General Nintendo sales/business discussion topic (previously: The Wii U Thread)

[Nintendoga]

Funfact: Starfox 643D sold over 600,000 copies.

Even funner fact: The last F-Zero game, Climax, sold 5,000 copies

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

Even funner fact: The last F-Zero game, Climax, sold 5,000 copies

Okay I know this game was released exclusively for Japan, but are you sure it's 5,000 copies? That is far too low. Even Bratz and similar shovelware did better than that.

[Conando]

F-Zero NEVER sold well. I wouldn't be surprised but, it is much lower than it typically does. For the record, F-Zero never breaks 1 million worldwide. Usually it doesn't even come close.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Crow T. Robot

[Sami]

I'm sure that F-Zero's popularity will completely coincide with how much exposure and advertising Nintendo gives it; it's flashy, it's unique, and it appeals to all kinds of gamers. I can't imagine many people would look at it and think "Meh. Looks boring." If it's used to show off the graphical capabilities of the Wii U, it's sure to garner tons of attention.

Star Fox 64 3D is also a really shitty remake (in fact, I'd rather just call it an updated port; it retains all of the (albeit few) flaws of the original, and adds nothing actually worth giving a shit about). It lost a sale from me, and many others simply because it isn't worth the $40 price tag when you can get the original for a fraction of the price.

[Solkia]

I bought Starfox 64 3D.

Playing that game on the 3DS is an absolute nightmare.

[Ming Ming Hatsune]

F-Zero NEVER sold well. I wouldn't be surprised but, it is much lower than it typically does. For the record, F-Zero never breaks 1 million worldwide. Usually it doesn't even come close.

Yeah but 5,000? On F-Zero? I thought this franchise is in the same level as Starfox and Pikmin in terms of sales and popularity. And because I thought of that, this is a major shocker. As I said, even shovelware like Bratz and Dora the Explorer beats this number. It's hard to believe that's all.

[Nintendoga]

Okay I know this game was released exclusively for Japan, but are you sure it's 5,000 copies? That is far too low. Even Bratz and similar shovelware did better than that.

Unfortuantley, it's true, here's a roundup of most F-Zero game sales

F-Zero(SNES): 1,000,000 copies

F-Zero X: F-Zero X sold at least 383,642 units in North America & Europe, While in Japan 97,684 units.

F-Zero Maximum Velocity: sold 334,145 copies in Japan and 273,229 copies in the U.S. as of 2005.

F-Zero GX: In Japan, F-Zero GX sold over 100,900 units and became qualified for the Player's Choice line in both Europe and North America by selling at least 250,000 copies.

F-Zero GP Legends: Around 79,000 copies worldwide.

F-Zero Climax: only around 5,000 copies sold.

F-Zero probably isn't that popular in other countries, which is why it doesn't sell well in places like Japan. Metroid is also a victim of this, but not as much.

Star Fox 64 3D is also a really shitty remake (in fact, I'd rather just call it an updated port; it retains all of the (albeit few) flaws of the original, and adds nothing actually worth giving a shit about). It lost a sale from me, and many others simply because it isn't worth the $40 price tag when you can get the original for a fraction of the price.

Well if a certain developer wasn't lazy, and had actually put a certain multiplayer mode in the game, then maybe it would've sold alot more. Funny, Nintendo has almost always found a way to fuck up Star-Fox.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Nintendoga

[Solkia]

Even funner fact: The last F-Zero game, Climax, sold 5,000 copies

Wait, what? Source?

[Sami]

F-Zero GX: In Japan, F-Zero GX sold over 100,900 units and became qualified for the Player's Choice line in both Europe and North America by selling at least 250,000 copies.

I'd assume the rest of the games after that didn't sell well because they were on the GBA. F-Zero is fun because it's fast, hectic, and visually marveling. Shove that on GBA hardware after giving us GX, and I wouldn't expect the hype levels to be very high.

A Wii U version with online play, on the other hand...

[Ekaje]

Also it was the third F-Zero game on the GBA, and it was released in the same year as the DS, so that might have contributed. And though I only played it for a little bit, and aren't that good at racing games in general, Maximum Velocity (first GBA game) didn't seem that great to me.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Ekaje

[Conando]

That excuse doesn't remove the fact that F-Zero isn't even as popular as Pikmin.

[Sami]

That excuse doesn't remove the fact that F-Zero isn't even as popular as Pikmin.

It'll never be if they don't let it.

[Chili Dawg]

F-Zero would probably sell like hot cakes if they put on the box "STARRING THE GUY WHO DOES THE FALCON PUNCH!"

Seriously, it's weird, it seems everyone loves Captain Falcon, but no one cares about the game he's from. Including me. Though I did play the 64 game on VC. And it was awesome.

[Ekaje]

Because pretty much no one actually knows about F-Zero, they just know about the cool guy who catchphrases and does fire punches/kicks. They probably would get more attention if they advertised it like that. Or advertised it period.

[Sami]

Above: The Coolest Thing Ever ©.

Unfortunately, Nintendo never shows anyone The Coolest Thing Ever ©. Solution? Do that. It'll sell like hotcakes.

[VO.SUPER]

Before they advertise F-zero, they need to have the confidence to make a game to advertise.

