Nintendo in 2023: Is Tears of the Kingdom going to be the Switch’s last big hurrah?

Rumours abound that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom volition beryllium the Switch’s swansong – but is it excessively soon to constitute disconnected the handheld/home console hybrid?

There are whispers successful the manufacture – according to respective ‘insiders’ that don’t situation to sanction their sources – that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom volition beryllium the past "significant" crippled for the Nintendo Switch. Whether oregon not these whispers are existent (or conscionable correspond the egos of a fewer chronic tweeters that can’t disregard the accidental of a tiny spot of delicious, empty-calorie clout), it poses an absorbing question: what does Nintendo look similar successful 2023 and beyond?

The Nintendo Switch launched mode backmost successful 2017 – astir six years agone astatine the clip of writing. Per caller reports from Digital Foundry, Nintendo is nary longer moving connected a Switch Pro and is alternatively focused connected a proper, full-fat next-gen console. This connection has been corroborated by different manufacture names.

"I person heard that aft Zelda, Nintendo doesn't person a important crippled for rather immoderate time,” said manufacture expert Chris Dring of GamesIndustry.biz. “From what I’m proceeding I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if Nintendo starts talking astir caller hardware by 2024,” says VGC brag Andy Robinson. If these comments are to beryllium believed (though neither person committed these comments to articles connected their respective sites, Dring and Robinson are some respected games media veterans) past it looks similar Tears of the Kingdom truly volition beryllium 1 of the past large games for the Nintendo Switch – and that leaves america with immoderate questions.

The astir notable question coming disconnected the backmost of these revelations regards Metroid Prime 4. It’s already been implicit 15 years since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption launched connected the Nintendo Wii, and fans of the bid are clamoring for much (especially connected the backmost of the incredibly well-recieved Metroid Dread making waves backmost successful 2021). The long-troubled Metroid Prime 4 is supposedly going to beryllium the lynchpin section successful Samus Aran's first-person adventures, wrapping up her escapades successful a last definitive way.

But, since Metroid Prime 4 was announced mode backmost successful 2017, the level holder has been precise quiescent astir the game. All we cognize is that things haven’t been casual for the title, and the task was more-or-less restarted from scratch backmost successful 2019. The crippled was seemingly not up to the lofty standards Nintnedo expects from its archetypal enactment games (tell that to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet…) and Shinya Takahashi issued an apology, noting the task had been handed implicit to Retro Studios – a improvement outfit with a proven way grounds moving connected flagship Nintendo properties.

Are we going to person to hold adjacent longer to spot much of Samus?

“It volition beryllium a agelong roadworthy until the adjacent clip we volition beryllium capable to update you connected the improvement progress, and the improvement clip volition beryllium extensive,” Takahashi explained successful a video. There’s an absorbing connection there: ‘extensive’. Even backmost successful 2019, was it looking apt that Metroid Prime 4 would really miss retired connected the full Switch generation, and go thing of a banner merchandise for immoderate comes adjacent for Nintendo? In 2021, Nintendo reiterated there’s nary existent merchandise model for the crippled – wherefore is that?

The stars could beryllium aligning for the downturn of the Nintendo Switch, then. The astir caller income update we had from the steadfast disclosed a monolithic 114 cardinal sales of the hardware crossed the basal model, the Lite, and the OLED versions of the console. At the time, determination were astir 1 cardinal bundle income connected the device, excessively (which volition astir surely person crossed that lofty obstruction implicit the vacation period). This makes the Switch Nintnedo’s best-selling location console… ever.

But it’s not each rosy. In November past year, Ninteno said hardware units sold “decreased by 19% year-over-year” with the shortage of semiconductors and different constituent supplies cited arsenic a ample contented for the company. The Switch is precise successful, but it’s nearing its saturation constituent – going from wanton occurrence into half-baked follow-up is astir apt thing Nintendo doesn’t privation to bash again. It mislaid important marketplace stock with the shaky motorboat of the GameCube, and the Wii U was an out-and-out failure. If Nintendo wants to support this momentum up, the timing, feature-set, and entreaty of its adjacent console needs to beryllium scoped retired conscionable right.

There's a batch riding connected Link this twelvemonth – tin helium support up?

So, what does that mean for your mean user and Switch proprietor successful 2023? There are inactive semi-big releases to look guardant to, speech from Zelda. Alex tells america that Fire Emblem: Engage is going to beryllium different coagulated introduction successful the series, and Pikmin 4 promises to bring immoderate macro-sized joyousness aboriginal successful the twelvemonth (in theory). Other than that, the Switch volition proceed to beryllium a fantastic location for third-party games and indies… but you whitethorn privation to temper expectations astir other, marquee games arriving connected the level implicit the adjacent 12 months.

And bash you deliberation we’ll ever spot Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp? Because I don’t.