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The hype for the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal is reaching a fever pitch as the company lurches towards officially announcing its next console. But will Nintendo fall into the trap that PlayStation has been in for over the last four years? While Sony’s PS5 was released with heaps of fanfare in 2020, four years later, the number of exclusive titles on the platform that aren’t available on PS4 or PC is just over 20.
For Switch 2, Nintendo will need to think about its software strategy carefully to avoid the fate of my poor PlayStation 5, caked in dust and doomed not to be turned on until Santa delivers a copy of Astro Bot.
Here’s why the Switch successor won’t have the same issue as the PS5.
Key Takeaways
- Many “exclusive” games for PlayStation 5 are also available on PS4 and eventually make their way to PC.
- Nintendo’s unlikely to deploy the same strategy, limiting cross-gen gaming to select titles.
- The first year of the Nintendo Switch 2 is going to be primed for success thanks to overdue entries for a new 3D Mario, Xenoblade, and Mario Kart.
- The Switch 2 introduces a golden opportunity for Nintendo to revisit older franchises like F-Zero, Mother, and Golden Sun.
Could Backward Compatibility Hamper Switch 2 Sales?
Nintendo has confirmed Switch 2 backward compatibility with the first console. This is great news for anyone looking to keep playing their expansive Switch library, and with over 1.3 billion games sold on Switch, the company would be wise to let any early adopters play their existing games using the shiny new hardware.
What this opens up is the possibility of cross-generational Switch and Switch 2 releases. This isn’t a concept foreign to Nintendo. Way back in the mid-2000s, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess received a release on both the GameCube and the Nintendo Wii.
This was once again replicated for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which received a release on both the Wii U and Nintendo Switch.
However, with Switch 2’s backward compatibility, we will likely see cross-generational releases. After all, with over 143 million Nintendo Switch consoles in circulation, Nintendo would be silly not to capitalize on an already large install base. But, the company will likely keep its most important flagship titles exclusive to the new platform.
How Nintendo Exclusivity Could Differ From PlayStation
If we look at announced Switch games, Metroid Prime 4 appears to be a likely candidate for Nintendo’s cross-generation highlight. After all, it was initially announced way back in 2017, the same year that the Nintendo Switch was released.
Metroid Prime 4 looks suspiciously high-fidelity, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a cross-generational release for Switch and Switch 2. But, it might be alone in this fact.
If you contrast this against Sony franchises, for example, Horizon: Forbidden West, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure, all games also launched on PS4 and made their way over to PC, too.
This probably won’t be the case for Nintendo’s most popular franchises: There’s no historical precedent set for any new mainline 3D Mario title releasing on an older console, and Nintendo is likely going to want as many people as possible to pick up a Switch 2 console instead.
To do this, they could employ a strong software strategy that is not too dissimilar to what we saw in the first few years of the Switch’s lifespan: non-stop hits.
We Can Expect an Onslaught of New Releases
So, if Nintendo wants people to get on board with the Switch 2, we may see a pretty strong launch lineup in the Switch 2’s announcement and beyond. Taking a look back at what Nintendo did for the Switch, you should expect titans like: A new flagship 3D Super Mario game, a new Xenoblade title, and you really cannot forget the possibility of the Switch’s biggest ever game, a new Mario Kart title.
Nintendo has had plenty of time to cook these up, especially since Mario Kart 8: Deluxe, which has now sold over 64 million copies, was a revamped port of an older Wii U title.
Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Super Smash Bros, has also shared that he’s been working on a new title since 2022, which could see the revival of the Kid Icarus franchise, as Sakurai has previously worked on Kid Icarus: Uprising in 2012.
Switch 2 heralds a new opportunity for Nintendo, too; as a company with a long history, we can see the revival of once-dormant franchises.
Nintendo, Please Free Camelot From Mario Golf Hell
фNintendo could resurrect older franchises with the Switch 2, thanks to its huge sales potential. Source: NintendoAs much as people like Mario Golf and Mario Tennis, they’re not exactly the highlight of Nintendo’s release schedule. While they do bring in sales (to the tune of around 8 million lifetime sales in the Mario Golf series alone), there’s something lamentable about what we’ve lost along the way.
Camelot’s other franchises also include the Shining Force series, as well as the GBA duology Golden Sun. In fact, the last thing that Camelot developed without “Mario” in its title was 2010’s Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.
14 years later, we’re still waiting on another entry into the franchise. But will Nintendo commit to reviving older franchises? Other staples like the F-Zero series have been missing in action for a while now. So, the Switch 2 presents a prime time to get longtime fans invested early. Hell, let’s bring back Rhythm Heaven and the Mother series while we’re at it.
The Bottom Line
With the Switch 2 reveal still yet to come, one thing is clear, the company knows that exclusive games sell systems. In 2025, Nintendo might be one of the last game companies to retain its consoles as a destination for games you can’t play anywhere else.
