Yeah. There's probably a lot more they can do and Davide Soliani mentioned doing online in the future.
I'd expect a Mario + Rabbids sequel - the first game must've shifted a couple of million or more by now and both Nintendo and Ubisoft must be pleased with that. Personally I'd really like to see Wario, Waluigi and other Mario villains as the playable characters this time (Kamek, Fawful, Wart), but we'll see.
After the sad news about Alpha Dream, it appears another Nintendo partner has ceased actively developing games - Skip appear to no longer be actively developing games and are in need of new investment.
Obviously they didn't collaborate with Nintendo as frequently as Alpha Dream, but it's a shame to see these smaller studios struggling and potentially closing down at this point in time. Switch has such a busy, vibrant software market and an audience that spends a lot of money on software, so there could have been opportunities for these developers if they'd been able to keep their heads above water. You'd think, in Skip's case, a return to the bit Generations and Art Style games, or a new series in that mould, would've made sense for them on Switch.
After the sad news about Alpha Dream, it appears another Nintendo partner has ceased actively developing games - Skip appear to no longer be actively developing games and are in need of new investment.
Obviously they didn't collaborate with Nintendo as frequently as Alpha Dream, but it's a shame to see these smaller studios struggling and potentially closing down at this point in time. Switch has such a busy, vibrant software market and an audience that spends a lot of money on software, so there could have been opportunities for these developers if they'd been able to keep their heads above water. You'd think, in Skip's case, a return to the bit Generations and Art Style games, or a new series in that mould, would've made sense for them on Switch.
Ubisoft doesn't give sales numbers, no? if i had to guess i'd say the sales mario+rabbids are between 3 to 4 million, closer to 4.
Yeah, it had sold over 2m by September 2018 and has been on sale quite frequently since then so I wouldn't be surprised if it broke 3m.
that 2 million number was never confirmed. it was nintendo life jumping the gun based on a silly tweet by soliani, but now it's referenced everywhere (including wikipedia).
If the decision to develop MK9 was taken 3 years ago, as I presume it was, there was no way to guess that MK8DX would sell as it did; developing games takes time. I suspect that they released it because they needed a heavy hitter from the get go to give momentum to the system, and it indeed worked really well!
I know that Nintendo likes to site on finished games, but I doubt that they would sit on that one more than 1 year.
The fact that MK8DX never received a DLC on Switch, and that ARMS did just "ok", but well below the usual standards of the MK team, convinces me that MK9 is for FY2020, or 21 at most.
Vanpool made most of Zip Lash apparently. Skip was never a large developer and their site currently says they're less than 20 people according to Google translate. It's unfortunate, but it's unlikely to me they have a technical skills or manpower to build something of quality for the Switch.
The MK team has been working on Tour. While they may have tinkered with ideas for MK9, there's also the possibility they put it on the backburner at some point after MK8DX was selling well.
that's gonna be a running trend with Nintendo affiliated studios methinks. Alphadream didn't even have any 3D experience, so who knows what their Unity game would have looked like
Lots of them were basically living on borrowed time. Vanpool will be next unless they manage to stay alive as a support studio. Camelot will be okay as long as they manage to make successful Mario sports games.
feels like support has less to do with it, otherwise, Nintendo would have dropped these studios sooner. Nintendo likes companies they can keep going back to with a compatible relationship. Alpha Dream seems to have had other Nintendo games lined up but the 3DS's death killed those projects. if AlphaDream could do higher end work (3D, etc), they'd probably still get some projects from nintendo and other publishers
We'll see soon enough. The developers must have something coming up in the upcoming 2 years.
interesting possible tidbit from Reggie's lecture
"He said Retro Studios has control over their release dates in a similar manner to the Pokemon company, but this wasn't clear"
"He said Retro Studios has control over their release dates in a similar manner to the Pokemon company, but this wasn't clear"
I guess when Nintendo said their devs can specify release timings, they weren't lying (though Nintendo themselves can still impose hard lines)
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I wish we knew whether the Arms team rejoined the MK8DX skeleton crew for MK Tour.
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well we'll know sooner or later, I guess. worth considering that they also had staff on the ARMS updates for a bit still.
We may never know, we really only get small bits and pieces of the staff that worked on mobile games.
