Nintendo Reconfirms Release Windows For Major Upcoming Switch Games

Still no release date for Advance Wars... I understood their reasoning for not releasing it after the war in Ukraine started. But it has been quite some time now and although there are parallels, it's still a fictional war game.

I also wonder when we'll finally see some footage for Metroid Prime 4. But at this point my expectations are as low as absolute zero, to prevent from being disappointed further.

Now we just need the article about the updated sales numbers and the template Nintendo Financial Report articles will be complete.

@Pillowpants
I am 90% sure that was just some marketing BS, they are not releasing it for some other reason.

Lol Nintendo will problaby release Metroid Prime 4 on the Switch 2 at this rate🤣

Looking forward to Zelda 2, hopefully the whole shrine thing Isn't part of the game.

@GrowingWings
Nintendo had already printed retail copies and shipped them to warehouses prior to the delay - they absolutely had every intention of releasing the game back in April.

A lot of this reconfirmed releases will still be delayed come 2023! You can bank on it!

I'm more concerned about Advance Wars than Metroid at the moment honestly. It just needs to release already.

@GrowingWings thing is, game was finished, some people could download and play it back on the day by mistake. At this point the one is losing is Nintendo, it's a complete nonsense.

On a side note, for people who has not played it, Wargroove is an excellent alternative for calming the urge.

Tears of the Kingdom is why I kept my switch all these years, and luckily Pikmin 4 isn't far behind to make me hang on a little longer. Looking forward to the Marion movie also, but that's not a game.

Is it crazy that all this waiting for Metroid prime is making me even more excited, like there are really taking there time, which is how I rather my games if I don’t say so myself.

Where is Detective Pikachu 2?

They should have just canned MP4 years ago and taken it as an opportunity to reboot the franchise with a 3rd person open planet Metroid.

Not sure why they cling to it so desperately when development seems to be such a disaster. If Nintendo hasn’t reassured its stock holders, it’s because they probably can’t.

I had a feeling that the Ukraine war being a reason for the Advance Wars delays might have been an excuse.
Guess I was right

They are not going to give a date for MP4 here. That will be saved for a direct.

Looking forward to Zelda and Pikmin 4!

@Exerion76 They'll keep it for when there are no major releases coming out. Remember it was restarted some years ago, it takes time to create it from the ground. Next year is for Zelda and Mario 3D, don't expect Metroid to be release until the first half of 2024.

Advance Wars is just a cursed franchise, lol. I was just reading the other day that the original GBA one released in the US on September 9, 2001, but then 9/11 happened, and Japan didn't get it till 2004.

If I had a nickel for every time a tragic world event caused Advance Wars to get delayed, I'd have two nickels...which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice!

@PinderSchloss sigh... no... not everything has to go "open world". Studios try that with stale franchises and instead of trying something innovative and fun.... they become a fetch quest snore fest. Metroidvanias have tight level design since the inception of its franchises and are recognized for it.

And if it was a 3rd person Metroid game... then it wouldn't be a Prime game. What makes it a PRIME game is the first person perspective, even the DS "Hunters" game and the 3DS "Federation Force" game are PRIME and they all are in first person.

And please... everyone... for the love of god... don't turn this thread into another Advance Wars Russia/Ukraine debate for the 100th time. We have already heard every...single...argument from all sides.

Nintendo opting to indefinitely delay Advance Wars is starting to annoy a lot of people. I would like to think they're trying to capitalize on the game once the war in Ukraine ends.

Zelda and Fire Emblem for me.

Meh... take all the time you need with Metroid Prime 4. I have a huge backlog, got an amazing Metroid game in my switch with Dread, and Bayonetta 3 taught me to be patient for great games.

Metroid Prime 4 can take all the time it needs. However... where is Metroid Prime Remake/Remaster? I mean, that one is, according to rumors, already done and Nintendo is just sitting on it. .... sigh....

I will pick Pokemon Violet and Kirby Back to Dreamland Deluxe late as I still want to build my PS4 games library.

I guess we will just have to wait for world peace before we get Advance Wars

Wow at least four great games might be released in the next months and I still have a lot of games to play. The surprising release of Pikmin 4 still makes me happy.

