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4. Their software would sell bucketloads on other systems
Just imagine, if Nintendo offered to publish a new Mario game on other pieces of hardware like the PlayStation 4, the likes of Sony would snap their arm off. If a Mario game released on the PS4, Xbox One, or both, it would sell bucket loads. Not just because there are over 53 million PS4 units in the wild, but because it’s Mario. It would be a radical shift for the company, not to mention the rebuilding of burnt bridges with the likes of Sony, but Nintendo publishing on other consoles would generate huge revenue. They would be putting their games in front of people that own one of the popular consoles on the market, instead of trying to convince them to buy another. Not to mention that pool of potential buyers is greater than the Switch could ever dream of generating.
Just look at the success they’ve had on mobile. Pokémon Go was the phenomenon of 2016. It had reclusive gamers exploring their neighbourhoods in search of digital monsters and interacting with strangers who were playing the game, too. Everyone was talking about it for months. It brought people together in a way no game has ever done before. Fast forward a few months and Nintendo partnered with Apple to bring a Mario game to iPhones. Super Mario Run was downloaded 40 million times in just four days. Now, just imagine how many units they’d ship of Zelda or Mario Kart on Xbox and PlayStation hardware. The Wii U has shipped around 13.3 million units since its launch. For argument’s sake, let’s say each one was sold at its basic launch price of £250. That is a revenue total of over £3 billion. If a Mario game on PS4 and Xbox One shipped around 6 million units on each system at £40, that’s £480 million for just one game. A generous estimation some may say, but 8 million copies of Mario Kart 8 were sold to an install base of only 13 million. Now, think what that number would look like when considering the superior sales figures of both the Xbox One and PS4. Nintendo would benefit far better economically in the long run.
Will all of this happen? Maybe. Who knows. But one thing is for certain, the Nintendo Switch has more going against it than for it. It isn’t indicative of a new Nintendo that we all thought it would be. The Switch will sell well, the number of pre-orders speaks to that, but is it going to have legs? All evidence points to it eventually dying a slow and painful death like the Wii U. If it does, it will hopefully be the final nail in the coffin and slap in the face that makes Nintendo realise they’d be far better off putting their IP on hardware that is dominating and will continue to do so. It’s time to Switch over Nintendo before it’s too late.
Images via Nintendo, Ubisoft, GeekFeed, GameSpot
