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posted by Fnord666 on Sunday November 12 2017, @05:28PM   Printer-friendly
from the go-fetch-me-a-switch dept.

Nintendo takes a gamble with record-setting Switch production plans

The Nintendo Switch has been an unqualified success so far, with Nintendo recently promising increased holiday season production to meet demand and expectations of over 16 million total sales by the end of March 2018. Reporting now suggests the company is expecting that sales pace to increase markedly in the coming year, though, and another associated production increase would come with both a fair amount of potential and risk for the company.

The production news comes from The Wall Street Journal, which cites "people with direct knowledge of the matter" in reporting that Nintendo plans to make 25 to 30 million Switch units in the coming fiscal year (which starts in April 2018). That's a major increase from the 13 million produced for the current fiscal year, which itself was a sizable increase from the company's initial plans to make just 8 million units for the console's first full year on shelves. WSJ's sources say those production numbers could go up even higher if coming holiday season sales are strong.

Nintendo exec: Failed Wii U is responsible for Switch's success

The success of the company's latest gaming console, the Nintendo Switch, is the result of lessons taken from the failed Wii U, according to Reggie Fils-Aimé, the president of Nintendo America.

[...] The console also didn't have a consistent flow of new games supporting the system. "We've addressed that with the Nintendo Switch -- having a steady pace of new launches is critical," he said. The Switch includes games like "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Super Mario Odyssey" and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe."

Another issue with the Wii U was that it didn't have "strong support" from Nintendo's third-party partners, Fils-Aimé said. "Whether it's the big companies like Electronic Arts, or whether it's the smaller independent developer, we need those companies to create content to support us. We have that now with Nintendo Switch," he said.

Previously: Will Third-Party Developers Support Nintendo's Switch?
Nintendo Switch Available on March 3rd for $299
Nintendo Switch Stolen by Distributor's Employees Ahead of Launch, Details Leaked
The Ghost in Nintendo's Switch - Game Unlocks on the Date of Satoru Iwata's Death


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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday November 12 2017, @06:00PM (7 children)

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday November 12 2017, @06:00PM (#595948) Homepage

    " Switch includes games like "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Super Mario Odyssey" and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe."

    How about something original for a fucking change?

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 12 2017, @06:18PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 12 2017, @06:18PM (#595954)

    Yes but, coincidentally these are the only games that I would want on that console. This isn't like the movies, if the sequels sell why do they need something else?

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 12 2017, @06:24PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 12 2017, @06:24PM (#595957)

      What about golden eye?

      • (Score: 2) by kazzie on Monday November 13 2017, @01:42PM

        by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Monday November 13 2017, @01:42PM (#596170)

        They'd need to drag Rare out of Microsoft's clutches first.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 12 2017, @07:02PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 12 2017, @07:02PM (#595970)

    Breath of the Wild actually plays a lot different from other Zelda games. But because it has the name "Zelda" you figure it's the same as the rest?

    I haven't played Odyssey to comment, although I've found most mario games actually do original stuff each time with respect to powerups, level design, etc.

    Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a GotY version of Mario Kart 8 that was on a console nearly nobody owned. It's new enough. :p

    Truth be told, I can see where you're coming from. I said the same things about Halo on the Xbox. I say the same about Call of Duty ALL the time. I say the same thing about Assassins Creed. I say the same thing about Gears of War. I say the same thing about every explansion of World of Warcraft. I say the same things about Marvel Vs Capcom. I say the same things about Street Fighter for that matter. And the list goes on and on.

    In the end, if you don't like a particular series, don't bother playing them.

    With respect to the Switch, there are a lot of games on there already, and a ton more due to hit next year or so since most developers were caught with their pants down about the popularity of the machine. Square Enix for instance has essentially come out and declared it will be putting in the resources to develop on the Switch. So we know you'll get some high level rpgs on the system at the very least. For the next while though you'll have to pick and choose from 1st party titles, low level indie titles that are digital only, and remakes of games that are already out. As I said, devs were caught with their pants down and are now scrambling to release games on it. But that's going to take a little while to really flourish.

  • (Score: 5, Informative) by Mykl on Monday November 13 2017, @02:23AM

    by Mykl (1112) on Monday November 13 2017, @02:23AM (#596039)

    According to the Nintendo website, there's already a fair bit available - about 235 released items [nintendo.com]. Of course this includes DLC and multiple versions of some titles (e.g. 'premium edition'), so the actual number of titles is probably closer to 100 or so.

    In terms of originality, I thought Snipperclips looked pretty great, particularly for a launch title.

    There's an Indie section [nintendo.com] if you want to look further for original stuff.

    Disclosure: I will be buying a switch for Mario and Zelda. Everything else is just a bonus

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:51AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @08:51AM (#596106)

    How about something original for a fucking change?

    Like Wii Sports and all the other "out of the couch" games? That's where they are coming from, so going back to normal Nintendo games is kinda a change. Those "something original" games were fun for about two days - they sold a lot of console, but many of them ended up getting sold again once those games stopped being fun.

  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @09:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 13 2017, @09:56PM (#596496)

    Original, like 90% of the me-too first-person shooters? There's no difference between Call of Duty, Halo, etc. etc. Just different software skins.