Nintendo’s Plan for Switch – ‘Release One Title After Another with No Gaps’

Nintendo has had somewhat of a bad track record when it comes to continuing and strong support for their consoles. Sure, they always get the big franchises out there, and their games are almost always some of the best of their generation. But looking at the release calendar for the Gamecube, Wii U and some other consoles you’ll see large stretches of no big releases. According to Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima, that won’t happen with the Switch, at least not during the next few months.

During a Q&A session with investors Kimishima was asked about the sustainability of Switch sales. The questioner commented on how initial sales are looking as strong, or even stronger than the Wii, which went on to become one of the best selling game consoles of all time. But a lot of those sales were all about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which hit Switch right at launch, and even outsold the console by a few thousand copies. So, what is Nintendo’s strategy going forward?

“Our vision for Nintendo Switch is to release one title after another with no gaps following the March launch, reach a large number of consumers during the holiday season, and continue to expand the business,” said Kimishima.

Nintendo is delivering on this plan so far, as Kimishima explained. “And just today, we released Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is a title that families can all play together, so we are making sure that this translates into good sell-through, given that our shipments are already higher than we anticipated.”

“Likewise, upcoming releases like ARMS and Splatoon 2 are very easy for anyone to pick up and play, which further broadens our player base while still offering a deep gameplay experience for serious game fans. We will also have Super Mario Odyssey out in time for the year-end shopping season, and there may be some more titles we will be able to introduce. By releasing a variety of software titles in this way, we expect to expand the user base for Nintendo Switch to families, children, and any other consumers who have not had much contact with video games in the past.”

This strategy of bringing in new gamers worked wonders for the Wii. Can it work again for Nintendo Switch? Things are looking good so far, but let’s see how it goes this holiday season.