It's always so funny to me how every single year, you have people going "the second half of Nintendo's year looks sparse...guess things might be winding down for the Switch," and then Nintendo eventually announces several games to fill out the rest of the release schedule.
Nintendo didn't have a full-fledged Direct early this year because there was no need for it. They had everything through March covered before then. Endless Ocean Luminous got forced into the Partner Showcase, presumably on the basis that it's co-credited to both Nintendo and Arika, while both TTYD and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD fit nicely into commemorating Mario Day specifically because they're both coming before the second half of the year. If Nintendo had nothing else planned for this year, they would've 100% spaced the current lineup of games out more. The reports of the Switch successor being pushed back into 2025 came before the Partner Showcase did, and thus any word of release dates past Princess Peach: Showtime!. They could've internally pushed back Endless Ocean, TTYD, and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD back to stretch the lineup out (e.g. Endless Ocean could've been in the middle of summer, LM2HD could've been an October release, and TTYD could've served as the November holiday release) - and they didn't. Last time people were talking like this, it was when Pikmin 4 was the only game on the horizon - and Nintendo went and announced another 6 games for 2023 in the June 2023 Direct. There's going to be more this year. The rumor mill has even already suggested some kind of Direct may be happening fairly soon, with Nintendo preparing to begin a heavy marketing campaign for Metroid Prime 4 (and we know they've already begun preparing a trailer for it, if they haven't finished it, given Retro is listed as a client on some trailer creation company's site now).
I think we all just need to relax. We already have 3 releases down for this year, with 3 more to go, and odds are, we'll see another 5-7 throughout the rest of the year. Nintendo is literally known to complete projects and reserve them for later. We've seen clear evidence of this throughout the Switch's lifespan, most notoriously with Fire Emblem Engage being rated over a year before it was released in Germany and then having all its DLC release in like 3 months. If the second half of the year looks empty now when the first half has a game per month on average, then I think we can safely assume there's more on the way - possibly enough to carry another full Direct, even if it's the last purely Switch-focused one.
I don't believe that there's going to be nothing in the second half of the year, that's just shooting themselves in the foot, but I do believe there's no major AAA new game in the second half of the year and the rest of the year is just ports/remakes/remasters. Like, maybe they're "big Holiday game" is just WW/TP HD or something. But in terms of big new AAA games I see little to nothing that should be ready and would be suitable as a Holiday 2024 game. Most of what should be on the horizon in that department is probably better saved for a new console. 3D Mario, Mario Kart, DK, and Metroid Prime are the IPs that have gone the longest without new entries and their teams don't appear to have done much work lately, and all of those games are either graphically intense or high selling IPs whose entries are often built around console gimmicks. And a few of these have even been intentionally skipped it seems because they'd prefer for their new entries to launch with a new console (see: coasting on a Wii U port the entire generation and refusing to put out a new entry in 7 years, skipping Odyssey 2 and having nothing but ports/remakes for 3D Mario for the 35th anniversary). What titles are left to squeeze out another 2 years of the Switch? It feels time to move on.
@steruphan I can definitely see it. It's definitely unlike Pokemon, but Game Freak has been breaking patterns left and right for the last 10 years so the "no main games on the new hardware in its first year" could easily be broken as well. But it's suspicious that they have no 2024 game and Z-A may be launching around the same time as the Switch 2 is rumored to be launching. Makes me think that Z-A was intended to be the 2024 game and got delayed because the Switch 2 was.
2 year cross over is quite long for Nintendo. I think they have been exaggerated in recent years whatwith the necessity of needing to do it due to the Pandemic for current gen. Their main strength now comes from having all their devs working towards a single platform. I would have thought there would be rumblings of restructure if they are supporting both. Maybe someone smarter than me will raise this at the investor's meeting. "You are always developing new hardware, are you planning on stil supporting Switch and if so, what hurdles might have to be jumped?" (or something.)
2 years is the new normal it seems, lengthy cross gen periods are becoming a very common practice now. PS3 and Xbox 360 hung around a few years after the PS4 and Xbox One launched, and now PS4 and Xbox One have been hanging around for a few years after the PS5 and Xbox Series X have launched. The 3DS is not the only past gen console to have hung around after its successor. Furthermore, it's a reasonable assumption that the Switch will follow suit because of its market position. You don't want to kill off a console like that cold turkey when it's been so successful, you want it to stick around and keep selling until the new console can stand on its own two feet.
