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[Chris1964]

Except Capcom, the company that looks to be in rough position is Level 5. Switch is a high priced console for kids and with current demand and new 2DS coming at 15k yen it doesn't look they will drop the price of Switch anytime soon.

Since Nintendo has not reveiled full plans for last 6 months of the year they can hope Nintendo will launch software that will attract small ages and lead them to buy the system. If not they will stick to 3DS for as long as they can with whatever that means for current and future sales for their IPs.

 

[Jon Carter]

One of Level-5's big problems is Snack World isn't looking great so far and they want it to be huge.

About the high price of entry of the Switch, I think there should be a fair amount of Switches in the homes of people with children by the end of 2017, what with Mario Kart, Splatoon, Minecraft, presumably Pokemon, and Mario. If Nintendo can release a Pokemon game on it at that point in time, Level-5 can release kid-friendly games, too.

 

[Passose]

Level 5 shouldn't depend too much on kids games right now, making games focusing more on the older audience could work

 

[Cerium]

Can Yokai Watch be salvaged for the long run or is it too far milked?

 

[hiska-kun]

Any more news about how Snack World anime is doing? Three episodes already aired, right?

 

[Chris1964]

Level 5 doesn't have the power anymore. Yo-kai Watch at its prime made kids buy a 3DS to play it. Yo-kai Watch now or their new IPs look very weak as system sellers. Everything is up to Nintendo and how soon they intend to push Pokemon and Animal Crossing mainly. A retail release of Minecraft can help too.

 

[Sandfox]

Except Capcom, the company that looks to be in rough position is Level 5. Switch is a high priced console for kids and with current demand and new 2DS coming at 15k yen it doesn't look they will drop the price of Switch anytime soon.

Since Nintendo has not reveiled full plans for last 6 months of the year they can hope Nintendo will launch software that will attract small ages and lead them to buy the system. If not they will stick to 3DS for as long as they can with whatever that means for current and future sales for their IPs.

Now that you mention it they are in a pretty bad position. They have Ni No Kuni 2 going for them WW at least, but everything else looks bad expect arguably Yokai Watch. The new Inazuma game is probably a Switch game, but it's in a bad spot for the reasons you mentioned and potentially others. There's also all the delays and vaporware like Megaton Musashi, which was supposed to release Summer 2017.

Can Yokai Watch be salvaged for the long run or is it too far milked?

I mean it's still a huge franchise even with the decline we've seen, though we'll see how things are when YW4 eventually comes.

Any more news about how Snack World anime is doing? Three episodes already aired, right?

I remember someone in one of the previous threads saying that it's doing really bad and the chances of that just changing seems really low.

 

[zeromcd73]

Stopped by one of the biggest Yodobashi Camera's in Osaka today from about 4:10~4:40pm. The first thing I noticed was they actually had Switch in stock!

First time seeing this since having moved to Japan a week ago. Since I had 30minutes to kill I found a nice spot near the counter so I could see what was going on and not be in the way of the massive rush of people. As soon as I looked towards the counter, I was surprised as every single person was buying a Switch. I thought they would have run out of stock already since it was already getting late, but then I noticed the clerks pull Switch's out of these:

Boxes containing 5 Switch consoles per box. There had to have been about 10+ boxes as I looked over the counter. These continued to be replenished as people kept buying with the line of people never lessening to less than 25.

After waiting for 30minutes as I continued looking back and forth from my phone, at the very least 90% of the people buying something was buying a Switch console. Pretty much every single one of those buyers got Mario Kart. Zelda and 1-2 Switch was also selling well. The occasional person got Bomberman/Puyo Puyo Tetris, and everyone seemed to be picking up a tonne of accessories for the thing.

Most of the people buying Switch were young adults and families. In terms of other hardware there were a few DQ11 3DS/PS4 preorders, but nothing else moved the entire time I was there other than Switch. Lots of kids were also picking up 3DS software like Dragon Ball or Pokemon, and the occasional person would sneak through the Swtich frenzy to buy a PS4 game.

