Nintendo Shares Release Schedule For 2021 And Beyond, And It's Looking Pretty Bare

It's early february and we already have 3 kinda big games till april, i think we are more than fine.

We'll get news in due time

Basically nothing after April. Looks like it will be a tough year for Nintendo games.
Quite shocking to believe as I would think that delay on games would really get bad from 2021 and not last year (when it started).
Last year I expected to have all planned games released as I'd assume they were in advanced development. It seems that it was not the case.
With the new generation of consoles available it would be difficult to have ports to the Switch, meaning even less games.

Actually, if all of those came out this year, it would be one of the best Switch years yet... am I wrong? (Of course that’s not likely to happen.)

Metroid Prime 4 still TBA.
They should probably have held off with the announcement a few years. ^^

I need BotW 2 news or else I am going to explode, and not with happiness.

If they put out Zelda...it’s a win if that’s all

"Quick, see what we haven't ported from the Wii U yet! Slap deluxe on it and buy us some time!"

BotW2, if it comes out this year, is the one I'm looking forward to most on this list.

Hahahhahaha. Wow.
This is unheard of. Also, Nintendo repeatedly said they announce games short before release. Something went horribly wrong with Zelda, MP4 and Boya3....

Woah not a lot. Bare is the correct word here. You would think there would be more because

Smash fighters
Zelda anniversary
Pokemon anniversary

But I guess not

Well, the good news is that if Nintendo's slate is kinda bare, then we might get English translations for Bond and Detective Club.

Some rumours from Austrian retailer were in the news today that BOTW2 is due out "Q2 2021" but unclear if that is calendar year (Apr-Jun) or Nintendo's FY (Jul-Sep)

There has to be more titles up there sleeves; even if they are just remasters or Gamecube ports. I firmly believe an Ocarina, Windwaker, Twilight Princess bundle is coming for Zelda's Anniversary. Mario Kart 9 also seems like a possibility. Nintendo could release those and BOTW2 along with titles already announced and they would still dominate this year. Heck, an N64 option for Switch Online would keep the die hards happy. Feels like due to COVID gaming won't get back to normal until 2022.

@ImagineerNik Xenoblade Chronicles X, Woolly World and Color Splash confirmed!

@WhiteTrashGuy what about Majora and Skyward sword?

This year is actually the opposite of Nintendo's past few. It's actually the first several months of the year with a solid lineup and the rest of the year is barren. Expecting it to be filled soon with announcements in a Pokemon Direct this month (and hopefully a Zelda one too, though I could see that in the summer). I've given up on general Directs though, even if I think Nintendo really needs them.

Actually fine with this considering everything. Used to it this now and actually was kind of prepared for this. We will probably still get some news at some point in the next 2 or 3 months of more releases hopefully. Backlog still needs tackling better anyway along with the big games that are there. Which, frankly, is a good/normal number for this time of year in "normal times" anyway.

Looks about right to me.

There's also things we know nothing about right now.

Also, not to mention everything we'll get other than Nintendo's own games, 2021 is looking pretty 🔥

I need more Nintendo games, I'm not getting any younger! 😭 Also we know Pokémon will announce something. Which is Feb 27th if I'm not mistaking. I am also 100% positive we are going to get Harvest Moon A Wonderful Life remake. . .😐

it's over, after all these years Nintendo is finally finished

@tourjeff we can be hopeful, last year this time we didn't know what was releasing after ACNH.

@tourjeff
Considering that Nintendo is now announcing games 2 months before launch (2 weeks before in the case of Mario 3D All-Stars), I don't understand this concern.

2021 is also an anniversary year for Pokémon and Zelda (and Metroid and Donkey Kong), so celebration-related announcements like with Mario's 35th should be coming soon.

I think it's safe to say that the rhythm of development is different right now. I'm assuming they're holding back announcements until games are much closer to completion maybe even until final testing.

Still hoping for a new Nintendo Direct but that's probably not gonna happen anymore!

Certainly looking forward to Mario 3D World and New Pokémon Snap though.

I figured 2021 would be a bare-bones year for releases, but for us to only know about four 1st party Nintendo releases...yikes. I don't want to expect anything since I'm sure COVID has majorly impacted their schedule, but they could really benefit from announcing some new stuff.

@FroZtedFlakerZz
What about Mario Galaxy 2, lol. I believe we will have a similar situation when it comes to Majora's Mask. However, that game has such a rabid fan base the may do the right thing. I know everyone wants SKYWARD SWORD, but I just don't know....

Yeah, as if that's really the actual release schedule. Of course, we all know those are totally all the games we're going to see.
Nintendo's gonna pimp it up big time before December.

Just bring me Shin Megami Tensei V. That's all I care about

I wouldn't worry too much about the schedule as it seems to be Nintendo's tactic lately to just shadow drop trailers out of nowhere for releases we've never heard of a few months before they're due out (see Pikmin 3 and Paper Mario Origami King) 🤷🏻‍♂️

Nintendo has become a very secretive company lately. Or maybe they always were apart from when Iwata opened them up...

@Pod In hindsight, they should have, but to be fair, they didn't expect to have to restart its development in 2019.

Almost like they are waiting until later in the year for some reason. 🤥

For a while now, Nintendo has announced games very close to release. I doubt they will stop doing that now.

