While the internet is already well into the territory of flogging a dead horse in regards to talk surrounding the Nintendo Switch‘s launch lineup, it appears as if the discussion isn’t going away anytime soon and will, more than likely, continue all the way up until the console’s launch on March 3 and beyond.
Then again, all of this concern is hardly surprising, as the Wii U launched in 2012 with a promising 23 games for early adopters to try out, although just two of those – Nintendo Land and Super Mario Bros. U – were first-party games. Of course, Pikmin 3 was originally intended to join those two on release day, but was subsequently delayed.
Coincidentally, the Switch’s own library of launch titles will only include two first-party games: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 1-2-Switch, no doubt instantly ringing alarm bells for many that history is in danger of repeating itself. However, in an effort to try and put those fears and criticisms to rest once and for all, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has addressed the issue in the company’s latest earnings briefing (via GameSpot).
Some of those who have seen this lineup have expressed the opinion that the launch lineup is weak. Our thinking in arranging the 2017 software lineup is that it is important to continue to provide new titles regularly without long gaps. This encourages consumers to continue actively playing the system, maintains buzz, and spurs continued sales momentum for Nintendo Switch.
Sound reasoning, and a logical stance to take for the launch of any new gaming hardware, but Kimishima can’t be surprised if Ninty fans view his comments with just a modest dose of scepticism. The Wii U was also supposed to feature a large range of first-party titles in its fledgling few months, but numerous delays scuppered those original plans almost entirely. We hope we speak for everyone here when we express our hope that the Nintendo Switch proves to be a return to form for Nintendo in the hardware market, but we’ll see what unfolds over the rest of 2017.
One thing’s for sure, the Big N certainly isn’t skipping out on marketing and advertising this time around. For the first time ever, it’ll be showing its own ad during this year’s Super Bowl, and you can check it out down below.
