TheRandomCities4
Smash Ace
NOTICE: The strikes are edits made after gathering more information and discussion. They are not to be interpreted as sarcastic inside comments. I included this so that my previous statements could still be seen.
I have a feeling that even when the game releases, they'll still be developing the game for future DLC packs.
I get the impression that Sakurai and his team arehurrying through development trying to put as much as they can into Smash (within their deadline) so that they can deliver a game that would help the Wii U's sales.
Remember how Brawl was delayed multiple times? Perhaps they were able to delay Brawl's release because sales of the original Wii weren't in dire straights (the Wii U is suffering, in comparison). This allowed them to spend more time debugging many aspects of Brawl. Brawl took a long time to debug. I don't feel there's enough time from the demo of Smash 4 to its planned release to debug it fully and add more planned content.
As for the 3DS version,they can't delay its release either (US version delayed to October, not a major enough delay to hinder its marketing pressure before the Wii U version's release), even if the 3DS is doing okay with its sales. That would be horrible marketing. I feel that they're releasing the 3DS version before the Wii U to provoke the consumer into buying both versions; I would expect the average consumer to think, by the time the 3DS version releases, "hey, I want the Smash experience, but I don't want to wait", so they'll end up buying the 3DS version before the Wii U version is released. Point being, I have a feeling Nintendo knows that most fans regularly anticipate the Wii U version more than the 3DS version. Why do you think they're pushing so much content for the 3DS version and not the Wii U one? Just check out the official Smash Brothers website! The Wii U section doesn't even exist yet! It feels like they're really trying to pressure us into buying both. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy both, however. I'm just saying that we should try to look at answering Nintendo's antics from a marketing perspective, since in the end Nintendo is a business.
During the Round-table Q & A session with Sakurai, someone asked him about the large gap of release dates between both versions. Sakurai answered that the team needs to focus debugging one version before the other, and that debugging is generally a long process. Sakurai was probably telling a partial truth. They do need to focus on debugging, however Brawl's many long delays prove that there is simply too much debugging to be done in this short amount of time. Not to mention, they're still adding extra content to the games. Once those are completed, they have the process of debugging them as well!
Hear me out on the following, because it's potentially a very important keystone in further explaining Nintendo's possible marketing strategies. The Sal Romano/Gematsu leak. Now before you have any chances of jumping the gun, I have no intention of arguing the leaker/tipster's credibility in this thread (You can take that to The Official Sal Romano/Gematsu leak). Anyways, just an hour before the Digital Event Sal Romano himself posted here in the Smashboards regarding another e-mail he received. He even confirmed this was him on his blog, Gematsu. The most interesting post included in the e-mail was that "Nintendo is planning post-launch character DLC, source doesn't like this as he thinks it's greedy."
Now lets take a small step back, after letting that sink in. Let's take a look at the newcomers revealed thus far. Are you underwhelmed? Are you anxious about Nintendo not including newcomers from their more major/prominent franchises (minus Kid Icarus for Smash seniority reasons)? These are legitimate feelings to have, since Nintendo executives have not been clear of their purpose. Their lack of clarity has roused chaos in the fanbase. However, they cannot be clear about the current flaws/bugs and developmental strategies they have planned, because that might make them look weak in front of their investors and competitors. Even in the gaming industry, there are politics and business, no matter how overlooked they might be in the forums or elsewhere by fans. Instead we are left to infer, and that's the purpose of this thread.
** Let me take a minor step aside and clarify what I mean by "Nintendo's major/prominent franchises". I am referring to the franchises that have been expanded upon since Smash's first iteration on the Nintendo 64. We currently have only 2 newcomers that expand upon these franchises: Greninja (Pokemon) and Rosalina (Mario). We are missing newcomers from the remaining franchises that many might argue should be expanded upon, such as: The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Metroid, and Kirby. Instead, the Smash 4 developers seem to be focusing on newcomers outside of this franchise peripheral. My question is this: why? One possible answer, at least hypothetically in this thread, is to look at how Nintendo is marketing the new Smash Brothers. Look at what they're focusing on showing us (more features on the 3DS version of Smash as opposed to the Wii U version, the newcomers outside of the franchises that have expanded since Smash's first iteration, etc.), and question why they are focusing on these things. Take a step back and review all that you have mused with the following in mind: Nintendo is a business. I am well aware I have said this before, but I cannot stress enough how important this fact is to consider into reasoning out Nintendo's actions.
