So.. this new Nintendo thing of announcing games so close to release - what's your take?

[Guaraná]

Nintendo is a weird company.

I still don't know what to say about this new thing Nintendo is trying to implement when, at most, they announce games 3 months before its release. On one hand, I hate having to wait so long for a game to come out like Bayonetta 3, and worst, risking having its development completely rebooted like Metroid. On the other hand, announcing and releasing a game in 15 freaking days seems nuts to me. I know Mario 3D All-Stars is a different case, but even Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and Paper Mario Origami King with their 2 to 3 months from the time they got announced to the launch day seems extremely short.

I don't know if this will continue once the COVID situation improves and I also don't know how complicated it will be for them when it comes to marketing a new product and not a remake. Paper Mario didn't seem to have "that switch boost" compared to other sequences but this new Hyrule Warriors probably will due to the fact that it is related to the stupidly popular BotW. But would something like this work for a new franchise?

 

[Bradford]

I strongly prefer it to years-long hype cycles. I don't even want to hear about games before they are done and ready for release, for the most part. Nintendo or otherwise, so it doesn't bug me at all to have them drop announcements so close to release.

 

[Fat4all]

eh, it's weird times

 

[MattB]

It helps with hype definitely but at the same time I would like to know some games before hand.

 

[Annabel]

I've come to strongly dislike hype cycles so I far prefer this approach.

 

[skillzilla81]

It's great. People complaining about it are so wrapped up in being hyped about playing something that it seems like that's more important than actually playing the game.

 

[JaseMath]

Not a fan.

 

[Hella]

Hasn't Nintendo traditionally announced dates they think they can keep? Right now that basically means shadow drops on games.

Anyways, I don't mind it personally. If I'm interested in a game it coming out sooner is preferable to later. The one exception I can think of is Smash---the hype cycle they get is part of the fun.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

I don't like or dislike it. I enjoy seeing something and knowing it's coming relatively soon. It's also nice to sometimes know you have other titles to look forward to. But it's all whatever either way.

 

[kamineko]

i don't like it. i don't really get swept up in hype--i usually play anticipated games blind--but it's nice to know what's coming on your platforms of choice

 

[gothmog]

I would prefer if most games were announced within a few months of release. Sure you'll have some blockbusters you can announce earlier, but for the most part I just want to play games instead of wait for them.

 

[Freezasaurus]

This is what CDPR should have done with Cyberpunk 2077, honestly.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I will always prefer announcements shortly before releases. I don't need to be reminding myself the game is years or multiple multiple months away from release.

This is what CDPR should have done with Cyberpunk 2077, honestly.

Click to shrink...

CDPR is a slight bad example since they were specifically using the very first teaser to announce they were hiring since they had to do a massive hiring and no better way to get it on everyone's heads than during a major conference. It ultimately paid off considering their size but yes it was still painful.

 

[HardRojo]

Honestly, now that I can afford buying multiple games a month without worrying too much about it, I kind of like it. Before I had to plan my budget well in advance, now not so much. Still, I wouldn't mind knowing about some games a year from release or something like that.

 

[GimeC]

I actually really like a mix of the two. It's super nice knowing that we might get random fun shadow drops, while also having a few tentpoles like BotW2 and MP4 to look forward to updates on.

 

[Magic-Man]

I love it. It was a giant, amazing surprise to know that I'll be playing Galaxy and Sunshine for the first time in two weeks. And then we got a prequel to one of my favorite games ever made, and it's coming in two months?! Like, hell yeah!

 

[badboy78660]

I'm fine with it. The Twitter drops carry with them their own kind of excitement. Though I do also like Direct hype.

 

[rpm]

I'm a fan of announcing games as close to their release as possible. I don't need to be hyped for years on end (CP2077 was announced EIGHT years ago)

Just not a fan of the whole "bits and pieces" approach. I would have preferred a more meaty Direct that had the content of August Partner Showcase + Mario 35th Direct + Hyrule Warriors

 

[Windu]

Their IPs have strong enough brands to not need much of a marketing campaign. It's fine. Actually prefer it tbh, less time to wait.

 

[Xenosaga]

I am not really a fan tbh. I do enjoy the trailers and hype cycles before release. The anticipation can be fun.
Of course, I don't like 5~6 year advanced reveals, but I do prefer like a year between announcement and release.

 

[RochHoch]

It sucks. Having to go most of the year without knowing what's coming out is awful.

Hopefully Directs come back once Nintendo has things more figured out.

 

[Doorman]

I'm not reading much into it for right now; they most likely don't want to commit to things in big general Directs when working conditions have been thrown so far outside of the norm, and I'm guessing that makes it harder for them across the board. Harder to estimate completion dates for the developers and hard for marketing, localization, and pretty much any other department to coordinate in timely fashion if most are still working from home.

I feel like it goes either way. There was definitely some excitement in the Origami King reveal from the sense of "oh a new game, and oh shit it's out in just two months?!" but that also leads to situations this year where you get long stretches of having very little idea of what's coming and when you might find out more. Travel back in time to a week ago and basically the only title we knew was coming for this fall and the whole of the holiday season officially was Pikmin 3 Deluxe. Ordinarily we know of at least two "big holiday games" for the year by E3 time, and that gap has led to a lot of uncertainty with how they're really coping as a company behind the scenes (even though they've still been making bank).

I guess...I don't mind a few surprises like this but I'd rather it not become the norm for every first party title of theirs, especially not for what they deem as the really big ones. I like speculating about in-game specifics and mechanics and such more than speculating about what sort of game a studio might be making at all, anyway. Less of a chance of me conjuring my own ideas and disappointing myself that way.