@Snatcher
No not crazy at all. You have a healthy and patient gamer mentality.

@YoshiF2 I agree with you on open world games becoming stale. But Metroid has always been sort of open world, with only your powers keeping you back. That could also be applied to larger 3D areas. Of course I’d want them to make it more interesting than Assassin’s Creed.

@Snatcher
You can consider other games while waiting your chosen game.

@GrowingWings What a weird conspiracy theory.

Definitely looks like we not getting another Mario platform game this Switch generation.
Shame as we only had one new one really, Mario Odyssey. The rest were remakes etc.
The problem will be with Switch 2 there are less simple remakes to do, as the Switch has had them already.

Honestly, I’m perfectly fine with the next Metroid launching on the next console.

Personally, and I know I’m in the vast minority, I kind of wish they would have sat on Tears of the Kingdom until the next generation just so they’d have that giant game at launch. It’s not like Switch is exactly starving for Zelda titles since you can play Zelda 1, 2, LttP, Link’s Awakening, OoT, MM, SS, and BotW on it!

What I’d really like to see with the remainder of the Switch cycle is a focus on AA franchises like Punch Out, Wave Race, 1080, etc. Nintendo have provided Switch with an insane amount of Mario, Zelda, Kirby, and Pokémon content. They should ride it into the sunset with some of their neglected franchises.

They should make a 3rd person Metroid game with the BOTW engine.

The lack of news on Metroid prime 4 and the trilogy remake is starting to really get on my nerves! Also, wtf are they still holding up Advance wars for?!? It was understandable at first but if they're waiting for every world conflicts to end before releasing it, it will never come out.

That upcoming schedule is starting to look a little empty. I wonder if there's a new Mario and/or DK game in the works too

I'll be getting...

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Meteoid Prime 4
Pikmin 4
Pokémon Scarlet
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

@Axecon I would love a new Donkey Kong game.

As far as Mario goes, you would think Nintendo would want to release a new game, around the time that the new movie comes out.

@Lony85 That is far too early, Nintendo should have announced it back in September and work on marketing for it now. Plus Zelda TOTK would likely consume most of Spring before the May release.

At earliest, we could se a new big AAA game from Nintendo in July after Zelda.

I can’t wait for the new Pokémon, Fire Emblem, the Kirby remake and my boys are excited for the new Zelda.

I expect Prime 4 to be a hybrid release on Switch 1 & 2 at this point.

I can't believe they're releasing Fire Emblem in January. The month of off-brand racing games and dodgy projects publishers just want to get out the door and hope no one notices.

About the whole Metroid thing... It's crazy because I (still) have my finger on the pulse of the rumored original trilogy remake and I have a gut feeling they are waiting to release that as it gets closer the 4's release in order to build hype.
This is 100% speculation for course but it's like I'm desperately waiting for two games here and there is absolutely no news on either of them!

So Advance Wars is also vaporware now. Such disappointment.

I think Advance Wars may just be unofficially canceled. Especially if they aren’t willing to release it if there is any war going on. Sadly, that will never happen.

I’m not sure about Metroid prime 4. I hunk best case scenario it is a launch title for a switch successor. But I could see the game being scrapped.

At this rate reckon Prime 4 will be a switch 2 (or whatever’s next) launch title…

I think if prime 4 isn’t coming out soon it might as well be a launch title dual release on the switch 2

@Fizza

I wouldn't be surprised, along with some development interview later how they mention how "the switch hardware wasn't strong enough to match our vision" and/or "how the new chipset architecture allowed to test nintendo's new console while pushing MP4 to the stratosphere" or something like that.

But then again, I live on an alien cloud in my head. And still, nintendo's various little arms and legs start development on the next console as soon as the previous one is released. They're definitely working on games for their next system, regardless if retro or MP4 are involved.