During the Roundtable Q & A session with Sakurai, he was explaining how he viewed Smash as a party game, and that he and his team were trying to find ways in expanding the Smash audience. Take another look back at the newcomers revealed thus far. This is a major part in how they're expanding their audience. Since they have limited development time (due to the Wii U's sales being lackluster), they're trying to expand the Smash audience by quickly adding these characters from lesser-prominent franchises (which might very well include the remaining characters from the Sal Romano/Gematsu leak). Obviously, they do have some newcomers from certain prominent Nintendo franchises or are fan-favorites (Greninja, Little Mac, et. al.). This only suggests further that they are trying to expand the audience, since Smash 4 currently haves more newcomers from lesser-prominent franchises than it does more-prominent franchises. The remaining characters from the Sal Romano/Gematsu leak also further suggest this. Again, I'm not arguing this leak's credibility, I'm arguing what it suggests in the sense of marketing, and what we know from E3.
In the end, Sakurai isn't catering towards the fans per se, at least at this moment. Why? Well, they probably aren't worried about us. They know we'll probably get the game already, so they don't need to immediately extend our interest by adding the fan-favorite characters. This is where the post-launch character DLC comes into play. Once the game is released, they could easily focus on the more popular characters for the DLC.
Amendment #1:Look, the main reason why I brought up DLC in the marketing perspective is their current developmental status. It has been proven that the demo was made after the direct (by looking at Samus' final smashes in each version). The demo however has many bugs (some pointed out in this thread). Some bugs are game-breaking, to the point of crashing. The characters in the demo seem to randomly generate different kill power with the same moves (no matter how "stale" the move became [yes, I'm well aware Smash has a stale-move-ratio system, but this randomness has been proven to be beyond that]).
** The demo was made before the direct, given the lack of expressions on the characters. This is a good sign, but we really cannot know for sure either way until we have more information. It'd be nice to know exactly where they are in development, as that'd grant us a clearer perspective on the possibility of DLC. This is important to know though, as it could explain the lack of technical options while fighting in the demo. The only question remaining, is when did they create the demo version? In my opinion, it's rather odd to hold onto a demo version for E3 (on the year of the game's release) that is inferior to the build they currently have. I can understand if it's to withhold information (such as characters) that they do not want revealed yet. To me though, having this demo version held at E3 just felt like a weak representation for Smash, at least in retrospect. When I think of E3, I think about showcasing your best. But that's just me.
It is known that the developers behind Smash 4 are not only debugging current content, but they're inevitably adding newer content as we speak. They'll have to debug said new content after implementation. Development is an arduous process, and with half-a-year away from the Wii U version's release, I worry about its solidity. I have faith that the team can make an excellent game, but I must repeatedly cite Brawl's many delays as evidence to the possibility of DLC.
Brawl was delayed for a lot of time, probably to polish out many of its mechanics (as well as probably adding Wolf, as it has been proven that he was the last addition to Brawl's roster). The Wii's sales were EXCELLENT, which is probably why Brawl had the luxury of being delayed. It was allotted more time to become a solid title upon release, making no need for DLC.
This time around, the Wii U is suffering, and it's obvious Nintendo is trying to find ways to increase its sales. Smash is a great game to help them achieve this. However, I have a feeling the team is being pushed to their limits to produce as much as they can before whatever deadline they have, for I fear Smash 4 cannot be delayed. Otherwise, the investors might end up pulling their shares from right underneath Nintendo. Remember these gaming industries are businesses (I'm not trying to antagonize businesses either, I'm just pointing it out as it is), and there are politics revolving business. They're pushing to market the 3DS version (which is why there is so much more content currently known for it than the Wii U version, as it makes the 3DS version look currently more desirable), whose release date is controlled by the Wii U version (else they could delay the 3DS version and suffer lower sales, because the more anticipated version [Wii U] would be out before).
I'll reiterate in hopes of clarifying: The Wii U's sales are suffering, so they're pushing to finish the Wii U version quickly. The 3DS version cannot be sold after the Wii U one because more people anticipate the Wii U version (and in hindsight less people would buy the 3DS version if they did this). Besides, having the 3DS version out before puts pressure on Smash fans around the world because they'll want the Smash experience without waiting for the version most people probably anticipate (the Wii U version).
