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Nintendo on Switch eShop surpassing their expectations, looking to expand Switch's audience
The Switch eShop has been an amazing place for indies to strut their stuff. Hit after hit, the Switch eShop is jam-packed with quality indie offerings. In an interview with Glixel, Nintendo's Damon Baker said the growth of the service has even surprised Nintendo themselves. On top of that, this year the Switch is set to see even more indie offerings than in its first.
“A lot of the fact that we’ve grown the digital business so significantly with this platform compared to others was on the back of the strong indie titles. It’s definitely getting recognized within the Nintendo organization. It’s encouraging to see that (knowledge) front of mind when talking to executives.
In July of last year we knew of about 150 titles from third-party coming out. By the end of 2017, 320-some-odd games had come out on the Switch. It was a significant jump in terms of expectations. There is an even higher number (we know of ) for this year and we expect that to be surpassed as well.
While we’re really fortunate with the reception, we know it’s our responsibility to recognize that there is a lot of content coming and that we need to find ways to improve discoverability.”
One major goal Nintendo has for Switch this year is expanding the audience. They want to bring in all sorts of players from different walks of life.
“I think it’s very naturally that we will be expanding the audiences next year. Nintendo is known for really having a strong proposition for the kids and family markets, but we’ve always had this gap in the middle for the core and active gamer market. With Nintendo Switch we’ve had a very strong demographic there. As we look at the future, we want to make sure there is content for everyone, regardless of if they want to play M-rated games or with automation cardboard construction projects.”