@Dethmunk yeah for gordsake

Like others, I am assuming that COVID impacted release schedules for most (if not all) gaming companies. If it is a slow year for Nintendo, then it will be a good year to work on one's backlog (assuming you have one. . .I most certainly do). Nintendo may not have clear release dates for unlisted titles until said titles are closer to completion. It's only just February 1st. I for one am not concerned.

My name is BOND.

Buddy Mission BOND.

(The heck is that game?)

@ImagineerNik Game & Wario DX and Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival Deluxe confirmed

Nintendo never announces release dates in the financial report, so there's never any news on that front.

To be honest, these first few months of the year are pretty solid: between Monster Hunter, Mario, Pokemon Snap, and Bravely Default, there are plenty of heavy hitters to look forward to.

I'm assuming there'll be more announcements from here on out.

Nintendo Direct confirmed for March or April.

Next to the games which will be published by Nintendo, I’m looking forward to a ton of games with no concrete release date yet, but which we know will come pretty soonish:

• Hollow Knight Silk Song
• Monster Hunter Stories 2
• Shin Megami Tensei III and V
• Eastward
• Sports Story
• Finding Paradise
• Maybe Axiom Verge 2?

My switch will be used pretty often still throughout 2021.

@Dethmunk,

So true, and all the complainers and moaners do not need a reason to complain in the first place, this site sure likes it's clicks.

"And it's looking pretty bare" tagged onto the article, no wonder people complain.

We just hit February, so I wouldn't lose hope just yet. Nintendo has a golden opportunity to celebrate the anniversaries of many of their franchises, such as The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Metroid, Fire Emblem, and even Donkey Kong. I'm not expecting Nintendo to pass up an opportunity like this if it's going to make them money.

Oof.

The waiting game of 2020 has been extended another four quarters. (for understandable pandemic reasons)

BOTW 2 might be the surprise holiday title they announce at E3, if not then they will probably just port the Wii U remasters of Windwaker and Twilight Princess to pad it out like they did with Mario 3D All Stars last year.

@acNewUpdates yes, definitely I'm hopeful and I'm sure there will be more games from Nintendo after April, the question is: what games they have planned?
Fingers crossed that we won't see many ports from them.

This makes me sad.

@westman98 I know there will be more games from Nintendo after April.
The point is about what games they have planned. More ports like Pikmin, 3D Mario All Stars or big guns like BOTW 2, Bayonetta etc?
Personally, I want to play new games from them, ports I'd leave for other developers.

I usually only buy 3-5 big games a year and the rest are smaller indie titles.

To be honest if BOTW 2 is released this year along with MH Rise and the other MH game, Mario 3D world and Hollow Knight 2 and that for me is a pretty epic year.

@tourjeff Well there are not many big games left to port from Wii U apart from Metroid Prime Trilogy and Wind Waker HD.

3D World + Bowser's Fury and Pokémon Snap are pretty locked in so no issues there. Who can really say what is happening with Metroid Prime 4 though?

Breath of the Wild 2 would be a wonderful treat for 2021 but I think there is an acceptance among fans that it may well slip to Q1 or 2 in 2022.

So where does that leave us for the rest of 2021 for Nintendo first party titles?

We’re all expecting Something for the Zelda 35th anniversary. Plus there are lots of rumours of a Pokémon Diamond And Pearl remake. WarioWare is long overdue a Switch title and for some reason we still don’t have Earthbound on the Switch’s SNES line-up.

Speaking of Nintendo Switch Online - I’d love to see a new console added in 2021 to complement the NES and SNES. My preference would be Game Boy.

Will be exciting to see what gets announced in the coming months.

Super Mario 3D world and monster hunter will keep me busy for a few months. I’m still slowly playing through xenoblade DE and super Mario 3D all stars . I only really have time to game on weekends nowadays

Just like every previous year, 2021 would be the perfect time for a fully 3D HD earthbound remake, but hey i don't make the rules

@koekiemonster Maybe that's why they changed it. I'd take it like this over games being rushed any day, and I have enough games to play still, and enough games I'm waiting to purchase until their price drops enough. And given that I have lots of time and don't spend all that much money on games anymore, I'd say most people have longer backlog than I, especially those who want a new great game every month or even week. And even then there's plenty to discover, it's just hard to discover anything on the Switch eshop by itself.

Quick!
"Remaster" more WiiU games at full price!
And if we have to, make them limited timed releases

Of course it looks bare beyond the mapped out release dates, we haven't had many annou- oh. Riiiight. I forgot the fandom expects (or at least wants) financial reports to be Directs in themselves, too.

@Guitario no, leave them on a discontinued homestuck console instead. Since the existing Wii U owners have already played these games, safe to say the humanity's officially done with them and can move on.

I can't even imagine why Nintendo bothered to budget Xenoblade DE, its previous incarnations were available to a rough sum of ~180 million - wait, even almost 200 million! - users already. And then, a FULL-PRICED REMASTER of it all? The audacity...🙀

I think it won't be long before we get some news about... something.

@BongoBongo this Austrian site has done this before with GTA. So yeah it’s probably as real as Metroid 4 coming out this April.

