Nintendo's Past and Future
There is a lot to look forward to in 2020, two new consoles are on the horizon, which means new titles for them, but as we get to the tail end of the two they are replacing, games are getting bigger and bolder, as developers have learnt how to leverage all the power and technical know-how from them, to craft worlds the demand to be enjoyed. So, let’s take a look at what we have to look forward to for 2020 from Nintendo.
In 2019 Nintendo was the dominate company, out of the three consoles makers, they released the most games, even if you add the other two together and they kept growing. But while the other two were able to focus on their next hardware, all Nintendo was able to bring to market was the Switch Lite, a less transformative version of the popular Switch and while that did well, the games is what Nintendo excelled at in 2019.
Perhaps the first game to be released in 2019 was from Nintendo, with Fitness Boxing making the jump to Switch, it was aimed at people who wanted a different way of staying fit, by combining boxing and music together. A week later, Nintendo would release one of the last 3DS games and certainly their last in the series with Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey and on Switch New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe would release.
It was perhaps the next title that saw a shift for the house of Mario as they released their first Nintendo Switch Online exclusive title, Tetris 99, a very unique Tetris experience as it was you and 98 other players, all battling to see who would win. Kirby got another shot on 3DS with Extra Epic Yarn in March, but it was the end of the month that saw the crafted world of Yoshi that took the place of the most creative title of the month. April saw the second entry into the VR space for Nintendo, with Labo VR and while selling well enough, the rest of the year saw no new Labo kits announced, May though saw not a single release from the Big N.
June was a double punch of icons as we got a new Zelda game and a new Mario game, at least sort of, Super Mario Maker 2 was released at the end of June and just after E3 2019, Cadence of Hyrule was released, making this the first indie Zelda title. But it was July where things picked up for the company, the release of Dr Mario World on mobile saw another beloved series get a new spin, thanks to the touch only devices, but it was the two hits in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 The Black Order and Fire Emblem Three Houses that saw the Switch sore to the top of the charts.
Late August saw the latest from Platinum Games come through, with Astral Chain being praised by both fans and critics and then only a few weeks later, the mech action title Daemon X Machina was released. The week after, just seven days later, saw The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening release for the Switch, taking the 1993 Game Boy classic, remade for the modern generation and it did a fantastic job. Only a few days later though, Mario Kart went mobile, or at least appear on mobile phones, it has been portable for a while and Mario Kart Tour has split people, some love the gameplay, but hate the gatcha mechanics and some think it is a shallow experience across the board. Only a few days after Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo published the Switch version of Dragon Quest XI S, which saw some decent sales, but there was no slowing down.
October saw two different ways to move your body, Ring Fit Adventure was the latest attempt from Nintendo to have people exercise and it seems to be working, as there have been issues keeping the game in stock ever since. The other way was through some scares as October 31, Halloween, saw the release of Luigi’s Mansion 3, which was sans any mansions but full of fun. November only saw the one title in the little game of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, which quickly started selling better than any other game in the series.
2019 was a massive year for Nintendo, the latest entries in the world of Pokemon saw many people get excited all over again, The Legend of Zelda proved that the classic formula still works and new titles like Astral Chain and Daemon X Machina showed that Nintendo is more than just Mario and co.
2020 though is shaping up to be an odd one, we have a game in just a few weeks with Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore and then Animal Crossing: New Horizons in March, but everything else is up in the air.
Bravely Default II was announced at The Game Awards 2019 for a 2020 release, but there is no word on when that might come, given its recent announcement though, the second half of the year is way more likely, unless it is much further along than anyone thought. The other title we know is coming this year is Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, which brings the Wii title to the Switch, complete with overhauled visuals and tweaks and that, at least for now, is where we leave the realm of the known.
The main development arm of Nintendo is the Entertainment Planning & Development, which sounds cool, but what does it mean. Years ago, they used to be known as EAD (Entertainment Analysis & Development) and there were numbered teams within, those teams would be responsible for a series or two, for example Mario Kart was lead by one team, while Zelda was done by another and very rarely did the two meet. The teams that created Mario Kart 8 were busy in 2017 with the release of Deluxe and ARMS, but have been quiet since, so a title from them this year is not out of the question, but is it Mario Kart 9?
With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sales showing no signs of stopping, it is a likely no, but also still possible, a new title would make many of those 19 million Deluxe owners, buy a new game, which given the popularity of the series is easy money. Another title that saw release in 2017 was Splatoon 2 and while major development has been stopped on that for a bit, the amount of developers working on that content would not have been anywhere near the full team. That leaves those two teams with time to spare, so something new from them is likely, what is the question, Splatoon 3 is unlikely, it is just too soon for it and as the game is more about the multiplayer, rather than the single player, seems that it would just cannibalize their existing player base.
Of course, the three titles that we know are being developed are Bayonetta 3, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4 and they can be listed in terms of release this year as most likely, hugely doubtful and not a snowballs chance, in that order. Bayonetta 3 was a game we saw at The Game Awards in 2017 and since then, we have heard nothing, except for some random tweets from Kamiya of Platinum Games, saying it is still coming, given that the studio has seen Astral Chain out the door, any development on Bayonetta 3 should see an increase, with staff becoming available. Breath of the Wild 2 was only announced as being developed at E3 2019, so a release this year, could happen, if the team started as soon as main development of the previous game wrapped. Given that it appears to at some point take place in the world of Hyrule that we left behind, that would speed up dev time, but as the castle begins to fly, there is honestly no telling where it will end up, which means that the amount of new content could be upwards of 90%. In addition, Zelda games are always delayed, at least the big budget console releases are, so even if it was due out this year, it would likely slip.
The other game is Metroid Prime 4, a game that saw its development restarted at the beginning of 2019 and developing duties shift from whoever had it, back to Retro Studios, the developers of the others. Given that Nintendo released a statement indicating that the development restarted, something they almost never comment on, the odds of it shipping in 2020 is so unlikely, that Half Life 3 is more likely (side note, that aint coming either) We might see something of it at E3 2020, but that will be something early and will likely be the only thing we get for a while.
Outside of those three, there are some other characters that could see a game release this year, first up is Mario, there is a chance we see a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey, depending on what approach they take. If they go the numbered sequel route, then it could come together in the two years it has been since we got Odyssey. The problem is that we rarely get direct sequels the last time that happened was with the Mario Galaxy series and before that, on the NES with Super Mario Bros 3. There is also the Kirby team to think about, they released Kirby Star Allies for Switch, most games starting the little pink guy are quickly made, so seeing another one this year is quite probable.
We are also approaching two years for both Mario Tennis Aces and Super Mario Party, so odds are we might see Mario hit the greens with a new golf game or a sequel to Mario Party and given how well the last one sold, it would be nothing but easy money. It has been a while since Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was released, but Monolith are busy with the Definitive Edition of the original game, so don’t expect 3 or even X 2 this year.
There is so much we don’t know about 2020 for Nintendo, which has been a theme throughout most of these articles, but if there is one company that you should never count out it is Nintendo. From the few games we know are coming, the year is off to a great start, but as they proved once again last year with the release of The Stretchers, a game we know nothing about might release the day it is announced. While the other two console makers are busy creating new games for their new boxes, Nintendo are in the spot being able to just craft new games, how it all plays out is totally up in the air for now, but hopefully we get another great year.
