In recent memory, Nintendo hasn’t revealed a full year as of January 1st.
I’ve had a great sense of déjà vu lately. “Nintendo has nothing this year!” “Switch will be barren after May.” “We only know 5 games Nintendo will bring to Switch!”
Such sentiments permeate Nintendo’s discourse every time the calendar changes years. There is a massive panic about what Nintendo has to offer as people feel uneasy about the lack of known games. For 2023, four of his games are known whose release dates dot the first five months of the year. Fire Emblem Engage hits January 20th, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe launches February 24th, Bayonetta Origins launches March 17th, big ones – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was set on May 12th. 2023 is a vague one.It’s been confirmed for 2023.Beyond that, there’s hope for Metroid Prime 4 and Advance Wars on Nintendo’s ledger.
But here’s the problem. This kind of knowledge is basically the yearly standard for Switch. Technically, at the beginning of 2017, there were no known Switch games other than Breath of the Wild, but by the time Nintendo’s full-scale announcement in mid-January 2017, 2017 I was well aware of my schedule. But beyond the console’s debut year, we start each year with more details months ahead, with plenty of surprises looming over the course of Nintendo Directs throughout the year.
Looking back on 2018, it has become a year where we only know things in the near future, such as Dragon Quest Builders, Bayonetta 1 and 2, and Kirby Star Allies. All of these games were released by the end of his March. I also knew about Octopath Traveler. That was it. Labo, which launched in April of that year, had an unknown start that year. The spring releases of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Mario Tennis Aces all rolled out on Direct Minis in late January. I think we technically knew Sushi Striker was a game, but it wasn’t until 2018 that it was revealed that we would be getting his Switch version in addition to his 3DS version announced in 2017. It was late in the year. Holiday knows his release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon Let’s Go.
2019 was a similar story, with very few games known to start the year: New Super Mario Bros. U and Yoshi’s Crafted World were both known. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 and his Fire Emblem: Three Houses (which won’t hit until summer) were also known. Luigi’s Mansion 3 was revealed on Nintendo Direct last fall. But beyond that? For those of you who didn’t know about Super Mario Maker 2, let’s start 2019! , but the game itself wasn’t officially announced or named until 2019.
2020 was a high level of mystery (or a low level of knowledge?) in terms of Nintendo’s year-long lineup, and this was before the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the course of the year. Here’s what we knew to get started: Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be released in the first few months, and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition will be released some time later. that’s it. I didn’t even know about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, which will be released in March 2020, until 2020 began. Paper Mario: The Origami King, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Mario Kart Live, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity were all mysteries that started in 2020, but all ended up releasing in that year. (and Super Mario 3D 2021 unannounced All-Stars).
Like the previous year, 2020, 2021 had minimal knowledge. His three games launched in 2021 were Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Bravely Default 2, and the new Pokémon Snap. I didn’t know the NES Detective Club remake was coming west yet, I didn’t know about Skyward Sword HD or WarioWare: Get It Together, Metroid Dread or Mario Party Superstars. We still had plenty of time left with no idea what Nintendo’s New Year’s Eve lineup would be.
I hope 2022 will be a fresher year, but I was surprised myself that the year started without knowing that Xenoblade Chronicles 3, for example, was coming out in July. I didn’t know Nintendo Switch Sports (April release) existed. Live-A-Live was still a little-known Super Nintendo game 12 months ago. I knew about Pokemon Legends Arceus, Triangle Operation, Kirby and the Forgotten Lands. I also knew Splatoon 3 and Bayonetta 3.
That takes us to 2023. We don’t know a lot about what will happen as Nintendo ages.Advance Wars 1+2: Reboot Camp may finally be here. Maybe F-Zero is back (let’s go Captain Falcon Yakuza!). Perhaps Metroid Prime is showing signs of life. what is that mario doing? Of course, I also want to play the sequel to Mario Odyssey.
So it is now January 6, 2023. Years await, starting with Fire Emblem, Kirby, Bayonetta, and Zelda. Beyond that, we’ll probably have more clarity in the coming weeks. And finally, more clarity with a few surprises to round out the year. Nintendo keeps things close to its chest. Hang out and enjoy the ride. Keep calm and keep playing. Stop worrying about big event releases after Zelda and let whatever floats in your boat wash over you. I don’t know how to play have fun.
