This is something that has been bugging me as I still see people say "Nitnendo 1-2 Switch and Nintendo ARMS were failures" and whenever someone asks for clarification, they go "well, they sold poorly". Both games sold over 2 million copies yet them failing is taken by such an article of faith that even when presented with evidence, the argument turns just so it can still be called "sold poorly".
Even Splatoon during the Wii U was immediately dismissed as a failure right out of the gate. Even when its numbers were great, it was still dismissed as a failure until the Media Create sales proved how popular it is and even then people are insistent that its only popular in Japan and a sales disappointment at best everywhere else with people always being surprised that it sold well outside it because Nintendo IPs failing is just that strong of an article of faith. Why is this the case?
Even Splatoon during the Wii U was immediately dismissed as a failure right out of the gate. Even when its numbers were great, it was still dismissed as a failure until the Media Create sales proved how popular it is and even then people are insistent that its only popular in Japan and a sales disappointment at best everywhere else with people always being surprised that it sold well outside it because Nintendo IPs failing is just that strong of an article of faith. Why is this the case?