The Nintendo Switch has exploded in popularity since its release, becoming one of the fastest-selling consoles of all time. A big part of this has been the constant flow of exclusives the system has seen, both from Nintendo themselves and third-parties. Nintendo has done a good job of always having something for fans to look forward to, whether that's an expanded port of a Wii U title or a brand new exclusive from major series like Zelda, Mario, and Fire Emblem.
Things are starting to slow to a crawl, however, and Nintendo's 2020 is currently looking a lot emptier than the last couple of years. To top that off, it's been nearly six months since a full Nintendo Direct, with only smaller presentations focused on specific games. With Sony and Microsoft gearing up for next-gen, software is going to be what keeps the Nintendo Switch's momentum moving.
Surprisingly, three months into 2020 Nintendo hasn't laid out any kind of plan, and it splits from the way the company has been announcing things the last few years. It's a problem Nintendo needs to address if they want to assuage any growing fears fans might have.
Nintendo Has a Serious Lack of 2020 Release Dates
As of March 2020, the only Nintendo release dates set are games releasing in March; Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Obviously, Animal Crossing is a megaton title but it's crazy that there's no timeline set in place for fans afterward. There are a host of third-party games coming to Switch in the following months, but seemingly nothing from first-party. There's certainly no lack of releases, in terms of quantity, but the bread-and-butter of any Nintendo consoles is, obviously, Nintendo games.
It's honestly a bit worrying that there's no game plan, and it raises questions about if Nintendo's stable of games has started running out of steam. Nintendo has made it clear that Metroid Prime 4 ran into development trouble, even shifting Retro Studios onto the project. The Switch's success may have been so overwhelming that Nintendo simply didn't have enough projects in place to keep up with it.
What needs to happen now is at least a few release windows for highly anticipated games. If firm release dates are out of the question let fans know that games like No More Heroes 3 or Bravely Default II are coming in Fall 2020. This would at least give fans an idea of what they can expect the rest of the year, rather than a big unknown block.
The Biggest Switch Games Need More Information
Another issue only compounds the lack of release schedule for the Switch, and that's the fact that so many of Nintendo's biggest games have virtually no information out there. Every big game that's known about has only a teaser trailer or a couple of brief trailers; no gameplay, and no tangible details. This is true for Metroid Prime 4, No More Heroes 3, Bayonetta 3, Bravely Default II, Shin Megami Tensei V, Breath of the Wild 2, and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition.
The fact that fans know nothing about any of these games only makes Nintendo's 2020 slate even worse and casts doubt on if any of these games will even make it out in 2020. A Nintendo Direct would be the best way to drop a ton of information, but even just a series of smaller announcements and updates would go a long way.
For years Nintendo has shown that they don't need to stick to the normal announcement and news cycle, creating their own route with Directs. Because of that, it's baffling that this situation and lack of information has happened. Hopefully, Nintendo has more to share with their fans soon.