If Nintendo went 3rd party, would the quality of their games drop?
- Thread starter Doosi
- Start date
Inspectah_Deck
Member
We would see a lack in variety.
SatoAilDarko
Member
There would focus only on the most profitable.
So niche stuff would disappear.
So niche stuff would disappear.
So just like now? I feel like outside of Splatoon Nintendo didn't really do much new stuff with the Wii U.
Linkstrikesback
Member
Not immediately, but yes. I suspect it would.
They'd go exactly like Sega or Atari I imagine, but it's obviously complete speculation on my part.
They'd go exactly like Sega or Atari I imagine, but it's obviously complete speculation on my part.
TheRedSnifit
Member
As in, RIP everything not called Mario, Pokemon, or Zelda.
Benzychenz
Member
They would still be quality.
It's just it'd pretty much be all Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Smash Bros and Splatoon.
Where's the incentive to fund games like Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade, Sin and Punishment etc if they're not pushing console sales?
It's just it'd pretty much be all Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Smash Bros and Splatoon.
Where's the incentive to fund games like Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade, Sin and Punishment etc if they're not pushing console sales?
Let me look at my crystal ball...its cloudy right now, sorry 
Only thing I'll say is comparisons to Sega are barely skin-deep. Sega was bankrupt and dead if not for a donation from a former owner. They didn't have IP that the mass-market liked enough to buy in great quanities on their own hardware. When they put out similar titles, ports and sequels of their DC titles on other platforms they still didn't sell.
The era of high quality, sought after Sega first-party software is a myth.
Apples and oranges.
Only thing I'll say is comparisons to Sega are barely skin-deep. Sega was bankrupt and dead if not for a donation from a former owner. They didn't have IP that the mass-market liked enough to buy in great quanities on their own hardware. When they put out similar titles, ports and sequels of their DC titles on other platforms they still didn't sell.
The era of high quality, sought after Sega first-party software is a myth.
Apples and oranges.
nephilimdj
Member
Sega put out a lot of medicore games on the xbox/gamecube/ps2, shit like altered beast 2005. For every remaster and PSO, there was a turd.
Nintendo most likely would have the same issue, WiiU/3DS had a few bad games published by Nintendo. They wouldn't have profits from hardware sales to hold up the bad games.
They would need a shift in the way they quality control games.
Nintendo most likely would have the same issue, WiiU/3DS had a few bad games published by Nintendo. They wouldn't have profits from hardware sales to hold up the bad games.
They would need a shift in the way they quality control games.
Cheeseman Battitude
Member
Mario Maker
Hyrule Warriors
Captain Toad
Pokken Tournament
Not too much, but considering the install-base, probably more than you might get on a competitor's dying system.
geordiemp
Member
I used to play exclusively Nintendo with Wii.
The only game that stands out as a game I would not expect from Nintendo is Splatoon.
Everything else looks familiar anyway, from New Zelda to excite truck coming back (my fav racing game).
So dont see any change other than better home console hardware and maybe some nice 4K shiny things..so this would be a quality IMPROVEMENT......which would be good. Although Switch looks to be a promising portable.
Mario maker - added custom level to standard game ?
Hyrule - allow some 3rd party license of skins, Mousou ?
The only game that stands out as a game I would not expect from Nintendo is Splatoon.
Everything else looks familiar anyway, from New Zelda to excite truck coming back (my fav racing game).
So dont see any change other than better home console hardware and maybe some nice 4K shiny things..so this would be a quality IMPROVEMENT......which would be good. Although Switch looks to be a promising portable.
Mario maker - added custom level to standard game ?
Hyrule - allow some 3rd party license of skins, Mousou ?
Box Boy
Steel Diver Subwars
Pullblox/Pushmo
TMS #FE
Wonderful 101
But who cares though right? Because they're not AAA franchises making millions?
That's when we end up with nostalgia fanboys getting what they want which is Mario and Zelda games only.
It must be fun being a Sega fanboy getting a new Sonic game all the time and not a new Panzer Dragoon Saga or Jet Set Radio or Space Channel 5.
