The EPIC Comeback Story of Nintendo

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VOICE OVER: Aaron Brown
WRITTEN BY: Nick Spake
From playing cards to love hotels, Nintendo's journey has been anything but ordinary. We dive into how the company transformed from the struggling Wii U era to the phenomenal success of the Nintendo Switch, exploring a remarkable comeback story that reshaped the gaming industry. Our story covers Nintendo's evolution from a third-place console maker to dominating the market with innovative hardware and groundbreaking games like "Breath of the Wild" and "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe"!
The Epic Comeback Story of Nintendo
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re discussing the complete 180 that Nintendo pulled off between the Wii U and Switch.
Like most media giants, Nintendo’s history is riddled with setbacks and comebacks. From the get-go, Nintendo didn’t hit the ground running. You may’ve heard that Nintendo started as a playing card manufacturer, but did you know the company also branched out with toys and love hotels with varying degrees of success? The company reached a turning point upon venturing into video games, eventually saving the industry with the Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo still wasn’t without its missteps like the Virtual Boy. They rebounded shortly after with the Nintendo 64, even if that console trailed Sony’s PlayStation in sales. The gap was wider when the GameCube went up against the PS2 and Microsoft’s Xbox with Nintendo settling for third place.
Nintendo went from third to first during the seventh generation console war with the Wii’s release in 2006. Distinguished by its motion controls, the Wii would not only outsell the PS3 and Xbox 360, but “Wii Sports” remains the best-selling Nintendo game ever - as well as the best-selling console exclusive. “Wii Sports” paved the way for similar best-sellers like “Wii Fit” and “Wii Sports Resort.” While this seemed like the ultimate comeback, the Wii fell short in one crucial demographic: core gamers. The Wii appealed to casual gamers, reaching an audience beyond the hardcore crowd. That said, casual gamers can be easily satisfied with a handful of titles while core gamers want every game of the year contender.
The Wii also leaned heavily into Nintendo’s family-friendly image. Grandma and Grandpa could play “Mario Kart Wii” with Jr., but 20 and 30-year-olds looking for something more mature felt alienated. As cutting-edge as the Wiimote was, many found the motion controller gimmicky and tricky to master. While the Wii was still a massive success, Nintendo sought to win back the hardcore crowd with their next-gen console. Instead, Nintendo further distanced core gamers and their loyal followers. At E3 2011, Nintendo officially presented the Wii U. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime explained that where the “Wii” referred to social play, as in “we,” the “U” in “Wii U” referred to “you,” the sole player using the system’s GamePad controller. Confused? So were most consumers.
Intended as a successor to the Wii, the Wii U’s name made it sound like an add-on akin to the 64DD or 32X. We all know how well those sold! Although not an add-on, the Wii U didn’t feel like a follow-up to the Wii either. The Wii U incorporated motion control elements, but the dual touchscreen GamePad was the centerpiece, leaving many asking why they put “Wii” in the title. Headscratching marketing aside, the GamePad didn’t grab consumers like the Wiimote. While innovative, the GamePad was essentially a chunkier iPad with fewer apps. You could use the GamePad in different rooms, but its reach didn’t extend beyond your house. Even if it did, the GamePad wouldn’t fit in your pocket like a DS.
For every plus, there was a drawback. The Wii U Pro Controller was well-received, but numerous titles were made with the GamePad in mind. It was backward compatible with Wii games, but you’d need a homebrew application for GameCube. It included streaming apps like Netflix, but no built-in Blu-ray player. It was Nintendo’s first HD console, but still didn’t have the most powerful graphics on the market. While the basic unit’s launch price of $299.99 was lower than some other consoles, it nevertheless felt steep given the Wii U’s limited capabilities. A lack of games also made the price hard to justify. Although launch titles like “New Super Mario Bros. U” and “Nintendo Land” were fun, they weren’t system sellers like “Wii Sports.”
After the Wii U launched on November 18, 2012, Nintendo expected to sell 5.5 million units by the following March. Sales fell short by almost two million units. The Wii U generated more attention throughout the year with “Pikmin 3,” “Super Mario 3D World,” and “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD.” Sales also rose 200% in North America following a $50 price cut. Maybe the Wii U could be like the 3DS, which had a slow launch, but exploded after slashing its price. Of course, the 3DS didn’t have to compete with the PS4 or Xbox One, which both released in November 2013. Despite having a year-long headstart in this new console war, the Wii U now felt like a third-party candidate.
Speaking of which, the Wii U launched with titles like “Assassin’s Creed III” and “Mass Effect 3: Special Edition,” but Nintendo soon lost third-party support from EA and Ubisoft. Nintendo published a few notable exclusives from outside developers like “Bayonetta 2.” Yet, many of the Wii U’s standout titles were made in-house or at least incorporated homegrown characters. As great as “Splatoon,” “Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze,” and “Mario Kart 8” were, the Wii U’s library felt limited. With the Wii U showing no signs of rebounding, Nintendo hit the reset switch with a “make or break product,” as Reggie Fils-Aime described it. By 2015, Nintendo was already teasing this new product codenamed “NX.” In October 2016, it was announced as the Nintendo Switch.
Unlike the Wii U, the marketing clearly established what the Switch was: a game-changing hybrid system that could be docked at home and played on the go. After decades of making home and handheld consoles simultaneously, Nintendo merged the best of both worlds into one. The Switch also combined elements of Nintnedo’s past two systems. The Joy-Con controllers echoed the Wiimote. The screen was similar to the Wii U’s GamePad, but smaller and sleeker. The Switch wouldn’t over-rely on gimmicks, though, offering a Pro Controller for traditional gamers. With the Switch setting its launch for March 2017, the Wii U was discontinued two months earlier. The Wii U ended its lifespan with 13.56 million units sold, less than the GameCube, N64, or Wii.
Although “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” would be available for the Wii U, it was perfectly tailored for the Switch. Hailed by various outlets as the best “Zelda” yet, “Breath of the Wild” summed up what the Switch was all about. Just as Link explored an open world, the player could take the Switch wherever they pleased. Much like how the game’s story was nonlinear, people could play however they wanted, be it on the TV or in the palms of their hands. Some argued that the Switch didn’t have many other launch titles, but “Breath of the Wild’s” scope held us over as we awaited “Super Mario Odyssey” and “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.”
Nintendo won back third parties while attracting indie developers as well. Wii U games would also be ported to the Switch with “Mario Kart 8” becoming the second-best-selling Nintendo game after “Wii Sports.” Just trailing behind “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe” as the best-selling Switch exclusive is “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” which found a wider audience than expected amid the 2020 pandemic. “New Horizons” even brought an increase in Switch sales. The Switch might not be a perfect console, having fewer features than its competitors and still being less powerful. Through its innovation, accessibility, and variety of games aimed at different ages, though, the Switch would outsell the PS4 and Xbox Series X/S.
As of writing, the Switch has sold over 146 units, making it the third-best-selling console ever. With its successor set to release in 2025, the Switch might not overtake the PS2 and DS for the all-time record. Even so, there’s no denying that Nintendo pulled off an epic comeback, going from one of their worst-selling consoles to arguably winning the modern console war. Looking back, the Wii U wasn’t without its merits, which provided a stepping stone to greater things. It nonetheless may go down as a low point in Nintendo’s history, but sometimes you need to fall down a few pits before reaching the top of the goal pole.
Are you buying a Switch 2? Let us know in the comments!
