Why do you think Nintendo is so successful?
- Thread starter Ainem Enamas
- Start date
awwr999999
Member
Nintendo's strong position today is the direct result of retaining permanent exclusives while having less common 3rd party multi-platform titles.
This makes it harder to judge Nintendo based on games with the exact same title on other platforms.
In hindsight, PlayStation facilitated Xbox's continued existence by failing to retain key permanent exclusive PS2 games.
Key franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Silent Hill built their best games from the ground up around PlayStation hardware.
Best-ever games like Silent Hill 2 and GTA San Andreas both have spectacular audio and visual effects that only exist on the PS2.
Both SH2 and GTA SA were ported to Xbox and sold under the exact same titles despite the fact that they were objectively inferior.
This allowed Xbox users excited about the biggest PS2 games to obtain 'the same games' and then be underwhelmed by the poor performance.
Moving forward, PlayStation needs to rigorously secure key 3rd party games that best utilize PlayStation's proprietary HW as permanent PS exclusives.
Ideally, 3rd party studios would only be allowed to use certain proprietary aspects of the SDK for permanent exclusive games.
E.g., preventing games built around DualSense and other proprietary HW from releasing on rival platforms under the same title.
It should be possible to create a situation where studios are vying for the ability to make deeply optimized PS exclusive games as opposed to multi-platform games.
This makes it harder to judge Nintendo based on games with the exact same title on other platforms.
In hindsight, PlayStation facilitated Xbox's continued existence by failing to retain key permanent exclusive PS2 games.
Key franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Silent Hill built their best games from the ground up around PlayStation hardware.
Best-ever games like Silent Hill 2 and GTA San Andreas both have spectacular audio and visual effects that only exist on the PS2.
Both SH2 and GTA SA were ported to Xbox and sold under the exact same titles despite the fact that they were objectively inferior.
This allowed Xbox users excited about the biggest PS2 games to obtain 'the same games' and then be underwhelmed by the poor performance.
Moving forward, PlayStation needs to rigorously secure key 3rd party games that best utilize PlayStation's proprietary HW as permanent PS exclusives.
Ideally, 3rd party studios would only be allowed to use certain proprietary aspects of the SDK for permanent exclusive games.
E.g., preventing games built around DualSense and other proprietary HW from releasing on rival platforms under the same title.
It should be possible to create a situation where studios are vying for the ability to make deeply optimized PS exclusive games as opposed to multi-platform games.
Self_Destructive
Member
Nintendo are successful for a very simple reason, they recognize the importance of appealing to the younger market.
Nintendo creates lifelong customers from a young impressionable age with games that unapologetically serve both younger kids and adults alike. That, along with smartly differentiating themselves from their competitors in hardware.. meant that people would pick up their console in addition to another.
The people who outgrow Nintendo games, are replaced by a younger generation, and those same people then have kids who very likely get a Nintendo system because of how child friendly they are.
Add to that, they focus on quality and executing on their concepts while keeping their budgets in check.. and it's easily understandable.
Nintendo creates lifelong customers from a young impressionable age with games that unapologetically serve both younger kids and adults alike. That, along with smartly differentiating themselves from their competitors in hardware.. meant that people would pick up their console in addition to another.
The people who outgrow Nintendo games, are replaced by a younger generation, and those same people then have kids who very likely get a Nintendo system because of how child friendly they are.
Add to that, they focus on quality and executing on their concepts while keeping their budgets in check.. and it's easily understandable.
Alan Wake
Member
And they've found their audience. I wonder how well Astro Bot would've done on Switch. It's Nintendo level of brilliance and fun, but it did not sell gangbusters on PS5. On the other hand, third party games rarely does well on Nintendo systems so...
Cakeboxer
Member
Astro Bot would never sell as well on the Switch as games featuring Nintendo icons, simply because it lacks the widespread recognition, cultural legacy, and cross-generational appeal. While characters like Link, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Mario are deeply rooted in pop culture and dominate every genre they touch, the Astro Bots feel more like cute side characters who got a rare shot at the spotlight in a game clearly inspired by Nintendo's winning formula. If Nintendo had made the same game with Mini Toads instead of soulless robots, it would've sold like hotcakes.
The same goes for Grounded. Swap out the unknown kids for tiny versions of Nintendo's all-stars, and it would've been a guaranteed hit.
tomato shrub
Member
planted seeds for nostalgia and parasocial relationships over decades
Ask yourself this? The next time you're playing a much praised Nintendo exclusive like BOTW, replace all of the Legend of Zelda characters with generic placeholders and try and see if you'd still enjoy it as much.
Nostalgia is what makes Nintendo so popular.
Nostalgia is what makes Nintendo so popular.
