Frankly speaking, the days of the Nintendo Switch are indeed a handful of times - but this does not mean that it will be "defeated due to the crushing of its competitors", after all, Sony and Microsoft are not currently eye-catching in all fields.The real reason is that we are likely to be less than five months away from the release of its successor Switch 2.Therefore, every game released before the end of the Switch is of great significance, even works like "Return of Donkey Kong Kingdom HD" that have not aroused the enthusiastic expectations of players.
Why is the response mediocre? In short, this is "not what players want".What they really look forward to is a brand new sequel to the series, and this IP has never released a real new work since the Wii U era!It is true that the Donkey Kong series has been remake and ported, and the Wii U game has also been ported to the Switch platform, but this cannot replace the charm of the new work after all.Players are eager for innovation, but they never get what they want.Blue Sky user Mat Piscatella pointed out an ironic phenomenon: Despite “lack of popularity,” the game became the only new work in the United States to rush into the top 20 of the NPD’s monthly best-selling list:
"The Return of Donkey Kong Kingdom is the only new work to be among the top 20 of the monthly best-selling list, and it won the eighth place based on physical sales alone."
This result is indeed impressive, and considering that the data does not include digital sales, the actual sales figure is likely to be higher.In addition, NPD data only counts the US market, and future sales performance in the UK and Japan is more worthy of attention.
The core of the controversy is that although "Return of Donkey Kong Kingdom HD" is not a simple port (there has been a 3DS version before), Nintendo still releases this work that combines the content of Wii and 3DS versions at full price without adding new elements.This pricing strategy has caused many dissatisfactions and reflects Nintendo's bad tendencies in recent years. If Switch 2 continues to launch transplanted works, similar "successful cases" may encourage it to stick to full-price strategies, and may have bad attitudes towards the player groupInfluence.
Focusing on the "Donkey Kong" series, from the Wii U port version at the beginning of the Switch life cycle to the recent new works, it can be seen that the IP is still popular.What is more worth mentioning is that Donkey Kong has also landed in the first expansion project of the "Super Nintendo World" theme park!Based on various signs, this classic IP has reserved sufficient potential for the new work, and we look forward to the Switch 2 platform to witness its rebirth.