Linkstrikesback
Member
You'd probabaly only see Mario, Pokemon, Zelda and Smash games being produced with maybe some smaller titles made once in a while. I wouldn't expect something like Xenoblade having more games, but it would probably be bought by another company if Nintendo went third-party. You also wouldn't see Metroid ever again.
I don't think they would go down to Sega's current level.
Edit:Quality wouldn't go down I imagine tho.
I don't think they would go down to Sega's current level.
Edit:Quality wouldn't go down I imagine tho.
Probably because you're not looking around at the content Nintendo actually put out and just focus on a handful of the bigger titles
No.
Their platform design quirks don't change what kinds of games can be done in any significant way. They themselves struggled making good use of the Wii U controller just as much as third parties. Switch's control setup is bog standard sticks and buttons and touch, which can be found elsewhere. Docking and undocking doesn't enable any new gameplay ideas. There's no necessity for their own platform designs on that front at all.
edit: The hot question at this point is if the 3DS line, or rather the dual-screen handheld setup, will be carried forward in some form, or if the Switch is going to be their single platform from now on. There's a decent argument to be made that dual-screen game designs have their place and we would lose some entire franchises in a permanent transition away from that.
Their platform design quirks don't change what kinds of games can be done in any significant way. They themselves struggled making good use of the Wii U controller just as much as third parties. Switch's control setup is bog standard sticks and buttons and touch, which can be found elsewhere. Docking and undocking doesn't enable any new gameplay ideas. There's no necessity for their own platform designs on that front at all.
edit: The hot question at this point is if the 3DS line, or rather the dual-screen handheld setup, will be carried forward in some form, or if the Switch is going to be their single platform from now on. There's a decent argument to be made that dual-screen game designs have their place and we would lose some entire franchises in a permanent transition away from that.
Here's what would happen
Nintendo would have to downsize - Mass layoffs causing moral to drop
Nintendo would stop making their unique titles, relying on old IP even more than they do. No more BoxBoy, Wonderful 101. No shots on games like Bayonetta, Beyond Good & Evil etc.
Nintendo's titles wouldn't be as experimental as they are, instead relying on tried and true - People give Nintendo shit about "oh another Mario game", but the games are typically vastly different from their predecessors. Aside from the NSMB games, Nintendo always experiments within their series
Nintendo's quality control would slip even more than it already is doing so.
Nintendo are actually back in the public eye due to GO, Sun & Moon (best selling launches for Nintendo games in all non-Japan regions), Mario Run & Switch. Why is this even a point of contention now? If a thread about Sony or Microsoft like this went up, you'd get trashed
Nintendo would have to downsize - Mass layoffs causing moral to drop
Nintendo would stop making their unique titles, relying on old IP even more than they do. No more BoxBoy, Wonderful 101. No shots on games like Bayonetta, Beyond Good & Evil etc.
Nintendo's titles wouldn't be as experimental as they are, instead relying on tried and true - People give Nintendo shit about "oh another Mario game", but the games are typically vastly different from their predecessors. Aside from the NSMB games, Nintendo always experiments within their series
Nintendo's quality control would slip even more than it already is doing so.
Nintendo are actually back in the public eye due to GO, Sun & Moon (best selling launches for Nintendo games in all non-Japan regions), Mario Run & Switch. Why is this even a point of contention now? If a thread about Sony or Microsoft like this went up, you'd get trashed
Movalpolos
Banned
So RIP Metroid, F-Zero and Mother? Sounds a lot like what has already happened.
From a strictly economical perspective speaking, maybe.
After all you have to keep in mind that Nintendo's games don't only have to be good, they have to be "I'm willing to spend 250 to buy the hardware nessecary to play this game" good.
Although one could also argue that selling games on a far more crowded platform such as the PS4, Nintendo would be forced to put more features into their games or deliver higher quality in general. I think that could be true for B-tier franchises but not for Mario and Pokémon.
After all you have to keep in mind that Nintendo's games don't only have to be good, they have to be "I'm willing to spend 250 to buy the hardware nessecary to play this game" good.
