Nintendo Needs New Games at NX Launch

The rumors continue to swirl regarding the Nintendo NX, and lately these rumors have revolved around what type of launch lineup we might see. I think a fair assumption would be that we will see the new Legend of Zelda game get a release on both the Wii U and the Nintendo NX, similarly to what was done with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the GameCube and Wii. However, rumors of other titles are not as appealing, at least not to me. Many have talked about re-releases of Super Smash Bros, Splatoon, and other Nintendo Wii U greats, alongside some months old – years old? – multi platform titles already found on Xbox One and PS4.

Nintendo can re-release their own titles as much as they like, and lets face it, people will buy those. What Nintendo does with their own properties at launch doesn’t really concern me. I know they will have at least a few new games to put out, and will prop up those with some of the greatest titles released for Wii U. However, when it comes to 3rd party support, Nintendo just can’t allow their titles to undersell. If all we get are ports of Xbox One and PS4 titles – Call of Duty has been rumored – I think 3rd party developers will again see poor sales, and this is taking into consideration that these are merely ports. In my opinion, very few people will buy Black Ops 3 – as an example – over a year after the game originally hit retail for Xbox One and PS4. The same could be said for Assassins Creed – or any number of Ubisoft games that could also be ported over.

Poor sales, which includes poor sales of ports, will only deter 3rd party developers, again. Nintendo could quickly fall into the same cycle that plagued them this generation. Despite lots of 1st party exclusives, the reality is Nintendo needs to find some partnerships in the 3rd party world. Here is hoping some 3rd party developers can bring something new to the NX – either as an exclusive or alongside a Xbox One and PS4 release – and that what every they bring does well. Nintendo needs this, and consumers and Nintendo fans deserve it.