Idea Factory: Otome Titles Have Uncertain Future On Nintendo Switch

Idea Factory’s subsidiary, Otomate, have been pushing out many Otome titles on Nintendo Switch this year in rapid succession.

Before the Nintendo Switch arrived, the PS Vita was the leader in the Otome market in Japan, as many women purchased the system to play Otome games. But it seems that isn’t the case for Nintendo Switch, at least for the time being.

Idea Factory President Yoshiteru Sato says that it is natural for any game development company to bring games to a new game console, such as Nintendo Switch. But companies also face a dilemma to support a new system with a non-existent market.

Sato explains that as the female demographic is still largely on the PS Vita, it was hard to move over their Otome titles to Nintendo Switch. Otomate was even questioned by their customers, who were wondering why certain titles aren’t released on PS Vita but on the Switch instead.

As the PS Vita is on its way to winding down, Otomate has no choice but to bring their titles to Nintendo Switch, and hope some day more women and Otome fans will pick up a Nintendo Switch. Otherwise, the future of Otomate and Otome games will be “very uncertain”.

The company plans to announce more Otome titles for Nintendo Switch in the near future. Perhaps Animal Crossing might be the trigger for more women to pick up a Switch next year.

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