Nintendo has an exciting 2022 planned

Despite solid releases like Bowser’s Fury, New Pokémon Snap, and Monster Hunter Rise, not to mention a new Switch model, I don’t think many would say that 2021 is a standout year for Nintendo. To be fair, the same can be said for most businesses, thanks to speed bumps related to the pandemic causing delays and negatively impacting development. Fortunately, and surprisingly, 2022 seems to be the opposite. From yesterday Nintendo direct It solidified that next year offers a host of reasons to be excited to have a Switch with several high-profile first- and third-party exclusives waiting behind the scenes. The company also managed to generate a lot of buzz as a whole.

Case in question, hThere’s a list of Switch exclusives confirmed next year. 2022 kicks off with a bang with the January release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, offering the first truly open-world Pokémon title. The highly anticipated Bayonetta 3 will finally be released next year and it looks great. Kirby and the Forgotten Land drops the beloved pink ball in a fully 3D open world. Splatoon 3 offers new twists on Nintendo’s popular multiplayer series.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is the sequel to Ubisoft’s surprisingly good crossover strategy game. On a similar note, Triangle Strategy offers a more serious game of tactics from the makers of Octopath Traveler. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is a huge expansion to one of the best-selling Switch games of 2021. Of course, the continuation a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, one of the most famous games ever made, it serves as the headliner of the year. That’s a killer row of software any publisher would be proud to boast of.

Those games should look great on an OLED Switch, which will have been available and will give Nintendo new hardware to print money. It remains to be seen how well this minimally updated Switch performs (launches October 8), but initial pre-orders exhausted in a hurry. And let’s be honest: it’s a Switch, a platform that has consistently sold band hits regardless of model. OLED will likely spend 2022 continuing that trend, as many Switch owners make excuses (or resort to those tax refunds) to upgrade to a brighter screen in preparation for the next big launch.

Bayonetta 3

It goes beyond games and hardware. Illumination’s Mario animated film opens next December, and I’d be surprised if it wasn’t a huge success. On the one hand, it is Mario; He is the Mickey Mouse of video games and loved by generations of fans, hardcore gamers, or others. An animated movie from the studio behind the hit Despicable Me and Minions franchises? That movie makes money regardless of its quality, although we know Illumination doesn’t skimp on talent. Nintendo just revealed its all-star cast with characters like Chris Pratt (Mario), Charlie Day (Luigi), and Jack Black. (Boswer) among others. Mario is likely to resonate with the kids, their parents who grew up with Mario in some shape or form, and yes, even the hardcore skeptics who shake their heads at this part of the article. Very similar Sonic the Hedgehog Before, I suspect that weary fans will initially refuse to watch it before curiosity or nostalgia makes them buy a ticket.

The most exciting thing is that this is only the confirmed news. Nintendo has a penchant for getting surprise ads off its butt – remember when they revealed Paper Mario: The Oragami King without any hint of its existence and released it a few months later? Metroid Prime 4 is still available, as is the hope for that alleged Prime collection. Maybe we’ll get a new Mario platformer to match the movie. Nintendo may be the hardest company to predict, making it one of the most exciting to follow. We don’t know what surprises in store for us, but I’m excited to find out. I haven’t turned on my Switch this year as often as I would have liked, but with that lineup and more, it’s hard not to get excited about Mario’s House next year.