I don't like Animal Crossing but if Xenoblade is H1 then that works for me. I've still got to play Luigi's Mansion 3 before I start TMS.
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I don't like Animal Crossing but if Xenoblade is H1 then that works for me. I've still got to play Luigi's Mansion 3 before I start TMS.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions deserves to flop in Europe. Fuck Nintendo and/or Atlus for not translating the game to pal5.
Ah. That makes sense, this year is more diverse than last year. Last year was a bunch of Mario platformers (NSMBU, Yoshi, Mario Maker) and that was about it.
Thanks for the help, I was struggling to put my feelings into words. You phrased it perfectly.
I felt last year was solid enough with NSMBU, Yoshi, Maker 2 and Labo VR. A little heavy on the platformers, but eh. I suppose this year will have TMS, Myster Dungeon, AC, Xenoblade and Pikmin 3, which is leaps and bounds better than 2019(imo of course).
While its community is not well represented on this or other general gaming sites, people who like AC are often ride or die for it, and many don't even play other games. There is a very significant number of people who will buy a Switch just or primarily for Animal Crossing - possibly moreso than any other Switch game.
This isn't to say it's for everyone, or you have to like it, or you can't be disappointed with Q1, but I would argue it has a fanbase as dedicated, rabid, and speculative as Smash Bros. - in other words, they are satisfying a big base for a long time, even if not every base at once.
This isn't to say it's for everyone, or you have to like it, or you can't be disappointed with Q1, but I would argue it has a fanbase as dedicated, rabid, and speculative as Smash Bros. - in other words, they are satisfying a big base for a long time, even if not every base at once.
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Emily is there any Direct hope you can give us?
I have people asking me to put Team MARCH in the poll now :(
Okay, I'll be more precise then.
I expect BOTW's switch sales to end up at around 18 millions lifetime (depending on when BOTW2 released). I think New Horizons on Switch will outsell that number by a couple millions lifetime.
That's the thing, though, Nintendo's internal teams aren't tapped at all, since the only games they really put out last year were Maker 2 and RFA. There's tons of surprises we have waiting for us the next few years.
Thats just our gaming-Era Bubble. Go to twitter or facebook... Animal Crossing always has a huge impact.
These are good arguments but Animal Crossing is still one of the biggest gaming IP's there is internationally. The game has effectively sold over ten million units for handheld systems as long as it has existed. Switch is an absolute beast when it comes to software sales and almost every single game has broken records on the system with the exception of some insane Wii and DS numbers.
The game absolutely has a chance of selling better than Breathe of the Wild and being after Mario Kart / Pokémon the best selling IP in the entire system. Switch may be a system for more "hardcore" players than DS or Wii, but the appeal of this game is still there for millions and millions of players. It is nothing short of an actual system seller.
I'll say that 15 million is bare minimum that it will hit and if I had to venture a guess it'll boost the hardware sales for the spring especially on the Switch Lite and will end up over 20 million in lifetime sales.
case study: If one was to read sales of Pokémon Sword and Shield from dedicated video game forums before the release you could have easily thought it will absolutely bomb in sales. Thus far it seems it'll be the best selling Pokémon game in quite a while. This bubble is not an indicator and Animal Crossing definitely gets the media attention from both mainstream video gaming sites and publications as well as otherwise.
Seriously. Before Smash reveal, every Nintendo Direct's chat had people saying "Smash ?!", once it got revealed it turned into "Animal Crossing ?!"
Animal Crossing is huge. It's not just a casual thing. Nintendo fans love Animal Crossing.
Talking about how Animal Crossing can be seen as a non major release is such an uneducated discussion.
People don't like it and are disappointed there's no games they might like in Q1 ? Fine, it happens, I understand, sorry for you all. People say Q1 is shit because there's no major release ? Nah get out of here.
And with respect, you're still wrong. Breath of the Wild was at 16 million (minimum) at the end of September - 14.54 million Switch, 1.5 million plus on Wii U. Breath of the Wild is easily going to exceed 18 million lifetime. Not only has it had another Christmas quarter on sale (meaning actual LTD sales are probably 17 million at minimum), it has, as far as we know, most of a calendar year without the sequel on the market in which to sell. I'd guess, based on current trends, BotW sells another 2 million units (at least) in 2020. It sold roughly 1.8 million units in the six months from April 2019 through to September 2019.
You'vey underestimated BotW's sales when you've made this prediction. I agree New Horizons could be massive on Switch, but outselling Breath of the Wild's combined total is still a big ask.
Yes, I was referring to that. I acknowledged Animal Crossing is a big franchise. I specifically said 'core' in inverted commas to point out that Zelda and Animal Crossing generate hype and excitement in different (albeit somewhat overlapping) audiences.
I said, on my second post, BOTW's "switch sales".
I also can't possibly be "wrong" on a prediction of something that didn't happen yet.
