Nintendo France: expectations for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS in 2017
Yesterday, Gamekult published an interview with Philippe Lavoué, from Nintendo France, who shared some details about Nintendo’s expectations for the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo 3DS in 2017, and a lot more.
What they learned from the Wii U
With the Wii U, Nintendo learned that they needed a strong offer, with something really unique and more “complete”. The Wii U’s proposition with Off-TV was definitely good, but it wasn’t enough. As for asymetrical gameplay, it was a great idea from a developer point of view, but it was really hard to communicate it to players.
Retailers
Philippe Lavoué explains that Nintendo didn’t have much trouble to work with retailers, because the Nintendo Switch is, quite simply, a good product. Most of those who went to try the Nintendo Switch in Paris, on January 13th, were quite enthusiastic about it. As for fans, there’s also a lot of enthusiasm among them, which is definitely something retailers noticed. Finally, a new console launch is always a major event for retailers.
Right now, pre-order for the Nintendo Switch in France are quite strong, at a similar level than the Wii back in 2006.
About the schedule for new releases
With the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo chose to space out releases over time, instead of releasing lots of games at once (at launch). Nintendo’s goal was to find the right balance between having lots of releases, but also giving players enough time to enjoy them all. Naturally, finding that balance is no easy task, especially since players may not like specific games.
But overall, Philippe Lavoué is quite confident that new games will be released at a much better pace than with the Wii U.
Expectations for the Nintendo Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8
Regarding Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo is expecting sales of the same magnitude as Mario Kart Wii (as opposed to “only” 350 000 units for Mario Kart 8). Naturally, they’re not expecting exactly +3 million sales, but something on a much bigger scale than the original version on Wii U.
Regarding the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo is expecting about 95 000 for Day one, and with a near-100% attach rate for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And for the first year, the company is expecting to sell more Nintendo Switch than Wii U… since its release (in 2012, so about 832 000 units).
Philippe Lavoué explains that while it’s still possible to pre-order the console (as of writing), shortages are a definite possibility, especially with past/on-going strikes in harbours in Spain.
Fun fact: right now, it’s the pack with grey Joy-Cons that’s selling the best (pre-orders), but they’re expecting the one with the Neon Red and Blue Joy-Cons to sell more in the long run.
Expectations for the Nintendo 3DS
Despite the Nintendo Switch releasing next week, Nintendo still has high expectations for the Nintendo 3DS. The company is expecting to sell 700 000 consoles and 3 million games this year… and that’s the low-end of their expectations!
Source: Gamekult