The games with the big advertisements at the very front of this store was Nintendo Swtich with Mario Kart and Arms, and Dragon Quest (PS4 only on the big monitors). I wanted to get photos, but it was so crowded :3

 

[Smiles and Cries]

Stopped by one of the biggest Yodobashi Camera's in Osaka today from about 4:10~4:40pm. The first thing I noticed was they actually had Switch in stock!



First time seeing this since having moved to Japan a week ago. Since I had 30minutes to kill I found a nice spot near the counter so I could see what was going on and not be in the way of the massive rush of people. As soon as I looked towards the counter, I was surprised as every single person was buying a Switch. I thought they would have run out of stock already since it was already getting late, but then I noticed the clerks pull Switch's out of these:



Boxes containing 5 Switch consoles per box. There had to have been about 10+ boxes as I looked over the counter. These continued to be replenished as people kept buying with the line of people never lessening to less than 25.

After waiting for 30minutes as I continued looking back and forth from my phone, at the very least 90% of the people buying something was buying a Switch console. Pretty much every single one of those buyers got Mario Kart. Zelda and 1-2 Switch was also selling well. The occasional person got Bomberman/Puyo Puyo Tetris, and everyone seemed to be picking up a tonne of accessories for the thing.

Most of the people buying Switch were young adults and families. In terms of other hardware there were a few DQ11 3DS/PS4 preorders, but nothing else moved the entire time I was there other than Switch. Lots of kids were also picking up 3DS software like Dragon Ball or Pokemon, and the occasional person would sneak through the Swtich frenzy to buy a PS4 game.

The games with the big advertisements at the very front of this store was Nintendo Swtich with Mario Kart and Arms, and Dragon Quest (PS4 only on the big monitors). I wanted to get photos, but it was so crowded :3

thanks for sharing this

do you think they sold out of Switch when you left?

 

[enishi]

Rushed launch game versus late life release. What you should actually be comparing is launch window titles to each other.


Closer to 14x in pure Gflops I believe (14 vs 192).

Oh wait, I am not arguing Vita has similar power to Switch. In fact it is miles away behind.

Or you could say, even it is a rush port. It shows significantly better than Vita version in terms of graphic.

 

[Mokujin]

Stopped by one of the biggest Yodobashi Camera's in Osaka today from about 4:10~4:40pm. The first thing I noticed was they actually had Switch in stock!



First time seeing this since having moved to Japan a week ago. Since I had 30minutes to kill I found a nice spot near the counter so I could see what was going on and not be in the way of the massive rush of people. As soon as I looked towards the counter, I was surprised as every single person was buying a Switch. I thought they would have run out of stock already since it was already getting late, but then I noticed the clerks pull Switch's out of these:



Boxes containing 5 Switch consoles per box. There had to have been about 10+ boxes as I looked over the counter. These continued to be replenished as people kept buying with the line of people never lessening to less than 25.

After waiting for 30minutes as I continued looking back and forth from my phone, at the very least 90% of the people buying something was buying a Switch console. Pretty much every single one of those buyers got Mario Kart. Zelda and 1-2 Switch was also selling well. The occasional person got Bomberman/Puyo Puyo Tetris, and everyone seemed to be picking up a tonne of accessories for the thing.

Most of the people buying Switch were young adults and families. In terms of other hardware there were a few DQ11 3DS/PS4 preorders, but nothing else moved the entire time I was there other than Switch. Lots of kids were also picking up 3DS software like Dragon Ball or Pokemon, and the occasional person would sneak through the Swtich frenzy to buy a PS4 game.

The games with the big advertisements at the very front of this store was Nintendo Swtich with Mario Kart and Arms, and Dragon Quest (PS4 only on the big monitors). I wanted to get photos, but it was so crowded :3

That seems to suggest that Nintendo really got some extra stock for MK8 / Golden Week, looks like next Media Crate thread is going to be interesting.

