If you read the article about my impressions of the Nintendo Switch, you will know that one of my personal gripes about the console is that we still don’t know all there is to know about it. There is still a lot we don’t know about the Nintendo Switch, especially concerning its future. Taking into account what we already know, I think this will be Nintendo’s plan leading into 2018.
What we know already is that the console will launch alongside ten games on March 3rd, 2017. These titles are 1-2-Switch, The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, Just Dance 2017, Human Resource Machine, I Am Setsuna, Little Inferno, Skylanders: Imaginators, Super Bomberman R, World of Goo, and last but not least, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Next, Nintendo will release Mario Kart 8: Deluxe on April 28th, with other titles like Arms, Has-Been Heroes, Puyo Puyo Tetris, and Snipperclips releasing around this period. As you can tell, within the span of a couple of months, there is already a lot of games being released, but Nintendo will want to keep up that momentum.
Before the launch, we should see another Nintendo Direct or at least a new wave of information about the Nintendo Switch. The announcements would give us a deeper detail into the Switch’s online features and key features of the Nintendo Switch’s UI, which have been subtly leaked around the web over the past couple of weeks.
What we think will happen is that Nintendo will be following up with these releases with a massive E3 announcement reel. We guess that Nintendo will finally give us some more detail on Super Mario Odyssey, the extraordinary looking 3D-Mario adventure unveiled during the Nintendo Switch live stream. Of course, this will be the primary focus of E3 2017, but there may be other titles announced during the convention. Perhaps we will finally see the announcement of the sought-after Super Smash Bros. For The Nintendo Switch that we have been waiting for, along with some new character reveals. Keep in mind; we are still awaiting the release of the Bayonetta, Corrin, and Cloud amiibo, which seem to be indefinitely delayed despite their respective characters being released in Super Smash Bros. For The Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. What could they be waiting for? Our guess is the Switch’s release.
The pace between July and September is reserved for third-party publishers to show off their content. EA Games already announced that FIFA 17 is coming to the Nintendo Switch, with the potential of other sports titles making their way to the system dependent on sales. Other titles like Square’s Final Fantasy VII Remake are rumored to make their way to the Switch, in particular with the inclusion of Cloud in Super Smash Bros. and Nintendo’s reborn relationship with the publisher. Perhaps in November, Activision will decide to publish for Nintendo platforms again starting with Call of Duty 2017, but they have remained quiet about their support for the system, aside from Skylanders: Imaginators.
Anticipating that the Nintendo Switch hype will become one of the hottest holiday items, even with Microsoft’s Project Scorpio competing next to it, I believe we will see a holiday bundle release near or on Black Friday. The bundle may even receive a price drop, to help make the investment of a Nintendo Switch more appealing to families and gamers alike. If they were to release a bundle, it would be wise to include their newest title Super Mario Odyssey, rumored to launch this Fall. If not that, then we think Nintendo will launch the bundle with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, probably the most anticipated game of 2017. It is hard to say what will happen during this time, but Nintendo would be wise to capitalize on the Black Friday hype, similar to what they did with the NES Classic Edition the last Christmas.
Finally, Nintendo will close E3 with Super Mario Odyssey, which we are estimating an early December release date to help move consoles throughout the holiday season and into the new year.
We don’t know what Nintendo is planning. However, we predict that their new president Tatsumi Kimishima knows exactly how to perpetuate sales. By keeping Nintendo in the press with great titles releasing every month by both first & third-parties, Nintendo would benefit from the consumer hype. We are hopeful that the Nintendo Switch will become successful at retail, similar to the success that has already existed for the Nintendo 3DS and NES Classic Edition.
Keeping in mind that this is all speculation, I could be totally off on some of the details here. What do you think? Sound off in the comments below!