Thats all?
Could this means they (Nintendo) finally ran out of gas?
(Games)

I get that there are people out there who feel a game like Advance Wars can only be released during times of absolute world peace, but perhaps there can be an arrangement like with what This War of Mine did, where a portion of the sales earnings were donated to the war-affected.

they must be saving the switch pro for after holidays

Well, considering they had to restart development on Metroid Prime 4, I'm not surprised we don't have anything yet. Plus, Nintendo has always kept their cards close to their chest, and release dates and windows are only for the very near future.

But let's not be disheartened. If Nintendo can eventually release Metroid Dread, 15 years after it was rumored to be in development, or Star Fox 2 over 20 years after development and cancellation, then Metroid Prime 4 WILL come out.

In the meantime, I can tide myself over by playing the previous Metroid Prime games, the games in the main series, and listen to Sam Dillard's Metroid Cinematica music album on Apple Music (I believe it's also on Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube).

@calbeau
Love your profile pic

@GrowingWings Yours isn't half bad, Primarch.

Not a hardcore WH40K fan, but I do enjoy its lore, and I think the Mechanicus game was great.

So surreal to finally se TOTK release date

Metroid is likely a 2024 title, perhaps it’s the Switch’s swan song title before they finally announce the Switch successor which probably won’t release until 2025. They can still maintain momentum with Zelda and Metroid Prime 4 in the pipelines, not to mention next years Mario movie let alone if they announce a new Mario game, movie tie in or not.

For those disappointed about Advance Wars..look on the bright side…when it’s released it will more then likely be the absolute best version of the game. It’s not like they just stopped working on the game. They’ve had plenty of time to refine and perfect the title, imagine the amount of content and DLC they’ve had time to cook up. It could be more than well worth the wait.

Release Advance Wars!!!!

We want Advance Wars now!

As they say, no news is no news

Let's all petition Putin for the release of Advance Wars.

It's November and there's only 5 titles announced with only one of those being a MAJOR title ...that's not even launching until May...and people still don't believe something else is going on behind the scenes?? Really?

Next year will be fascinating indeed. It could define the future of Switch consoles and Nintendo in general. After a year full of big releases, what else could they deliver? (besides DLC of course )

Fire Emblem will kick off things with Engage, the next mainline game in the series.
Then it will be followed by a remaster of Kirby's Return to Dream Land, one that really deserves a lower price though.
After that, the only remaining first-party games announced so far are perhaps the most intriguing.
First there's Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, definitely the most hyped Nintendo game currently announced. Nintendo must show a lot of content the months before, that's what their main priority should be right now.
Then there are the Metroid Prime and Pikmin 4. We've seen a big of Pikmin 4, but I hope they finally show at least the first screenshot of MP4 and maybe even release it next year! There's a 70% chance of that happening right now. The more they talk about it, the higher it will rise.
Do you think (and imagine) these games being cross-gen?

@kalosn This is what a company would do when they have new hardware launching soon with new software having switched to development for the new platform...but they're not ready to announce or talk about it yet.

Switch games are already struggling, as the number of games running at a full 1080p or 60pfs rarely even exist anymore e.g. look at Pokemon Violet/ Scarlett. It looks ok but it hardly what I would call "impressive". That's for the games that *aren't either cloud versions or ports of 7+ year old games. I just don't see Nintendo going another year and a half with hardware that is essentially 9 years old and clearly struggling with newer technology games. The Tegra chip was already "old" tech when it launched on Switch.

Only excited for Zelda TotK & Pikmin 4, but i'll be getting Return to Dreamland (again).

@Bizzyb If the Switch is old mobile tech, then the PS4/Xbox One are even older desktop tech, yet look at God of War Ragnarok lol

But the main games are indeed struggling, the sign of a console's swansong. I definitely expect Nintendo to talk about their future soon.

If this is all about cross-gen, maybe that's why they've been so silent about a completely new 3D Mario game, even since I thought about DLC for SMO :/

@kalosn Exactly, these are the twilight years for Switch. Something else is defintely coming...and soon. I just happen to believe it will be in 2023 (with Zelda) and not 2024.

I remember early in the year there were some very certain-sounding rumors that the Batman Arkham collection was coming to Switch – apparently planned around August of this year, if I recall. Wonder whatever happened to that! That’s one of my personal most-wanted ports and there hasn’t been a peep about it since! ☹️