Some on ERA are disappointed that Nintendo's output on the Switch isn't at the quantity that they wanted, and feel that Nintendo should invest in more studios and acquisitions. However, that's actually not going to do much to fix anything, not only because you're solving a problem that doesn't exist, but because we already have a good case study as to why that isn't an automatic fix to any supposed "drought" problems.
We need to look no further than Microsoft. You know, it's amazing, even after 3 years of hyping up Xbox Game Studios, buying developers, and even merging with a whole third party publisher, Microsoft still hasn't produced sufficient results from their investments. Now to be fair, Game development is a lengthy process, so we won't see the fruits of their labor pay off until well into the X|S' life. But we're a month a way from the next generation of Xbox being released, and Microsoft doesn't even have a single original game ready for launch, just ports of games already available on Xbox One, and they're not even that old. Its biggest first party launch title (Halo Infinite), just got delayed indefinitely after leaks surrounding tons of development problems. Leaving the Xbox Next gen, with just cross-gen and multiplatform titles, and NO big holiday release. Most of the games they revealed for the next generation, either barely have gameplay, aren't coming until next year or later, or both.
At least Nintendo has 2 major original titles this Holiday season. At least Sony is launching the PS5 with SOME original first party titles. Microsoft doesn't even have that. And don't you come to me and say "but Microsoft doesn't need first party games, they have all this third party support!" Well its not like the Switch is lacking in third party titles either. In fact, with the sheer amount of games released for it regularly, you'd be hard pressed to NOT find something to play on the Switch. Not to mention, nobody buys consoles strictly for third party games, a lot of the purchasing decisions are based on exclusives and first party titles too. Again, things can all change going forward, but I don't expect it to happen so soon.
The point is, "buying more studios" isn't going to result in this "50 game a year" output you guys seem to desperately want so badly. Game Development is still a lengthy process, and it will still take years for those investments to pay off. Not to mention, overseeing all those developers requires a really good leadership at the top, which Nintendo and Sony have been famous for, while Microsoft has spent years trying to figure out how to manage a team. So next time you bitch about Nintendo not having this magical output that you keep craving, just remember... At least they're not Microsoft. Any company that can put out nearly 20 games every year is still leagues beyond what Microsoft has been able to put out in the past 3 years alone.
We need to look no further than Microsoft. You know, it's amazing, even after 3 years of hyping up Xbox Game Studios, buying developers, and even merging with a whole third party publisher, Microsoft still hasn't produced sufficient results from their investments. Now to be fair, Game development is a lengthy process, so we won't see the fruits of their labor pay off until well into the X|S' life. But we're a month a way from the next generation of Xbox being released, and Microsoft doesn't even have a single original game ready for launch, just ports of games already available on Xbox One, and they're not even that old. Its biggest first party launch title (Halo Infinite), just got delayed indefinitely after leaks surrounding tons of development problems. Leaving the Xbox Next gen, with just cross-gen and multiplatform titles, and NO big holiday release. Most of the games they revealed for the next generation, either barely have gameplay, aren't coming until next year or later, or both.
At least Nintendo has 2 major original titles this Holiday season. At least Sony is launching the PS5 with SOME original first party titles. Microsoft doesn't even have that. And don't you come to me and say "but Microsoft doesn't need first party games, they have all this third party support!" Well its not like the Switch is lacking in third party titles either. In fact, with the sheer amount of games released for it regularly, you'd be hard pressed to NOT find something to play on the Switch. Not to mention, nobody buys consoles strictly for third party games, a lot of the purchasing decisions are based on exclusives and first party titles too. Again, things can all change going forward, but I don't expect it to happen so soon.
The point is, "buying more studios" isn't going to result in this "50 game a year" output you guys seem to desperately want so badly. Game Development is still a lengthy process, and it will still take years for those investments to pay off. Not to mention, overseeing all those developers requires a really good leadership at the top, which Nintendo and Sony have been famous for, while Microsoft has spent years trying to figure out how to manage a team. So next time you bitch about Nintendo not having this magical output that you keep craving, just remember... At least they're not Microsoft. Any company that can put out nearly 20 games every year is still leagues beyond what Microsoft has been able to put out in the past 3 years alone.
