It’s fairly early in the year to be making that declaration, but look at what Nintendo has coming out this year. It doesn’t even matter if there’s no Mario or Zelda. Pokemon will sell both hardware and software. Super Smash Bros. is one of the most anticipated games on the system. With their combination, not even Sony can take down the Big ‘N, regardless of their more-than-stellar lineup.
Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu & Eevee
Pokemon is a guaranteed system seller. While the two newest titles in the Pokemon franchise not being traditional per se, many are questioning the direction of the games. Make no mistake about it: they will sell. And they will sell systems. Pokemon fans have been starved of a new entry in the series and Pikachu & Eevee takes everything back to the beginning. Returning to Kanto is a rebirth for the series. A much-needed rebirth and hopefully reinvention.
According to VGChartz, Pokemon Sun & Moon sold roughly 15 million units. That’s all you really need to know about the series’ popularity. With the nostalgic return to Kanto and the integration with Pokemon GO, Pokemon! Let’s Go is going to a massive success for Nintendo’s hybrid console.
Super Smash Bros. Switch
Super Smash Bros. represents everything that is excellent about Nintendo. All of the beloved characters and franchises reside in this special world. What’s more than that is there are some players, like Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, who has been given the honor to inhabit the same world. There is nothing else like it in gaming: a platformer-like fighting game where all your favorite characters from all your favorite franchises are there for the picking. Not only that, it’s a lot of fun.
The Smash games are legendary and sell incredibly well. Many enthusiasts of the franchise, similar to Pokemon enthusiasts, will wait until a new game is about to come out before buying a system, for the single purpose of playing Smash or Pokemon. There is nothing like it. Take both of these games and release them in the span of a few months and Nintendo comes out the clear winner, both from a software-sales perspective and a hardware-sales perspective.
2018 is Nintendo’s for the Taking
Both Pokemon and Smash in one year is enormous. Despite the incredible games Sony’s releasing in the second half of this year, they still won’t come close to competing with the likes of Smash and Pokemon at once. The release of Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! & Eevee! will propel the Nintendo Switch to much higher heights, and Smash will put it over the top.
It will be interesting to see exactly how much Nintendo will sell this year compared to last year, but it may bar harder to find a Switch this year than it was last year, especially considering how intense Pokemon fans are. Smash Bros. fans are the same. Even though this year is more of a down year software-wise for the Switch than last, Nintendo is still able to keep the engine running, with Super Smash Bros. Switch and Pokemon: Let’s Go in 2018. The ironic thing is despite everything else coming out on other platforms, Nintendo is still able to provide those one or two magical experiences that everyone has to own.