Latest news with #KrystaYang
France 24
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
Indie game studios battle for piece of Switch 2 success
The three games on display are all made by smaller-scale, independent developers seeking to impress users of the device that became the world's fastest-selling console after its launch last month. But with Nintendo game sales long dominated by in-house franchises -- from "Super Mario" to "Donkey Kong" to "Animal Crossing" -- it can be hard for outsiders to break through. "The Switch 2 has certainly gotten off to a strong start," said Krysta Yang of the Nintendo-focused Kit & Krysta Podcast. But so far, "for third-party game creators, the success of Switch 2 didn't necessarily translate into strong sales". Many Switch 2 owners bought the gadget to play Nintendo exclusives, such as "Mario Kart World", and the high price of the console and its games mean consumers have been less keen to splash out on a range of titles, Yang told AFP. Also, many non-Nintendo games currently sold on the Switch 2, such as "Cyberpunk 2077", were already available on rival platforms such as Sony's PlayStation 5. "Nintendo is incentivised to keep their third-party developer relationships strong as they understand to sustain a console lifecycle," but "there certainly are challenges" ahead for the developers, Yang warned. The Switch 2 is more powerful than its hugely popular predecessor © Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP That did not put off scores of hopefuls from travelling to Kyoto, Nintendo's home city, to tout their games -- many still works-in-progress -- at three-day indie game expo BitSummit, which kicked off Friday. At booths showing off new software from retro-style puzzles to immersive horror epics, several gamemakers said they were in talks with Nintendo about launching their work on the new console. AI challenge The Switch 2 is more powerful than its hugely popular predecessor, and that "opens up the space for what can be made", said Ryan Juckett of the US studio Hypersect. Nintendo's own games "can be quite expensive, so there's a gap for cheaper, easier-access games that people can play on the fly", said Kent Burgess from New Zealand, part of the team behind the game "Bashful Adoration". Other concepts were more eclectic -- from sword-fighting with barbecued sausages to a game where the main character is a shy giraffe whose head explodes if he talks to a stranger. In the United States, "some people, when they try the game, are like, 'oh we don't quite get it because we are so extrovert'," said Lin Huang, the artist behind "A Week in the Life of Asocial Giraffe". Nintendo once had a a reputation of being hard to negotiate with for outside gamemakers © Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP Gaming industry consultant Serkan Toto said Nintendo once had "an almost legendary reputation of being hard to negotiate with" for outside gamemakers. "But that changed with the Switch 1", which launched in 2017 after the company's previous console the Wii U was "a total flop" -- opening the way for more third-party games, including indie titles, Toto said. And the landscape could change further as new technologies gain pace. No indie gamemakers AFP spoke to at BitSummit said they used artificial intelligence heavily at work, although some said generative AI helped speed up coding tasks. Few were worried about the potential for job losses in the industry, for now. "There is not going to be a world in which an AI game will be better than a hand-built game, because there is going to be that love and soul that developers put into it," said Lauren Kenner, senior brand manager for Noodle Cat Games. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"When they do a business analysis, Nintendo doesn't show up": Ex PlayStation boss says Sony's only real competition outside Japan is Xbox, even though they have "huge respect for what Nintendo does"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Former PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida says Sony really only views Xbox as its main competitor outside Japan, despite the company's immense respect for Nintendo's unique positioning in the industry. In a real Avengers-style crossover moment, Yoshida sat down with former Nintendo employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang for the latest episode of their Kit & Krysta podcast (timestamp), and Yoshida was asked how the higher ups at Sony view Nintendo as a competitor. His answer was essentially, they don't, not outside Japan at least. "Their perception of their competition is always Xbox," said Yoshida. "They see Microsoft as being their competition, because Xbox is very similar performance hardware. You know, high-end console, mature games. And Nintendo is very different. Family friendly, games for everyone. Not about technologies, more about having fun with friends and families ... So, inside Sony, even when they do a business analysis, Nintendo doesn't show up even." Yoshida added that, at least during his time at Sony, PlayStation was happy to see Nintendo succeed because it meant more people were playing games, and that opened up the potential for PlayStation to take a cut of that market share. "Nintendo is bringing a younger audience into gaming, and some of them when they grow up, might graduate into more mature systems like PlayStation or Xbox," said