I wonder what next year holds for Nintendo?
There are a few ports that would be welcomed by many (Smash, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 1&2, Super Mario 3D World) and a few that may work but would need some pretty major reworking controls wise that make me think they wouldn’t bother (Starfox Zero, Mario Maker, Pikmin 3).
There have been vague hints that the Animal Crossing mobile app may work with a Switch tie in and we know long term that a new Fire Emblem, Pokemon RPG and Metroid Prime are in development, but they’ll all be late 2018 if not 2019.
So… yeah… many of the big franchises are taken care of. Kirby and Yoshi will arrive mid 2018 I imagine but be of niche interest and Miyamoto said that Pikmin 4 was finished in an interview a year or so back, so that may come out.
But could be a tough year for Nintendo to muster the same energy that they have this year, meaning third party support will be more important than ever.
What else is there that would get a big reaction?
A Majora’s Mask-esque prequel / sequel to BOTW using the same world but incorporating a completely new story. Could those ruined castles be fully vibrant towns with new enemies to go hunting with the Guardians at your side? Could it deal with the rise of Ganon?
Super Mario World 2. Or 3 if you count Yoshi’s Island as 2. I’ve felt the 2D Mario games have needed a visual update for years. Never liked the NSMB styling. I think this would be a big, easy win for them.
A new IP from Retro Studios. They’ve been dormant for years. Would love to see something new. Seeing the way that the characters now gel in Smash, MK8 and the costumes in Odyssey make me wonder if a full on, Nintendo RPG could work. Nintendo land launches at Universal Studios, is there a tie in game with that? They’ve put the mechanics into BOTW and Odyssey now - could Inklings, Diddy Kong, Mario and Zelda share a universe?
F-Zero. Been talked about for years. Fans want it. Sales have always been terrible. But I think that it may get a look in this generation…
Mario Odyssey DLC: Luigi’s Mansion expansion. Yoshi’s Island. Galaxy orbs. Water-based Sunshine themes.
Virtual Console launch. Obvious winner, but should generate a huge volume of new titles easily.
Collaboration with other people. Worked well on Hyrule Warriors and Rabbids. Could Nintendo and Sega work together to resurrect F-Zero GX? Could they give Wave Race to Shinen?
Starfox Adventures 2. Got slated, but a game where you go and explore the universe? Could be cool.
What do you think? Is it possible for Nintendo to recreate this year or do you see next year as some solid ports, third party titles with the odd nice Nintendo title before an epic holiday season and 2019?