Topic: 2018 Switch games

While Mario Odyssey will obviously be the Switch's premiere holiday game no matter what, the lack of a big November game is still kinda strange. I guess FE Warriors and/or Xenoblade 2 could release in November, but both games, while successful, are still fairly niche ~1-2 million sellers.

I still think Nintendo could announce an enhanced port of Smash Bros Wii U for a November release. It would not be unprecedented; Nintendo announced the Mario Maker 3DS port in a September 2016 Direct that was later released just 3 months later in December. Reggie has also confirmed that there are still unannounced 2017 first party Switch games; any brand new 2017 Switch games would have likely been announced at E3, so ports are the most likely candidate as these "unannounced" games.

However, let's assume that Smash Bros is pushed back to 2018. Here is how I think 2018 will go about...
Q1: Kirby, Smash Bros Deluxe, a Mario sports spin-off (Golf/Tennis/Strikers)
Q2: Mario Maker 2 (or Mario Maker Wii U Deluxe), Pikmin "4", Fire Emblem
Q3: Animal Crossing, Mario Party 11, A brand new IP
Q4: Pokémon Gen 8, Yoshi, Mario & Sonic @ 2018 Winter Olympics

I am almost 100% certain any game in this list that isn't released in 2018 will be released in 2019. Pokémon Gen 8 is the most likely game on that list that may be pushed back to 2019, though I hope it comes out next year.

@Onaga I honestly don't know how high i would go. Although I would pay $60 for a port of just city trial from the original.

If not Smash, the big November game could be BotW. The Champions Ballad DLC could be big enough that it fills the November gap and on the hardware front Nintendo could sell Super Mario Odyssey + BotW + BotW season pass bundles.

I was gonna make this whole point about how Wii also didn't have a massive title for November 2007, but then I read Mario Galaxy came out then. Which makes COMPLETE sense, but I was certain it came out a month earlier for the past decade. Like I distinctly remember playing Mario Galaxy in late October, at my house. WTF?

yeah...maybe they should totally delay Mario for one month. I mean, the idea of Switch actually beating its competition in November with FIRE EMBLEM WARRIORS or XENOBLADE CHRONICLES 2, would be the greatest thing ever, but I still doubt that's happening.

Actually, crazy thought here. What if Nintendo is gonna do some top-tier marketing for HANDHELD ROCKET LEAGUE, and it actually sells millions on Switch. Nintendo could turn the tables on everything if they market an indie game themselves to OUTSELL AAA GAMES ELSEWHERE. This is just a crazy idea I thought of, that I think there's a tiny chance is actually what Nintendo is doing. Sounds absurd, but look at their place in the Nintendo E3 thing and Rocket League's continued success and marketing, and the convenient lack of Nintendo's biggest game to compete with that month. Why was no other 3rd party game at that thing? Because Nintendo is heavily involved with marketing it.

@Grumblevolcano
I could see Nintendo releasing a Switch + Zelda BOTW + BOTW DLC bundle for Black Friday at its current retail price (No Mario Odyssey).

It would allow Nintendo to promote the Switch with an excellent (albeit not brand new) game during the holidays and help popularize the Zelda IP amongst casual holiday shoppers who have not played a Zelda game before, all while allowing Nintendo to make plenty of money off of new, full-priced, non-bundled holiday Switch games like Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade 2.

Perfect idea! @westman98

@westman98 Reggie never said those unannounced games are 1st party

@IceClimbers
Here's the full quote:
"But to be clear, we look at E3 in the here and now. Our focus is on games that are largely going to be available between now and the end of the holiday season. And when you look at that lineup, there’s a strong game coming literally every month, starting tomorrow with Arms, and then Splatoon 2, then in August is the Mario + Rabbids game, September, October with Super Mario Odyssey. We’ve got that great pace of content, and I can tell you there’s more to be announced."

Reggie is talking about Nintendo's E3 announcements, and the fact that while they have a "strong game coming literally every month" (Arms, Splatoon 2, Mario + Rabbids, Mario Odyssey etc.), there is still "more to be announced." These unannounced games are either first party or major 3rd party games that, for some reason, were not announced at E3. I don't think the Switch will be receiving any more major 3rd party games in 2018 that haven't already been announced, so I think whatever Nintendo has up their sleeves is moat likely first party.

For the record, while I still think there is a possibility that Smash Bros is released this year for the Switch, I think the most likely outcome is that it will be a launch title for Nintendo's online service in 2018, which is why I have included Smash Bros as a Q1 2018 game in my speculative list of Nintendo's 2018 Switch games.

