5 Moves Nintendo Needs to Make to Win 2018

Keep a Steady Stream of Announcements

The Nintendo Switch has some serious momentum right now, setting a record as the fastest-selling video game system of all time moving over 4.8 milling units in just 10 months.

If you compare the Switch’s first year lineup to that of the PS4 with and  the Xbox One, it’s clear to see that the Switch just had much stronger first-party content, but not necessarily third-party content. The PS4 and Xbox One still sold quite well in their first year, but Nintendo pushed all their chips into the middle in 2017, and broke sales records because of it.  Now Nintendo needs to make sure they keep that momentum. Part of that means they need to have a healthy stream of announcements throughout the year.

Nintendo wants attention to be on the Switch, constantly. To do this they need to always have something to show fans, something for them to anxiously look forward to. They’ve started well in 2018 with a January Mini Direct announcing The World Ends With You, Mario Tennis Aces, Hyrule Warriors, Dark Souls, and more. Nintendo needs to keep up this pace, giving us a new Direct or announcement at least every few months. By keeping the conversation on the Switch and the games coming to it, Nintendo can dominate the gaming landscape again this year, keeping themselves in the forefront of player’s minds.

Bring Big, Innovative IPs

It was one heck of a first year for the Switch with a wide variety of first-party titles coming to the system, including two strong GOTY candidates. Breath of the Wild, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario+Rabbids, Pokken Tournament DX, Super Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 all hit the system in its first year, among others. They themselves set the bar very high, but Nintendo really needs to try and have just as diverse and impressive of a second year.

So far diversity has been the name of the game on Switch, with everything from the minigame collection of 1-2 Switch to the epic open world adventure Breath of the Wild. There’s truly been something for everyone, and at the moment it looks like first-party for 2018 might have a little trouble meeting that same standard. Kirby: Star Allies and Yoshi, while looking great, are both platformers. However, the recent Nintendo Direct gives us a little more hope. We saw Mario Tennis Aces, Hyrule Warriors, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze all announced for the system, creating more of an assortment for varied tastes.

There are a few big titles to keep an eye on, of course, like Pokemon Switch, Fire Emblem, and Metorid Prime 4. All three of these are unique series that have seen success in recent years. If Nintendo can manage to get any of these three titles out this year it can serve as the big tent pole title of the Fall and Holiday, from which they can expand around with the rest of their software.

There’s also a chance, however, that we could see some surprise announcements for the big Nintendo entries of the year.  We could realistically see the announcement of a new Super Smash Bros., Pikmin, or Animal Crossing at E3 or another event. A few of the biggest Nintendo series are still sitting unused on the Switch, and you know we’re going to see them at some point. 2018 has the makings of another fantastic year for Switch hardware, Nintendo just needs to follow through with it.

Partner Up for More Exclusives and Titles

Two notable titles for Switch last year came from partnerships with third-party developers, in which Nintendo entrusted their own IPs to developers such as Ubisoft. Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle especially wowed Switch owners with a surprisingly robust tactical experience that crossed over Mario and company with Ubisoft’s Rabbid mascots.

Moving forward, partnerships could be a fantastic way for content to thrive on the Switch, with Nintendo helping third parties take a stab at some of their big series. If they were willing to let Ubisoft make a Mario game with guns, it seems like nothing is out of the question at this point. Let some big developer bring back F-Zero or Golden Sun, or let Koei Tecmo tackle another property with the Warriors brand. There’s a ton of possibilities, but the idea applies to more than just Nintendo properties.

Attracting third-party developers to the system with exclusives is also another valuable tactic, and considering the Switch’s momentum at the moment totally possible. Games such as Project Octopath Traveler from Square Enix will be strong pieces for the Switch, allowing third-party exclusives to fill gaps that Nintendo might have on their own release schedule. At the same time, they’ll want to attract as many multiplatform games as possible. This seems to be going fairly well so far with third-party titles like Wolfenstein II, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Dark Souls Remastered, Mega Man 11, and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle all coming to the system. Nintendo is doing an admirable job with the Switch on their own, but third parties are what will really keep the system surging forward long term.

Apps

While the Switch is doing quite well on the software front, there are a couple of key aspects missing from the hybrid system right now. Chief among those are apps. In particular, streaming apps like Netflix and YouTube. In 2018 it seems odd to have a modern device without this sort of functionality, especially something that is portable like the Switch.

Hulu was a great start, but it’s absolutely necessary that the Switch gets some other streaming apps. There’s a lot of potential for other kind of apps to grace the system as well, making the Switch a nifty little system in terms of more than just gaming.

Robust Paid Online Service and Virtual Console

It’s strange to think that the Switch has been out for over eight months at this point, and we still don’t have an online service comparable to that of Xbox Live or PSN. We know a paid online service is on the way, but recent reports say that it could be getting a significant delay. Even if the service doesn’t hit until later, it has the potential to add a lot of value to the system as an overall package.

From what we’ve heard about the service it’s going to cost around $20 a year, a generous price point compared to those from PS4 and Xbox One. In addition to online play, players will get a library of classic games updated with online multiplayer. How exactly this will work and if there’s going to be more included in the service remains to be seen. Ultimately, while the online functionality could potentially add a great new layer to the dynamic of the console, there’s trepidation over their ability to execute that given their inexperience with online systems.

It’s also just as important for Nintendo to brings some form of Virtual Console to the Switch. Virtual Console has been a strong component of Nintendo systems over the years with the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS all sporting huge catalogs of past games from multiple systems. Of course, the thing that everyone wants is a GameCube Virtual Console bringing classics like Super Mario Sunshine, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, and Eternal Darkness to the hybrid console. This is an ideal situation, but realistically any kind of Virtual Console for any system would be a great addition. The promise of being able to take classic games on the go is certainly attractive, and it’s a great way to bolster the Switch’s library even more.