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I mean if the group announces a game for release during 2020 soon, I'd just assume that means they didn't, otherwise I'd assume they did. I guess that's less knowing and more speculation.
Why would a huge group from the Mario Kart team need to work on some mobile game? That's just stupid management if they're not making a new game + Mario Kart Tour.
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Just because it doesn't use that many colorful shaders doesn't mean they don't need the people to design and code the essentially same kind of game with possibly more content.
Vanpool should be fine. They did the vast majority of Super Kirby Clash on Switch which just came out a month and a half ago. They seem to have made the transition pretty well.
Like do you think that they worked 2+ years on Tour? After release of ARMS? Not a chance.
MKT is a pretty high-budget mobile game. Wouldn't be surprised if the MK team's next game is a smaller game like Captain Toad because of it.
Why? Mario Kart has always been 1 per system, and it's not going to change now. I still can't believe people think we're getting an MK9 on the Switch. It's beyond wishful thinking at his point. You're basically trying to will it into existence
you're really underestimating the necessary staff size for a successful mobile game
That's fine. My point was that they're definitely working on something else. I just think it's funny people think the Mario Kart team won't have another game for Switch.
I am so ready to see what it is. I don't think it's ARMS 2, maybe they can revive some old ip. Or something like shooter that would be interesting.
A poster brought up it'd be cool if they made a first person shooter. I'd be pretty ecstatic since Nintendo has no in house first person shooter games. I'd love to see them make one with their usual Nintendo twist. If not that then I'd take a revival of an old IP.
Support as in helping out with projects that aren't technically their own like they did with Super Kirby Clash. With these smaller external devs it seems like Nintendo might just stop greenlighting their projects any day for whatever reason but if they can keep getting work as a studio that Nintendo outsources part of development, they might be safe.
Super Kirby Clash is heavily based on Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. Before I stop being worried about Vanpool I need to see them release an original game on Switch like a new Dillon.
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They won't have another Mario Kart game for Switch is all people (incl. me) are saying, I think.
Not much point, don't think the IP has much value. Just make a new FPS IP
Probably better in the long run. A Nintendo FPS could be interesting with their touch.
Did anyone actually like The Conduit? Its only distinctive feature was that it was a FPS exclusive to Wii but aside from that, it was a rather mediocre game.
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I'm sure if I replayed it today, I wouldn't think as highly as I did 10+ years ago. I remember having fun playing the online though at the time.
MK9 would make more money in one year than MKT will ever make in its lifetime because Nintendo is clueless when it comes to mobile monetization and game design.
I remember when I was excited for Mario Kart Tour then I heard it had no multiplayer. I played it for a few minutes and that was it. Nintendo's mobile efforts are subpar to me.
They do have Fire Emblem Heroes and Dragalia Lost doing well though. Those just aren't my type of games though.
Nintendo also didn't make those. The EPD games have been a bust so far
Yeah it's pretty sad. If you put subpar product after subpar product after subpar product then at a certain point people really won't care to give attention to your next game. It's kind of like Arzest in that you're not expecting a very good product from them anymore. They have the label on them.
Because part of making the most money possible is to put as many staff on a game as is needed, not to needlessly bloat team sizes? Putting on as much staff as possible would just make the project more expensive, after a while that increase in staff doesn't benefit the project. It would be allocating resources that a project probably doesn't need, and putting more money behind it than it needs as a result. There's not a lot of reason to believe Nintendo would do that when most of their mobile prospects have faired mediocre.
It's much more likely imo that it was just a small or decent portion of the MK team, but that the majority are working on a new big experience for Switch, no matter how ambitious Tour might have been for a mobile game.
Animal Crossing is quietly raking in dough, too. The lootboxes must be helping :|
Tour was announced at the start of 2018 and I would guess that it was being worked on a while before that as it already had a title.
Though it was meant to release before March 2019, probably sometime in 2018 based on how early in the year they announced it.
I think the MK leads are done until the next system, but Yabuki may have another Switch title.
EAD Ninja has already said that a sizeable amount of the MK8D team worked on Tour, as well as Bandai Namco assisting on the graphics just like they did for 8.
But again, we still don't know if the ARMS leads were involved.