Why are Nintendo games more successful than Sony and Microsoft games?

*Posted topic again as deleted previous topic instead of editing.

Their latest console was released in March 2017, compared with Microsoft and Sony's latest consoles being released in November 2013. Aleady they have games that have outsold any games that Microsoft and Sony has made.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 24.77m April 2017 (released)

Super Smash Bros Ultimate 18.84m December 2018

Zelda BOTW 17.41m March 2017

Mario Odyssey 17.41m October, 2017

Pokemon Sword and Shield 17.37m November 2019

Animal Crossing New Horizon 13.41m March 2020

Pokemon Let's go Pikachu & Evee 11.97 November 2018

Splatoon 2 10.13m July 2017

Super Mario Party 10.10m October 2018

Furthermore Nintendo keeps its games at full retail price to do this. Sony's and Microsofts games get heavily discounted. Sony has even sold almost double the amount of consoles whereby Microsoft has sold around 10m less consoles.

Why do Nintendo games sell so well?

You are spamming.

I guess you shouldn’t have deleted that topic because I’m not going to post my response again. 🤷‍♂️

As I said, nostalgia. All but one of those franchises are at least 19 years old, and barely changed over that time.

Mario Kart: you drive around, collect stuff to throw at other people, then get smashed in the face by a Blue Shell inches from the finish line.

Zelda: save kingdom, rescue princess. Throw in some mythological stuff about Triforce and Goddesses, and bam, you have a Zelda game.

Mario: Bowser kidnaps princess, you rescue her, she "bakes" you her "cake" as thanks.

Pokemon: you collect badly drawn and animated animals, pit them in one on one death matches, then win or lose in one hit because of elemental rock-paper-scissors.

Animal Crossing: you get indebted to a raccoon loan shark, then pay him off by collecting random junk and flogging them all at the pawn shop or he'll break your kneecaps.

So on and so forth. People like reliability and stability, and Nintendo are about as dependable and consistent as you can get. I don't think they've even looked out the window to see the rest of the gaming industry since the 1990s.

Dude, I was wondering why the thread vanished. Too bad, the last thread was getting the engagement and then you killed it.

Not worth repeating that exhaust.

@fedor Try reading. I said most adults are not gamers....

@jaydan said:

Dude, I was wondering why the thread vanished. Too bad, the last thread was getting the engagement and then you killed it.

Not worth repeating that exhaust.

and my point will still same.

nintendo only make kiddy games.

@ghosts4ever said:

@jaydan said:

Dude, I was wondering why the thread vanished. Too bad, the last thread was getting the engagement and then you killed it.

Not worth repeating that exhaust.

and my point will still same.

We know.

Their online infrastructure is also in the 90's, so you might be right about them not looking out the window since the 90's.

I dont why they are more successful. Could be because Nintendo is a widely trusted name in any household? I will also continue to support Nintendo games and future consoles because they have that certain quality in their games, i know I’m not alone on that. Sure they are not photo realistic games, but they still look pleasing to my eyes at least. Also, games like mario and zelda are ao damn polished, i dont think i ever had to download a patch when the game came out like all other games on xbox or playstation.

That's always been Nintendo's story when it comes to online; one step forward, two baffling steps on clown shoes worn backwards and set on fire back.

I seem to recall EVO yanking SSBU off their line-up because of poor netcode. Anybody else, I would have laughed, but since it's Nintendo, all I could say was; "oh, Nintendo."

Those games are way more accessible than the usual MS/Sony title. Another reason is because who doesn't know who Mario/Link/Pokemon are? They're massive franchises.

The following list might give an idea why Nintendo's games are so successful:

The 25 Highest-Grossing Media Franchises of All Time

1. Pokemon
2. Hello Kitty
3. Winnie the Pooh
4. Mickey Mouse
5. Star Wars
6. Anpanman
7. Disney Princess
8. Mario
9. Shonen Jump
10. Harry Potter

Points worth noting:

• Nintendo has two franchises on the list: Pokemon at #1 and Mario at #9.
• The vast majority of Pokemon's revenue comes from merchandise sales.
• Disney owns half of the top ten.
• The list is dominated by family-friendly franchises.
• Family-friendly franchises make a lot more money from merchandise sales.
• Merchandise in turn generate more interest in the IP's media products.
• Children are the most lucrative target demographic for media franchises.

It appears Nintendo may have taken some lessons from Disney and successfully applied their business strategy to video games.

Nostalgia and very casual friendly. Great for kids.

This

Because they make fun games.

LOL @ people calling Nintendo games casual when in reality Nintendo games even though accessible has more depth than their 'hardcore' games.

Nintendo is the Disney of gaming. They have legendary franchises that have stood the test of time. I wish there hardware was more up to date but I can't deny I love their games.

Ah, previous thread auto nuked.

Just copy my response from there.

---

I'm sure it helps. But of course there's a graveyard of once great IPs from all those eras that bit the dust. And other IPs that are still around, but don't put up nearly those kinds of numbers. Obviously can't skate by on nostalgia alone, and that aspect certainly doesn't carry a series for 30+ years lol.

