This is the dumbest take ever that Wii U was a projected flop before it was even released, why did they release it then.
"We usually release a really strong Mario to support a console. This time we're gonna launch it with an exclusive 2D Mario because we project the system to be bad, even though the last system can play the same game and we sold 30 million copies of NSMB on it" it's basically contradicting yourself.
Let me guess, next you'll tell me BOTW was cross gen not because Nintendo promised WiiU owners it would come out, but because they wanted to sell more copies to a tiny base of people.
Same deal with Twilight Princess coming out on GameCube, two days after Wii version. They were moving on, didn't really want to do it, and preferred an exclusive game to make you upgrade. It was just as not to become liars. This is the only two times it's happened...and both times it was exactly one game they started making and hyping on the last hardware.
Edit: I think it just dawned on me what is REALLY going on with this crossgen topic.
4 years ago we were lauding Sony as kings for "we believe in generations" vs MS wishy washy strategy. Then they slowly deconstructed that till now everyone just says cross gen and multi plat is "the future".
Nintendo is not allowed to be #1 by sticking to their guns. They need to adopt the same strategy as the competition now, or be ridiculed.
DOn't know how this topic came up, and I apologise in advance for butting into this, but I can see what they mean.
The Wii U had a bunch of issues before it released. Likely Nintendo had projections for presales and preorders, and I can't imagine them looking too good past month 2.
They spent years developing the hardware, so it's not like they could just withhold it and cancel it. I think the plan was to release it, weather the bad sales storm for a while, and when the software starts coming around, and pivot the marketing to help people'truly' get it, it will fly off the shelves. And yeah, the SOFTWARE flew off the shelves, but the hardware pretty much stayed put. Didn't help that yet again, third parties abandoned them, leaving Nintendo to do pretty much all the work. I don't even know how many WIi U third party games sold over a million copies.
Only wanted to comment on that bit. DOn't know the rest of context of the conversation to butt in more.
On topic though.
I'm really interested to see where they take this Mario Kart.
24 racers seem cool, don't know if Nintendo's online play infrastrcuture can hold that up yet but okay. The gas and refueling rumour thing sounds interesting. I saw people throwing out Mario Wonder type track transformations, there are lots of ways Nintendo can go with this. But I don't want to speculate too much, Nintendo tends to slip the script a lot, and sometimes people speculate and dream grand dreams and get utterly disappointed when it's nothing like what they dreamt up in their heads.