Thanks for the report.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I was looking at last year's week 17 and 18
which are all results for Golden Week and after

there was no hardware breaking 30K

and now we are hoping Nintendo shipped 100K for Switch. That's a huge difference

 

[Principate]

Stopped by one of the biggest Yodobashi Camera's in Osaka today from about 4:10~4:40pm. The first thing I noticed was they actually had Switch in stock!



First time seeing this since having moved to Japan a week ago. Since I had 30minutes to kill I found a nice spot near the counter so I could see what was going on and not be in the way of the massive rush of people. As soon as I looked towards the counter, I was surprised as every single person was buying a Switch. I thought they would have run out of stock already since it was already getting late, but then I noticed the clerks pull Switch's out of these:



Boxes containing 5 Switch consoles per box. There had to have been about 10+ boxes as I looked over the counter. These continued to be replenished as people kept buying with the line of people never lessening to less than 25.

After waiting for 30minutes as I continued looking back and forth from my phone, at the very least 90% of the people buying something was buying a Switch console. Pretty much every single one of those buyers got Mario Kart. Zelda and 1-2 Switch was also selling well. The occasional person got Bomberman/Puyo Puyo Tetris, and everyone seemed to be picking up a tonne of accessories for the thing.

Most of the people buying Switch were young adults and families. In terms of other hardware there were a few DQ11 3DS/PS4 preorders, but nothing else moved the entire time I was there other than Switch. Lots of kids were also picking up 3DS software like Dragon Ball or Pokemon, and the occasional person would sneak through the Swtich frenzy to buy a PS4 game.

The games with the big advertisements at the very front of this store was Nintendo Swtich with Mario Kart and Arms, and Dragon Quest (PS4 only on the big monitors). I wanted to get photos, but it was so crowded :3

Judging by the poll at the end of the second invitational ARMS seems to have had a good response (91% highest rating 5% next highest etc, peak was 30 k watching that saw though I missed almost all of it since it was 2:30-8 in my time zone). Depends on how well markets the thing. The core gameplay seems strong but that only really gets you so far.

Seems like a game that would benefit from a demo we'll see how it goes. Pretty much the dark house of the lieup.

 

[Passose]

Judging by the poll at the end of the second invitational ARMS seems to have had a good response (91% highest rating 5% next highest etc, peak was 30 k watching that saw though I missed almost all of it since it was 2:30-8 in my time zone). Depends on how well markets the thing. The core gameplay seems strong but that only really gets you so far.

Seems like a game that would benefit from a demo we'll see how it goes. Pretty much the dark house of the lieup.

I have a feeling Arms really is the next Splatoon, they're pushing the right game

 

[zeromcd73]

thanks for sharing this

do you think they sold out of Switch when you left?

Nah, they still have stock left despite the ongoing onslaught. Might have sold out before the shop closed, but honestly have no idea.

Judging by the poll at the end of the second invitational ARMS seems to have had a good response (91% highest rating 5% next highest etc, peak was 30 k watching that saw though I missed almost all of it since it was 2:30-8 in my time zone). Depends on how well markets the thing. The core gameplay seems strong but that only really gets you so far.

Seems like a game that would benefit from a demo we'll see how it goes. Pretty much the dark house of the lieup.

Arms has been fairly prominent promotion wise at every electronics store I've been to. It's usual right at the front on a big stand either on its own or with Mario Kart. I think Nintendo expects big things and is putting in the work to promote it here in Japan.

 

[Chris1964]

I have a feeling Arms really is the next Splatoon, they're pushing the right game

Arms isn't the next Splatoon, it belongs to a genre that is covered from Super Smash Bros.

 

[Dystify]

I have a feeling Arms really is the next Splatoon, they're pushing the right game

I think ARMS is going to be a great game, but I highly doubt it's as appealing as Splatoon is. I don't see as big of a hype about ARMS as I saw for Splatoon pre-launch. I do hope I'm somehow wrong with this one and I wish ARMS all the best.

 

[ggx2ac]

Boxes containing 5 Switch consoles per box. There had to have been about 10+ boxes as I looked over the counter. These continued to be replenished as people kept buying with the line of people never lessening to less than 25.

