Honest Thoughts: The Wayforward "Bakugan" Switch Backlash was Understandable, and Avoidable.

On July 10, 2020; as part of a Nintendo Treehouse Presentation, following more information on "Paper Mario: The Origami King," a new project was revealed for this November from WB Games and Wayforward: "Bakugan: Champions of New Vestroia" on Nintendo Switch. The expectation was that the new game would be a welcome addition to the exclusive titles on Nintendo Switch. If reactions online and the YouTube ratings are any indication; it was not. Though some fans of the series were pleased, overall; consensus among fans of Nintendo, Wayforward and the general public so far has been uniformly negative. Even if fans still feel this way after being told to temper their expectations; I personally do not bear any of the parties involved any ill will. Even so, to a degree; the backlash was understandable and avoidable. Here are my honest thoughts why.

Given how it's been some time since the last Nintendo Treehouse and almost a year since the last full Nintendo Direct (talk persists of one being held in the near future), expectations about what Wayforward would be working on next were high. Even with Nintendo clarifying on their Twitter page that Wayforward wasn't developing for a first-party Nintendo IP, but a third-party game; given the developer's reputation among many (myself included), expectations were already high no matter what. I deliberately kept my specific ones low in this case: aside from developing cult classics such as Shantae; the developer has proven themselves capable of making licensed games that are counterarguments to the idea they all are crap. Several titles in that area include games based on Adventure Time, the remaster of the classic "Duck Tales" game, and Contra 4.

Though the expanded details of "Paper Mario: The Origami King" were relatively well-received; the moment that the title Wayforward was involved with was a "Bakugan" game, response to the game immediately took a nosedive. I even stepped away from my computer to go take a shower instead.
When I came back, things went from bad to worse.

On top of downvotes on YouTube uploads of the game (including those on Nintendo's official channels) outnumbering likes; enthusiasm from fans of the series and its current incarnation was drowned out by backlash from people who wanted something else. Though I am largely indifferent to the game, I am not a Bakugan fan at all; as I have previously stated. Thankfully, I didn't put all my chips on this number; since I'm still looking forward to the new Paper Mario and I know Wayforward also has the original Shantae games finally coming to Switch later this year (so I can play them again without having to find a Game Boy Color copy on eBay for hundreds of dollars).

That said, to a degree; the backlash to this announcement was understandable, and avoidable. I agree that perhaps, instead of setting up this presentation and framing it like this; the game could have just as easily been announced in a press release or a stealth drop on social media platforms and it would have just been dismissed like nothing. It also doesn't help the current pandemic and other factors have upended the usual venues for this. By default, there was no way framing the announcement like this was going to go over well at all. Admittedly, it's not as disastrous as the Diablo Immortal reveal was; but it's still a far cry from the Breath of the Wild reveal.

Then there's the game itself: not only did it have the sheen of a licensed mobile game, it didn't help that it looked objectively worse than previous tie-ins released during the series' initial peak in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Here is a screenshot, courtesy of LevelUp.com on their Twitter page.

Top: Bakugan on Wii, 2009.
Bottom: Bakugan on Switch, 2020.

I mean, I don't expect much from a licensed game; but I do expect more from Wayforward as a developer. I've mentioned this before, and it bears repeating: your target audience doesn't give you carte blanche to not try. It's especially inexcusable from this developer, who has released content of much higher caliber over the past 30 years and has made licensed games people have enjoyed before.

Suffice to say, not only has this announcement dinged the presentation for many; even Bakugan fans are split on the reveal. Though some are interested, many more disliked the aforementioned downgrades from tie-ins released just over a decade ago; as well as the changes from the anime and tabletop games. When the people you're trying to target would rather have a more straightforward version of the tabletop games than an action-RPG with a quasi-open world; you've missed the mark. There's also the possibility that given the recent change in management at WB Games (with AT&T/Warner Media selling off their majority stake in the company as I type this) that doesn't understand the material or Wayforward as a developer; which might explain this perfect storm of bad decisions.

Make that a nearly perfect storm.

Part of me hopes that it won't be totally irredeemable, but it's not looking good at all right now. It also doesn't help that the game's November 3 release date will be in the same rough window as #TheCrownTundra chapter of #PokémonSwordShieldEX , as well as whole new consoles such as the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X that may very well offer more complex and engaging experiences than what this title is currently demonstrating.

As for me: I am way more interested in the new Paper Mario game next week, and I know that Wayforward will be releasing the original Shantae games on Switch; which interest me a lot more. I do not know how this will fare, since I only played the PS3 tie-in after a relative gave it to me as a gift (it's definitely the most embarrassing trophy on my PSN profile). I do know this as my honest thoughts: even if I agree it's not worth harassing the developers or people who actually do want to play the game, I also truly believe the backlash to "Bakugan" by Wayforward on Switch was understandable; and avoidable. That is all for now: Later.