Yoshida. "Of course, they have huge respect for what Nintendo does in terms of how Nintendo should be doing in the industry. We all felt like it's great to have Nintendo to continue to be successful so that we can continue to grow the industry." Yoshida also noted that Sony's perception of Xbox as its "primary competitor" applies to markets outside Japan, because, "In Japan, Nintendo is hugely strong and Xbox almost doesn't exist." Ellis and Yang both co-signed that statement, saying, "facts." Of course, none of this is going to be hugely surprising to even casual observers, but it's really something else hearing it from a group of people with unique insights into the inner workings of both Sony and Nintendo, respectively. With the Switch 2 specs not even rivaling the lightweight Xbox Series S on paper, and also by virtue of it being a handheld console, it doesn't look like Nintendo's aiming to shift its place in the market in this generation, which absolutely makes sense following the generational success of the OG Switch. Speaking of: Switch 2 is Nintendo's fastest-selling console despite high prices, former Nintendo marketing leads say "you're basically teaching them that they can continue to do this"
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Switch 2 is Nintendo's fastest-selling console despite high prices, former Nintendo marketing leads say "you're basically teaching them that they can continue to do this"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. After the Switch 2 was revealed to be $450 along with the $80 Mario Kart World, the internet was overrun with cries to "drop the price." Nintendo, however, did not drop the price, and it's since been revealed that its new console sold 3.5 million units in its first four days, becoming the new fastest-selling hardware for the company. Now, though, two former Nintendo marketing leads say the company is essentially being taught "that they can continue to do this." In the latest episode of the ex-Nintendo Minute hosts' podcast, Nintendo of America's former director of social media marketing and original content, Kit Ellis, and former senior manager of creator relations and original content, Krysta Yang, discuss some of the lessons the company is likely to have learned from the Switch 2's launch. They point to the backlash the Switch 2 faced for its pricing (as well as its game-key cards), with Ellis noting that Nintendo "made a decision that they were not going to engage on these topics." This, he says, "is very much in line with what they have always done, which is just sit it out," rather than going for the opposite approach of responding but then getting stuck in an "endless cycle of like, you respond, people get mad, you respond again, people get more mad, and it's like what are we doing?" Yang notes that "when we were inside the company working on the comms team," situations like this (not exclusive to launches) would "come up all the time," which would lead to "a discussion of like, what should the response be, and I'm telling you, 99.99999% of the time, the strategy is do not engage. Pretend it didn't happen." Nintendo, Ellis says, knows "something about human nature which is not always a comfortable thing, but it is a true thing, which is if you just wait, most people will not be mad anymore." Agreeing that the company doesn't seem to feel the "pressure" of having to respond to backlash, Yang chimes in: "They don't have, like, any human emotion. I'm not saying this to be mean or something, but it's like you're talking to a robot with no heart. [...] They are not human. They are like a faceless corporate robot. And so their response to you screaming on the internet and being mad is like, 'I don't care. This is not triggering any emotion in me at all, like I just will wait you out. And I know that I can wait you out, too.'" As Ellis highlights that we've seen plenty of other examples before of people expecting that something is "'going to bomb because we're mad,' and then it doesn't bomb and it breaks a record," Yang says: "You're basically teaching them that they can continue to do this to you. [...] The thing is that this is not a good lesson to learn. "Let's be clear that we're not advocating for Nintendo to be like a corporate monster," she adds, "because we did see this a lot from the inside and we would have like human emotions when people were mad, and sometimes we would be like, 'Oh man, I wish we would respond to these things,' but they won't." Ellis agrees that "long-term aggravating your most passionate fans, it doesn't seem like a good thing to do, you probably shouldn't do that," even though the two say that actually arguing such a point within the company was easier said than done. "They always had this other thing that they do that you can't argue against is 'the next thing that we do will make them happy again,'" Yang explains. "And you're like, 'you're probably right. The next game that you announce is probably going to [make people] happy again.'" Concluding, Ellis says: "I just hope Nintendo does not go down that path of like, 'We're going to get away with whatever we can, we're going to squeeze as much money as we can.'" As Yang points out that "that's the lesson that they learned, though," Ellis warns: "This is gonna get ugly at some point." While you're here, be sure to check out our Switch 2 review as well as our roundup of the best Switch 2 games.
