You're doing what!? Making 3DS indie games post-2018

   "Some things just really are too good to be true," is what a long-time member of our team said, when I explained to him that this week is probably one of the best weeks there has ever been, and will ever be, to release an indie game on the 3DS eShop. Yes, you read that right--follow me word for word--now is among the most profitable times in history to finish putting a game onto the 3DS! Overnight, I have gone from thinking that to be "baloney," to seeing it as "so powerful in its truth, that fully explaining why would be like revealing a trade secret to my competition." 

The 3DS released in 2011, 7 years before writing this

Without giving away too many details, why is the 3DS a wonderful place for indie games in 2018?

• Competition is Low: If you look at any videogame digital marketplace over time, you'd notice not only how flooded each market was a few years ago but also how much each market has grown exponentially (from mobile phones, to Steam, to PS4, etc). Steam had 700 million games on its platform in 2014. How many games are available on the 3DS? According to Wikipedia, there are 1,290 games on the system, as well as about 200 virtual console games in North America. Let's be generous and say there are 350 virtual console games across all regions. Doing the math, for each 3DS game available in July 2018, there are well over 427 thousand games on Steam. On top of all that, very few games are coming to the 3DS in the future compared to literally everything else still on the market.
• Demand is High: Here's another bombshell: The 3DS is selling as good as it did on launch, which is to say, near record-high numbers of 3DS systems were sold this January! You better believe that some of those hundred-thousands of people will be checking out the new releases on the eShop, and I think the Switch has helped to improve the average Nintendo fan's respect and desire for indie games. Need I say more?
• The 3DS is Friendly to New Software: Since launch, Nintendo has been very generous with allowing anyone to put anything on their system, but because of the challenge of 3DS development, no one took them up on this offer. I did research into this. Miraculously, something big happened that allowed a new door into developing for the system, and finding this out was like discovering gold nuggets in a river bed! Let's just say Nintendo did something when no one was looking, and those developers are going to regret having not paid attention.
• The eShop is Quality and has an Indie Game Category: Part of why the 3DS is such an attractive system, aside from being a handheld for cheap and for predating VR, is that it has one of the best digital stores, period. Surpassing the Switch, and many alternatives to Steam, the 3DS eShop is loved by developers and consumers alike. Likewise, having an indie game category on the homepage is enormous free advertising.

2017: Not bad for a system that "already died."

   Don't misunderstand what I'm saying: this just means that people who are about to put their 3DS game on the eShop are lucky beyond words. I was talking about late-2018... not 2019, or 2020, etc.

   So what does the future hold, and why do we want to begin developing for the system right now? Honestly, all I can do is guess, and say that things are looking pretty good for 2019 and beyond. As the system "dies," sales for the system will finally slow down, and people will let the system collect dust. It'll be forgotten about, worse, people will develop a stigma against it for being "old." Contrary to some of my team, I just don't see that as enough of a reason to be pessimistic about the business opportunity left wide open. I don't believe it's too good to be true, I believe it's simply a smart move. Nintendo claims that the 3DS's "characteristics, price, and play style differ from the Switch, and [that they will] continue the 3DS family business separately and in parallel," and I think they have good reason to. One doesn't need to look farther than the Vita to know that a unique and beloved handheld can have a lifespan loooong after everyone declares it as "dead." 

   Lastly, what is our personal plan? 

   We're in a bit of a bad position to want to start making games for 3DS. We have our hands full with Phantomatics, which was designed as a homage to computer games--the way keyboard-and-mouse controls separate PC games from console games, so I unknowingly screwed us over with that design focus. Since Phantomatics was designed to take full advantage of the unique properties of a computer, porting that to 3DS would be a long process that would result in an inferior game. No thanks.

   Alternatively, we could port Paper-Soul Theater to the 3DS. On paper, this sounds like a no-brainer (you mean to tell me a game inspired by TTYD is coming to a Nintendo console!?). Problem is, we have no idea when exactly Paper-Soul Theater will release. It could come out in 2020, or it could come out in 2023 for all I know. I was asked, "who is going to be using a 3DS several years from now?" and that's a risky gamble that gets slightly worse by the month. Still, this seems like a strong candidate.

   A third choice would be to first release something else on 3DS. A new game entirely would have the advantage of being released by mid-2020, because we can design it with a due date in mind. If successful, it could help introduce us to Nintendo fans before Paper-Soul Theater comes.

   Regardless, we will be looking into the process, requirements, and costs as we plan our future. This isn't us saying "That seems neat," this is us saying "let's genuinely attempt this."

To summarize: The 3DS is a great system for us to expand to, and you can expect something that isn't Phantomatics to be sold on the system by late 2020. Paper-Soul Theater remains as our ultimate goal, however.