At the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles today, June 12, Nintendo announced a slate of new games for its massively successful new console, the Nintendo Switch. For those on the fence about buying a Switch, the Japanese games company has now given pretty much every possible nudge.
Since its launch, Nintendo has put out a string of truly impressive games. The run started with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the best-reviewed games of all time, and was followed up by new Mario Kart, Super Mario, and Splatoon games that were all excellent additions to their franchises. Nintendo also added some of the most popular games from third-party publishers, including FIFA 18, NBK 2K18, Skyrim, Rocket League, Stardew Valley, and Minecraft.
Late last month, Nintendo announced two new Pokémon games for the Switch, including a fully three-dimensional remake of the original game from 1996. People raised on that game are now old enough to have their own children to get addicted to the monster-catching series.
Today, Nintendo filled in the few remaining holes in the Switch’s repertoire. It announced that Fortnite, the massively popular online battle-royale game, is now available for the console, and will be joined by a host of other new third-party games by the end of the year, including FIFA 19, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Paladins, and Starlink: Battle for Atlas.
It also introduced more original games, based on the same characters that have been gracing its consoles for over 30 years. There’s a new Mario tennis game; a new version of Mario Party, the addictive multiplayer interactive board game that was first released in 1998; a new version of the Fire Emblem role-playing game; and a new Super Smash Bros., the arcade-style fighting game first introduced on the Nintendo 64.
Throughout today’s presentation, Nintendo executives said they had listened to what the company’s fans wanted. For Super Smash Bros., that included adding in every character that’s been available in the series, and adding compatibility for the 17-year-old GameCube controller, a favorite amongst those who play the game at tournaments.
Nintendo has never been one to shy away from its history and the games its customers have loved. You want a new Mario game? You get a new Mario game! You want to play old games online? You get to play old games online! You want to actually buy a new version of the console we made 28 years ago? Sure, why not! You want to play games on smartphones? Well, we’re still working on that one.
It’s a strategy that’s paid off well over the years, especially when paired with innovative new hardware and ways to play. Given how popular the Switch has been in the year since its launch, there’s no reason to believe Nintendo will change anytime soon.