The year 2017 was without a doubt the year Nintendo reclaimed its throne as the leading powerhouse of the video game industry. This is all thanks to the March release of the Nintendo Switch, which was one of the most sought-after pieces of technology of the year. The Nintendo Switch even received recognition from Time Magazine as one of the top gadgets that consumers should buy. Selling almost as many units as the Wii U’s lifetime sales within a year of its release, the Nintendo Switch is truly revitalizing the Nintendo Brand.
There are, however, some things that Nintendo could possibly do to further the success of the Nintendo Switch.
One of the biggest things that Nintendo fans feel that gaming powerhouse should do is discontinue the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS handheld systems. While the Nintendo 3DS family have seen a huge amount of success since its 2011 release, there are a lot of people who think that it is hindering the development of the Nintendo Switch. While Nintendo has recently revealed plans to release two brand new games, “Kirby: Star Allies” and “Mario Tennis: Aces” a majority of the games that were recently announced to be coming to the Nintendo Switch are remasters of games that released in the past. Nintendo fans can’t help but think that if the 3DS was discontinued, Nintendo would have more time, money, and manpower to produce new entries for the Nintendo Switch.
Another major thing that Nintendo needs to is release at least one more major franchise on top of the games confirmed to be released. While Nintendo’s miniature Nintendo Direct on the 17th of January confirmed that both “Kirby: Star Allies” and “Mario Tennis: Aces” would be hitting the Switch in 2018, a lot of Nintendo fans found the event very underwhelming. Releasing another major Nintendo franchise such as a “Super Smash Brothers” entry or the highly anticipated “Metroid Prime 4” would truly allow Nintendo to dominate 2018. Considering that both Sony and Microsoft each have a decent amount of exclusive titles set to release in 2018, Nintendo needs to release as many major games as possible to stand out.
Nintendo also needs to make an effort to get the highly anticipated Virtual Console up and running. The Virtual Console alongside the Nintendo Switch hardware would allow veteran gamers to play the Nintendo franchises that they played growing up on a high-resolution display or on the go, a luxury that only the Nintendo Switch can provide. It is understandable that Nintendo wants to take the time to make sure that the virtual console is flawless, getting it up and running in 2018 would really give Nintendo the competitive edge.
Streaming applications is another area that Nintendo may want to focus on. While the Nintendo Switch already has a Hulu app a lot of Nintendo Switch owner are curious when and if they will see more streaming applications, specifically a Netflix and YouTube application. With Nintendo wanting to sell 130 million Nintendo Switch units by 2022, according to The Know, Nintendo needs to make an effort to honor provided more streaming options.
It is beginning to look as if 2018 will be one of the biggest years for the current generation of gaming. There are tons of new and innovative video games such as “Days Gone” for the PlayStation 4, “Sea of Thieves” for the Xbox One, and “Mario Tennis: Aces” for the Nintendo Switch that are leaving gamers overwhelmed with anticipation. With the three major gaming powerhouses hard at work, one can only wonder which will be the king of 2018. As long as Nintendo provided as much content as possible, there is no doubt that the Nintendo Switch will dominate 2018.