 

[Jencks]

I like it for smaller games but I want longer hype cycles for their big guns like BotW2

 

[Ojli]

It's great! Play the games you have today instead of the games you don't (for sometimes many years). The hype cycle is a mess and doesn't do anyone any favours

 

[PersianPrince]

In my opinion, the longest a game should go from initial reveal to release date is a year. What Nintendo is doing is great.

 

[SlickVic]

Love it. I think with any new game announcement that sounds potentially interesting to me, there's always a slight tinge of disappointment when I realize I'll have to wait (anywhere from months to years) to actually play it.

I'm not saying I haven't enjoyed a good 'hype cycle' for an exciting game. But if the choice is between that and having a game be announced and released shortly therafter, I'll take the latter any day of the week.

 

[Lump]

It's pretty nice.

Imagine how you would all be losing your fucking minds if BOTW 2 was announced 2 months before its launch. Era would be broken for hours.

 

[watdaeff4]

I've come to strongly dislike hype cycles so I far prefer this approach.

Click to shrink...

Same

 

[Neoxon]

It's understandable for the time being given that the pandemic is fucking everyone up (especially Nintendo) , but I hope they go back to general Directs once things get back to something close to normal.

 

[ItchyTasty]

I feel like there's a line between announcing something 2 weeks before release like the Mario collection and announcing a game years before release like MP4 or BOTW2 tbh.

A year before release feels pretty safe to me, then I can plan out my budget better.

 

[BasilZero]

I like this more - so I dont have to wait 1+ year for a new game.

 

[falcondoc]

I don't like it

 

[Static]

It's bad. Can't take advantage of preorder discounts when they happen, can't plan with them in mind, zero anticipation. I don't need Cyberpunk's 7 year run up, but 3-12 months of knowing something's coming would be cool. Especially if they ever do a stupid voucher program or anything like it again.

 

[InspectorJones]

It's amazing and I wish it would stay this way or apply to most games really.

 

[Neoxon]

I feel like there's a line between announcing something 2 weeks before release like the Mario collection and announcing a game years before release like MP4 or BOTW2 tbh.

A year before release feels pretty safe to me, then I can plan out my budget better.

Click to shrink...

That in-between is how Directs typically are, announcing a game anywhere between a few months to half a year in advance. Far-in-advance reveals like BotW2/Bayo 3/MP4 are the outliers.

 

[antonz]

Its a poor decision to drag on the consumer base like they have but they were clearly impacted a lot more than they are willing to admit. They claimed nothing in 2020 was impacted but there is plenty of proof they ended up delaying a significant part of early 2020 to late 2020 and other titles slipping into 2021.

Nintendo is not alone in this as everyone has been impacted but like most Japanese companies COVID has been a disaster for them due to the workplace culture of Japan

 

[Cantaim]

I'm kinda digging it tbh. No long waits or anything just an announcement then 1-2 months of news then the game is in our hands

 

[Deleted member 864]

I'm kind of liking it tbh.

 

[Edify]

I much prefer this to instances like Cyberpunk and RDR2 having preorders and in-store displays two years before their eventual release.

 

[Piscus]

The part I don't like is the random Twitter news drops. I miss Directs.

 

[abellwillring]

Love it. I fully understand that games take ages to develop and know why they do, but you look at something like TLOU2 and the trailer that was out 2-3 years before it basically looked like the finished product. When something is announced so far in advance and almost looks "done" at the time of the first big unveiling but doesn't come out for years, it makes that wait feel like it's absolutely taking forever. The shorter the window of that first big pop til the time it's in my hands the better.

I know why Nintendo had to announce massive titles like BOTW2 and Metroid Prime 4 well in advance, but once your system is established and you're not relying solely on hype to sell more units, I'd rather companies wait to unveil the goods. A max of 1 year in advance for a first trailer is my preference. Like a movie.

 

[youwei]

loving the sudden announcement and its not the first time that NCL done that

they did it with a sudden switch lite /new 3DS etc announcement in the past and more

i rather have a sudden announcement and not wait 6 months for the game from a normal direct

Their stock price is good today

 

[Spartacris]

This is simply them being cautious about their releases this year. Once COVID hit and E3 got canned, they probably reshuffled their pipeline and observed how the markets where responding.

Hell, Super Mario 3D world is a February release. That's pretty far from now. I think they will resume their regular cycles, which are generally shorter than most of the industry anyway.

I like how they handle announcements for the most part.

 

[PlayBee]

3-6 months is ideal for me

 

[Uncle at Nintendo]

Should be industry standard. Not a fan of the Elder Scrolls VI, Diablo IV (though was necessary at the time because of the shitstorm surrounding Blizz), or... Metroid Prime 4 approach.

 

[wossname]

It's great. No need to worry about whether the game will be downgraded or have content cut, or have to settle for a CGI trailer and lofty developer promises that will never be kept, or be disappointed by delays or cancellations. You just get news and gameplay of exciting, polished-looking games that will be available in a very short amount of time.

 

[Tagyhag]

I love it.

I will never understand announcing games 3-5 years before they release. It's ridiculous. Especially if they get seriously downgraded.

 

[The Awesomest]

Didn't they explicitly state this as company policy several years ago?

 

[Chaosblade]

The 6 months to a year thing was fine. But the current 2-3 months out thing is too short.

 

[mk_68]

It's fine honestly. I think it works for certain games. Mainline Zelda games are fine for the long hype cycles. BOTW 2 announcement was hype but I think Zelda fans are accustomed to delays lmfao. But like Hyrule Warriors doesn't need a large hype cycle. Paper Mario doesn't.