Since 1996, Nintendo has struggled with getting third party games on their systems. Even for as big as the Wii was, it wasn't big on getting some of the bigger titles that made it to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The question on the Switch is still in the air. It has done decently since its debut in March, but the concern will be if there are games beyond the Big N that can make it to the portable/home console hybrid.
In the midst of this, Bethesda announced plans for a few of their latest titles to make it to the Switch. Doom, one of the bigger hits last year, is expected to come out late this year. Continuing into 2018, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will be one of the new titles that will release in year 2 for the system. I think this is very important since these are titles, while not as big as other games, that can be high quality and give people a reason to feel confident in their new system. Bethesda is pretty confident. They are putting their eggs into Nintendo's basket. The last time these two series made it to any of their systems was 2002 with Doom II on the Game Boy Advance and since 1995 with Doom on the Super Nintendo.
To keep this in mind, Bethesda has developed games for Nintendo systems going back to the NES days, but it's such a small number (only two games for NES, nothing after that until the DS) and not much was seen in the last ten years in terms of support. With these two franchises and an Elder Scrolls port on the way, it could pave the way for other companies following suit and make it more than just a first party box. It could also give the company another avenue for profit considering how much they have grown since the first Elder Scrolls game on DOS in early 1994. Could something like Fallout 4 make it to the Switch? Who knows. The possibilities are there.
Shifting gears, Rockstar is one of those companies that early on gave Nintendo support with some games on the Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Game Boy line. However, they have mostly gravitated to Sony and Microsoft systems for their big titles. There have been a few surprises like Manhunt 2 making it to the Wii, but overall, they haven't warmed up to the Big N. I doubt this will be a confident changer to bring stuff like GTA V, but it is support. Coming out in November will be their crime thriller, L.A. Noire. The 2011 game that had a lengthy development time (started in 2004) is also going to come out on PS4, and Xbox One at the same time. It is the first big title, even though a port, for a Nintendo home console since 2008 with a port of Bully, and since 09 with GTA: Chinatown Wars on the DS.
I think this speaks a lot to Rockstar looking at how well the Switch has done. Typically, they are more of going towards the PlayStation and Xbox brands. It's very evident with Red Dead, GTA, The Warriors. They've been with these two since the original PlayStation and Xbox systems. They are not going to take a huge risk, but it's still in the air on whether this will convince Rockstar will continue with support for the Switch. It is going to be a little more expensive, but not much. Forty dollars is what it will be digitally, but getting a cartridge will be 50. There hasn't been a cartridge based system since the 64 and before this, all Nintendo handhelds have been cart based. With a new developer handling the port since Team Bondi shut down in the fall of 2011, it will be very intriguing to see where this lands in terms of critical and commercial success.
Nintendo has certainly got companies coming to them. Getting games from big and small developers and publishers so far in 2017 has gotten them off to a decent start. Combined with some of the big name titles like Mario Odyssey coming out this fall, it could be the year that they recover from the dreadful era of the Wii U. They can't let their foot off the gas. If they can continue to be aggressive and fully advertise and market the Switch and games for it, it will give the world a reason to like the Big N as a home console manufacturer.
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