That’s what Gamaustrua analyst Matt Matthews suspects:
The second point (of last year’s annual console sales) brings out is just how sequel-driven the top end of the market has become. Every game, with exception of Just Dance 2 and Batman: Arkham City is a sequel several times over. I’m just now beginning to try to follow the mobile/tablet gaming market, and while many of the games I see there are derivative, the ones that appear to sell exceptionally well are still original in many ways. If there really is generational fatigue, as Piper Jaffray’s Connor suggests, and consumers are “spending more time on Facebook and the iOS app ecosystem,” then perhaps this heavy dependence on sequels is contributing to that trend.
It’s a valid point. Obviously Facebook and iOS are not only cheaper than console and handheld experiences, but they’re easier to jump in and out of, which a lot of gamers prefer. At the same time, I suspect I’ve played a lot more non-sequels on iOS in the last year than I did on consoles/handhelds. As a friend of the new, that’s a big hook for iOS gaming, however non-epic it still is.
The good news for Nintendo is they have a history of original games — more than any other, perhaps. Problem is, they also have a bad case of sequelitis at times (as they do right now), so it’s up to them to find the proper mix of new vs. retro games.
What do you think?
Said Nintendo president Satoru Iwata this week about continued losses:
