A reader argues that, despite the complaints, Nintendo’s software line-up makes plenty of sense, given the changing market into which it launched.
For all the frustration and supposed confusion over Nintendo’s Switch 2 strategy, I think over the past year a clear pattern has emerged and it seems… actually pretty decent. To me, it’s all about extending reach.
Coming off its best-selling console of all time, Nintendo is in less need of the one-two knockout punch of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, that was needed after the Wii U.
Mario Kart World, a sequel to the Switch’s best-selling game, was the obvious choice of launch title even if it didn’t excite hardcore fans. But with a hundred-odd million Switch owners as potential upgraders, the real system seller has been the system itself.
Switch 2 editions were early indications of what this thing can do, and some have been literal game-changers. I’ve put hundreds of additional hours into Breath Of The Wild and Tears Of The Kingdom in 4K and dozens of additional hours into Balatro with mouse controls.
The focus on third party ports has made the Switch 2 a credible main console. The likes of Star Wars Outlaws and Cyberpunk 2077 playing at all on a Switch was previously unthinkable. For the people who’ve dreamed about rolling back to the cost/development/graphics sweet spot of the PlayStation 4, well, here it is. And this time it’s portable. I plan to clear my PlayStation 5 backlog and then dump it.
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To further extend reach, new first party titles, from both in-house and partner developers, have explored the breadth of the back catalogue, using the momentum of the Switch/Switch 2 to spotlight neglected series: the first Star Fox game for 10 years; the first Tomodachi Life game for 13 years; the first Kirby Air Riders game for 22 years; the first 3D Donkey Kong game for 26 years.
And there’s been a kind of cross-pollination to draw in fans from other best-selling games: Bananza for fans of Odyssey; Air Riders for fans of Mario Kart; Pokémon Pokopia for fans of Animal Crossing.
As November’s GTA 6 wipeout will demonstrate, releasing these second and third tier series in the shadow of 3D Zelda or Mario would have dimmed the spotlight they’ve been given. Cash-strapped gamers would have been far less likely to give them a go.
As initial upgraders start to wane, in years two and three, presumably, the new 3D Mario and 3D Zelda will appear, to give the boosts that weren’t needed at launch. By that time, we could be heading for sequels or DLC for the franchises rebooted in year one.
This isn’t to say every game has been perfect or even popular, and for me only Mario Kart and Bananza have appealed. But we should acknowledge the difference between strategy and our personal preferences. The first year of the Switch 2 has aimed for depth, breadth and reach, and if it works it’ll pay off for years to come. We won’t have to wait 26 years for a sequel to Bananza.
Compare that to some fans’ strategy – which amounts to ‘Mario now!’ – and to whatever crackpot schemes Xbox and PlayStation have cooked up while I was writing this, and Nintendo’s approach seems perfectly logical. And with nearly 20 million units and 50 million games sold in launch year, it’s working.
By reader Jim G
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