We’re back for a fifth year at trying to guess what Nintendo is going to do this year. Last year was full or surprises and yet – we got a lot of them correct. More on that in a second.
This year is actually really hard to predict, because we already know so much about it. Normally when a new calendar year rolls in there are maybe one or two games dated, and nothing else. Now we’ve got games all the way up until the middle of the year. So surely this year is cut and dry? Perhaps not.
Here’s the recap of our predictions from last year.
🤷A new 3D Super Mario Bros. Game (close, just one number off, it was a 2D one)
✅ No Switch Pro (funny how that one went)
✅ Metroid Prime Trilogy Remastered (close enough, we got Prime)
❌ Nintendo raises game prices (TOTK was more expensive in America, but it was the same price here. No change just yet)
✅ DLC DLC DLC DLC (Yep, lots of DLC for everything)
❌ A New Kirby Game other than Dream Land Deluxe (Does Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble on NSO count?)
✅ GameCube Nostalgia (Metroid Prime, Paper Mario announced… yeah we thought so)
Right then, onto the predictions… starting with the big one.
A New Nintendo Switch console will release
Let’s get the easy one out of the way first; we predict a new Nintendo console will be released next year; it’ll arrive quickly and be in our hands before we even know it. By fast, we mean Nintendo will announce this thing, and it’ll be released in a very short window. We won’t learn about it at the start of the year and wait until the holidays for a release. Nintendo still has a system and games to sell throughout the year’s first half. The first half of the year is business as usual, at least outward-facing. More on that here.
We’re not going to get into what it’ll have, one screen, two screens, OLED or not, which resolutions or what power it has – we’ll let the insiders fight out over that and decide which they think it has. Then, for Nintendo to do the opposite.
Why it will happen: It’s time.
Why it won’t happen: We’ll get another surprise big game for the Switch to drag out another holiday sales period.
Nintendo Switch Online Rollout Slowdown
As we get to the end of the life of the Switch and through the plausible library for Nintendo Switch Online game inclusions, we’ll see things slow down even more. There are just three announced games left to be released for the system, which, at worst, is a couple of months (one is Japanese only). We’ll need some new games announced soon, but we think we’ll just see fewer drops but with deeper cuts instead of outlining a whole year again. We think anything new, like any new systems, will likely be held over to the new console.
Why it will happen: The pool of games available to be likely picked to be picked is getting smaller.
Why it won’t happen: We dare them to make us wrong.
Mario Kart 9 set for 2024
Despite Nintendo only just wrapping up the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Booster Course Pass for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game, there is absolutely no way that development of the next Mario Kart game hasn’t been happening in earnest for some time. It is the most important game Nintendo can make for any Nintendo console. It’s the best-selling and usually does the best job of selling any new features or improvements a new console has.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has put Nintendo in a weird position; it’s the most jam-packed game in the series ever – where does it go next? We’re sure they have an idea, but it’ll be pretty hard to top what’s come before.
Why it will happen: There’s no way the lead Mario Kart team has been on DLC duty for two years.
Why it won’t happen: It’ll come a little later after launch.
Ocarina of Time remake (It’s Time)
On the 25th anniversary of the original release of The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time came and went by without anything but a social media post from Nintendo saying you can play the game on Nintendo Switch Online. The better way to play Ocarina of Time is to play the 3DS port, but what would be even better is a way to play that version at a higher resolution than 240p. Grezzo did a fantastic job on Ocarina of Time 3D; it’s time for them to bring it into the modern era in high resolution and polish it up even further. The game has aged, but it deserves another look at.
Why it will happen: We can’t go another 7 years between Zelda games
Why it won’t happen: Grezzo is in the gulag.
Monolith Soft’s next big thing
Monolith Soft make some of the most technically impressive and beautiful games in Nintendo’s stable. They also do it in some of the shortest periods, all while helping out Nintendo on several other projects. By the time we get to the middle of the year, it’ll be more than enough time to see what they’re working on next.
We think this time, while everyone would love a Xenoblade 4 – it’ll be time for them to do something new, and there’s no better time than a new console to do something with a new IP.
Why it will happen: Monolith has earned the right to do something new
Why it won’t happen: Xenoblade is just too big now
Capcom catches up on Nintendo
Capcom has been a terrific supporter of the Nintendo Switch; we’ve got remakes, ports and collections of almost all of their back catalogue. We also got Nintendo Switch-specific new iterations of Monster Hunter. We have been spoiled.
But if you look at their recent and upcoming work – there’s a gap, and we all know why. Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 7, Village, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Street Fighter 6, and the newly announced Monster Hunter Wilds – are all missing.
There’s no doubt that Capcom will want these games on anything and everything (and to be fair, there are cloud versions of some of those, but cloud versions suck, so it doesn’t count). Even the Silicon Macs have a couple of Resident Evil titles.
Why it will happen: Capcom wants their games on everything.
Why it won’t happen: They might just be happy with dumping cloud versions.
Original Switch games all the way through 2024
Even with a new console launching next year, Nintendo will not just dump the old console on its butt. While the first six months of the year are full, the releases should continue until the end of the year. Don’t expect anything brand new or original – the remakes and ports will continue. It’s not a bad thing; we’re getting the likes of Paper Mario: A Thousand-Year Door!
By our reckoning, we’re waiting on a Fire Emblem, the two remaining Metroid Prime games, and, of course, the Wind Waker and Twilight Princess ports. Hopefully, we get that backward compatibility; the continued lineup of 2024 games can also be enjoyed on the new console.
If someone is reading this at Nintendo, make it backwards compatible for the love of god.
Why it will happen: You don’t sell 120 million consoles and dump the user base; you just put the B-Teams on it.
Why it won’t happen: Nintendo has to get the transition right. Maybe having two consoles on the market will cloud the marketing.
