There are numerous reasons why Nintendo has lasted so long in the gaming industry, but the biggest one of all is that they are the masters of making IPs and keeping them going, even if it means doing a total reinvention or swinging for the fences with them, so gamers will buy them in good numbers. With all the success they’ve had, you might be surprised that they only do about one or two new IP attempts every console generation. Like what the Nintendo Switch had with ARMS and, technically, Mario + Rabbids.
However, according to Ken Watanabe, who used to work for The Big N, the basic reason for the company not throwing out new IPs all the time is that they want to ensure that whatever “new thing” they make has something good gameplay-wise to hook them, and potentially, hook gamers:
“New franchises haven’t come out simply because there’s no real need to make them. When Nintendo wants to do something new, it’s basically about the gameplay mechanics first — about creating a new way to play. As for the skin or the wrapper, they don’t really fuss over it. They just pick whatever fits that new gameplay best.”
That makes sense, honestly, and it also speaks to things like Splatoon, which had the gameplay loop established first via the ink shooting, and then, over time, became about the Inklings and Octolings of their world. Another example of this is Donkey Kong Bananza (read my review!), where the Nintendo team knew they wanted to focus on the destruction of the environment via DK’s incredible strength.
Another thing to consider is that they can also do spin-offs of their IPs to create new directions, like what they’re likely doing with Splatoon Raiders. It works for them, so why question it?
Source: Bloomberg