@FroZtedFlakerZz They’ll get left out in the cold. Can’t see Nintendo including more than 3 Zelda games for 60 bucks. Maybe they’ll include Majora’s Mask, but Skyward Sword? Possibly a stand-alone remaster? Who knows...

At this rate, in 2021, Nintendo will be removing more games than they release.

It's February...

I can't wait for the year TBA. It'll be a great year.

Half the list are TBAs and seem unlikely to come out this year. We know they're working on those games so what's the point of the list?

Only big game I’m looking forward to on switch is SMT 5. I’ll probably just get strikers and the SMT 3 remake on PC.

Expect random games suddenly released too.
Like Hyrule Warriors AOC.

People seem to freak out when they don't know what's coming for months and months in advance. Last year I didn't think I was going to spend any money on my Switch after August. Then all of a sudden they dropped all the Nintendo 35 news as well as Zelda AoC. I much prefer getting announcements without having to wait a year or more for it to come to fruition.

Hopefully they'll at least announce re-releases of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess on the Switch and HD remasters of Metroid Prime 1-3. They'll probably announce a remaster or just a port of Wii music instead.

This is why Nintendo needs Switch Pro to be a SwitchDS instead, b/c it's running out of Wii U games to port, needs to start porting DS and 3DS games. 😎

Starting w/ Monster Hunter Stories before MHS 2 releases later this year.

Then Kid Icarus Uprising.

Then Hey! Pikmin before we finally get nearly complete Pikmin 4 in about 20 years.

XCX would also work much better on a SwitchDS, some of those side quests relied a lot on map manipulation.

@JustMe Nintendo was never that way (besides a few exceptions), they never told us about a project years in advance.

And after Bayonetta 3 and MP4 (which im super sure will end up fantastic games, no doubt top tier games) i don't think we will see that again.

BOTW2 kinda did that, but had a trailer with in game engine already done, so its not the same.

Why even put that out? Annoying

@Clyde_Radcliffe I wouldn't mind those ports, even though, my feeling is that they would be very basic ports considering the treatment that Mario All Stars had but I'd buy them.

Last year was similar, nothing after Animal Crossing.

Jus remember we heard about Mario 3D all stars a few weeks before release xxx

@tourjeff Back in 2018 you didn't even know Smash Bros would be released in the same year.. You problaby have to wait until E3 anyways before you know what to expect in the second half.

@tourjeff
I think its safe to say you can expect a mix of new titles, remakes, and ports.

BOTW2 will be a system seller. If they release it for switch this year I guess that means that the switch will be around until 2024/5. I can't imagine they will put out new hardware without a game like this at launch.

Still potentially a big year. If BoTW2 and Bayo3 dro this year, then that plus pokemon snap and whatever other pokegame comes out this year will be pretty high profile from a big seller perspective.

From a business standpoint Nintendo only needs a sprinkling of new games a year but ones that increase that software attach rate. They have a staple of evergreens already so a few games a year still maintain momentum.

Looking forward to buddy mission bond. Even if the opening kinda gave away a bunch of plot.

Doubt we’ll (unfortunately) see Metroid prime 4 this year but I’d like to think they’ve got the Metroid trilogy remaster coming in 2021...

It’s like Wii 2008 but extended into a endless hell.

Nintendo likes to drop games suddenly without hype or warning, but at the same time, I don't expect them to release much. Mostly because for some inexplicable reason ACNH just sells and sells and sells and sells, and third party is selling. As long as existing product is flying off shelves, I don't think Nintendo is interested in bolstering it while they're making bank without any spending. Sure a few minor projects here and there. Hyrule Warriors 2 was cheap, etc. But I think they're going to ride their sales into the ground, and hold off releasing anything big until they have to due to sale slump or until they have new hardware to attach it to.

Nintendo's usual MO. Only make new games if the old ones aren't selling. Stuff the rest of the output in the vault. Somehow we still think endless droughts on Nintendo are accidental.

No news for Bayonetta. Well l'm going to have to wait until the summer to get some news.

@FroZtedFlakerZz Agreed. It’s kinda making me mad. They better do what majoras mask did for OoT. A majoras maskesque game? I hope so.

I'll be able to play through my backlog at least

I want Astral Chain 2 already

@westman98 I think every year is an anniversary year for Zelda and Pokémon. That's kinda how anniversaries work.

Wait 2 or 3 months...

Why Monster Hunter Rise is not listed?

My wishlist is:
1) F-Zero Switch
2) Metroid 4
3) BOTW sequel

@Lugazz It's just a list of Nintendo-published games, so wouldn't include MHR as that's Capcom.

For a nintendo focussed news outlet, weird how you dont know this is usual nintendo.

Last year paper mario, 3d allstars and such wernt in the fiscal year results either, looking to upcoming releases.

Nintendo adds them as they are announced.

Dont count on surprise announcements bassicly in these financial results

Its the same every year.

As much as I would love to see more great 1st party Switch games on the way, I have more games in my backlog than I will probably play in the next 5 years, so...🤷

@Pod Hindsight is 20:20, they couldn’t have anticipated that the development that was ongoing when they announced it was going to be entirely scrapped and Retro would have to get involved. I think following the initial development plan we’d have already had it.

@gcunit Ah ok thanks!

