Despite being just four years old, the Nintendo 3DS has lived an eventful life of both hardship and explosive success that makes it appear older than it actually is. After a rough launch followed by a price cut, the system has propelled to over 50 million units sold. It’s a satisfying milestone, but Nintendo isn’t done just yet.
On February 13th the New 3DS will debut in the Western market. Its release is of utmost importance to Nintendo, which knows that its sales have not only slowed down, but that the handheld gaming market is being challenged more than ever before. It doesn’t help that its console, the Wii U, is still struggling to breathe. So, it has a plan.
Nintendo is ready to execute a heavy marketing push to coincide with the New 3DS’ debut. It isn’t just targeting people of young ages, though. As a matter of fact, it plans to show a brand new commercial during tonight’s Better Call Saul Premier as well as the new episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead, as confirmed via it’s Nintendo of America Twitter account:
Want a first look at our New Nintendo #3DS XL commercials? Tune into @WalkingDead_AMC and @BetterCallSaul tonight!
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 8, 2015
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s likely that the video below is the one that will be shown:
Notice the more mature approach to marketing. Nintendo knows that it needs to attack a wider range of demographics, and it has chosen this time to appeal to young adults who may not own a 3DS, but had memorable experiences with Nintendo during their childhood.
The commercial is around a minute long, and fitting such a lengthy commercial into a time slot during high viewer forecast shows costs a lot of money. This opportunity isn’t being taken lightly by Nintendo.
Also See: New 3DS Hardware Revision to Double RAM, Increase VRAM
If you’re a fan of Breaking Bad, you may just want to set a reminder on your phone to watch Better Call Saul tonight. It’s created by the one and only Vince Gilligan, and has been sold as a spin-off of the award-winning Breaking Bad. It’ll premiere at 8:00PM tonight. Meanwhile, tonight at 9:00PM The Walking Dead will introduce it’s mid-season premier.