AC is going to be huge. There are people waiting to buy a Switch for this game. There are people who bought a Switch but won't really start using it until AC.
I have no idea if BotW or AC will outsell the other but both have massive appeal for their own reasons.
There are people in this thread talking about how AC is "Chore the Video Game" and that makes it niche while ignoring the fact that the biggest games in the world this generation past are literally built to be "Chore the Video Game".
I'm not saying AC is a Nintendo take of GaaS but, short of microtransactions, that is exactly what it is designed to be.
Shoot, the current GaaS model was probably inspired by past AC-style games in some round-about way.
To say it another way: AC is Nintendo's The Sims.
It ain't my kind of game just as The Sims isn't my game or even as Looter-Shooters, Minecraft, MMOs, or Sports Titles aren't my game.
That doesn't mean I ignore the fact that those games are each huge for their respective audiences.
So yeah, AC is gonna sell millions upon millions.
So will BotW 2.
I have no idea if BotW or AC will outsell the other but both have massive appeal for their own reasons.
There are people in this thread talking about how AC is "Chore the Video Game" and that makes it niche while ignoring the fact that the biggest games in the world this generation past are literally built to be "Chore the Video Game".
I'm not saying AC is a Nintendo take of GaaS but, short of microtransactions, that is exactly what it is designed to be.
Shoot, the current GaaS model was probably inspired by past AC-style games in some round-about way.
To say it another way: AC is Nintendo's The Sims.
It ain't my kind of game just as The Sims isn't my game or even as Looter-Shooters, Minecraft, MMOs, or Sports Titles aren't my game.
That doesn't mean I ignore the fact that those games are each huge for their respective audiences.
So yeah, AC is gonna sell millions upon millions.
So will BotW 2.
Honestly I feel like the Animal Crossing fanbase on Era is underrepresented. There's many times I'm thirsty for more hardcore AC discussion but it usually comes and goes very quickly after a direct. I guess I just don't know where to look for it here.
I'm not denying that New Horizons should be huge commercially - I've said I expect New Horizons to be a big hit and I'd agree that 15 million or more is extremely likely. The Sword/Shield analogy is a good one, I think. But even if New Horizons experiences substantial growth, it's still a tough ask to outsell the LTD sales of the very top Switch titles. I think it's going to be in the top 5 lifetime hits, certainly. My main point was that a huge chunk of the gaming press treat Zelda and Animal Crossing differently - not that Animal Crossing is in anyway a small or unimportant game.
So you're saying BotW Switch will top out at 18 million, and New Horizons will sell 20-21 million, to be clear? That's likelier than New Horizons outselling BotW's combined sales, to be sure - but the Switch version of BotW is shifting 900k in non-holiday quarters, so even 18 million LTD looks low. 14.54 million as of September 2019 means sales are already heading towards (and might be over) 16 million LTD on Switch. As other people have demonstrated, the launch of a sequel isn't necessarily a natural cut-off point for Breath of the Wild's sales. It's going to keep selling over the remainder of the Switch's lifespan, even though that 900k per quarter rate will slow. It only has to sell a little more than 2 million over the next few years to beat your estimate.
I will say this though: it's nuts that we can talk about Animal Crossing potentially doubling its audience while being certain that a Zelda title will top out at over 20 million lifetime. Switch is a monster.
I'm excited for Animal Crossing to be released... so that Nintendo can put those resources towards making something interesting. Hey-o!
Oohh, I see, you all got AC and Metroid confused! It's an easy mistake to make TBF.
(No malignity intended towards any user, it's just for fun)
(No malignity intended towards any user, it's just for fun)
Well I made this prediction with the release of BOTW2 being this fall and with the natural decline of legs factoring in as more games are released. It wasn't that deep of a prediction but a general indication of where the games will land based on current metrics.
Judging by the current sales, we're at 15 million by now. It would have to sell 3 million in four years (it would still be on shelves for a little while after the Switch 2 launches). It's been selling at five million a year thus far, and I don't see it hitting a giant brick wall any time soon.
It'll sell 20 million easily.
You have one very good point over the others, which I think is that BotW is selling absolutely bonkers. It is crushing the previous Zelda sales left and right and it has legs of a early 90's supermodel and modern speed skater combined.
If Animal Crossing doesn't end up selling better than Zelda than that to me will be greatness of BotW.
Nintendo rarely announces a game far in advance these days -- Metroid Prime 4 and Bayo 3 being an exception. XC Remake was announced in September and dated 2020. The expectation has been late Spring/early Summer since it was revealed. It serves their interest to launch it before or immediately after E3.
Plus, plenty of retailers have been dating it for late May in recent weeks.
And here I am, glad that the Switch has found its own place within the market without relying on many of these dull, formulaic AAA games from third parties that are as reliable as a fart in the wind.
Feels good, lol.
Aside from that, Indies are appreciated a lot on Switch. Sure, most people still buy the bigger titles, but some of these million seller Nindie stories show that the fanbase has defined and varied taste in games, which is great.