They make good/great games that cover a wide demographic range. That's the biggest factor. A consistent quality that covers casual to core gamers, kids to adults, across multiple genres. After that I'd say they strike a good balance between meaningful iteration and full on reinvention with their sequels. And then yeah, insane brand recognition and nostalgia certainly don't hurt.

As the late Walt Disney once said, "Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” that has become a true philosophy to this day, and if anyone struggles to see that then just look at where the Disney company is now.

Disney is not the king of entertainment nowadays because they cater their empire to children, but because they make entertainment that brings out the kid in everyone.

It's a formula that works, Nintendo is just another great example.

Some people think it's such a bad feeling to have.

Nintendo games can be easy to play, but hard to master. The challenge is there for those who want it, and at the same time be accessible to newcomers.

Those who don't play Nintendo games only see one side of the coin.

Not much 3rd party choice due to smaller library on their weak systems. :P

- Nostalgia

- Fanboys

- Target kids and families while milking the long established Nintendo brand and familiar IPs.

- Controlled marketing

- People buying Nintendo systems specifically for Nintendo games and feeling obligated to buy just about every Nintendo release to justify the money spent on the system.

- Limited competition on their platform makes their games look better than what they are. So, they end up being the hot titles instead of GTA, RDR, COD, etc..

This + you know what you get and they are family playable.

And like the last thread, some posters cite the classic "nostalgia" bullshit! Seriously, are places like InfoWars hiring for games now?

EDIT: Forgot this...

Why I am seeing resentment and adult, male insecurity regarding Nintendo games on this thread?

Says who?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_PlayStation_4_video_games

All of the above numbers are also years out of date. Numerous titles don't get reported either. Uncharted 4 is likely closing on 20 million sold by now.

That being said, Nintendo 1st party games are usually excellent and have a devoted following. So they all usually sell great. I've got a number of titles in the list as well.

That's kind of what I was hinting towards in my previous post.

Children are the most lucrative target demographic for several reasons:

• They can pester their loaded parents to buy games/movies/merchandise for them.
• Many of the kids will eventually grow up and continue to consume Disney/Nintendo products.
• They'll eventually become parents and introduce their kids to Disney/Nintendo products.

Rinse and repeat.

But of course, the core products have to actually be good, and have wide demographic appeal. Or else this business strategy won't be very effective.

@Jag85: I think the most important thing about these companies - whether it's Disney, Nintendo or any other company that grasps this concept - is not that they make entertainment for children, but because they make entertainment that makes adults reminisce that childlike wonder again. That's the winning formula there.

Some people act like Nintendo is successful off the sole idea kids are the ones playing their consoles alone. Nintendo CAN'T be successful off kids alone, and it must be accepted that a huge chunk of the sales demographic are children on the other platforms too.

Some people around here seem to forget, or straight up too stubborn to realize that.

Yup. The kind of products that both the kids and the parents alike would enjoy. That's a winning formula which Disney and Nintendo have mastered in their respective media.

Sony is in a similar ballpark. They both make quality games. Xbox games don't sell very well however. Nintendo games appeal to casuals and hard-core.

Are they really? A high rated Nintendo game comes out, 3-7 days goes by, and everyone forgets the game was even out. Nintendo titles are very forgettable because they all feel the same. You compare it to quality third party titles or Sony exclusives, and its like Nintendo games are a league behind.

*Lowers Switch for brief moment after playing the same games and still enjoying them after years of playtime to respond to this post*

No.

Any decent games can be played for a long time, especially if it has multiplayer, a good speedrunner or an open world game. Thing is, a good game like Mario Odyssey comes out, and is completely forgotten by everyone, including sheep themselves. When it comes to Nintendo, their games are "just another game", nothing else.

Talk about selective bias. If we're gonna play a game of bias here, I can say the same exact thing about Sony games. I used to be a much bigger Playstation fan but I've gotten very bored of them in recent gens. I just got bored of the weekend getaway game that lends itself more to Cinematics than compelling or fun gameplay.

You might not be looking in the right places. Hint: dead internet forums aren't very good indicators in determining the relevance of games to the world.

I'd rather just play quality games without having to care how long they stay relevant, and Nintendo makes quality games.

@jaydan: lol i'm not basing this on SW. More than aware that the forum is dead.

You might like Nintendo games, but quality wise they're far behind good third party titles and Sony exclusives.

@hardwenzen: No they're not far behind other games in the market. Some Nintendo games are actually among the best in the entire market in terms of sheer quality and value.

Now if we're talking about inferior hardware or laughable online structure, we can come to agreements; but in the games department, that's a whole different ballpark. Games are why they're still relevant because they still make some of the best ones out there.