Although one could also argue that selling games on a far more crowded platform such as the PS4, Nintendo would be forced to put more features into their games or deliver higher quality in general. I think that could be true for B-tier franchises but not for Mario and Pokémon.
Movalpolos
Banned
Well put.
Also bye Xenoblade, bye Pikmin, bye Fatal Frame.
So because those franchises have quieted down (due to lack of sales), that means all the other franchises that exist don't matter?
Agreed.
Movalpolos
Banned
Xenoblade had one good game. The first one. The quality already dropped from that series with XCX.
CaviarMeths
Member
Probably not.
But volume and variety definitely would. Games like Splatoon and Xenoblade X only exist on the Wii U because Nintendo wanted to diversify their software line-up to a attract a wide variety of consumers into their ecosystem. They wouldn't bother doing that if they didn't have an ecosystem. They would just publish what sells the best. We already saw them delay Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile games to push out a Mario runner game on iOS. That's what you could expect from a fully 3rd party Nintendo.
But volume and variety definitely would. Games like Splatoon and Xenoblade X only exist on the Wii U because Nintendo wanted to diversify their software line-up to a attract a wide variety of consumers into their ecosystem. They wouldn't bother doing that if they didn't have an ecosystem. They would just publish what sells the best. We already saw them delay Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile games to push out a Mario runner game on iOS. That's what you could expect from a fully 3rd party Nintendo.
This. It would be a disaster.
Ok, so it might as well not exist then.
I stand by my point. Those first two games are small games. TMS #FE is a Atlus game paid by Nintendo made in the vein of Persona. Wonderful 101 again paid by Nintendo it's all Kamiya. What actually new stuff did you see from Nintendo proper? Not much. That also why Wii U did as it did it lacked variety compared to other console and felt like just another Nintendo console with same sequels as always because that's were most marketing and developmet went.
Quantity would certainly drop significantly, as would the variety of software. When you prop up hardware you develop and finance a number of games that won't necessarily be particularly profitable but will fill niches and make your platform attractive to a wider audience.
People who wish for Nintendo 3rd party also wish doom on much of Nintendos software output.
People who wish for Nintendo 3rd party also wish doom on much of Nintendos software output.
Goal posts with jet boosters. We're already going there. Arbitrary rules of what constitutes a new IP for the PUBLISHER and what doesn't
So because games are small, they don't count towards Nintendo's innovation or variety, but the Wii U failed because it lacked variety when you discount the games Nintendo put out?
That's a meaningless distinction. Those game wouldn't exist without Nintendo. They are also co developed by Nintendo SPD too.
You don't see people making stupid arguments about Ratchet and Clank or The Order not being Sony games.
Yeah, I can't bother with the changing goalposts once arbitrary rules get put in place for why certain games don't count.
Movalpolos
Banned
Well, now that I think about it, I could see Xenoblade series actually being one that would persist as a 3rd party offering from Nintendo. Open-world RPGs seem to do pretty well in the mainstream. Just not on a Nintendo console.
It's a part of why Wii U failed. It may be just me but I don't see Nintendo as that much diffrent from other 1st party and big 3rd party studios.
TheRedSnifit
Member
Pikmin
DKC
Splatoon
Wonderful 101
Bayonetta 2
Star Fox
Code Name: STEAM
Fatal Frame
Fire Emblem
Xenoblade
Captain Toad
Kirby
Kid Icarus
Pushmo
Just off the top of my head.
Except you're discounting a lot of Nintendo's output as not being first party when for the others they'd be considered first party
JustSomeone
Member
Nope. Why would it?
For once you are right, it's just you.
Which is why outside of Final Fantasy XV we've seen so many high quality open world JRPGs?
Also Xenoblade doesn't sell that well.
"But it totes would on a good system like the PS4!"
Movalpolos
Banned
Yeah, added to my post "On a Nintendo console". It would likely sell better on a more popular console for gamers.
EDIT: XC and XCX aren't necessarily "high quality" though. Good point.