@Grumblevolcano No, it doesn't make much sense to announce Z-A first and then a 2024 game later. The marketing is more focused on the current release period, so generally you want to announce the earlier game first and you need to give the game a decent marketing period. The Z-A announcement reeks of "we have nothing for this year, here's our next project and it's not coming until 2025, please understand". Highly unlikely they have some other game planned in between.
I stopped over speculating the direct date cause it gets stressful and Nintendo is just gonna do things in their Nintendo fashion- what nobody expects
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There's definitely gonna be a cross gen period, but I think it's mostly going to be 3rd party titles. I don't see Nintendo doing very many cross gen releases, if any. They're not going to do what Sony did and have multiple big AAA releases be cross gen.
3rd party releases, particularly the not very demanding ones? Those will absolutely be cross gen, and I'd bet on it being a lengthy cross gen period too. There's quite a few re-releases that come to PS4/Switch/PC where the developers opt to skip a native PS5 version and I think the same will be true of Switch 2.
@steruphan I can definitely see it. It's definitely unlike Pokemon, but Game Freak has been breaking patterns left and right for the last 10 years so the "no main games on the new hardware in its first year" could easily be broken as well. But it's suspicious that they have no 2024 game and Z-A may be launching around the same time as the Switch 2 is rumored to be launching. Makes me think that Z-A was intended to be the 2024 game and got delayed because the Switch 2 was.
Yeah, I don't put much value in so-called patterns either. There's always a pattern until there isn't.
August: Nothing. August is usually pretty slow and with nothing announced yet I don't expect this year to be any different. With that said, there hasn't been a Mario & Sonic for this year's Olympics so.... non-zero chance of that landing during the Olympics I guess?
September: I feel this space is best filled this year by a shadow drop of some kind. Given we're potentially not long from Metroid Prime 4 I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Metroid Prime 2 & 3. I could see this being a shadow drop in a September Direct that also talks about what's going on with Metroid Prime 4
October: Usually a fairly solid month for releases. Think Super Mario Wonder, Super Mario Odyssey, Luigi's Mansion 3. If Wind Waker HD is a thing I feel like this would be a good month for it to land in. Especially in a period where we would definitely know about the Switch 2. Wind Waker HD is big enough to stand on its own and carry the Switch to the finish line even when hype for Switch 2 is building. But it's also small enough that it won't overshadow Switch 2
November: I feel November would be a good time to revive something like Rhythm Heaven, Wario Land or Punchout. And I know I'm mostly saying that because I personally desperately want to see one of those games on Switch but even so, I feel like now is the time. Also there's that rumoured Fire Emblem game isn't there? Put that in November also
December: Again, usually quiet, I don't expect this year to be different
January: Probably also quiet
Feburary: I feel like Pokemon Z-A landing here just before Switch 2 comes out would be the most GameFreak of GameFreak moves
March: Switch 2 launch.......
After this we get hyper speculative. Even more than I have been above. My gut feeling is that Mario Kart, 3D Mario and Metroid Prime 4 are the killer apps for the Switch 2 in its first year. Problem is they also step on each others toes a bit. So my guess is that 3D Mario and maybe some Nintendo-Land/Wii Sports/1-2 Switch like launch game. Mario Kart 9 a couple of months later to keep momentum going.
Metroid Prime 4 would therefore be the Holiday 2025 title. Other titles in the mix? I think 2025 is some good timing for a Hyrule Warriors based on Tears of the Kingdom which would be one of the kinds of titles that would be cross-gen, running better on Switch 2. And obviously I'd expect the floodgates to open for third party releases for titles that are Switch 2 only
Cutting Room Floor:
There are an endless array of possibilities I haven't mentioned. If Wind Waker HD is a chance then Twilight Princess HD is also a chance. Wind Waker just, IMO, feels like the easier win. Save Twilight Princess for a Twilight Princess RTX
There's also a huge array of Wii/GC/3DS titles they could pull across and haven't yet, could well be a surprise along those lines. We did just randomly get Luigi's Mansion 2 out of nowhere. Some potential highlights in my mind here are Kid Icarus Uprising, F-Zero GX, Kirby's Air Ride, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Paper Mario. There's also still Xenoblade Chronicles X. Some of these are certainly possible but.... a lot I feel probably deserve a bit more than just a straight port
Kid Icarus is probably happening at some point but I think it's more likely a sequel on Switch 2 at some point. Super Mario Galaxy 2 I feel is a non-zero chance but it'd be odd to do that when Galaxy is no-longer available. Super Paper Mario feels too close to TTYD. DKCR I don't see the point of a remaster, just do a new DKC title. Kirby's Air Ride? Maybe. There's always a Kirby. F-Zero deserves a Switch 2 showpiece title IMO, not a HD port. And Xenoblade Chronicles X..... (shrug).... it hasn't happened yet so I'm not holding my breath
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@skywake There’s a big notable thing about the choice of LM2, it’s a 3DS game with online multiplayer coming to Switch shortly after 3DS online is shutdown. They may lean into that aspect, rescuing 3DS and Wii U content that had online multiplayer. I do think that Splatoon 3 will get the missing Splatoon 1 maps soon (Urchin Underpass and Saltspray Rig).