I hope that Shin Megami Tensei V comes out this year or early next year, the wait has been painfully long with almost no updates in between I hope the last trailer means things are getting close to being ready.

i expected and hope Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2 released as the 2021 holiday title for Switch and to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the franchise, Bayonetta 3 on Halloween or Switch sucessor and Metroid Prime 4 as the 2022 holiday title for Switch or on Switch sucessor.

people dont worry about Nintendo release schedule, we know that Nintendo reveal it games on Nintendo Directs or shadow drop trailer of games on Twitter and You Tube, they will never reveal they are working for example in a 2D Metroid game that continues the Metroid Fusion history and anounce it in it release schedule.

Maybe they are trying to get rid of their development back log and have a nice vacation after they finish everything? Imagine the relief! No more games to make. Phew!

Don’t forget third party support. Atlus has confirmed SMT5 and Nocturne coming soon (technically nocturne is already out) and if they follow through with Persona 5 finally getting a port then it’s already looking like quite a busy year. Oh and monster hunter and Ghosts and Goblins!

Nintendo always like to announce things late. And with COVID-19 making things tricky to predict, it makes sense to announce when you know when it’ll definitely launch

HD Zelda's will be announced soon I bet

@FroZtedFlakerZz diarrhea?

Man says his threat to blow up a bathroom had nothing to do with a bomb

Looks like we are reaching the end of the Switch‘s life cycle, early. Get ready for the famous “Nintendo coast,” again.

NINJA CONSPIRACY THEORY CONFIRMED

@BloodNinja We've been Nintendo Coast(TM)-ing since 2018 with the exception of Astral Chain and Fire Emblem coincinding in the same year. Switch seemed like the most amazing platform of all time in 2018. Then it inexplicably dropped off a cliff and was left to coast on endless sales to a new blue ocean. I like the Switch hardware better than WiiU, but, honestly, WiiU was more fun as a customer if you have owned other platforms that you've played many of the late port games on. I was the biggest super-fan of Switch, but it's just becoming kind of boring these days.

@GameOtaku No joke, Atlus is the only reason that we know about that my Switch will get use in the next 4 months or so!

this is inexcusable. Especially considering the only new (not ports) games in 2020 were AC:NH and Paper Mario. And the 3rd party Hyrule Warriors.

What the heck is going on over there?

Zelda collection ( or twilight/windwaker atleast) for the early summer. Surprise game for midsummer. Bayonetta 3 will be late autumn. Pokemon game for november. Breath of the wild sequel for december. Those are my predictions.

@NEStalgia Glad I'm not the only one who noticed. People can blame covid all they want, but this isn't the first system that Nintendo has abandoned after a super-enthusiastic start!

It's like people aren't paying attention to the releases. Every list is 20-25 games that might as well be iPhone-tier, one or two actual console games (Like Cyber Shadow!) and nothing else.

Honestly, they don't even HAVE to release more games. We already bought their systems, most people are already paying them a subscription service, they don't have to work that hard now because they already got a huge amount of capital off of the system.

-NINJA APPROVED-

I feel like we've had this exact article around the same time every year for the past 4 years...

Overreaction NL. Can't remember the last time something got announced in a quarter report. The year is young.

Has much as I admire Nintendo games, had all their consoles day one.
If none of the TBA games are this year then god only knows what their in house AAA game making studios have been doing after a barren 2020 now possible 2021 as well.
It’s not like they are programming 4K, high level textures, HDR, Ray tracing ,massive graphical fidelity games. Their games are mainly simple in graphics wise, which reduces production time.
So glad I bagged a PS5 as well, gonna be needed this year, even if Sony exclusives go a little light this year I get all the big AAA third party titles.
I’m not sure obviously, but I think Nintendo in house studios must be tiny, especially when compared to say Ubisoft.

Nintendo has a range of big titles for Spring, and I’m sure if they were worried about their fall line up they’d be holding back Snap for Christmas. Given that they aren’t, probably means Game Freak has a pokemon game set up for Winter.
This year we’ll probably see some ports of older 3D Zelda games. Either as a bundle or sprinkled through out the year.
As far as other games, I don’t think Nintendo is worried, they know the switch is a hit with a huge install base. So they’ll release a few new games that they’re confident in, and let the third parties make up the difference.

@1ofUs Those haven't been announced yet, so they're not gonna be listed.

@BloodNinja Yeah, I thought Switch was going to be Super3DS where it's just amazing games for years on end, on such a scale that 4k consoles aren't even interesting. In practice it ended up being SuperWii - an endless dearth of new content while a new mass market that previously wasn't gaming finds a treasure trove of content either not aimed at us, or that we already played a generation ago. Except in the Wii years we had DS offering unique content on Nintendo. Now all we've got is Wii. My interest in Xbox and PS has really grown substantially due to that. Atlus will keep me engaged with the hardware this year....and maybe Rune Factory if that's still coming. Sega still does what Nintendon't, 30 years later.

@Dezzy70 They are. Their teams are microscopic. They outsource the bulk of their content. Takahashi had said that he feels, if you include the outsourced staff, that their teams are roughly equivalent to Ubisoft. But that's quite a leap. A bunch of content-mill outsource contractors following a tiny staff isn't quite the same thing as 18,000+ in-house staff. The small cohesive teams are what give their games charm, but it's also why they can't keep up with teh industry. Not to mention, they don't need to. Look at their sales even without any effort. Who would spend a bunch of money on staff and product design if your cheap products sell endlessly at full value with zero expense?

