Tbf, I wouldn't even say it's a "cult". Most of their players are fairly casual, and they make pretty good games very consistently. The few hardcore fans who worship them are a loud minority across the internet.
Because a good chunk of those experiences on iconic IPs are exclusive to Nintendo. Besides Pokemon that's been a modern disaster game design wise the other big Nintendo IPs like Zelda, Animal Crossing , Mario, Kirby, Fire Emblem, etc. are usually critically acclaimed hence lots of people buying them.
People buy Nintendo system for the exclusives. If the exclusives are good then you will naturally have people buy it. Funny how basic supply and demand logic are cult like behavior nowadays.
A quick google search says that only two games on the switch 2 are remakes while the rest are sequels and new titles. How exactly is Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave the same as Three Houses or FE : Shadow Dragon? Or is Donkey Kong Bananza a carbon copy of DK Tropical Freeze?
Its more they all play very similar with the same gameplay loops with a new gimmick added on. Every Zelda is enter dungeon, find the new item, use it to solve the puzzles, kill the boss, use the item to reach the next dungeon. Repeat. There no real innovation. Sure they changed botw and tears to open world, but that is decades old. Its new for Nintendo fans I guess.
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u/VengeanceKnight 12h ago
And Nintendo, which sort of exists between those extremes, is doing just fine.