After waiting for 30minutes as I continued looking back and forth from my phone, at the very least 90% of the people buying something was buying a Switch console. Pretty much every single one of those buyers got Mario Kart. Zelda and 1-2 Switch was also selling well. The occasional person got Bomberman/Puyo Puyo Tetris, and everyone seemed to be picking up a tonne of accessories for the thing.

Holy Shit!!

That's a lot of PS4s stacked in the corner there.

 

[AdventureRacing]

I was looking at last year's week 17 and 18
which are all results for Golden Week and after

there was no hardware breaking 30K

and now we are hoping Nintendo shipped 100K for Switch. That's a huge difference

In their first year the 3DS and wii U had an awful golden week as well. This is a massive change.

Listening to anecdotal reports it seems like close to or over 100K is possible. The next few weeks should see the switch close in on the 3DS first year numbers. SW will be good to watch as well, will Mario kart dominate everything or will the increased HW sales bring everything else up?

 

[Kudo]

Some people expecting ARMS to bomb like TW101, is that even possible? How much did TW101 sell then, I heard it was quite catastrophic but can't be that bad if people are expecting the same here.

 

[Principate]

Some people expecting ARMS to bomb like TW101, is that even possible? How much did TW101 sell then, I heard it was quite catastrophic but can't be that bad if people are expecting the same here.

If we're talking worldwide it can't have been much more than 100-200k. Keep in mind though many said the same of Splatoon

 

[Resistance100]

I was looking at last year's week 17 and 18
which are all results for Golden Week and after

there was no hardware breaking 30K

and now we are hoping Nintendo shipped 100K for Switch. That's a huge difference

I don't​ think the fact it's golden week really matters. More the fact people are still wanting the console like crazy, mario kart has come out and Nintendo seems to have shipped more than normal (where they've been selling around 45k a week anyway) why people are expecting the 100k mark

 

[Principate]

I don't​ think the fact it's golden week really matters. More the fact people are still wanting the console like crazy, mario kart has come out and Nintendo seems to have shipped more than normal (where they've been selling around 45k a week anyway) why people are expecting the 100k mark

Yeah there should a lot unsatisfied demand from the previous weeks anyway combined with Mario kart it would have been a good week regardless. Golden week just helps.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Some people expecting ARMS to bomb like TW101, is that even possible? How much did TW101 sell then, I heard it was quite catastrophic but can't be that bad if people are expecting the same here.

Even the badly reviewed switch games are doing way better than TW101.

 

[Chris1964]

Some people expecting ARMS to bomb like TW101, is that even possible? How much did TW101 sell then, I heard it was quite catastrophic but can't be that bad if people are expecting the same here.

GAF is a place full of fanboys and ignorant members. What some or many expect / hope in here doesn't mean it will happen. Switch clearly showed that.

 

[Dystify]

Some people expecting ARMS to bomb like TW101, is that even possible? How much did TW101 sell then, I heard it was quite catastrophic but can't be that bad if people are expecting the same here.

This is a game with a huge marketing push and is created by the Mario Kart team. I don't think there's any way it will sell badly, but I don't expect it to be on the level of Splatoon 2 on Switch. (Might overtake Splatoon 1 if it's a big hit, but that game was obviously hindered by Wii U sales.)

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Holy Shit!!

That's a lot of PS4s stacked in the corner there.

The sheer contrast of that is actually quite suggestive in itself. With the PS4s, the store has time to get them out of whatever shipping them came in, and stack them up in the corner. The Switch? They don't want to even bother, easier to just get them out of the boxes when people inevitably come up to buy one, rather than waste time stacking them up properly.

 

[Eolz]

I'm expecting Arms to be similar to Pokken.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I don't​ think the fact it's golden week really matters. More the fact people are still wanting the console like crazy, mario kart has come out and Nintendo seems to have shipped more than normal (where they've been selling around 45k a week anyway) why people are expecting the 100k mark

I think Golden Week still plays into Nintendo's timing to release Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
the release also forces the restocking of the hardware.

