The lesser issue of 2020 could be Nintendo’s newly discovered reluctance to exaggerate its games, but it’s still worth taking a moment to recognize how unusual, and even potentially positive, this situation is.
Right now, last year, Nintendo Switch owners could count on at least one Switch game only per month, from July to November.
Nintendo had just released an exclusive game (July 19 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3), with another (July 26 Fire Emblem: the three houses) scheduled for the end of the month. So you could plan a new game in August (Astral chain), one in September (The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening; two if you count a port of Dragon Quest XI), one in October (Luigi’s Mansion 3; with an exclusive surprise from the second October, Ring Fit Adventure, announced later in the year), and one for November (Pokémon Sword and Shield)
In contrast, Switch owners are flying blind in the second half of 2020. Switch saw only one exclusive release this month (July 17. Paper Mario: The Origami King) And announced for the coming months? Still nothing, aside from some general idea that external development No more heroes 3 Bravely Default II It will be out this year.
That is really strange. For years, Nintendo, a company that specializes in selling the future based on memories of the past, conditioned its fans to wait for a direct presentation from Nintendo every two months or so, using those digital events to perpetually plan the next few months of releases. But directions have been scarce since last september, and Nintendo skipped the opportunity to make its annual E3 presentation of the second half of the lineup this year. Without E3, without showcase. Nintendo has not made a Direct to present its own games since March. Monday’s new “mini” Direct only showed games from other companies.
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This is not a bad thing, really. Arguably this is a very healthy situation for a population of gamers accustomed to constantly selling upcoming games. We really don’t need to know much about what’s to come next, do we? There are countless games worth playing and discussing. Possibly there are even more games to access in all of our arrears. Now is an opportunity to participate with the games that we already have in front of us, without the distraction of the theoretical games that are months away.
Also, there is the pandemic. Nintendo management indicated that it is adapting to working conditions from home and is working well in the short term, at least. Earlier this summer, Nintendo head of game development Shinya Takahashi said, “While product development is somewhat delayed in some areas due to the impact of covid-19, planned game releases for this fiscal year are currently unaffected. . However, if the impact of covid-19 continues or becomes more severe, we may not be able to launch future titles in line with existing plans. ”
The ethical thing to do here, of course, is accept any delay and refrain from rushing workers to make games faster at the risk of their health.
That’s not to say that this lapse in communication isn’t a little odd, especially since Nintendo probably does know if New Pokémon Snap will come out this year, or if / when the rumored Mario games collection I’ll be out. And you probably also know if you’re falling behind on certain projects, and you may have to change some existing dates.
But here’s the other thing: Nintendo has already released many games this year. In the first half of 2019, Nintendo and its Pokemon the partners released six Switch exclusives during the months of January, March, April and June. This year, eight games were released, nine if you count Jump Rope Challenge, a small game that Nintendo says its developers kicked while working from home. In other words, even without Directs, Nintendo has delivered so far.
I get it. People want distractions during these miserable times, and a Nintendo Direct showing fun and future games could be a joyous and momentary escape for many of us. It would even be helpful to have a few dates to look forward to, just as we’d all love to know when this pandemic nightmare will subside. We will get there eventually.
For now, it’s probably best not to overdo it on an uncertain future, and if you have a gaming system with a game worth playing, focus on that brilliance in the present. Nintendo will return to hype mode soon.
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