@westman98 Well yeah, for Black Friday Nintendo will likely focus on the older games so there may also be a multiplayer bundle that comes with MK8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2 for example.

@Grumblevolcano
A Splatoon 2 bundle has already been announced in Europe and Japan. It hasn't been announced for North America yet, but I'm sure (or at least I hope) it's coming.

A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Switch bundle could work very well alongside a Zelda BOTW Switch bundle. Casual holiday shoppers who like multiplayer fun can choose the former bundle, while those who enjoy massive single player adventures can opt for the latter bundle.

@Beedrill4Smash how much will you pay for golden sun trilogy pack? How about earthbound trilogy pack? I would pay $60 for each one. I wish for battalion wars 3 was in development. BW3 I will pay $100 for it.

@westman98 are you talking about facial year? Or normal year? What would be the new IP? Will it be multiplayer online game? Or will Nintendo revival an old IP?

@Onaga
Normal (Calendar) year

I don't know what kind of new IP Nintendo will make. Their new IPs are true surprises. Nobody expected Splatoon and Arms to be the way they were.

@westman98 what genre does you want? I Would like rts or reinnovate kid icarus or rouge like game.

Fire emblem Fates might be getting a HD complete edition for Switch in November. Go look at the article yourself. It could, of corse be fake, but who knows...

@Whitewatermoose November and December will be for FE Warriors and Xenoblade 2. Nintendo is also publishing the Switch version of Skyrim.

As for 2018, I fully believe the lineup will consist of Smash Bros Deluxe, Pikmin 4, Animal Crossing, Mario Party 11, Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Retro's title, and something else (either another Wii U port, an HD remaster, or a new IP) on top of the confirmed Fire Emblem, Kirby, and Yoshi games.

Metroid Prime 4 and the main series Pokemon game most definitely are not coming out next year.

@Whitewatermoose Pretty sure Payday 2 is that FPS. Don't expect anything else.

Mario Party 11, Mario & Sonic, and Animal Crossing fullfil that casual quota.

2018 most definitely will be a break year for main series Pokemon. Pokemon generations last a minimum of three years and Game Freak isn't jumping hardware mid-generation. The next game after Ultra Sun/Moon will be Gen 8 in 2019.

I still believe in battalion wars 3 is in development. It just wishful thinking. No? The hype for f-zero is so high, but battalion wars 3 hype is low No? Golden Sun hype is high No? If they wanted a low hype up game then battalion wars 3 is there. Or just no?

Personally, I don't see much for myself in the first half of the year. And most of the unannounced games that I anticipate being announced, such as 2D Mario game and Animal Crossing, aren't really up my alley.

The only game I really predict is coming that I'm personally excited for is whatever Retro is working on. I still need to finish Fire Emblem Awakening, and rebuying Smash 4 just doesn't make much sense for someone in professional school who barely has time to game anyway. I briefly got back into Pokemon for gen 5 and 6, but I wasn't as engaged as I was back in the day, and certain personal factors reduced my interest in the franchise.

With that said, I'd consider all of that a good thing for myself, given that I still have a bunch of Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, ARMS, and Steamworld Dig 2 to finish, and I'd like to play Mario + Rabbids, LA Noire, Skyrim, and Batman: Telltale at some point. That's not to mention any 3rd party Switch games announced for next year, or all the games I need to finish on 3DS.

Predictions:

First party (predicted game):
Spring: Yoshi, Kirby, Mario Sports Game
Summer: Fire Emblem Switch, Animal Crossing Switch
Fall/Winter: 2D Mario, new IP from Retro, Pokemon Gen 8 OR Smash Bros 4 port

Third Party predictions (I would play the crap out of this, give it to me NOW):
Dragonball FighterZ
Tales of game (Possibly both for Switch and PS4)
Fallout 4
GTA V
Okami
Street Fighter IV
Injustice 2
Batman Arkham Collection
Child of Light
Assassin's Creed Ezio Collection OR Assassin's Creed I or III port that also goes to PS4/XB1
The newest CoD game
NBA 2k19
Madden 2019
Fifa 2019

Pipe Dreams:
Soulcalibur 6
Paper Mario
New 3D Platformer Incarnation of an old school Nintendo franchise
Pandora's Tower 2
Reincarnation of MVP Baseball franchise (please, I hate you EA, but please, on behalf of baseball fans everywhere, bring it back)
Ace Combat

@iKhan Definitely reasonable prediction. I’m hoping for a few more first party surprises though