Hacker News Reader

Comment by aparticulate | Hacker News Reader

Nintendo operates on different rules due their absurd array of reliable IPs. I get the sense that MS, Sony are still trying to sort out their own "Mario, Zelda, Pokemon" clone with mainstream movies/merch potential and all that entails.

View on HN

> Nintendo operates on different rules due their absurd array of reliable IPs

Or do they have an "absurd array of reliable IPs" because they operate differently?

Halo is probably the closest thing they have to a Marioesque IP.

I'm not that big on FPS games. When I play Nintendo I generally play things like Mario Party or Mario Kart. A friend recently gave me an Xbox Series S, and off the top of my head I couldn't think of a single multi-player party sorta party game. I'm sure there are plenty of these games, but they definitely don't have the same type of draw as Mario.

The major non-Nintendo consoles have de-emphasized splitscreen and party games for a long time -- once we hit the PS4 and Xbox One era, it felt like most games didn't even support splitscreen at all, aside from a few indies. I think those games tend to rely on in-person interaction to boost the fun, and MS/Sony have decided to prioritize selling additional consoles instead of making one usable for multiple people.

The halo universe is pretty big. There are about 20-30+ books that I can recall, a phone game, and 2 RTS games on top of the FPS games we know and love. There is a TV show releasing this or next year. The universe of Halo is one I've grown up with and can't stop waiting for the next piece of lore to come out. There's a lot to enjoy in the Halo universe even if you don't play FPSes. The books themselves are solid though a solid % is just your run-of-the-mill fiction.

Nintendo and mobile are the only real options for party games. Xbox and Playstation are for AAA enthusiast games.

I don't think the parent was saying they were the same.

Just that Halo was the closest IP in terms of prestige.

From a pure marketing perspective the problem is Master Chief is such a blank slate unless you are pretty steeped in the lore.

ie Pikachu has already sold a lunchbox by the time you have explained what the space marine guy is about.

This all seems really simple-minded but having identifiable brands are incredible business. I definitely see MS and Sony trying to Mario-ify their characters. Aloy/Horizon Zero Dawn is a good candidate for this.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com