Nintendo in 2023: Will Tears of Kingdoms be the Switch’s last big cheer?

According to some “insiders” who did not want to disclose their sources, there are rumors in the industry that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be the last “significant” game nintendo switchWhether or not these whispers are true (or simply represent the ego of some long-time Twitter users who can’t ignore a little delicious, calorie-free influence), it raises an interesting question: Nintendo in 2023 and beyond?

The Nintendo Switch launched way back in 2017 — almost six years ago at the time of writing. According to a new report from Digital Foundry, Nintendo is no longer committed to the Switch Pro and is instead focusing on a proper full-featured next-gen console. This claim was corroborated by other industry names.

“I heard that after Zelda, Nintendo hasn’t released a major game for a long time,” Industry analyst Chris Drin saidg GamesIndustry.biz. “As far as I know, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo starts talking about new hardware in 2024,” VGC boss Andy Robinson said. If these comments are to be believed (though neither of them submitted them to articles on their respective sites, both Dring and Robinson are well-respected gaming media veterans) it appears that Tear of Kingdoms is really going to be a Nintendo Switch— — This leaves us with some questions.

The most notable question behind these reveals concerns Metroid Prime 4. It’s been more than 15 years since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption launched on the Nintendo Wii, and fans of the series are clamoring for more (especially after the incredibly well-received Metroid Dread is making waves in 2021) . The long-troubled Metroid Prime 4 is said to be a pivotal chapter in Samus Aran’s first-person adventure, bringing her shenanigans to a final and decisive end.

However, since the announcement of Metroid Prime 4 in 2017, platform holders have remained silent on the game. What we do know is that things haven’t been easy for the game, which more or less rebooted from the ground up in 2019. The game clearly fell short of the lofty standards Nintnedo had come to expect from its first-party titles (tell that to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet…) and Shinya Takahashi issued an apology, noting that the project had been handed over to Retro Studios, a company that A development agency with a proven track record on Nintendo flagships.

“It’s going to be a long road, and the development time is going to be long, until the next time we’re able to update you on development progress,” Takahashi explains in a video. There’s an interesting word there: “extensive.” Even in 2019, does it look like Metroid Prime 4 could really miss an entire Switch generation and be the signature launch of whatever Nintendo comes next? In 2021, Nintendo reiterated that the game has no actual release window – why is that?

Well, the stars might be getting ready for a Nintendo Switch slump. The latest sales update we got from the publisher showed a whopping 114 million console hardware sales for the base model, Lite, and OLED versions. At the time, software sales on the device were also approaching 1 billion (almost certainly breaking that lofty barrier during the holiday season). That makes the Switch Nintnedo’s best-selling home console of all time.

But it’s not all rosy. In November, Nintendo said hardware sales were “down 19% year-over-year,” with shortages of semiconductors and other components considered a big problem for the company. The Switch has been hugely successful, but it’s nearing saturation point — going from wanton success to half-baked follow-up is probably something Nintendo doesn’t want to do anymore. With the GameCube’s faltering launch, it lost huge market share, and the Wii U was a total failure. If Nintendo wants to keep the momentum going, it needs to get the timing, feature set, and appeal of its next console just right.

So, what does this mean for the average consumer and Switch owner in 2023? In addition to Zelda, there are also some semi-large versions worth looking forward to. Alex tells us that Fire Emblem: Engage will be another solid entry in the series, while Pikmin 4 promises some macro delight later this year (in theory). Beyond that, the Switch will continue to be a home for third-party and indie titles…but you might want to temper your expectations for the other big titles coming to the platform in the next 12 months.

Do you think we’ll see Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp? Because I don’t.