Monster Boy sells 8 times more on Switch

You know what would be good on the Switch? Everything. And most games that are on Nintendo’s handheld/home console hybrid is enjoying the benefits of supporting the popular platform. That includes the recently released Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, which is selling eight times more on Switch compared to all other platforms combined.

The Cursed Kingdom is a new entry in the classic and long-running Monster Boy/Wonder Boy franchise. It is a platform adventure where the titular Monster Boy can transform into a pig, lion, and other creatures to solve puzzles. When it debuted December 4 for $40, it hit the Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One simultaneously. But it has almost turned into a Nintendo game by default. And now Monster Boy publisher FDG Entertainment is praising the system.

“Nintendo Switch continues to amaze us,” reads a tweet by Monster Boy publisher FDG Entertainment. “Not only does it bring so much joy with its original games, it’s also the most profitable console business ever for us. It’s another universe in regards of sales numbers.[Monster Boy’s] ratio is [eight-to-one Nintendo Switch versus] everything else.”

FDG, a German publisher, has produced and published games since 2001. It has published games for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android, PC, and Mac. And after almost two decades, the company is seeing unprecedented success on the Switch.

Formfactor matters

FDG is not the first company to note huge success on the Switch. The incredible indie platformer Celeste (GamesBeat’s game of the year 2018) sold more on Nintendo’s system than any other platform. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, which is a remake of a game in the Monster Boy series, sold more on Switch than all other platforms combined. And platforming action adventure Dead Cells sold four-times better on Switch than PlayStation 4.

This is a trend that started in 2017, and it is now carrying into 2019. Developers are well aware that many releases sell significantly better on Switch, and that has led to a rush to get old and new games onto the device. At the same time, many people have assumed that software sales bubble on the Switch would pop. Many people are concerned that the device is getting too many games.

But as game after game sees huge sales on the Switch, the trend seems like it’s going to last well into the life of the system.

What’s probably happening here is that people have always wanted to buy this many games. But the Switch is finally giving gaming fans a way to play console-quality releases however and whenever they want.

The formfactor matters. Steam is huge, but I often end up never touching games that I buy on that platform. Sitting down at the PC requires a lot more deliberation and planning than picking up the Switch on a whim. And the Switch can play just about any indie game that is coming to PC.

Nintendo has made a console that fits into people’s lives. That is its major innovation. And now Nintendo and all of its partners are having success by delivering content for the device.