@GrailUK a game a month is quiet when it's all AA eshop games and remasters. No pokemon either. Nintendo never skips the february direct. There's not a single big new game announced. Their only new game being endless ocean is the very definition of coasting. If I had to guess, I bet we'll still get some combination of the zelda remasters, metroid prime 2, maybe a small kirby eshop spinoff. That's a great year for the end of a system, but you're lying to yourself if you really think this isn't slow.
@GrailUK hah, the new Monkey Ball does look fun, but still not a Nintendo game which is what the argument is about.
Personally, Princess Peach already made the year for me but I still admit it is quieter than last year from the Nintendo front... although of course the second half of last year totally turned the tables. I'm expecting a lot of surprises still but it seems likely the surprises won't be quite as big as last year if Nintendo is trying to juggle a early 2025 new console release. I suspect part of the late year hype and direct cycle will just be about how amazing 2025 will be.
@GrailUK Monkey ball is a third party game. Also what's Nintendo's April game? I don't recall anything this month. And did they have anything in January? I just took your "a game a month" comment as true without checking.
@Sigran102 There are two May games, one on the very first part of May. So it averages out to one game a month, with the largest gap being 6 weeks. We still have 6 fairly evenly spaced Nintendo published games for the first 6 months even if Nintendo doesn't give us a surprise shadow drop.
Another Code - Jan 19 Mario vs DK - Feb 16 Peach Showtime - Mar 22 Endless Ocean Luminous - May 2 Thousand-Year Door - May 23 Luigi's Mansion 2 - June 27
Note that from Grumblevolcano's list above, that is better than 2022 had.
I don't understand for people's who complaining about quiet month when there is no suitable games for them to buy on specific month.
I mean be granted if there is not a lot of games to buy on specific months as I personally will not hunting the upcoming games immediately so I can focus picking the games I want, either old games or new games but not always Day One purchase.
It's not like the last year of the Wii U where we were all eating scraps like Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival lol. We are far away from that kind of quiet year. And to be fair, if anyone is expecting month after month of AAA titles once new hardware arrives, I think they are in for a bit of a wake up call. Nintendo still make video games. Not just 'AAA experiences.' (wipes vomit from the mouth.)
@Sigran102 There are two May games, one on the very first part of May. So it averages out to one game a month, with the largest gap being 6 weeks. We still have 6 fairly evenly spaced Nintendo published games for the first 6 months even if Nintendo doesn't give us a surprise shadow drop. Another Code - Jan 19 Mario vs DK - Feb 16 Peach Showtime - Mar 22 Endless Ocean Luminous - May 2 Thousand-Year Door - May 23 Luigi's Mansion 2 - June 27
Note that from Grumblevolcano's list above, that is better than 2022 had.
Better meaning higher quantity? Because all of these except peach are remasters and AA eshop games. Luigi's mansion 2 from the 3DS being the only announced summer title is especially blatant.
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I honestly prefer this approach, let Presents be about games and then announce the rest of the stuff in other ways. Could do without the mobile stuff though.
@GrailUK your comment is just deflection. I'm just saying what I think, and it's the popular opinion, so it's hardly contrary even if it's wrong. You're the one using endless ocean to try and say it's a banner year for nintendo software and claiming the switch 2 isn't coming out until 2027. If anyone is being contrary, it's you.
@Sigran102 I meant better meaning more games/more consistent schedule than 2022, not better games. But also, first half 2022 had multiple sports games and a warriors game so even though all the games were new they weren't really top shelf except for Kirby and Arceus. Given how many people are excited about the Thousand-Year Door remake, I would tentatively rank this half year as similar to early 2022. Time will tell what happens in the second half year. And obviously that is subjective. I was really only pointing out that although it is a slightly light half year, it isn't significantly low compared to some of the previous Switch years.
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