Is some of Nintendo’s modern success due to millennials now being parents?
- Thread starter RetroGamingUK
- Start date
Codes 208
Member
BotW already guaranteed an early adopter success.
The switch couldve been strictly a console and be called the wii three and it still wouldve been a bigger hit than the wii u just on the grounds people knew it was an actual console jump
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Topher
Identifies as young
Bigger than Wii U isn't saying much. Would it have reached Wii numbers? Certainly not. Making Switch a handheld first was by far the most impactful decision they made.
Ceadeus
Member
I would think it's also because they keep marketing fresh at all time. Tons of kids get to come across these recognizable characters elsewhere than in video games. I can think of Lego and Amiibo at the top of my head. But yeah, having parents with video games at home probably is number one reason. I know I might have never got into this if my dad never played video games.
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Woopah
Member
It's a bit of both, if Switch were just a handheld it would have likely done 3DS numbers
Topher
Identifies as young
Definitely. The hybrid design elevated it far beyond what separate console and handheld units would have done, imo.
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StueyDuck
Member
There's a strong crowd of "cozy gamers" who are just millennials that were never able to grow up.
It's like Disney fans who are sad, lonely single adults who go to Disneyland every weekend even though it's really a place for families and children.
That being said, I imagine the majority of people like Nintendo because their games are usually great.
It's like Disney fans who are sad, lonely single adults who go to Disneyland every weekend even though it's really a place for families and children.
That being said, I imagine the majority of people like Nintendo because their games are usually great.
Sakura
Member
The majority of kids who were say 10 years old when the Switch came out would have had gen x parents.
We could also look at a situation like Japan. Less than a million kids are born a year there yet the Switch has sold like over 35 million units.
And millennials grew up with Sony and Xbox too, so wouldn't it also apply there?
We could also look at a situation like Japan. Less than a million kids are born a year there yet the Switch has sold like over 35 million units.
And millennials grew up with Sony and Xbox too, so wouldn't it also apply there?
i picked 2 but that is because i do not have kidsDisclaimer, please don't see my title as me saying this is the only reason.
The main reason behind Switch's success is a great console design concept and consistently delivering great games at such a rate that other company couldn't even dream of.
However, I do think there's an aspect that could be overlooked that I've not seen discussed.
I mentioned in the Iwata thread that I completely ignored the DS/Wii/3DS/WiiU era of Nintendo which was my early 20s to early 30s. However since having children in my mid 30s I've found myself increasingly buying and playing Nintendo games and bonding with my children over them.
Millennials were the first generation to grow up with Nintendo, and now we've got kids of our own it seems like Nintendo is reaping the rewards of nostalgia and continued quality.
What do you guys think?
StereoVsn
Gold Member
It's predominantly both! My kids love to just chill out with their "handheld" switches but use the console when friends are over or whenever we play MP games.
StereoVsn
Gold Member
bender
What time is it?
You have to respect our elders!
EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
Absolutely I believe brand name and nostalgia plays a big role in this people need to understand it is clearly after all the parents that are purchasing those systems in those games as a gateway to them gaming.
But ultimately the long-term success is because those kids enjoy those games therefore continued to return to those properties for generations to come.
But ultimately the long-term success is because those kids enjoy those games therefore continued to return to those properties for generations to come.
Sooner
Member
They didn't do that during the GameCube and Wii U years?
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EDMIX
Writes a lot, says very little
I actually disagree if the switch released Just handheld I believe it would have easily surpassed 3DS numbers please remember that system moved over 70 million units despite not even having every single last major Nintendo property so if the switch released and it was let's say only a hand held with no way to HDMI out if you consider nintendo's no longer making home consoles it means every last game they made would have been on that platform which means it would have moved over a 100 million because literally this is not the fucking first time they had a handheld move 100 million so why would it suddenly just move 70?
So I don't believe the 14 or so million who owned a wii u would just magically stop playing Nintendo systems just because.
