— This article is one entry in a 2-part series. The other entry, which is taken from an opposing perspective, can be read here .—

Nintendo is in a very precarious position right now. For years, the industry has become increasingly more hostile towards the company, constantly criticizing its decisions and products. As Nintendo prepares to launch its new, yet incredibly mysterious system, one can only hope that the Big N is preparing to bring the house down.

Let’s assume for a second that the NX has already been released. Despite a sizeable number of doubters, the system is doing undeniably well. It’s even breaking a few company records. Quite the scenario, no? If this actually ends up happening (or something close), exactly how big of a deal would it be?

Nintendo has been in the ‘underdog’ position in the home console market for quite some time now. Taking the Wii out of the equation, stacking the last three console generations next to each other will show that Nintendo’s market share has been steadily decreasing. This decline started 20 years ago. Even with the success of the Wii, that wasn’t enough to truly send Nintendo back to the top. This is because the market that made the Wii so successful was frivolous; after their initial excitement, the system became nothing more than a relic to them. That’s not the kind of ‘success’ that Nintendo needs when it comes to the NX.

Being the underdog for so long has caused the Big N to lose a whole lot of respect from many different groups of individuals: not just gamers, but even retailers, developers and industry analysts. The evidence of this is widespread, and this generation especially serves as a good example. With that in mind, one can only hope that Nintendo really hits it out of the park with their next system.

If the NX really does end up being truly successful, then it could very well get the ball rolling for Nintendo’s return to their former glory.

Nintendo’s IPs have proven to be some of the strongest in the industry, loved and adored by millions all over the world. This has been the primary reason why the company has managed to stay in the home console business for so long, and why its handheld division has continued to do so well. This generation has showed that Nintendo isn’t afraid to take risks with their franchises (Pokken Tournament, Hyrule Warriors, etc.), nor is it against creating new ones (Splatoon, The Wonderful 101). Interestingly enough, rumors suggest that the company is gearing up to have its biggest display of first-party support ever. If these allegations end up being true, then the NX will be in a very good position.

One sure-fire way that the NX can succeed is if it gets solid third-party support—something Nintendo hasn’t had in 20 years.

Considering that the strength of Nintendo’s IPs have helped carry its systems in the past, there’s a very good chance that the NX will also be sustained. However, it may not be enough to attract other kinds of gamers.

The Wii U has proven that while Nintendo has a very loyal fanbase, the number of them is incredibly small when compared to the massive crowds that occupy rival platforms. Nintendo’s exclusives will definitely move units, but there are some people who genuinely aren’t interested in what Nintendo has to offer. There are some who are actually interested, but don’t want to put forth the money to buy an entire console to only play a handful of games;”Different strokes for different folks”. Indeed, if there’s one thing that will guarantee the success of the new system, it would be Nintendo rectifying an issue that it has had to deal with for far too long now—third-party support.

Even though its IPs are strong, Nintendo alone obviously cannot completely take care of its platforms. Aside from the lack of variety, there’s also the fact that there are usually gaps between big releases. Seeing that PlayStation and Xbox rarely get a release from their exclusive studios, their audiences primarily rely on third-party developers for entertainment. As a result, these developers haven’t really had a need to work on Nintendo’s consoles simply because its pockets are already being stuffed by Sony and Microsoft, in addition to the gamers. If Nintendo can finally create a system where these developers would actually find it easy to create their games on, then this could prove to be a major boost to Nintendo.

Project CARS (being: the lack thereof) is a good, yet incredibly unfortunate example of the kind of third-party ‘support’ Nintendo DOES NOT need.

A console that can play the latest-and-greatest Nintendo titles and the biggest new hits from companies like EA, Ubisoft, Activision, Bethesda and Take-Two, among so many others, would be grand. There hasn’t been a system like that since the SNES. Surely, it would not be easy. Because of the years of alienation between Nintendo and the majority of the industry, it’s as if the Big N has been pushed off into a corner all on its own. I will take a lot of convincing (money) for them to push their way back into the fray. Even so, Nintendo is capable.

Being able to swoon third-party developers to its side would certainly prove to be an inconvenience to both Sony and Microsoft. While it’s true they both have more market share than Nintendo, the Big N would be cutting into their bread and butter. The two of them already have to try and ‘1-UP’ the other due to sharing very similar libraries, so a third contender will only further fuel the flames. If Nintendo could offer a real incentive for gamers to play multiplatform titles on their system, in addition to its amazing exclusives, then this could pose a problem for the other platforms. It’s a bit much to think that the NX could sway current PS4 and XBO owners, but there are still quite a few gamers out there who have yet to jump into the current generation. That’s the market that Nintendo needs to focus on tapping into for now. If Nintendo wins big there, then it can reclaim even more market share in the future; the NX will at least get the ball rolling.

In the short time that President Kimishima has been in power, he’s proven to be quite a strong leader. He obviously has a game plan for the company—we just haven’t seen the full extent of it yet. While it’s anyone’s guess as to what the NX actually is, considering that Kimishima is obviously quite aware that Nintendo is not in the best of positions, it would be appropriate to assume that he’s making sure all bases are being covered. If the NX can prove to be an attractive system to both developers and gamers, then not only are its chances of success high, but Nintendo will finally be able to start on the road to full recovery; it’s spent far too much time being cast into the shadows created by its rivals. If the NX ends up being the system to get Nintendo out of that position, then PlayStation and Xbox should be very worried.

As the old idiom goes, “A cornered beast will fight”. Bring out the claws, Nintendo.