The Star
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Nintendo aims to match Switch success with new console
TOKYO: Nintendo hopes to match the runaway success of the Switch when its levelled-up new console hits shelves on June 5, with strong early sales expected despite the gadget's high price. Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the Switch 2 is an upgrade to its predecessor, which has sold 152 million units since launching in 2017 – making it the third best-selling video game console of all time. But despite buzz among fans and robust demand for pre-orders, headwinds for Nintendo include uncertainty over US trade tariffs and whether enough people are willing to shell out. The Switch 2 "is priced relatively high" compared to the original device, company president Shuntaro Furukawa said at a financial results briefing in May. "So even if there is momentum around the launch, we know it will not be easy to keep that momentum going over the long term," he warned. Sales of the Switch, which can connect to a TV or be played on the go, were boosted by the popularity of games like Animal Crossing as a pandemic lockdown pastime. The Japanese company forecasts it will shift 15 million Switch 2 consoles in the current financial year, roughly equal to the original in the same period after its release. The new device costs US$449.99 (RM1,911) in the United States, over a third more than the Switch. A Japan-only version is cheaper, at 49,980 yen (RM 1,485 ). New Switch 2 games such as Donkey Kong Bonanza and Mario Kart World – which allows players to go exploring off-grid – are also more expensive than existing Switch titles. Most original Switch games can be played on the Switch 2, and some Switch blockbusters such as Zelda: Breath Of The Wild will have enhanced editions released for the new incarnation. 'Super excited' "People were a bit shocked by the price of Mario Kart World , the first US$80 (RM 339) game that we've ever seen," said Krysta Yang of the Nintendo-focused Kit & Krysta Podcast. While the company is "going to have to do some work" to convince more casual gamers that it's worth upgrading, Nintendo fans are "super excited", she told AFP. The Switch 2 will have eight times the memory of the first Switch, and its controllers, which attach with magnets, can also be used like a desktop computer mouse. Although the new console is not radically different, "a lot of people (are) saying, 'this is what I wanted, I wanted a more powerful Switch – don't mess with a good thing'," said Yang, a former Nintendo employee. New functions allowing users to chat as they play online and temporarily share games with friends could also be a big draw, said David Gibson of MST Financial. "It's a way to appeal to an audience which has got used much more to the idea of streaming games and watching games, as well as playing games," he told AFP, predicting that the Switch 2 will break records in terms of early sales. And success is crucial for Nintendo. While the Super Mario maker is diversifying into theme parks and hit movies, around 90% of its revenue still comes from the Switch business, analysts say. Tariff trouble? Nintendo delayed pre-orders for the Switch 2 in the United States by two weeks as it assessed the impact from President Donald Trump's global assault on free trade. But its pre-orders have since sold out in the US market and elsewhere, with the company boasting of particularly high demand in Japan. Furukawa said in May that Nintendo's financial projections are based on the assumption of US tariffs of 10 percent on products produced in Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and 145 percent on China. "Hardware for North America is mainly produced in Vietnam," he added. Trump's hefty so-called "reciprocal" tariff of 46% on goods from Vietnam is on pause, while those on China have been slashed. Tariff uncertainty could in fact push consumers to buy a Switch 2 sooner, because they are worried that the price could go up, Yang said. Charlotte Massicault, director of multimedia and gaming at the French retail giant Fnac Darty, told AFP that pre-sale demand has been "well above what we imagined". "For us, this will be a record in terms of first-day sales for a games console," she said. The Switch 2 is "less of a family-focused product, and more of a 'gamer' product" compared to the Switch, she said. "That's what Nintendo wanted, and it works." – AFP