FoxMcChief
Gold Member
Because while Nintendo does want to make huge profits, they still hold true and want to put out great games. I can't say the same for Sony or MS.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
You should! The show it's super fun to watch and great artstyle and animation.
tylrdiablos
Member
As someone who grew up playing the NES, SNES and onwards... this is a great answer.
You want to re-live those awesome childhood memories.
Practically every Nintendo game is family-friendly (maybe not Metroid Dread but they're the exception) and that drives sales.
You also know that Nintendo games are usually high quality. We've seen some performance issues in recent titles but nothing show-stopping.
I'm also not a big fan of Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom (or any game with an "open world" approach) but they were still worth the price of entry in my opinion. (I'd say I vastly preferred Echoes of Wisdom & Links Awakening Switch to both TotK and BotW.)
I've also just pre-ordered a LEGO Game Boy for the October 1st release date. That's how deep Nintendo have their claws into me.
Mohonky
Member
KISS = keep it simple stupid.
Thats fundamental at their core game design. They start with a simple mechanic and design the game world around it while ensuring that mechanic operates as flawlessly as possible.
To many games have what Id consider 'jank'. It's like 'other games are doing this, so we have to do it too' despite it either not working as well as it should or just not really fitting into the game world itself. Or games that have a strong narrative but are told by playing through a world where the gameplay loop is either too convoluted. I mean I don't mind games with strong narratives or put in a lot of ideas; but its obvious compared to Nintendo, that Nintendo would rather do something simple and proceed to polish the absolute shit out of it than try and make something that does a bit of everything but doesn't do it especially amazing.
They keep it simple, tight and don't go overboard. Thats it.
Thats fundamental at their core game design. They start with a simple mechanic and design the game world around it while ensuring that mechanic operates as flawlessly as possible.
To many games have what Id consider 'jank'. It's like 'other games are doing this, so we have to do it too' despite it either not working as well as it should or just not really fitting into the game world itself. Or games that have a strong narrative but are told by playing through a world where the gameplay loop is either too convoluted. I mean I don't mind games with strong narratives or put in a lot of ideas; but its obvious compared to Nintendo, that Nintendo would rather do something simple and proceed to polish the absolute shit out of it than try and make something that does a bit of everything but doesn't do it especially amazing.
They keep it simple, tight and don't go overboard. Thats it.
BlackTron
Member
I both disagree and agree here. Yes, the characters make a huge difference. You can take a hot IP and apply it to a generic game, BUT it only helps so much depending on the quality of the game and they can't repeatedly do this to characters in sub-par games or it would cheapen them. Miyamoto was probably right that more people would play Dinosaur Planet if they made it a Starfox game. But was this manipulation or just a good business decision?
The thing about BOTW is that it sold so much more than past Zelda games, in other words it expanded the audience for the IP. So it doesn't make sense that the only reason people would be playing it is because they are devoted to Zelda. As someone traditionally devoted to Zelda, I don't play or like these new games as much as old ones, but way more people buy it than ever bought Zelda before, so it can't be loyalty. They're using old characters to make new games people want to play. The fact that I don't like that there are no dungeons seems irrelevant, whatever formula they did exploded sales.
Geometric-Crusher
"Nintendo games are like indies, and worth at most $19" 🤡
Better yet, take Minecraft and add Nintendo characters... wow this is goty says ign
One IP that Nintendo is targeting is Uncharted, so don't be surprised if this thing becomes an Ice Climber in the Nintendo universe. That's the secret in addition to the other two I've already mentioned.
yurinka
Member
- They had the monopoly of portable consoles, so Switch has been the only option for who wanted portables, including the PS, XB, PC players who wanted a portable console as secondary gaming device
- They merged the resources and catalog they had in home consoles and portables into a single device
- A ton of parents don't know that the favorite games for kids are Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite or mobile games, and want to give the kids a portable or home console, and this is the only publisher they know they make good games for kids because played them when young
- Evey handful years or so they make a top quality game
- They have around half a dozen proven IP that have been successful during 30-40 years, so don't depend on new IP
- They managed to have a very large cult-like fanbase that buy whatever they do, including cardboard accesories that need to be manufactured by the customer and who don't care about missing most top games in that device
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BlackTron
Member
But IGN already gave Minecraft a 9/10 and it's the best-selling game of all time. Your example, as usual, sucks.
BacklashWave534
Member
Because they make fun games. Unfortunately, they have a CEO now who is willing to take advantage of the fan base.
Mohonky
Member
Literally a dumb argument when you consider most gamers now, started out on a Playstation system.
Where's the nostalgia for Zelda etc coming from there?
I should have clarified that I mean the LoZ experience that includes the sounds, outfits and areas that reference other games in the series that tick those nostalgia expectations.