Hence, development could be limited, especially when compared to Brawl's delays. I am worried for this game, if they're not planning on the definite possibility of DLC, and that includes characters.
For fun, here's another hypothetical situation: What if they released the major-franchise newcomers first, and kept the lackluster characters for DLC? If Pac-Man wasn't debated through the leak (and was to be included as a DLC character), I think less people might be driven to buy him. In other words, keep the more wanted characters for the DLC so more people would buy them. Marketing.
Any other thoughts, feel free to add and discuss. I will be open to feedback, as this is a picture I wish to paint with the help of others. I aim to help people find a better understanding of a possibility behind Nintendo's motive as well as their actions.
I have a feeling that even when the game releases, they'll still be developing the game for future DLC packs.
I get the impression that Sakurai and his team are
Remember how Brawl was delayed multiple times? Perhaps they were able to delay Brawl's release because sales of the original Wii weren't in dire straights (the Wii U is suffering, in comparison). This allowed them to spend more time debugging many aspects of Brawl. Brawl took a long time to debug. I don't feel there's enough time from the demo of Smash 4 to its planned release to debug it fully and add more planned content.
As for the 3DS version,
During the Round-table Q & A session with Sakurai, someone asked him about the large gap of release dates between both versions. Sakurai answered that the team needs to focus debugging one version before the other, and that debugging is generally a long process. Sakurai was probably telling a partial truth. They do need to focus on debugging, however Brawl's many long delays prove that there is simply too much debugging to be done in this short amount of time. Not to mention, they're still adding extra content to the games. Once those are completed, they have the process of debugging them as well!
Hear me out on the following, because it's potentially a very important keystone in further explaining Nintendo's possible marketing strategies. The Sal Romano/Gematsu leak. Now before you have any chances of jumping the gun, I have no intention of arguing the leaker/tipster's credibility in this thread (You can take that to The Official Sal Romano/Gematsu leak). Anyways, just an hour before the Digital Event Sal Romano himself posted here in the Smashboards regarding another e-mail he received. He even confirmed this was him on his blog, Gematsu. The most interesting post included in the e-mail was that "Nintendo is planning post-launch character DLC, source doesn't like this as he thinks it's greedy."
Now lets take a small step back, after letting that sink in. Let's take a look at the newcomers revealed thus far. Are you underwhelmed? Are you anxious about Nintendo not including newcomers from their more major/prominent franchises (minus Kid Icarus for Smash seniority reasons)? These are legitimate feelings to have, since Nintendo executives have not been clear of their purpose. Their lack of clarity has roused chaos in the fanbase. However, they cannot be clear about the current flaws/bugs and developmental strategies they have planned, because that might make them look weak in front of their investors and competitors. Even in the gaming industry, there are politics and business, no matter how overlooked they might be in the forums or elsewhere by fans. Instead we are left to infer, and that's the purpose of this thread.
** Let me take a minor step aside and clarify what I mean by "Nintendo's major/prominent franchises". I am referring to the franchises that have been expanded upon since Smash's first iteration on the Nintendo 64. We currently have only 2 newcomers that expand upon these franchises: Greninja (Pokemon) and Rosalina (Mario). We are missing newcomers from the remaining franchises that many might argue should be expanded upon, such as: The Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong, Star Fox, Metroid, and Kirby. Instead, the Smash 4 developers seem to be focusing on newcomers outside of this franchise peripheral. My question is this: why? One possible answer, at least hypothetically in this thread, is to look at how Nintendo is marketing the new Smash Brothers. Look at what they're focusing on showing us (more features on the 3DS version of Smash as opposed to the Wii U version, the newcomers outside of the franchises that have expanded since Smash's first iteration, etc.), and question why they are focusing on these things. Take a step back and review all that you have mused with the following in mind: Nintendo is a business. I am well aware I have said this before, but I cannot stress enough how important this fact is to consider into reasoning out Nintendo's actions.
