With the recent unveiling of the Nintendo Switch, giving us the price, release date, and a look at what games will be hitting the system over the next year or so, fans have been eating up every last bit of information about the console. We’ve looked at the launch titles, which might be small in number, but do have the powerhouse of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild behind them, and now it’s time to look beyond that. According to Nintendo there are over 80 games currently being developed for the Nintendo Switch, but is that enough?
The breakdown can be found at the link above, at least for the games that have been named and at least partially dated. There are lots of bit titles on the list of Nintendo Switch games, including Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Skyrim, and Minecraft. All of these, and many more will arrive in 2017, so the Switch should have a solid first year, with some understandable gaps in releases as the console builds its install base and gets momentum going.
The Wii U, which was a sales disaster that Nintendo is very much trying to recover from with the Switch, had a larger launch lineup with over 20 games. However, there were no standout titles, and the breadth of content made it so few games garnered enough of those initial sales. A smaller launch lineup is likely strategically planned to avoid this, with more games coming out later that can occupy their own time in the spotlight.
The Switch is also launching much earlier in the year, hitting shelves in March instead of the crowded holiday season. As we mentioned in our recent Nintendo Switch focused podcast, it seems like Nintendo is playing the long game, setting the Switch up to have a strong holiday, by putting it out there early and building momentum behind it. It could work, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Are 80 games in development enough to get you excited for the Nintendo Switch? Let us know which games have you most excited in the comments below.
Published: Jan 20, 2017 12:38 pm