TheMisterManGuy on 16 November 2023
2017 was a massive year for Nintendo. After years of languishing behind with a failing Wii U and an aging Nintendo 3DS, the Big N made a massive comeback that very few saw coming with the release of the Nintendo Switch. The Switch exploded on to the scene on March 3rd launching with the long delayed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which eventually won 2017 Game of the Year, and following it was a steady stream of other hit titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, Super Mario Odyssey, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
I think what doesn't get talked about enough though, was how well calculated Nintendo went about planning the Switch's debut year in terms of establishing what the Switch is and demonstrating its versitile appeal to developers and consumers. If you pay attention to each of Nintendo's own first party releases in 2017, you'll recognize that each game or pair of games were made to showcase a different use of the Switch's tech.
Almost all of Nintendo's releases for Switch that year were deliberately designed to show both consumers and third party developers what you can do with the Switch hardware. This had been Nintendo's playbook for attracting third parties to their hardware in the past, such as the Nintendo DS only taking off once it got Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS, and Brain Age, or the Wii being bundled with Wii Sports. But the Switch was arguably the best execution of that concept. Especially since third party support for the Switch was initially rather lukewarm. Understandably so coming off the Wii U flop and less-than-expected 3DS sales. But Nintendo also smartly leveraged the support they had at the time to give the Switch a unique appeal from other consoles. Securing big games like Rocket League and Minecraft. Ports of games like Skyrim and Doom 2016, exclusives like Octopath Traveler, and multi-platform AA titles like Puyo Puyo Tetris.
Considering how the Switch is now Nintendo's second best selling game platform of all time and how it managed to have some of the best third party support a Nintendo system has had in years, It's safe to say the gamble paid off.
I think what doesn't get talked about enough though, was how well calculated Nintendo went about planning the Switch's debut year in terms of establishing what the Switch is and demonstrating its versitile appeal to developers and consumers. If you pay attention to each of Nintendo's own first party releases in 2017, you'll recognize that each game or pair of games were made to showcase a different use of the Switch's tech.
- BotW and XBC2 showed how the Switch can make big AAA console experiences enjoyable on the go
- 1-2 Switch showcased the features of the Joy-Con Controllers
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Snipperclips showcased Tabletop mode and the Joy-Con's out of the box 2-player support
- Snipperclips also demonstrated how easy the Switch was to develop for
- ARMS and Mario Odyssey show how the Joy-Con's motion controls and HD Rumble can be used in more traditional style games (while also supporting button controls)
- Splatoon 2 showed the system's Local Wireless functionality
Almost all of Nintendo's releases for Switch that year were deliberately designed to show both consumers and third party developers what you can do with the Switch hardware. This had been Nintendo's playbook for attracting third parties to their hardware in the past, such as the Nintendo DS only taking off once it got Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS, and Brain Age, or the Wii being bundled with Wii Sports. But the Switch was arguably the best execution of that concept. Especially since third party support for the Switch was initially rather lukewarm. Understandably so coming off the Wii U flop and less-than-expected 3DS sales. But Nintendo also smartly leveraged the support they had at the time to give the Switch a unique appeal from other consoles. Securing big games like Rocket League and Minecraft. Ports of games like Skyrim and Doom 2016, exclusives like Octopath Traveler, and multi-platform AA titles like Puyo Puyo Tetris.
Considering how the Switch is now Nintendo's second best selling game platform of all time and how it managed to have some of the best third party support a Nintendo system has had in years, It's safe to say the gamble paid off.
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