During the Roundtable Q & A session with Sakurai, he was explaining how he viewed Smash as a party game, and that he and his team were trying to find ways in expanding the Smash audience. Take another look back at the newcomers revealed thus far. This is a major part in how they're expanding their audience. Since they have limited development time (due to the Wii U's sales being lackluster), they're trying to expand the Smash audience by quickly adding these characters from lesser-prominent franchises (which might very well include the remaining characters from the Sal Romano/Gematsu leak). Obviously, they do have some newcomers from certain prominent Nintendo franchises or are fan-favorites (Greninja, Little Mac, et. al.). This only suggests further that they are trying to expand the audience, since Smash 4 currently haves more newcomers from lesser-prominent franchises than it does more-prominent franchises. The remaining characters from the Sal Romano/Gematsu leak also further suggest this. Again, I'm not arguing this leak's credibility, I'm arguing what it suggests in the sense of marketing, and what we know from E3.
In the end, Sakurai isn't catering towards the fans per se, at least at this moment. Why? Well, they probably aren't worried about us. They know we'll probably get the game already, so they don't need to immediately extend our interest by adding the fan-favorite characters. This is where the post-launch character DLC comes into play. Once the game is released, they could easily focus on the more popular characters for the DLC.
Amendment #1:
** The demo was made before the direct, given the lack of expressions on the characters. This is a good sign, but we really cannot know for sure either way until we have more information. It'd be nice to know exactly where they are in development, as that'd grant us a clearer perspective on the possibility of DLC. This is important to know though, as it could explain the lack of technical options while fighting in the demo. The only question remaining, is when did they create the demo version? In my opinion, it's rather odd to hold onto a demo version for E3 (on the year of the game's release) that is inferior to the build they currently have. I can understand if it's to withhold information (such as characters) that they do not want revealed yet. To me though, having this demo version held at E3 just felt like a weak representation for Smash, at least in retrospect. When I think of E3, I think about showcasing your best. But that's just me.
It is known that the developers behind Smash 4 are not only debugging current content, but they're inevitably adding newer content as we speak. They'll have to debug said new content after implementation. Development is an arduous process, and with half-a-year away from the Wii U version's release, I worry about its solidity. I have faith that the team can make an excellent game, but I must repeatedly cite Brawl's many delays as evidence to the possibility of DLC.
Brawl was delayed for a lot of time, probably to polish out many of its mechanics (as well as probably adding Wolf, as it has been proven that he was the last addition to Brawl's roster). The Wii's sales were EXCELLENT, which is probably why Brawl had the luxury of being delayed. It was allotted more time to become a solid title upon release, making no need for DLC.
This time around, the Wii U is suffering, and it's obvious Nintendo is trying to find ways to increase its sales. Smash is a great game to help them achieve this. However, I have a feeling the team is being pushed to their limits to produce as much as they can before whatever deadline they have, for I fear Smash 4 cannot be delayed. Otherwise, the investors might end up pulling their shares from right underneath Nintendo. Remember these gaming industries are businesses (I'm not trying to antagonize businesses either, I'm just pointing it out as it is), and there are politics revolving business. They're pushing to market the 3DS version (which is why there is so much more content currently known for it than the Wii U version, as it makes the 3DS version look currently more desirable), whose release date is controlled by the Wii U version (else they could delay the 3DS version and suffer lower sales, because the more anticipated version [Wii U] would be out before).
I'll reiterate in hopes of clarifying: The Wii U's sales are suffering, so they're pushing to finish the Wii U version quickly. The 3DS version cannot be sold after the Wii U one because more people anticipate the Wii U version (and in hindsight less people would buy the 3DS version if they did this). Besides, having the 3DS version out before puts pressure on Smash fans around the world because they'll want the Smash experience without waiting for the version most people probably anticipate (the Wii U version).
Hence, development could be limited, especially when compared to Brawl's delays. I am worried for this game, if they're not planning on the definite possibility of DLC, and that includes characters.
For fun, here's another hypothetical situation: What if they released the major-franchise newcomers first, and kept the lackluster characters for DLC? If Pac-Man wasn't debated through the leak (and was to be included as a DLC character), I think less people might be driven to buy him. In other words, keep the more wanted characters for the DLC so more people would buy them. Marketing.
Any other thoughts, feel free to add and discuss. I will be open to feedback, as this is a picture I wish to paint with the help of others. I aim to help people find a better understanding of a possibility behind Nintendo's motive as well as their actions.
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