I understand that Nintendo do push the boundaries but I just don't see their games having the same impact without using their huge repertoire of first party characters.
Personally I can't see what all the fuss is about when I'd rather experience games such as Desth Stranding and KCD2.
i wouldn't be surprised if that's the game they bring to Switch 2.
Easy, they tap into the broadest markets. With the Wii, they tapped into the casual gamer (usually viral marketing and simplicity will get you there), young, old, the core gamer (they have a history of making great games for them as well i.e. Zelda), no region specific appeal (Western/Eastern gamers alike are attracted to their products since they don't really follow social trends), reputation built on decades of quality, which also sucks in the nostalgic crowd.
With the Switch they brought that, as well as tapping into demand for mobile gaming with core games (not offered by phones). In today's market, where kids are growing up with mobile entertainment as the norm, it makes sense that the Switch would be perfect for them. That all about sums it up i think.
With the Switch they brought that, as well as tapping into demand for mobile gaming with core games (not offered by phones). In today's market, where kids are growing up with mobile entertainment as the norm, it makes sense that the Switch would be perfect for them. That all about sums it up i think.
TheMule1983
Member
Best in class first party software, no political agenda involved, games are purely fun for everyone.
BlackTron
Member
The responses that make sense aren't nearly as entertaining as the salty ones. I love the common themes of being dismissively judgemental, sarcastically insulting, passive aggressive, etc etc. Shines a giant light on how bad the collective argument is when nobody who has it seems to have any cogent thoughts. Keep it coming, let the salt flow through you.
I Love Rock 'n' Roll
Member
People have been brainwashed. Nintendo hasn't been genuinely fun for decades. They keep recycling the same formulas, clinging to the same franchises, and prioritizing casual audiences. Their hardware is limited, their online services are outdated, and they rely almost entirely on nostalgia, and not even in a meaningful or well, executed way. Innovation is nowhere to be found.
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Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Just because you personally don't find them fun it doesn't mean that's true for others.
For me their games are incredibly fun, especially with recent DK Bananza.
Ainem Enamas
Member
Woopah
Member
The "buy whatever they do" part never made much sense. There's a massive gulf between the best selling and worst selling Nintendo products.
Nostalgia is definitely part of the reason, but doesn't explain why Zelda had millions more fans now than it did a few years ago.
The design of the game itself matters way way way way more than the characters or IP.
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I think it's the opposite. Nintendo's gameplay innovations and ingenuity are often dismissed because they reuse the same IP (which is good business sense).
Seriously, look at the gameplay mechanics of BotW. Show me another game with their type of physical interactivity - where you can climb any surface, set the forest on fire, ride the wind currents, to land on the giant's back?
Then take their next Zelda game after that, where any enemy you defeat you can summon, and any item you touch you can copy? Multiple ways to combine to solve puzzles and reach your goal.
Nintendo consistently switches the mechanics up - but because they reuse the same IP, it gets casually handwaved away.
"Oh, it's just Zelda. They're just reusing the same formulas. Can't they do anything new?
"
TheGrat1
Member
Accessible and attractive hardware is why any console manufacturer is successful and Nintendo is no different. People who say "the games are high quality" as the reason for this success I have just one question: Did the Gamecube and WiiU not have those games? Even the N64 was a mild success at best. Hardware has always been primary. BoTW could have been a Wii U launch title and it still would not have cracked 20 million units because nobody cared about the tablet gimmick. Casuals are the vast majority of any console's sales and they pay very little attention to game quality, at least at the level we do. They get whatever they think is best for little Timmy or Jenny and price, accessibility and something they can have fun with their friends with means a lot more to them than Metacritic scores.
Does anyone really think the PS2 sold 156 million units because it had Klonoa 2 and Devil May Cry? Get serious. Decent price, way better graphics than the previous gen and being a DVD player sold more PlayStation 2s than Dante, Jak, Ratchet, Kratos or Tommy Vercetti ever could. The 360 had a lot of the same franchises the OG Xbox did (Halo, Project Gotham Racing, Forza, Fable) but cutting edge HD graphics and a new Xbox Live were what fueled the early hype and made it sell dramatically better than its predecessor.
Does anyone really think the PS2 sold 156 million units because it had Klonoa 2 and Devil May Cry? Get serious. Decent price, way better graphics than the previous gen and being a DVD player sold more PlayStation 2s than Dante, Jak, Ratchet, Kratos or Tommy Vercetti ever could. The 360 had a lot of the same franchises the OG Xbox did (Halo, Project Gotham Racing, Forza, Fable) but cutting edge HD graphics and a new Xbox Live were what fueled the early hype and made it sell dramatically better than its predecessor.