I am sure they could have still released anytime and still sell huge amounts but the timing works out for them here.

 

[foxuzamaki]

Stopped by one of the biggest Yodobashi Camera's in Osaka today from about 4:10~4:40pm. The first thing I noticed was they actually had Switch in stock!



First time seeing this since having moved to Japan a week ago. Since I had 30minutes to kill I found a nice spot near the counter so I could see what was going on and not be in the way of the massive rush of people. As soon as I looked towards the counter, I was surprised as every single person was buying a Switch. I thought they would have run out of stock already since it was already getting late, but then I noticed the clerks pull Switch's out of these:



Boxes containing 5 Switch consoles per box. There had to have been about 10+ boxes as I looked over the counter. These continued to be replenished as people kept buying with the line of people never lessening to less than 25.

After waiting for 30minutes as I continued looking back and forth from my phone, at the very least 90% of the people buying something was buying a Switch console. Pretty much every single one of those buyers got Mario Kart. Zelda and 1-2 Switch was also selling well. The occasional person got Bomberman/Puyo Puyo Tetris, and everyone seemed to be picking up a tonne of accessories for the thing.

Most of the people buying Switch were young adults and families. In terms of other hardware there were a few DQ11 3DS/PS4 preorders, but nothing else moved the entire time I was there other than Switch. Lots of kids were also picking up 3DS software like Dragon Ball or Pokemon, and the occasional person would sneak through the Swtich frenzy to buy a PS4 game.

The games with the big advertisements at the very front of this store was Nintendo Swtich with Mario Kart and Arms, and Dragon Quest (PS4 only on the big monitors). I wanted to get photos, but it was so crowded :3

Japan is nintendoland once again

 

[foxuzamaki]

Holy Shit!!

That's a lot of PS4s stacked in the corner there.

Makes me wonder if sony overstocked in japan

 

[Kouriozan]

Some people expecting ARMS to bomb like TW101, is that even possible? How much did TW101 sell then, I heard it was quite catastrophic but can't be that bad if people are expecting the same here.

The Wonderful 101 was 5k first week.

Edit : source http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=663533

 

[Oregano]

Japan is nintendoland once again

It never stopped being Nintendoland.

Makes me wonder if sony overstocked in japan

They expected a 30k baseline.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

The Wonderful 101 was 5k first week.

Edit : source http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=663533

Even Famitsu's more generous estimate 6.6k is just bad, and that was 20-40% of the stock. I doubt it ever sold out the initial shipment.

 

[Passose]

They expected a 30k baseline.

Ouch, I thought they were gonna keep that 30k momentum until the end of this year

 

[Mpl90]

Posting this here as well: more on recent KT's statements on Switch

http://nintendoeverything.com/fire-emblem-warriors-wont-be-koei-tecmos-only-switch-exclusive-game/

Koei Tecmo has even more plans for Switch in the future. At a financial results briefing this week, chairman Keiko Erikawa noted that the company’s multiplatform engine has Switch embedded, meaning it can generate PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch titles automatically from a single source. Erikawa also spoke positively about Switch’s “anytime anywhere” concept and believes it will be successful, so they’ll to continue support it.

Koei Tecmo is already working on Switch exclusive title(s) other than Fire Emblem Warriors. Also, they’ll deliver Switch games one after another.

 

[Herb Alpert]

Posting this here as well: more on recent KT's statements on Switch

http://nintendoeverything.com/fire-emblem-warriors-wont-be-koei-tecmos-only-switch-exclusive-game/

Good news!

 

[sphinx]

Posting this here as well: more on recent KT's statements on Switch

http://nintendoeverything.com/fire-emblem-warriors-wont-be-koei-tecmos-only-switch-exclusive-game/

that quote seems very much like a third party dev being on board with the Switch.

you guys think they'll give project Zero/Fatal Frame another chance? 4 and 5 both fell flat on their faces for different reasons...

