With the Switch 2’s release date looming, Nintendo is sending out the original with a bang

There’s a very good possibility that this will be the last year that the Switch is the flagship piece of Nintendo hardware. While rumors of a Switch successor have persisted for years, recent reports suggest that the upgraded device will not only be coming, but will be here relatively soon, with a possible launch in 2024. If that is indeed the case, it appears that Nintendo is not content to let the device Coming out of the box – in fact, 2023 has been one of the Switch’s strongest years yet.

Just look at the company’s biggest characteristics. This year, we have a new main line Zelda in Kingdom tears And classic Mario Title with Super Mario Bros Wonder. The last time the company released a major Zelda And Super Mario That same year was 2017, which is when the Switch debuted. (Breath of the wild And Super Mario Odyssey Since then, more than 50 million combined copies have been sold.) Kingdom tearsin particular, really feels like it’s pushing the upper limits of what the Switch can do – just look at some of the physics-defying creations players have created within its giant open world.

Super Mario Bros Wonder, meanwhile, is a surprisingly large production considering it’s a 2D side-scroller. Nintendo built a completely new engine for the game and did not give the development team a specific deadline so they could focus on quality. “We wanted to create a game that had more to offer than ever before, so this time, we didn’t set a specific development time period, which is usually set before we start.” A long time ago Mario Developer Takashi Tezuka explained in an interview. “To create something really fun, we decided to take our time and allocate a significant budget to development without having to worry about the production schedule.”

Over the years, the Switch has gone through some relatively quiet periods in terms of big new releases, but this year, Nintendo has really hit schedule. while Mario And Zelda They are clearly a headliner, and the line-up has been embodied in aphorisms Pikmin 4-Recent updates to Advanced warfare And Metroid Primenew Bayonetta And Fire emblem Multiple games Pokemon Versions and experiments such as F-Zero 99and upcoming titles such as WarioWare: Move it! And Super Mario RPG. Six years into the console’s life, its release calendar remains as healthy as ever. And all of this comes during a year in which Nintendo has expanded its horizons outside of gaming as well, becoming a more traditional entertainment company.

Of course, even if a Switch successor launches next year, that won’t be the end right away. Just like the 3DS, the tablet will likely continue to move, albeit more quietly, while the new console finds its place. And there are at least a few first-party games on the horizon for 2024, including… Princess Peach: Showtime! And remake Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door And Another code. Successful Nintendo consoles tend to die slowly and with dignity, and the Switch was certainly successful. It is the second best-selling piece of Nintendo hardware of all time, after the original DS, with sales approaching 130 million units.

In many ways, this may be the most significant console transformation in Nintendo’s history. After the dark days of the Wii U, Nintendo used the Switch to prove that it could offer a unified version of its consoles and handhelds, one that could – despite its weak hardware – find its place among bigger, flashier competitors. Clearly, following up on this will not be easy, especially since consumer expectations have changed dramatically. The difficult switching from one console to another is a thing of the past. Users now expect games and other content to continue when they upgrade.

Historically, this kind of continuity has not been a strong point for Nintendo. I can’t count the number of times I’ve repurchased Super Mario Bros 3 For new devices. But it will be crucial to keeping the Switch’s hard-earned momentum going.

Nintendo is in a great position when it comes to gaming right now, a process that has been a decade in the making after the company merged its development divisions into one cohesive unit focused entirely on the Switch. That was part of the secret sauce behind the Switch and its constant streaming of games. It can help with whatever comes next. But the cyclical nature of video game generations has also proven that success is never guaranteed. Even a runaway hit like the Wii isn’t necessarily a path to continued success.

So, the Switch may very well be released in 2023 – but if Nintendo plays things right, this year should be just the beginning of something much bigger.