eNCA
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Nintendo aims to match Switch success with new console
Nintendo hopes to match the runaway success of the Switch when its levelled-up new console hits shelves Thursday, with strong early sales expected despite the gadget's high price. Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the Switch 2 is an upgrade to its predecessor, which has sold 152 million units since launching in 2017 -- making it the third best-selling video game console of all time. But despite buzz among fans and robust demand for pre-orders, headwinds for Nintendo include uncertainty over US trade tariffs and whether enough people are willing to shell out. The Switch 2 "is priced relatively high" compared to the original device, company president Shuntaro Furukawa said at a financial results briefing in May. "So even if there is momentum around the launch, we know it will not be easy to keep that momentum going over the long term," he warned. Sales of the Switch, which can connect to a TV or be played on the go, were boosted by the popularity of games like "Animal Crossing" as a pandemic lockdown pastime. The Japanese company forecasts it will shift 15 million Switch 2 consoles in the current financial year, roughly equal to the original in the same period after its release. The new device costs $449.99 in the United States, over a third more than the Switch. A Japan-only version is cheaper, at 49,980 yen ($350).New Switch 2 games such as "Donkey Kong Bonanza" and "Mario Kart World" -- which allows players to go exploring off-grid -- are also more expensive than existing Switch titles. Most original Switch games can be played on the Switch 2, and some Switch blockbusters such as "Zelda: Breath of the Wild" will have enhanced editions released for the new incarnation. - 'Super excited' - "People were a bit shocked by the price of 'Mario Kart World', the first $80 game that we've ever seen," said Krysta Yang of the Nintendo-focused Kit & Krysta Podcast. While the company is "going to have to do some work" to convince more casual gamers that it's worth upgrading, Nintendo fans are "super excited", she told AFP. The Switch 2 will have eight times the memory of the first Switch, and its controllers, which attach with magnets, can also be used like a desktop computer mouse. Although the new console is not radically different, "a lot of people (are) saying, 'this is what I wanted, I wanted a more powerful Switch -- don't mess with a good thing'," said Yang, a former Nintendo employee. New functions allowing users to chat as they play online and temporarily share games with friends could also be a big draw, said David Gibson of MST Financial. "It's a way to appeal to an audience which has got used much more to the idea of streaming games and watching games, as well as playing games," he told AFP, predicting that the Switch 2 will break records in terms of early sales. And success is crucial for Nintendo. While the "Super Mario" maker is diversifying into theme parks and hit movies, around 90 percent of its revenue still comes from the Switch business, analysts say. - Tariff trouble? - Nintendo delayed pre-orders for the Switch 2 in the United States by two weeks as it assessed the impact from President Donald Trump's global assault on free trade. But its pre-orders have since sold out in the US market and elsewhere, with the company boasting of particularly high demand in Japan. Furukawa said in May that Nintendo's financial projections are based on the assumption of US tariffs of 10 percent on products produced in Japan, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and 145 percent on China. "Hardware for North America is mainly produced in Vietnam," he added. Trump's hefty so-called "reciprocal" tariff of 46 percent on goods from Vietnam is on pause, while those on China have been slashed. Tariff uncertainty could in fact push consumers to buy a Switch 2 sooner, because they are worried that the price could go up, Yang said. Charlotte Massicault, director of multimedia and gaming at the French retail giant Fnac Darty, told AFP that pre-sale demand has been "well above what we imagined". "For us, this will be a record in terms of first-day sales for a games console," she said. The Switch 2 is "less of a family-focused product, and more of a 'gamer' product" compared to the Switch, she said. "That's what Nintendo wanted, and it works."