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Honestly the growing retailer leaks for XCDE is honestly one of the biggest signs of a direct coming soon I think
Don't get Animal Crossing mixed up by what the gaming media says or this place. If you go by this place you'd think Animal Crossing was a niche series. The Animal Crossing series topics get very little post. It's a series that speaks outside of Nintendo. There's a huge audience it speaks to not here. And GOTY don't mean shit. All these gaming media websites only care about the huge AAA titles or would only consider Mario, Zelda or Metroid for "GOTY" when it comes to Nintendo. They all blow over Animal Crossing saying "oh it's going to be a delightful little game" or what not.
Absolutely right - it doesn't get the same kind of coverage Zelda does, but that doesn't make Animal Crossing unimportant or small or low quality or whatever else might be thrown at it. I personally wasn't making that point, even if some users seem to think that's what I was saying - New Horizons is going to be a big success despite the different coverage it generates. I'm at the center of the Venn diagram for people who are excited about Animal Crossing and potentially Zelda launching in 2020. And Emily saying it'll be a good first half for RPG fans has me more excited.
I wish we lived in a world where 10 million people would go out and buy Metroid 5.
Right. Zelda gets huge coverage in the gaming industry because of what it is and the appeal it has to core gaming/websites. Animal Crossing fans ain't coming to these websites to read articles. They're not those dedicated fans like you and I. BotW will sell huge 20 million or so and Animal Crossing could have that potential too.
I mean, most franchises aren't and I don't think people claim otherwise. I don't think it'll bring home a GOTY, but AC popularity is huge and appeals to all ages.
I much prefer Metroid, but I'm not convinced anyone has suggested a new entry would sell more copies than AC?
My sentiments exactly. Many of my favorite games on the Switch have been indies. I didn't have a way to play them before (no PC) so it has been a breath of fresh air personally.
Also, today's "Indie" games would have been mainstream releases back in the day. Its the mindset that "AAA" = Quality that I dispute.
Nah, don't think anyone did, was more or less joking.
AC doesn't need GOTY to be a great game, no game does. :)
Well, let's hope New Horizons joins BotW in the 20 million club even if we disagree over who ends up ahead in the end.
TMS and XCDE make the first half of 2020 vastly superior since the first half of 2019 only had Super Mario Maker 2 if you're completely honest (and that still wasn't as good as Dragon Quest Builders 2).
Yoshi was okay but not a great platformer as far as word of mouth goes.
NSMBU should have died with the WiiU.
From what I can see, in order, in terms of exclusives (console, timed or not), not counting small titles that Nintendo didn't promote, but counting 3DS...
H1 2019:
- Fitness Boxing
- Mario & Luigi Bowser Inside remake (3DS)
- NSMBU
- Travis Strikes Again
- Etrian Odyssey Nexus (3DS)
- Tetris 99
- Kirby Extra Epic Yarn (3DS)
- Baba is You
- Yoshi's Crafted World
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes
- Labo VR
- Boxboy + Boxgirl
- Persona Q2 (3DS)
- Collection of Mana (old localization)
- Doraemon Story of Seasons
- Cadence of Hyrule
- Yo-kai Watch 4
- Mario Maker 2
+ a few old multiplat ports like Darksiders, Dragon's Dogma, Ace Attorney, FFX/XII, Saints Row 3, RE1/4/0, DMC1, etc, and a few "big" ports like MK11 and Cuphead.
H1 2020:
- Puzzle & Dragons Gold
- Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
- Snack World
- DMC3 SE (old port, but with added exclusive features)
- Persona 5 Scramble
- Uniclr
- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon remake
- Animal Crossing
- Xenoblade 1 remake (assuming it's out by the end of June as speculated)
- first Pokemon Sword/Shield DLC
+ a few old multiplat ports like Oddworld Stranger's Wrath, Metro Redux, Naruto Shippuden 4, etc, and a few "big" ports on time like Darksiders Genesis, Fairy tail, Doom 64, OPW4, Trials of Mana, Minecraft Dungeons, Panzer Dragoon remake. And The Outer Worlds (big port, but not on time).
I don't know tbh. 2019 had way more exclusives, but not as big, and less "big" ports. But it also more/bigger old multiplat ports (especially from Capcom), more RPGs if you count the 3DS, and a lot more indie timed exclusives (I didn't put them all here).
It's comparable tbh, just depends on your tastes. I wouldn't say those were remarkable first halves other than a few titles.
It's a breath of fresh air for sure and I love that there's room for blockbuster AAA stuff on some platforms, but also for more experimental and/or indie titles on others.
And I personally often think of Indies as those games I used to play on my GBA and such back in the day. Great games, mostly laser focused on a few things they incorporate in a great way, in that sense simple(r) compared to some bloated stuff, but highly enjoyable exactly because of that.
Lov'em.
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