@IronMan30 It's kind of predictable now, though. Nintendo's very very visibly following a "one big game a year, and milk it for the rest of the year" model with Switch. From a business perspective I suppose that works fine, they're making money and someone keeps buying all this stuff. But from a fan perspective, it definitely leaves one wanting. They're kind of controlling their market from above in terms of who buys what, when, and when you'll by third party from the given selection etc. It makes everything profitable by restricting selection. Very Apple-like, and very frustrating.

This year, it'll be Bayo, or MP4......or BotW2. There'll be one big game. ACNH was tricky because it launched early in the year and that was it for the year. Guaranteed half the games we expect will be held for Switch 2. Or enhanced for a Switch Pro - if there's a Pro there'll be a glut of games we expected at once to justify it.

There'll be enough announcements out of nowhere, like last year.

I'm good for now. Bravely Default in February, Stranger of Sword City in March, Snap in April, and then we'll likely know more about the months after that. And don't forget the Zelda anniversary.

The Switch's library this year looks a whole lot better when you factor in third parties though:

MH Rise
MH Stories 2
No More Heroes 3
SMT V
Persona 5 Strikers
Ys IX
Ghosts N Goblins
etc.

Not to mention Nintendo will probably follow the same announcement-release schedule like they did with the likes of Paper Mario, 3D All Stars and Hyrule Warriors last year. Just because a game isn't announced doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

@NEStalgia As long as the rumored Dark Souls 2 release comes to fruition, I’ll feel like it was worthwhile. We did get a lot of good stuff on the console, but I only own two exclusives and the rest I have on PC. As it stands, I feel a little underwhelmed by how Nintendo is doing right now. They are sitting on a goldmine but aren’t digging. They should do Earthbound in the style of the Zelda Links Awakening release. Put Metroid Prime Trilogy on here. Remaster (properly) any of their swell N64 library. I could go on, but it brings a tear to my Ninja eye

NINJA SADNESS APPROVED

Fans: Don't announce games too early!
Nintendo: Ok
Fans:

Nintendo: "We hope you undertand"

@NEStalgia
That’s the problem they don’t have to try with the runaway success of the Switch. Its one reason at the beginning and the reason I got one was the great first year or so of amazing New games releases.
The effort was really put in at the beginning, probably due to the hash up of the wii u console sales.
If they released more of these games and without such big gaps, they could make more money from game sales and more console, controllers, online etc.
It doesn’t help that only some big third party titles come over and even when they do, compared to Xbox one x and PS4 Pro etc they really do pale in comparison. Especially on 55” plus TVs.
Also fps really flicks on most of them.
I thought with the 3ds not requiring any games Nintendo in house studios would have got more games out for the Switch.

@BloodNinja Although Iwata was responsible for the Wii era drought, I can't help but daydream about what an Iwata-run Nintendo would look like in the Switch era. I can't help but feel he was very aggressive at maintaining enthusiasm and momentum and accelerating it, while the new management runs the company like it's a bank - sit on status quo until it hits red. Can't argue with results, I guess, even if I don't understand the results.

It's kind of cool that it's a handheld that can play old console games but with the advent of streaming and the propensity of Switch to do sub-30fps ports ,even on its own first/second party games these days (glares at the frustrating Hyrule Warriors 2 that just feels so terrible to play handheld...) the switch doesn't seem like a great machine for playing ports of other things anymore. It will do best with unique content like MH Ryse and SMTV......but Nintendos own content seems to be reserved for another castle.

@Dezzy70 Yeah, that's exactly it. They don't need to. I'm both glad Switch is so successful, but also disappointed because they settled into a Wii footing again as a result. And like you said the third party games it does get, I tend to stop and think if I really want to play at low fps and res when I could pay the same (or less) on another system and play in higher fps and res. And still stream the game handheld if it's on xb (technically PS as well but their controller support is dodgy.) It really does seem that largely the Switch market is for people that otherwise don't want to buy another console at this point, which isn't the promise it launched with. It's like Vita, except it didn't fail. But yeah, the latest for me was Cold Steel 4. I ended up buying on a PS sale. The game looked ok on Switch by the res, fps, and that horrendous text on the big screen was enough to make me prefer to play it on the better hardware..... Same for Fenyx (and the choice wasn't even close.) This year Japanese third parties are going to deliver on the Switch-only games which will make a happier year. But it doesn't excuse Nintendo sitting so idle.

You really would have thought dropping 3DS would have really helped Switch. It just goes to show 3DS games took almost no resources, and WiiU really was the best they can do in HD.

So that's one game for me this year then and that's a port, all the proof I need that Super Switch is inbound!

@NEStalgia
You never know and hopefully we might eat our words and Nintendo release at least 2 massive new in house AAA big hitters, even if they are sequels BOTW2 etc.
If they don’t then the Switch is almost dead to me now, like it was for most of last year.
And my respect for their in house studios or management will definitely be lost amd after owning every Nintendo home console I may not purchase the next one.

