Lacking Major Third-Party Support
By major third-party support, I don’t mean that they need to have these developers or publishers in their corner. Nintendo has already shown some big names that are ready and willing to support the Switch including Take-Two Interactive, EA, Activision, Bethesda, From Software, and Ubisoft (among many others). That’s never been the company’s problem, even the Wii U had some big names behind it after all. The problem is that these third-party entities weren’t bringing their biggest titles to the platform. Ubisoft couldn’t place its major releases on the Wii U so instead opted for smaller exclusives or different versions. After Black Ops II, no other Call of Duty graced the console, instead focusing on the much more powerful PS4 and Xbox One. Destiny, Titanfall, Battlefield, MKX, Metal Gear Solid V, and many more titles released and passed Nintendo over.
The Switch is going to need some of those large, upcoming games. The Mass Effect: Andromedas, the Red Dead Redemptions, the Assassin’s Creeds, if it wants to stand toe to toe with two well-established competitors. Having the name in your corner means nothing if the Switch doesn’t get the flagship games that go along with them. While it’s a great idea to get some smaller exclusives out of the deal, it should always be noted that it’s the blockbusters that these studios and publishers are known for, and it’s time to start taking advantage of that.
