I don't know about you, but I personally grew up playing Nintendo video games. Even before I was old enough to play myself, I had older brothers and cousins in my family who I would often see enjoying what are now old classics on Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Gameboy. I hold very fond memories of my childhood that are inextricably linked to Nintendo's games--Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Kirby, etc.--and I know that mant people hold similar memories of enjoying these games as children.
And that is why I am so interested whenever Nintendo takes a big step as a company.
For those who don't know, Nintendo's worst-selling video game console of all time was it's most recent effort, the Wii U (which, perhaps even more catastrophically, was the direct successor to the company's best-selling of all time, the Wii). Sales figures for the system were abysmal, marketing was often very weak and confusing, and many fans of the company's work began to migrate away.
Now, 2017 has begun, and Nintendo has slated a brand new system named the Nintendo Switch to release this year in the month of March. So now the question lingers around the system--will it continue to wallow in the failure of its predecessor, or will in help raise Nintendo back into the limelight as a company?
If I were to guess, I'd probably have to go with the latter of the two.
The first reason for this is the unique place the system takes in the video game market. The main feature of the system is that it is powered by a tablet-like device that can be taken anywhere with the game intact. This merges the two markets of video games--handhelds versus home consoles--that have existed for the past 25 years. Because of this, Nintendo will likely stop producing a dedicated handheld; likely funneling all sales into the Switch.
The second reason, and this is key, is the marketing. We still don't know a whole lot about this elusive new system, but there are two points I'd like to mention. First is that the console is launching with a new title in the "Legend of Zelda" series, one of Nintendo's most illustrious that was incredibly and unfortunately underrepresented on the Wii U. Having a game like this that draws lots of fans from the outset is a great tactic by Nintendo's marketing (and while, yes, the company is also creating a port of the game to play on the Wii U, I still think the game will draw masses to the Switch because of increased graphical capabilities and the portability of the system).
The other component that is already present in Switch marketing is the demographic. Right now there is a cultural phenomenon in our society built on childhood nostalgia in teenagers and young adults. Things like '90s cartoons, retro video games and alternative rock are seeing a huge resurgence as of late, and many of Nintendo's long-standing franchises such as the Legend of Zelda and Pokemon are ticking time bombs of nostalgia for millions of twenty-somethings (ex: Pokémon GO). Many believe this demographic to be very important to Nintendo's success heading forward, and luckily, the marketing department seems to realize it as well. I base that assumption off of the only piece of advertisement that exists thus far for the Switch--the reveal trailer. The three-minute trailer features a cast of young adults playing games on the Switch in various locations that seem to fit several different walks of life.
Of course, it's impossible to say for certain what will happen in the future, but for anyone like myself who would like to see Nintendo succeed as a company and continue to produce the pass-times we know and love, the future looks good.