[#EndyGate]

Maybe if they incorporated the Cap's Falcon Punch and what not into the next F-Zero game, whether it be a cutscene or giving each character special moves in similar fashions, than it could gear some extra interest from fans

Dear god, that F-Zero GX advert has me tempted to go out and buy it now, and if Nintendo could make something as amazing looking like that in HD, my wallet wouldn't be able to bear the wait

Edited April 19, 2012 by Magnus

[Tornado]

Just because you and Dissident don't personally care for them doesn't mean they don't exist, nor does it mean Nintendo doesn't care about its fans.

Yes. Absolutely what I said. Of course.

[Autosaver]

How about another F-Zero or Star Fox game to show off the graphical capabilities of the system?

... Oh right, because we need to have yet another Mario game instead of bringing back other Nintendo franchises that have been long dead. Silly me.

Miyamoto tells Edge that F-Zero might find a home on Wii U.

[Sami]

Just because you and Dissident don't personally care for them doesn't mean they don't exist, nor does it mean Nintendo doesn't care about its fans.

1. Neither of us ever said anything of the sort.

2. While I don't care for Pikmin, I love Uprising. It launched Kid Icarus to the second place spot on my list of favorite Nintendo franchises.

My point was that bringing back those two specific franchises would be more desirable than yet another fucking Mario game. F-Zero is quite simply the perfect game to show off the hardware capabilities of the Wii U (seriously, I dare you to think of a Nintendo game that can trump it in terms of capability for visual spectacle), and Star Fox not only lacked a legitimately good game to put in its canon for over a decade now, but also got a lazy port that was touted as a remake on top of that.

Look, I know I don't like Mario as much as other people. The only two of his games I've ever beaten were NSMB and 3D Land, and the former was only beaten because I had nothing better to do on my flight across the country. But you know what? I'm tired of having Pokemon and Mario get a million and a half games on each system, while the other franchises are lucky to get two. I want F-Zero back. I want Star Fox back. After waiting years upon years for another legitimate Kirby adventure game, I want him to stay. Nintendo has brought back other franchises, yeah, and that's exactly why I want more of that. Don't stop with Kid Icarus because "welp, that's enough". Keep going. Bring other stuff back.

Is it too much to ask to have another F-Zero or Star Fox and make Mario wait a year or two?

[Nintendoga]

Don't worry, they never said they're gonna stop. They're just bringing out more franchises slowly, while letting the main ones sell their systems.

[Solid SOAP]

Is it too much to ask to have another F-Zero or Star Fox and make Mario wait a year or two?

No, but Mario is Nintendo's mascot, and is a MAJOR reason people purchase Nintendo system. The NSMB series (Two games) alone sold over 60 million copies, which is likely more than the total number of copies every single Star Fox and F-Zero game combined sold. Mario is Nintendo's creme de la creme, it's what brings everyone together to get excited for a console. There's nothing wrong with wanting these franchises to make a return, but Mario will always be here to stay.

They aren't going to give their mascot the boot to feed the desires of niche fanbases that have such a low voice in the overall sales their consoles get. Mario comes first, followed by everything else. It's just kind of the rule of the mascot, whether you like it or not. I happen to be a huge Mario fan, so this isn't a problem for me. But I don't see why it's so surprising that Nintendo plug their multi-million (Possibly billion, come to think of it) dollar franchise at every chance they can get. He's instantly recognizable, the games sell well, and they're all good, if not great. Personally, I'm happy that they've been slowly bringing back more franchises since the Wii ended, seeing Kid Icarus again and Pikmin as well was a nice surprise.

I'd say, give it time. They did remake Star Fox 64 for the 3DS and it's possible that F-Zero will get represenation on the Wii U, but they aren't going to risk selling an extremely niche franchise as the main reason to own a console when they can instantly plug Mario into something solid for a guarantied multi-million seller.

Yes. Absolutely what I said. Of course.

You know, it IS possible to have a conversation that doesn't include sarcasm and bitterness.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Solid SOAP

[Sami]

They aren't going to give their mascot the boot to feed the desires of niche fanbases that have such a low voice in the overall sales their consoles get. Mario comes first, followed by everything else. It's just kind of the rule of the mascot, whether you like it or not

That'd be fine if it were happening, but all I'm seeing is Mario, followed by Mario, followed by Mario, followed by Mario, followed by ____, followed by Mario, etc.

[Solid SOAP]

That'd be fine if it were happening, but all I'm seeing is Mario, followed by Mario, followed by Mario, followed by Mario, followed by ____, followed by Mario, etc.

I dunno, I'm relatively happy with the line-up. Obviously there's going to be a boatload of Mario games along the way, but in addition to those we've got Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda, Pikmin, etc. They have loads of teams making Mario games because they sell well no matter what, that's basically his job as a mascot, but it's not like they left the other franchises behind. No company is capable of bringing back every single franchise back every time. Look, there were no Metroid games on N64, no Pikmin on the Wii, no Kid Icarus since the NES, etc. Every generation loses a franchise or too, and usually you'll see them in some form next generation. I don't think it's too out of line to expect an F-Zero or Star Fox game sometime during the Wii U's lifetime, but to expect Nintendo to shove their best-seller out of the way in favor of a bigger risk is kind of asking for a bit much since they already got a bunch on their plate.

[Sean]

F-Zero Wii-U needs to happen. I can't think of any other non-kart racing franchise that screams NINTENDO! to me like this does. I think it could also do with a couple of cameos from other Nintendo properties. (Human) James McCloud is already there, and I think Samus would feel right at home in an F-Zero game.