I guess you see them from another angle. On my end, if i'm not into Mario, i'm not into pretty much everything made by Nintendo because most games are so similar. Tried to give you an example for 2020 games, but i can't even find anything coming on the system other than Paper Mario and Animal Crossing, which has been out for a while. Still, tho where's that quality game with a good story and writing? When was the last time a Nintendo game even had voice acting (and not the cringy dubbed ones)? When everything that comes out from the company are little adventure games or 2d/2.5d side scrollers, its real hard to be excited about that. And if it was impressive once uppon a time, it sure as hell doesn't impress me now.

They're not all the same, though. There's striking variety in the Nintendo gameplay department. Just because much of their games have a colorful presentation doesn't mean they all function the same.

It's really just as much a fallacy as saying all Playstation games are just movie games. I know for a fact that's not true either. But see, Nintendo and Sony are in very different camps yet they have strong appeal to their respective demographics. Fact is: Playstation and Nintendo are among the most relevant companies in the market.

The rest of your post suggesting "where is this?" and "where is that?" is pretty irrelevant to Nintendo's success. I'm pretty glad they don't focus on story or hire celebrity voice actors as much as they keep video games at its core: a video game. All that other stuff is just secondary to the game experience to me.

As far as what Nintendo has up their sleeve, that's kinda bleak right now. Unfortunately Nintendo was one of those companies affected by Covid-19.

@jaydan: Even if someone claims (and there are many of those people) that all Sony exclusives are movie games, at least Sony releases a bunch of different genre of MOVIES. Nintendo, tho its constantly releasing simple adventure games. I can't stand behind a company that releases so many simple adventure games. And because they're all colorful, never going for the realistic look, it makes them even more similar to one another. Last time Nintendo was even comparable to Sony, it was during the N64 days. Back then, they offered a bunch of different games, but even that wasn't good enough because not so many games came out on the system, and each release took a while.

I would never put Nintendo and Sony in the same basket. One offers quality and variety, while the other offers "quality" but only to a certain demographic, and no variety whatsoever. And i'm not even mentioning crucial features like their online because they're still in late 90's in that department.

@hardwenzen: What are the last three Nintendo games you've completed and when did you complete them?

I don't own a Switch, so obviously a while ago. But we live in an age where you don't need to spend 30 hours beating a game to know exactly how it plays and at what it excels. I remember a bunch of people telling me how amazing BotW was. Borrowed a Switch with the game, played it a bunch, and it was exactly as i expected it to be. These "you must play" to judge does not apply in 2020. Especially true with a company that has barely evolved since the 90's.

@hardwenzen: You did not answer my question. What are the last few Nintendo games you've completed and when?

@jaydan: Fak, that's a hard question. Outside of SMG2, they were all forgettable. SMG2 a long ass time ago. BotW i played a bunch (which was the last game i played on the Switch), but never bothered beating. Casually played some Mario Kart, but what is there to even beat? Tried some lag sim known as Smash, but again, for its multiplayer. I don't own the system nor want to own it, so i can't be just playing and beating everything that comes out.

@hardwenzen: So it just sounds like you don't play much Nintendo; therefore, you can't see the kind of diversity they offer.

Weak troll attempts, duly noted.

We're not in the 90's and early 2000's, times where the only info coming through is in gaming magazines. I didn't need to play Andromeda to know that its pure shit (still played that trash, tho). I didn't need to play Destiny in the first year to know the game had less content than a pre alpha random kickstarter title. I don't need to play the yearly sports game made by EA to know they're rehashing the same garbage year after year. I don't even need to see the first gameplay video from Elden Ring to know it'll kick ass and receive high scores all over. You got the idea...

The only way you wouldn't know what to expect from Nintendo is if you don't play games very much or don't follow the gaming industry. Calling someone a troll because he pointed out a bunch of negativity from a very predictable company known as Nintendo is a pretty poopoo argument.

@hardwenzen: No, you are trolling. You came into a thread asking why Nintendo software is so successful, just to deflect.

It's intriguing you chose the prolific games of their respective gens (SMG, BotW) you know have been gen-defining, just to say they suck.

Go back to troll camp and come back when you're worthy.

Not trolling, and i see you have no arguments again't Nintendo being predictable, milking the same few genres for decades. And SMG/BotW gen-defining? Hope its some kind of a sick joke. Or maybe Nintendo has its own little standards, so when an open world comes out on a system without any, its automatically gen-defining.

@hardwenzen: Quit trolling. You said Nintendo games stop being relevant after 3 to 7 days.

As in nobody ever talks about them. If you bought Mario Kart 8, and is into multiplayer, you're obviously gonna play it for longer than that. I hope so. But because its yet another Mario Kart game, nobody gives a damn AFTER THOSE 3-7 DAYS. People play them, obviously, but its not in anybodies conversation, because there's nothing to say, i mean, its mario kart eight. Same ol same ol franchises, game mechanics and art directions. Imagine a company that offers so little advancements and innovations that people go crazy even when something as simple as a new suit is added to a new Mario game. Talk about being starved for anything to be excited about. Only with Nintendo.

Pretty sure you've never played BotW.