I believe the primary reason behind its success is its portability because that was already the biggest factor between wii U and 3DS even with them sharing the same games the 3Ds still sold more units
Super smash brothers on 3Ds literally sold more units
We even have examples of Mario kart doing that
Shit we have examples of Mario kart literally moving less unit on the wii u and then succeeding on the switch to literally proved that that portability was the factor behind it success because if it was just solely the games themselves why the fuck didn't those people buy a wii u? More people bought Mario kart than literally purchased a wii u lol
So from 8 million to 60 million, clearly Mario Kart 8 had nothing wrong with it, merely that it was on a home console. Majority of Nintendo's hardcore base is on portable...
Even with BotW, let me remind folks FOR YEARS that was only known to be a Wii U game in development, yet that wasn't enough to get folks buying a Wii U in massive numbers in hopes of playing it, yet broke records on Switch. So I don't really buy that much that BoTW would have been any different then what we saw with Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, BEST SELLING on Wii U....yet low selling in general compared it its portable counter part.
I think we have more then enough to show that if just released with zero HDMI, it was very likely moving well beyond 3DS, if 3DS can move 75 million, Switch in this theory with all hands on deck is moving 100 mill like their past handhelds easily.
I think we have more then enough to show that its successes is deeply rooted in it being portable when the very same games moves 8 times as many units despite it existing for years else where, clearly the "games" wasn't the issue, but where th game was played was.
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Little Chicken
Member
Nintendo fans procreating? I've heard it all.
Woopah
Member
An important part of this price. At $169, yeah a Switch Lite style device could have hit or exceeded 3DS numbers. At $299 it would have struggled I think.
The main issue with the Wii U was its games. If Switch had the same siftware situation as Wii U it would habe failed.
There was nothing wrong with the big games on Wii U, but there was a lot wrong with the software ecosystem as a whole.
You're right that a handheld only Switch would have benefitted from having all of Nintendo's attention on it, but the form factor would have limited experiences. One of them is motion controls. Ring Fit, Switch Sports and Super Mario Party are massive sellers on Switch but you can't play them using just a Switch Lite.
The other main experience is local TV multiplayer. That is a major part of the Switch's appeal that cannot be done on just a handheld.
You mentioned Mario Kart 8, but I thinks a great example of a franchise where the majority of the fanbase is not on portable. MK DS had a cheaper price and a much bigger userbase but got trounced in sales by Mario Kart Wii. Local TV multiplayer is a huge part of the series' appeal.
That's why the Switch Lite is the least popular version, even though it's the cheapest. Because most Switch owners use the device in TV mode for a good chunk of time.
Losing the TV mode means your software is less appealing and so hardware sales would be lower.
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Hawk The Slayer
Member
It's because most of their games have that awesome bright vibrant colors combined with clarity.
{insert code here}
Member
They are successful because they produce hardware and software that people want. They sold almost half a billion first party games on the Switch which is fucking bonkers.
Daniel Thomas MacInnes
GAF's Resident Saturn Omnibus
It's no secret that kids who grew up playing Nintendo are now parents or even grandparents. The company has a virtual lock on childhood only rivaled by Disney.
GasparYanga
Neo Member
Speaking for myself, the main reason we have a switch is because of the children. Nintendo knows their audience and understands they don't necessarily have to sell parents on anything because that's usually done by proxy.
That being said I grew up in a Nintendo household as the youngest of six siblings. So these things do carry over from one generation to the next and is why I also realize Nintendo's enduring appeal is in large part due to their storied (many would say transcendent) franchises. However, let's be careful and not dismiss the efficacy of the current hybrid model.
That being said I grew up in a Nintendo household as the youngest of six siblings. So these things do carry over from one generation to the next and is why I also realize Nintendo's enduring appeal is in large part due to their storied (many would say transcendent) franchises. However, let's be careful and not dismiss the efficacy of the current hybrid model.