@NEStalgia
Just imagine if Nintendo had to programme for a PS5 or series x type power house console with all bells and whistles.
They would never get a game out the door.
Then again their business model makes lots of merchandise revenue, must be biggest out of all 3.

Tbh I thought that in between bigger game releases we would be getting Wii/GameCube/WiiU games ported to fill up dry spells.
And I thought that most of these would be less then full priced Switch games

@Dezzy70 They could surprise us, but their pattern is just so clear now. From BOTW year to Smash year to Poke year.....to ACNH year....always one big game. Only one big game.

But they'll jade us and discard us and make us run to Sony and Microsoft....and then they'll announce Switch 2 with a new zelda and a new mario and we'll be right back in line like the sappy fools we are.....We always do....

IF that rumor of a new hardware iteration with DLSS scaling is true that it was supposed to be out 2020 but got delayed to 2021, though, we will get a deluge of new in-house content to go along with it. That will be....interesting....and infuriating....all at once.

I don't see Nintendo ever putting out PS5/XSX level graphics. Honestly I think they'd actively avoid that and go head-long into mobile at that point. They quite literally can't handle that, I don't think, and their business model is such that it's incapable of scaling that way. Not until that level of tech is quite old. they're just trying to figure out X360 level content..... And it worked, due to the quality and charm of their games. It doesn't work if they don't actually release many though.

EDIT: It actually makes me yearn for Vita 2 more than ever. Switch has become the handheld to play old games from other systems portably, primarily, and makes it less appealing if you also play on other systems than 3DS was that was a platform all its own.

Then again, fearing the demise of the handheld in the face of streaming may be why Nintendo is set on just banking as much cash right now as they can as they brace for possible bust cycles to weather again as they figure out a new path.

There is still a global pandemic going on right now, so we should be grateful that we're getting any games at all. 👍

@nimnio

'As it always does when a new financial report is due, Nintendo has published an updated look at its upcoming release schedule. As you might expect, though, things aren't quite as exciting as they could be.

Below, you'll find a list of Nintendo's major releases planned for 2021 and beyond (so not including third-party releases). It's a pretty bare-bones schedule, but delays and development issues are to be expected right now what with the pandemic raging on as strong as ever, and we're sure there are plenty of new titles being worked on behind the scenes.'

This and the title of the topic.

Sure the last line could elude to what i said, but its bassicly a throw away line. The way its put, at the end.

@NEStalgia I agree. I think you’re right. All the things that are TBA are far too large in scope to appear this year or even next. I would imagine that if they make an upgraded or new console, all those TBA games are gonna go on that console and not this one.

TBA = carrot on the stick

I miss Iwata. Nintendo has changed since his generation of leadership. They are very, VERY business focused right now, which is great for them but as a fan, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

NINJAS HAVE MOUTHS BEHIND THEIR MASKS CONFIRMED

@BloodNinja I think one, but only one, of those TBAs is meant for this year. Heck, how many games other than MP4 are actually finished and sitting in the vault? Miyamoto said Pikmin 4 was nearly done back in 2016. Then it was never mentioned again.

In fairness to Nintendo, Sony's doing the TBA carrot and stick now too. GoW2, HzD2, TBA 2021. Not a chance. GT, R&C launch window....nope, now TBA.... And Microsoft has gone with "TBA" for the entire generation, all before launch. They always do go big!

Agree 100% though. Iwata was a rebel. He was interested in the brand's appeal and the customer's engagement with the brand. He was a forward thinker. He understood the importance of an emotional connection to the company and the product, and the importance of maintaining that connection as a guarantee of business in the future. He knew the happier fans were, the more they were fans for life. It wasn't all altruism but sort of a harmony. What's good for the customer today is very good for the company tomorrow. He messed up with the Wii, but he admitted he messed up with the Wii, ignoring that core audience too much. These new guys...it's just quarterly numbers. Same with the PS leadership now. Quarterly focused business goals. Short term thinking.

But....there could be a long term strategy there. Nintendo's eggs are all in the hybrid basket now. Streaming services are going to annihilate the value of a dedicated handheld in the coming years. Nintendo's been sinking lower and lower in the console race since the 90's, Wii aside, and their core was the handhelds. They're no cloud company. If handheld's market gets usurped, they have to be thinking about what a Nintendo will be in that future. I could see why maybe they'd hoard all their game ideas for that dreary day so they can flood the market with content people want. Are the current managers that forward thinking though? Hard to say.

@NEStalgia
You are right, if Switch Pro releases with a fair bit more power along with BOTW2, Mario ods 2 and something else great. I will probably be first in the preorder queue, but I will try to resist this time round. It depends if say Sony dropped Ratchet and Clank and HZD2 around the same time and maybe some big third party AAA game, I might be able to resist Nintendo.

@ImagineerNik yes do that for Xenoblade X and Nintendo Land!!!
I'll buy BOTH OF THEM

@WhiteTrashGuy Agreed. Add to the NSO library. More mainstream NES and SNES titles. Add N64. Add GBA.

The switch in handheld mode is already a giant GBA. This should be the easiest low-hanging fruit to put on NSO. Bring Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission to NSO.

The Mario 35th celebration was nice, but I thought they would add another console to NSO at the NSO two-year mark.