 

[Kudo]

GAF is a place full of fanboys and ignorant members. What some or many expect / hope in here doesn't mean it will happen. Switch clearly showed that.

True enough, I remember going through a bet thread few days ago where quite large amounts of black birds were served.

Even Famitsu's more generous estimate 6.6k is just bad, and that was 20-40% of the stock. I doubt it ever sold out the initial shipment.

The Wonderful 101 was 5k first week.

Edit : source http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=663533

These numbers make me wonder if the people comparing ARMS to TW101 are even serious.

 

[Principate]

that quote seems very much like a third party dev being on board with the Switch.

you guys think they'll give project Zero/Fatal Frame another chance? 4 and 5 both fell flat on their faces for different reasons...

May well do we'll see. KT seems fairly close with Nintendo anyway so the switch being a success makes that much easier. Capcom, Namco and Level 5 remain the biggest question marks from a Japanese publisher in terms of switch support though their internal engines support it now in Capcom's case so I imagine we'll start hearing more announcements.

 

[schuelma]

I find it interesting that so far, the 2 Japanese 3rd parties I would have guessed would be on board with Switch do not have much announced (Capcom and NB) while SE and TK appear to be supporting the console pretty heavily.

 

[Chris1964]

I find it interesting that so far, the 2 Japanese 3rd parties I would have guessed would be on board with Switch do not have much announced (Capcom and NB) while SE and TK appear to be supporting the console pretty heavily.

KT appears to be on board with Switch after initial sales unlike SE that was from the beginning.

 

[Zedark]

Posting this here as well: more on recent KT's statements on Switch

http://nintendoeverything.com/fire-emblem-warriors-wont-be-koei-tecmos-only-switch-exclusive-game/

Sounds good, FE Warriors will be mine come launch.

KT appears to be on board with Switch after initial sales unlike SE that was from the beginning.

What was the deal with DQ Heroes I+II? Koei Tecmo owns Omega Force if I googled correctly, so they did do something at least (in collaboration with Squeenix).

 

[Principate]

I imagine most will come around oustide many certain niche publishers that are playstation focused. Being the only new portable in Japan and bing reasonably successful worldwide so far will have that affect

 

[cw_sasuke]

... suggests to me that they are working on bigger games for Switch won't just be announced on a random Direct but are saved for E3 or Nintendo Fall Press Briefings.

Most of the stuff we have seen announced for Switch since launch is based on ports or adaptation of older games.

There isn't really much benefit of announcing these projects now - when they can be revealed during E3 or other events.

 

[Principate]

... suggests to me that they are working on bigger games for Switch won't just be announced on a random Direct but are saved for E3 or Nintendo Fall Press Briefings.

Most of the stuff we have seen announced for Switch since launch is based on ports or adaptation of older games.

There isn't really much benefit of announcing these projects now - when they can be revealed during E3 or other events.

Pretty much KT doesn't exactly deal with super high budget and demanding games anyway so I doubt having a switch port alongside ps4 will be too much of an issue for thwir games going forward. i mean they still support the vita.

 

[Hattori]

I hope they make another Pokémon x Nobunaga's Amibition, that game was dope

 

[Rodin]

Can Yokai Watch be salvaged for the long run or is it too far milked?

I think they milked it too much on the 3DS but if they put it on Switch with some effort to take advantage of the better hardware to shake up the formula it can still make huge numbers. Not to say that they're selling badly, but I believe this is also the reason MH XX underperformed compared to Capcom's expectations, both series need a new big release with evolved mechanics on better hardware.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Pretty much KT doesn't exactly deal with super high budget and demanding games anyway so I doubt having a switch port alongside ps4 will be too much of an issue for thwir games going forward. i mean they still support the vita.

If it currently sells in Japan and isn't completely weak, KT will make games for it. That the Switch has been off to a good start thus far only helps with that.

 

[frankie_baby]

Makes me wonder if sony overstocked in japan

Didnt the shipment figures the other day suggest they'd been channel stuffing?