Nintendo's first half of 2018: How bad is it?

[Kai_Mao]

It all depends on perspectives. I can see why some are upset with Switch's first half output with no big AAA title released and only Labo, Kirby, and Mario Tennis being the new Nintendo games along with a decent amount of Wii U ports. However, as we have seen in sales, games like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Bayonetta 2 are benefiting from the Switch effect because they are selling at better rates than they ever had on Wii U. And, ultimately, whether people like it or not, Labo did well within Nintendo's expectations as reported and will see more content and become add-ons for past and future games moving forward so congrats to Sakaguchi, director of Splatoon 1, and his team.

Personally, I've played so much on my Switch this year, even over PS4 despite the PS4 having the God of Wars, the Monster Hunters, and the Detroits of the world. I've played Fortnite, Kirby, Paladins, Sushi Strikers, and I'm still working on Xenoblade 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion, and other games I've bought late in 2017. Where I am in life, I don't have time to play 24/7 and buying 10-20 games every 3 months like some are possibly doing in these forums (over exaggerated, I know). I also just got Octopath Traveler, Ys VIII, and I want to get Mario Tennis Aces sometime later. Smash, DBFZ, and Pokemon Let's Go will definitely take a lot of my time later in the year.

Could Nintendo have done better in planning their games? Sure. But it all depends on where their respective games are in terms of development. Why is Smash Bros. releasing so late in the year? Who knows, but there's possibly a reason as Sakurai is probably one who wants to get things done in a quality manner and he's one of the hardest workers in the gaming industry so who am I to question him and his team planning for a December release? Sometimes games need a little more time in the oven. That's why games like Uncharted 4 and Horizon got delayed for the PS4, things can happen. Based on what we saw from Fire Emblem Three Houses, it appears it needed more time since its a more ambitious project than what IS have developed for the franchise in the past so they rescheduled for a Spring 2019 release. Plus, Nintendo has reported that there's more to announce for the Fall and beyond.