@gcunit
Only a subset of anniversaries (i.e. every 5 years) are actually celebrated.

I don’t think this will be all. It typically never is. I don’t expect a ton, but they’ll have a few more. While I don’t think it is likely we will get a BOTW2, I can see Zelda All-Stars (limited time of course). May get the Prime Trilogy, and at least one thing we are not expecting.

At some point, I expect a new Mario Kart. The are sitting on a gold mine with it. I would love an Ultimate version similar to Smash.

@Dezzy70 nobody resists Nintendo. Nobody. Switch isn't weak.... We are...

Though preorder will make ps5 look readily available.

Eventually we'll hear more about Axiom Verge 2, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Remastered, Shin Megami Tensei V, New Sonic, Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, World War Z, Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection, No More Heroes 3, Rune Factory 5, and Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny.

If this were strictly original titles of nintendo I'd say it's not too bad, though I hope one of the TBA's would come in holiday season 2021.

However, they put in the mario port/remake so that worries me. There is so much potential nintendo content to port or "remake" that I'd hope some of that would be on this list. Give us some Zelda OoT, majora's or skyward for crying out loud. I'd take some squenix colabs too like Mario RPG / crystal chronicles or something. This list is a bit lonely tbh.

It's only the start of February... why are people acting like if you don't announce everything you're doing within the first month of the year it's gonna suck? I understand the idea is to build hype, but last year Kirby Fighters 2 was released a day after being announced and Age of Calamity with like 2 months notice. At least wait until Pokémon Day, a day where they're acting like a ton will be announced.

And where are Disgaea 6 & the Monster Hunter games? Isn't the former a Switch-exclusive in the West with a Summer release window, and the latter timed exclusives, one of which with a March 26th release? What about SMT5, Rune Factory 5, & No More Heroes 3, all Switch-exclusives scheduled for 2021?

That's fine. Just give me Shadow Man!

@1ofUs I think it's also Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kid Icarus anniversary too. From a third party perspective it's also the 35th anniversary of Castlevania and Dragon Quest.

@westman98 Not to mention the list also doesn’t cover titles not published by Nintendo. we know about quite a few of them so this article is misleading and rather click/comment baity.

The Switch is looking every bit the part of a system at the end of its lifespan. I scroll through the E-Shop and deals about once a week - very little interests me. My son still enjoys it, and 3D World is coming out, at least.

Yeah. Another sucky year

Well this doesn't mean anything. All it means is that they aren't announcing more new games yet and haven't decided on a release date for zelda yet. I expect a big software year this year. We just don't know which games it'll be yet other than obviously botw2.

"New Pokémon Snap"? That's what they're calling it? That's lame! Even a simple title of "Pokémon Snap 2" or "Pokémon Snap Switch" would've been better.

As expected. It's just like Bayonetta 3, Breath of the Wild 2 was revealed WAY too early. As things stand with the current situation we'll probably get those within 2025.

@NEStalgia my god you talk a load of nonsense

@KingBowser in less than two month's time it will be four years since BotW released and I refuse to believe it will take them that long to finish a sequel which recycles much of the previous game's world and physics engine, I will eat my hat if BotW2 isn't a holiday 2021 release.

@Mijzelffan DOOOOOMED!!!

@Menchi I was going to say "you win", but it's honestly so hard to tell. Between the mlb meltdowns in the shapes club and this, I really can't tell which is the winner. We may have to settle on a tie.

Devil's Third Remaster when?

I would love a surprise BOTW2 release to drop. I played BOTW on and off during paternity leave for my second child. And I’m expecting my third child to deliver in the next few hours. That would be a paternity leave bonus!!

But totally not going to happen. I thought I remember about a year back Nintendo saying BOTW2 was nearly done? I think this plays into the rumours of BOTW2 being pushed back for a switch pro release in 2022

There's plenty on the way, and we won't know a thing about them until they are near release.

As frustrating as that can be, and as counterintuitive a strategy it seems, that's just the way it is now.

You can partly thank all the so-called 'insiders' for that.

@Faruko Also, props to Indie games, they have really gotten my attention. Especially the beautiful 2D games.

Hopefully they announce some soon. To be honest, the last Switch game i poured hours and hours into was BOtW. It's kinda gathering dust at the moment. With limited time to game I'm going for my PS5 or Xbox for Overwatch with friends more often that not.

@johnvboy people thought this past holiday season was going to be stacked with games because Nintendo’s was quiet going into the first half of the year.

All we got was Hyrule Warriors. One game isn’t enough to satiate 70mil users. There are going to be frustrated gamers.

@LUIGITORNADO,

There will be frustrated core gamers, so I totally agree with you on that front, people like ourselves will spend a lot of time playing games, and as a result will finish titles much quicker than the more casual gamers.

The switch however has a much wider demographic than just the core hobby gamer, so these guys will see an awful lot of software still being released for the machine, and because these guys do not own multiple consoles etc, it will all be pretty fresh content to them, Nintendo have been very wise in opening the platform up to the raft of indie games, as it does mask their lack of first party output at times like these.

Also your opinion on this whole matter will be largely down to your own perspective, as for am early adopter core gamer who will own multiple consoles, will see it as a little barren on the software front, and will have also experienced a lot of the indie output on other machines, and also many of the newer and older multi platform stuff will also be available for other machines as well.

