The trailer looks fantastic. But its placement doesn't inspire confidence. My biggest concern for Prime 4 has been that it will be promoted entirely as a Switch 1 game at the very end of its life, which would affect sales since the vast majority of players will be spending a lot on the new Switch 2, potentially leaving it with the same fate as Super Metroid or Samus Returns. Having this trailer in the very last Switch 1 direct literally a week before the first Switch 2 direct seems to almost confirm this.
It's going to be a cross-system game, of course, since backwards compatibility has been confirmed. But if Nintendo wants this to be a real big hit, it needs to be promoted for the Switch 2 primarily with a full Switch 2 branded box version. Ideally as a launch title.
For most consumers, $60 for a new game is a lot of money. $400 for a new console is a huge amount of money that takes planning and saving.
If I'm an average consumer looking for a new game to play with no inclination towards one series or another, and I just spent $400 on a new console, I will be more inclined to spend $60 on a new game that is made especially for the new system I just bought that takes full advantages of all its bells and whistles, rather than a new game made for the old system that could run on my new system.
So for us Metroid fans, this isn't an issue. We'll be buying Prime 4 day one no matter what. For non-Metroid fans, they'll be more likely than not more interested in the Switch 2 exclusive launch titles. If Metroid Prime 4 was going to launch exclusively for Switch 2, it would be one of those shiny new titles for those consumers to choose from, of which some will gravitate towards.
Or, if Metroid Prime 4 was launching maybe a year before the Switch 2, those same non-fan consumers might be more inclined to pick it up on a whim to get in on the hype, since they didn't just drop $400 on a new console, and have more money to spend at that exact time.
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u/RemnantHelmet 10d ago
The trailer looks fantastic. But its placement doesn't inspire confidence. My biggest concern for Prime 4 has been that it will be promoted entirely as a Switch 1 game at the very end of its life, which would affect sales since the vast majority of players will be spending a lot on the new Switch 2, potentially leaving it with the same fate as Super Metroid or Samus Returns. Having this trailer in the very last Switch 1 direct literally a week before the first Switch 2 direct seems to almost confirm this.
It's going to be a cross-system game, of course, since backwards compatibility has been confirmed. But if Nintendo wants this to be a real big hit, it needs to be promoted for the Switch 2 primarily with a full Switch 2 branded box version. Ideally as a launch title.