As any game developer or publisher will tell you, it’s not enough to simply release video games one after another in a franchise and hope that the sales maintain or grow over time. As certain FPS series will tell you, you have to adapt, grow, and ensure you don’t become stagnant. You must assure gamers that the next version is “must play” and not simply the same thing they saw before. For Nintendo, they released many new versions of beloved franchises this year, including the game that kicked off the year, Fire Emblem Engage.
However, at their latest shareholder’s meeting, a question from one such shareholder noted that the sales of Fire Emblem Engage were less than the previous Switch entry in the franchise. Furthermore, Nintendo didn’t seem to build up the game with certain events as they had done with other entries in the franchise, and they wanted to know why The Big N did that.
The answer came from Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, who noted that for Nintendo they’re trying to appeal to people in the gaming space beyond simply making games:
“In order for consumers to keep their emotional attachment to game characters and other IP, it is important that we not only provide new in-game offerings, but also appeal to those consumers in areas outside of the game, and what I am saying here is not limited to any individual title. For instance, selling character merchandise at directly owned and operated official stores and working with our partner companies to sell licensed merchandise provide opportunities for people to come in contact with Nintendo characters and Nintendo game worlds.”
Furukawa believes that “initiatives” like this can help bring more people into the fold, thus letting them try out more games within Nintendo’s banner.
That is certainly one way to look at it, as Nintendo is known for having some really good merch come out from 1st and 3rd party creators, such as with their Amiibo or full-on statues made by companies like Good Smile.
However, to tie this back to the video game in question, Fire Emblem Engage was different than Three Houses in multiple ways, not the least was the more streamlined story that harkened back to the previous entries in the franchise. Meanwhile, the other title was a new and expansive adventure that people really sunk their teeth into due to the great story, wonderful characters, and intense battles.
So perhaps the next game in the line will follow that mold more.