From the more casual newer customer there is no such issues, and the console is providing a lot of entertainment for them, even more so when you consider their playing time may be much less as well.

Another good move from Nintendo was the release of Animal crossing new horizons, this title came at the exact right time, and has filled in the gaps for many, as I said I am at around 950 hours with the title and still doing things on the game, and for the more casual gamer this title will provide many many hours of game play.

@Pod they switched developers mid way. If the people who were first making it did it up to standards it would be coming this year. And they would have shown a trailer probably last year.

@Beaucine That's very much a matter of opinion, as not one of those titles appeal to me.

Nothing for me this year at all unless we get dates on some of those TBAs. Business as usual then.

@BenAV @Shepdawg1 @J-Biz @siavm
I do know WHY they announced it early, and I know why it won't arrive anytime soon. ^^

My comment regards how Nintendo very rarely announce a game before they know it's going to come together well, and with this one in particular, it has become quite obvious that it was announced when it was, only to win over some specific skeptics.

At least some of those skeptics are now likely to be even more sketical, both of what Nintendo had in mind, and of whether the game we'll be getting from Retro is that much better a proposition than what they were making at the time.

Personally, I wasn't that excited for a Prime 4 to begin with, and I'm even less excited if they're just making it because they said they would.

@Antiriad2097

Bravely Default doesn't personally appeal to me either, but I can't deny it's an important release. The others belong to major franchises with considerable followings. I'm not factoring personal opinion into this. I doubt Nintendo's business strategy involves catering to the whims of Beaucine and Antiriad, Nintendo Life commenters. If it were up to me, I'd have Nintendo release Zelda and Metroid games and nothing else.

Kinda look at 2020 releases, that was slow. Animal Crossing was an unexpected hit. Without looking at a list I am having extreme trouble remembering any other first party games for that year...oh yeah a revamp Pikmin.
If they DID get in Zelda and Metroid by year end, that would be great. Or add in the GBA/GB to NSO.
They can have bangers all year round. You get Other M and 4 Swords...lol

Folks are acting like Nintendo is closing up shop after April. They will have more info before then and will likely shadow drop stuff this year. As usual.

There hasn't been a year since 2010 that Nintendo failed to release a major Zelda title of some sort (whether main series, Hyrule Warriors, or remake). They've turned that into an annual franchise, and it's the 35th anniversary. They're not going to go without releasing a major title, even if BotW 2 still needs more time. I wouldn't put it past them to reveal a Zelda title we didn't even know existed, a la Triforce Heroes surprise in 2015 when we thought the next major title after A Link Between Worlds would be Breath of the Wild.

Same thing with Pokémon MAIN SERIES since 2015 (and it's in rare company for that series: 1998, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2011). New Pokémon Snap will be awesome, but there's going to be another Pokémon main series game this year, whether Let's Go! Johto or Max Diamond & Max Pearl...

Fire Emblem has gotten a new game every other year, and more frequently if you count spin-offs like Heroes and Warriors and re-releases. They're due to the next game in the series, too, perhaps before April if they want to technically count within the 30th anniversary of the series (like they're stretching the Mario 35th).

Besides Zelda, Metroid also has its 35th anniversary this year. Donkey Kong has its gigantic 40th anniversary come July.

Nintendo is holding their cards close to the chest. They want to wow. They'd rather show a near-completed game than tease games endlessly for years that are in development hell. Metroid Prime 4 reveal was a mistake, and they've learned from that.

New Pokémon Snap is literally Nintendo's only hope for this quarter...for my wallet at least, unless Bowser's Fury is actually INSANELY good and more than just an hour or two long.

@BenAV
True story.
But then there are the people who'd rather have seen what else Retro had cooking, and would have been happy to hear about a scrapped Prime 4 later on.

@tourjeff we're only in Febuary, they still got plenty of time to announce new things for 2021

I don't know looks pretty awesome to me.....Three huge awaited titles:
Metroid Prime 4
Bayonetta 3
New Zelda....

This is the year I've been waiting for, for my switch!

@Dethmunk Who you calling a whinger?

@purpleibby I wouldn't bet my paycheck on those all coming out this year. I think we are as likely to see a new hardware revision as BOTW2. Seems to be the way they operate.

@tseliot Ninty already released them on the release schedule for 21...albeit with TBA by them

the last year was a big failure, the year before the last year was a failure, this year seems to be a failure ....What the hell is going on with Nintendo?

@Mijzelffan never

Heck in my opinion, I wouldn't call this "barren" at all. From this gen going forward, I'm only supporting Nintendo cause they are the only ones releasing unique and fun games. I find this list to be exciting for Nintendo Switch. Breath Of The Wild 2 is nearly everyone's most anticipated Switch game. Super Mario 3D World:Deluxe has been bought by me already and ready to play on the 12th digitally and that was the Wii U game that I was begging Nintendo to port over to Switch. Bayonetta 3 will be solid as that franchise has a large following. Most Nintendo fans have been wanting a new Metroid game for ages, especially on modern hardware. New Pokemon Snap will be a day 1 purchase from me cause I played the heck out of Pokemon Snap on N64 back in the day. All in all, a very good year thus far.