4 + more stuff? (as an example.)