Nintendo has done a masterful job ever since they released the Nintendo Switch. For the first time since the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, they have paced their first-party releases and have come out with first-party games consistently, ever since the system launched. This was a major problem with the N64, GameCube, the Wii, and the Wii U, but Nintendo has learned from their mistakes. It seems like there has been a non-stop barrage of high-quality first-party games for over two years now. This trend continues in 2019. After Nintendo’s stellar showing at E3 2019, it seems this trend is continuing once again. As outlined in my live Periscope from E3, Nintendo is coming out with game after game after game this year, all spaced out. The competition (Sony and Microsoft) has next to nothing. Nintendo has won 2019 if not only for the slew of high-quality releases coming out for the rest of the year.
Pokemon is a system seller
Nintendo has five first-party games coming out in the coming months. Super Mario Maker 2 comes out on June 28; Fire Emblem: Three Houses comes out on July 26; Link’s Awakening releases on September 20; Pokemon Sword and Shield release on November 15; and Luigi’s Mansion 3 probably releases in December, in time for the holidays. That’s an incredible lineup! What do Sony and Microsoft have? Sony has Death Stranding in November and Microsoft has Gears 5 in September. That’s it. It’s rather pathetic, if we’re speaking frankly. Nintendo has game after game after game after game. And they’re all spaced out perfectly. Not only that, all of these Switch games are from major franchises. Their release dates are spaced out so evenly; none of them are ports. While Microsoft and Sony seem to have given up on the present, Nintendo is taking advantage of this fact and absolutely killing it.
Link’s Awakening for a brand new generation..
While the Pokemon Sword and Shield E3 demo was a little underwhelming, there’s no doubt it will be an incredible game and there are still so many features we aren’t privy to yet. The Link’s Awaking Nintendo Switch remake was the best playable game on the E3 show floor and will be Nintendo’s surprise game of 20019. Luigi’s Mansion 3 finally puts Luigi back in the spotlight and is a charming puzzle game, which promises to be one of the best Nintendo Switch games to date. Super Mario Maker 2 adds many new elements and takes the series to the next level. Fire Emblem: Three Houses brings the franchise to the Nintendo Switch and from all accounts appears as if it has the potential to be the best Fire Emblem game yet. There’s no contest, regardless of how good a game like Death Stranding may be. It doesn’t hold a candle to Nintendo’s lineup for 2019, and these are only the first-party games.
The biggest surprise at E3
Nintendo’s strategy on the Switch has been masterful. They finally get it. While we have no indication, save Animal Crossing in 2020 (and let’s be honest, there would be no room for it in 2019), for their 2020 slate of games, it has the potential to be as good if not better than 2019. If Breath of the Wild 2 releases next year, hold your hats. This is the second year in a row that Nintendo has dominated, perhaps the third year in a row, and the trend doesn’t seem to be dying anytime soon. As long as Nintendo keeps releasing first-party games so consistently, there aren’t any heights they can’t reach. While Sony and Microsoft are playing for a year-and-a-half to two years down the road, Nintendo is playing for the present. As Nintendo and their brand continue to grow after the abysmal Wii U, Microsoft and Sony are stagnating.
If Nintendo keeps doing what it’s doing, the Nintendo Switch will become one of the most successful, if not the most successful, console of all time. Take that to the bank.