The Gamecube sold 1/5 what the Wii did and it had those games. It aint the exclusives that sell the hardware. Casuals do not investigate a console's library.
Brumfieldhm
Member
They focus on fun not ray tracing.
{insert code here}
Member
IFireflyl
Gold Member
I'm going to go a different route and provide a controversial opinion:
Nintendo has the most overused IPs in the world. They don't let anything die, and sometimes stuff needs to die to make way for better/more interesting things. I don't care about Link and Zelda. It doesn't matter what retarded story you give us. It's the same people, same bad guys, over and over, and we know eventually you'll just reboot it again. And again. And again. Let Zelda and Link go the way of the dodo, and come up with something new. To anybody still buying Pokemon, what is wrong with you? Drop the Palworld lawsuit, and then drop Pokemon. It's overdone.
I honestly feel like the majority of people buying these same IPs over and over are doing it almost entirely out of nostalgia, and not because the games are awesome.
This isn't to say Nintendo doesn't do things well. They obviously do things very well. But their IPs are overused, and painfully so.
Nintendo has the most overused IPs in the world. They don't let anything die, and sometimes stuff needs to die to make way for better/more interesting things. I don't care about Link and Zelda. It doesn't matter what retarded story you give us. It's the same people, same bad guys, over and over, and we know eventually you'll just reboot it again. And again. And again. Let Zelda and Link go the way of the dodo, and come up with something new. To anybody still buying Pokemon, what is wrong with you? Drop the Palworld lawsuit, and then drop Pokemon. It's overdone.
I honestly feel like the majority of people buying these same IPs over and over are doing it almost entirely out of nostalgia, and not because the games are awesome.
This isn't to say Nintendo doesn't do things well. They obviously do things very well. But their IPs are overused, and painfully so.
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Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
I would says that HUGE part of it.....if nostalgia all it took to sales games then 3D Sonic games should have sold like hot cakes.
From my experience their game are fucking GOOOOD!
FoxMcChief
Gold Member
Yeah. I mentioned it in the OT, but my wife told me that I smile while playing this game, and that's not something she's seen me do in our 17 years of being together and 12 years of marriage.
She was with me at the launches of GTA4 and MGS4. She's the best thing in my life. Sure, we have 3 great kids, and everyone says you love your kids the most, but nah man. I love her more. She gets a little bothered when the kids ask if I love her more than them, and I always say her.
IFireflyl
Gold Member
I am obviously giving a subjective take. I don't think my opinion on games is objectively right or wrong (other than Fortnite, and that anyone who likes that game is a fat, sweaty ball of dung). But I played Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. They are games that have fun elements, but they are not masterclasses in gameplay or storytelling. Obviously people can disagree, but nobody can change my mind on this.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
But that simply your taste, lot of people go crazy over Witcher 3 and RDR2 but I personally didn't like those games at all.
People like different things.
Vaquilla
Member
Because they make some of the best games in the business, and by doing so for 40 years now they've cultivated a broad following across all different walks of life, from guys who started with Mario Bros on the NES in the 80s, all the way through to those who only hopped on board with BOTW or Animal Crossing New Horizons on Switch.
Chukhopops
Member
The nostalgia argument doesn't even stand a minute of thinking about it:Sheesh only two posts in and we already brought out the nostalgia argument.
- There are 4-6x more people who played Breath of the Wild than there ever were people who played the original Zelda or Link to the Past. So the initial numbers don't really work;
- You don't transfer nostalgia to your children. When you were a kid, did you like what your parents liked? Did you find their hobbies or cultural references cool?
- There were other equally popular franchises in the NES / SNES era. If nostalgia is the only reason to buy Nintendo franchises, why don't the more recent Mega Man or Castlevania games sell huge amounts? Why isn't Star Wars huge today? Why would kids feel an unbreakable nostalgia bond towards Pokémon (1998) and not towards Crash Bandicoot (1996)?
The nostalgia argument for Nintendo is the DEFCOPE-1 argument from people who don't like their games (which is fair) and don't understand others would (which is dumb) but the moment you start thinking about it, it falls apart.
IFireflyl
Gold Member
GymWolf
Member
Simple, easy to digest games for every age and loyal fans.
I'm not gonna use the word fun like many because every dude has a different meaning for that or uber realistic stuff like rdr2 or kc2 would not sell at all and personally i don't find most of their games fun at all.
Also genius move to carve a different audience with switch so they don't need to direclty fight with sony/m.
Personally hate that but hey, if it work it work.
I'm not gonna use the word fun like many because every dude has a different meaning for that or uber realistic stuff like rdr2 or kc2 would not sell at all and personally i don't find most of their games fun at all.
Also genius move to carve a different audience with switch so they don't need to direclty fight with sony/m.
Personally hate that but hey, if it work it work.
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