I received a great question for PGC's Mailbag that relates to this topic. This one will appear in the next Bag with our answers... but I figured I would pose it now for everybody else...
This is not directly an issue of sales, and I'd rather this not turn into a sales thread. There is a bigger point trying to be made:
Xbox's Top 10 Games for December:
1. Splinter Cell 633,337
2. Ghost Recon 262,019
3. Halo 223,553
4. Mortal Kombat 179,147
5. Mech Assault 174,761
6. Bond: Nightfire 171,133
7. MOH: Frontline 146,216
8. Madden 2003 132,011
9. Unreal Champ. 103,556
10. Tony Hawk 4 103,843
total: 1,983,722 sales (average 198,372 each)
Judging by the titles... the Xbox is clearly focused on the older male audience, nose-on.
GameCube's Top 10 for Dec:
1. Metroid Prime 358,876
2. Mario Party 4 237,369
3. Mario Sunshine 177,409
4. Bond: Nightfire 148,438
5. SSBM 131,281
6. Animal Crossing 130,321
7. Harry Potter 133,019
8. Resident Evil: 0 111,334
9. Star Fox 98,899
10. Sonic Mega Col. 119,626
total: 1,646,572 sales (164,657 each average)
Looking at these titles, several demographics (audiences) are being represented. Clearly, Nintendo was correct and honest when they said they would make a platform for everybody.
Here's the question: Judging by the total and average sales, is Nintendo offering a platform for
everybody hurting them by possibly making a platform that's not quite good enough for
anybody? Think broadly about the market, not personal satisfaction.
Part 2: If you believe it's hurting Nintendo, should they change their strategy to focus on a specific market, and if so, which market? Again, think broadly about the market as if you were in charge of a business, not personal gameplay satisfaction as a fan. i.e. Don't say "mature" just because you're 18.
I think it's an interesting point. As far as the top 10 games go, this gives Xbox roughly a 20% sales lead for that month. Then again, there are more Xboxes out there than GameCubes (in the U.S.), so that can effect software sales. However, having fewer console sales ITSELF should account for something as well.
Making a platform for everybody may have resulted in creating a platform that's not good enough for anybody, broadly speaking, thus less than stellar sales overall. If someone is interested in mature titles, the GameCube is not a great choice. There are some great games out, but they are only a fraction of all games available, and not enough to feed that hunger on a regular basis. As great as Metroid Prime is, it's not going to hold someone over for X months until a MP killer comes along. This could hurt Nintendo in grabbing buyers.
Another issue I think is not being considered is Nintendo's overall business strategy. Nintendo makes a platform for themselves first. They have very specific ideals that go into the platform's creation. 3rd parties can join in if they want. If you are banging out grade A titles like a Metroid Prime or a Zelda or a Mario... there is bound to be tough competition for 3rd parties, resulting in fewer sales for them, while Nintendo's own sales remain satisfactory. Note that 6 of the 10 games are 1st and 2nd party games (and 4 of the top 5).
I'm throwing this one to the wolves. Chew on it as you will.