It’s only early November, but it’s easy to call it: Nintendo has won holiday 2019. It’s not even close. Although Sony came out with Hideo Kojima’s alleged “masterpiece”, Death Stranding, it’s divisive among critics and fans alike. What was once believed to be the best game to come out this year is anything but. IGN gave the game a mere 6.8, claiming it was nothing more than a series of glorified fetch quests. They aren’t wrong. Norman Reedus’s character appears to be a Fed Ex delivery man, traversing a ravaged world. Nintendo, however, has put out three top-notch games three months in a row, including a brand new system, the Nintendo Switch Lite.
Link’s Awakening was the first-holiday title to come out for the Nintendo Switch, releasing in late September. It was a masterpiece and a wonderful re-imagining of the original GameBoy game. Not only that, but it is the fastest-selling Switch game in Europe of 2019. Early sales are indicative of potential holiday sales, and Nintendo President Furukawa has stated that there is a very high attach rate with the Nintendo Switch Lite and Link’s Awakening, much like with Breath of the Wild and the original Nintendo Switch. Considering new consoles tend to sell very well during the holiday season, and the fact that Link’s Awakening was originally a portable game, both are poised to sell incredibly well. And this is only a small portion of the quality products Nintendo has/is releasing for the holidays. While Sony and Microsoft don’t have much in terms of quality or quantity to drive holiday sales, Nintendo does. This is why Nintendo has already won Holiday 2019.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is another high-quality title Nintendo has released, this time on Halloween, one month after the release of Link’s Awakening. The genius part of this is that Nintendo is spacing out their releases, allowing each one their time to shine, and then during the holidays sales will explode. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is also selling incredibly well, topping the UK sales chart, among others. While Luigi usually plays second-fiddle to Mario, he’s front and center in this game and it appears to be the best game in the Luigi’s Mansion franchise. Nintendo has pushed this game hard marketing-wise, and there’s no doubt that its success will carry over to the holidays.
Pokemon Sword and Shield is the most anticipated Nintendo game(s) of the year. Despite the controversy over old Pokemon being left out, make no mistake: this game is a system seller. Fans have been waiting for these games since the launch of the Nintendo Switch. Even longer than that, gamers have wanted a home-console mainline Pokemon game. Their wishes are finally coming true. And, if you buy a Nintendo Switch Lite, you’ll have the classic portable experience (and you can on the OG Nintendo Switch as well) that has dominated the Pokemon franchise for 23 years. Not only that, but it will drive sales not only for the Nintendo Switch but also for the Nintendo Switch Lite, which is already seeing incredible sales, with 1.95 million units on store shelves in a mere two weeks after launch. Pokemon, and better yet all of these games, not only focus on fun but are for players of all ages. You cannot say that about Sony and Microsoft, or even third-party games such as Modern Warfare (which is wonderful by the way, but we’re only looking at first-party titles.)
With three games and one new console, Nintendo has set themselves up to not only win holiday 2019, but dominate it. Many people play the Nintendo Switch simply for the portable aspect of it, and given the lower price point of the Switch Lite, it will sell like hotcakes, which it is already doing. Both Link’s Awakening and Pokemon are traditionally portable games, which will help drive sales of both Nintendo’s new Switch iteration but the software in turn as well. There will be a reciprocal relationship. No company can match Nintendo’s quality this holiday, not even with various bundles and whatnot, which Nintendo will undoubtedly have as well. This isn’t bias, it’s an undeniable fact. While Sony and Microsoft are winding down for the launch of their new consoles, Nintendo is ramping things up and wants the Switch to sell for as long as possible.
No other company can match Nintendo’s first-party quality and their marketing strategy for the holidays this year. This is why they will dominate. With three high-quality games, a new iteration of the Nintendo Switch, in addition to the original Nintendo Switch which many will purchase simply for Pokemon, Nintendo has all the momentum moving forward.