Next Fire Emblem Game Console

[vanguard333]

Two things: One; I have no idea how to make a poll (so could anyone who replies please tell me how to make this topic a poll if possible). Two; I know it has not been long since Fire Emblem Fates released. However, since Fates is the second Fire Emblem game for the 3DS, and the NX will be released in 2017, I was wondering: which of the three consoles should the next Fire Emblem game be on: 3DS, Wii U, or NX?

[christianponte]

It will not be on the Wii U. The Wii U has an install base half that of the GameCube, and Nintendo wants their flagship franchises to actually sell.

Nintendo still hasn't confirmed if NX is a home console only, or if it's actually a unified platform (since they keep referring to it as a "platform") in the same way that iOS is a platform that supports multiple devices via multiple builds. They've been hinting at wanting to go this route in order to make Virtual Console purchases universal across all platforms and eliminate the complicated cross-buy procedure seen on the Wii U and 3DS, such as in full games like Mario vs. Donkey Kong, or in DLC such as Smash Bros. It also eliminates the need for developers to create two completely different games simultaneously when the end result is the same, such as with Smash 3D and Smash U.

The next Fire Emblem game will likely be on a handheld. I'm hoping that NX is an operating system for their home console coming in March as well as their next handheld at some point in the future. If that's the case, I hope FE comes to the NX next. Otherwise, another 3DS installment could still be in the cards.

[Anacybele]

It won't be on the Wii U, as much as I wanted this for awhile. With the NX around the corner, IS would be really stupid to make it for the Wii U now. ...Unless they were making it for both consoles, maybe? But I doubt the Wii U version would sell nearly as much as the NX one, so it might still seem like a waste of money in the end.

But yeah, my guess is definitely NX as well. And I hope it's NX, because I prefer home console FE games anyway. Though, that only includes Tellius since I can't play Japan-only games, but still. I wouldn't mind if the NX was a hybrid either.

Edited June 23, 2016 by Anacybele

[Quintessence]

I hope it would be on a home console. I prefer the quality of home console FEs than handheld FEs.

[christianponte]

As nice as it being on a home console would be great for fans of the series, it's highly unlikely it will be... at least early in the NX's lifespan. Even on the massively successful Wii, Radiant Dawn sold poorly. Nevermind the fact that it launched the same weekend as Super Mario Galaxy in the United States, and that it launched within the Wii's launch window in Japan (when most people were having trouble even getting a Wii console itself). And of course, the Wii U is selling poorly. Nintendo makes decisions based on sales, so they'll be looking to release the next Fire Emblem on handheld, where the series has thrived.

Of course, if the NX is an OS designed for both home console and handheld, then it's a moot point; the game would work on both.

But if NX is home console only, then only if the NX proves to be commercially successful would I say there's a chance for the series to return to home consoles, and even then it would be well into the NX's lifespan. So the next one will almost certainly be on handheld, if not both. After that, it depends on how NX is doing.

Edited June 24, 2016 by christianponte

[Quintessence]

But what objective reference can we have with RD? FE wasn't even as popular as now. Nintendo's marketing is ass, look at Fates: the essence of the game is supposedly around making choices, which is blatantly false, because the only choice the player has to do is whether to buy one version or another, and/or get DLC versions. So I'm positive it will be a success if done right, developed right, marketed right and launch in a resonable time with a solid backup of games for the NX or home console. Kind of a lot of conditions but managers can set them right.

[Draxal]

The last three console games are the worst selling games in the series (yeah I know I'm cheating with Thracia :P), with RD causing their directional team to get reassigned. Problem with Nintendo consoles is their no rpg market synergy, there's two RPGs for the Wii U (#FE and Xenoblade Chronicles), it's bad because if a person is an avid rpg fanatic ... they most likely would buy a vita/3ds or a PS4 if they needed a console, and this lack of synergy affects strategy rpgs. The other problem with Int System is they really don't get the most out of the hardware, being an ugly game hurts a lot more on consoles than handhelds (PoR being an ugly game for its time really hurt compared to say Baten Kaitos or Tales of Symphonia).

Edited June 24, 2016 by Draxal

[Hardin]

I don't think 3DS an option anymore, the Pokemon games are going to be the 3DS swansong with only small titles like Ever Oasis following.

[ChibiToastExplosion]

I don't know, FE has always clicked with me on the handhelds. I would likely have a higher opinion of Tellius if I could play it wherever.

At least with the old carts there are handheld SNES' now.

[SSbardock84]

It obviously will not be on the Wii U since the NX is coming out next year but whether it'll be on the 3DS or NX I'm not sure. It'll probably be about 3-5 years until we get another Fire Emblem game tbh but I doubt they'll be anything new passed the 3DS and NX by then. I want a console game really bad but I just can't see it happening for some reason. The next game will probably come out for the 3DS but I hope it isn't like Fates. What I want is a game similar to Radiant Dawn and Path of Radiance on the NX. I would love a third game but that isn't going to happen.

[christianponte]

I'm not disagreeing that a console Fire Emblem game can be successful. I'm saying that Nintendo doesn't make development decisions based on how good a game can be, they make decisions based on what's financially responsible. FE12 was pretty good, but why didn't Nintendo of America release it? Because FE11 bombed and the DS was halfway out the door. Wii U will get no major exclusive Zelda games. Why? Because HD remakes and spinoffs that would ultimately get ported to the 3DS were less riskier an investment, and with the Wii U on life support, the smart decision was to also make Breath of the Wild a launch window title for NX. There are several other major Nintendo franchise that haven't been touched on the Wii U (and some not even since before the Wii), and it would be pointless to release them for a platform with under 13 millions users worldwide and the NX around the corner.

IF we get a new, non-mobile Fire Emblem game within the next two years, I guarantee it will be on a handheld. Maybe 3DS, maybe the 3DS's successor (be it NX or something completely different). If we're lucky, the NX will indeed be a cross-platform OS, meaning we'll be able to play it on the go and perhaps in 3D (assuming backwards compatibility with 3DS) on handheld, and resume our games it via cloud saves in HD on home consoles. But if the NX is not a cross-platform OS, then I just don't see Nintendo letting Intelligent Systems commit to a console-only Fire Emblem game until they're sure the NX is commercially viable. I'd guess 7 million units worldwide by the end of the fiscal year ending March 2018 would be roughly the minimum before Nintendo starts putting more of its chips in the pot. Something like the Xbox One's 10m would be "safe," and something like PS4 or Wii up around or above 15m would be ideal. But if it's around 4m like the Wii U again, expect third parties to quickly jump ship, and don't expect Nintendo to truly support their system either – they'll release games the satisfy the fans that bought it, but they won't invest hundreds of millions of dollars to develop dozens of great new games that no one will be around to buy.