Cognition Dissemination: The Downsides to Nintendo’s Switch Unveil Strategy
Nintendo took a unique route with the unveiling of their next gaming system, the Nintendo Switch, even for their standards. Instead of holding an event, they provided a reveal video that showcased how it worked, and showed hipsters people playing it. It did its job as an early marketing tool, which explains why it’s garnered so many hits on YouTube — over 21 million. But they didn’t reveal many games alongside it, and are saving the full reveal for an event on January 12th, while the system itself will launch in March. It’s unlike their prior console unveils, where hardware and software showcases occurred months before launch, but they presumably know what they’re doing.
This will keep potential purchasers in suspense, but it’s also led to another phenomenon: rumors spreading like wildfire. In fairness, rumors regarding Switch were circulating well before the unveil video, back when it was merely “NX.” Those were about what the system was and how it worked, which were mostly proven accurate when those features were officially demonstrated. In the interim between that video and now, Nintendo has clearly yet to plug their leaky source, as some which sound legitimate have kept flowing.
Granted, some rumors portend predictable outcomes, like how Switch will receive a steady amount of Wii U ports. Both Splatoon and Mario Kart were seen in the reveal video, and rumors suggest both will be ports with new features, and the former may even be bundled. The small clips of Splatoon showed the Inklings donning apparel unavailable in the current version, for instance. Those same rumormongers also suggested that the earlier rumors of a complete version of the fourth Super Smash Bros. game coming to Switch were true, though it may not be a launch title.
There’s also a recent rumor suggesting that Xenoblade Chronicles X will be ported to system, and might release in the console’s first six months on the market. The rumor also said developer Monolith Soft isn’t involved, as they’re tied up with their own new project planned for a 2018 release at the earliest. That makes sense, as it would follow the port of Xenoblade Chronicles for New 3DS, which was handled by Monster Games.
Another rumor suggested a special version of Pokemon Sun & Moon will also arrive sometime next year. Given some footage showing it through emulation, it upscales to HD resolutions pretty well, so the results should look great on the system’s 720p screen or a TV display.
Given these rumors, and what third-party publishers will inevitably support it with, the first year of the Switch’s software lineup will likely be flooded with ports. But that’s not only okay, it’s necessary. It’s beyond established now that Wii U was far from a successful system for Nintendo, which means there’s a significant audience that hasn’t played many games released on the system. Nintendo wants Switch to be far more successful, and giving a newfound audience new opportunities to play games they missed is a good way to placate them for the first year. It will also give Nintendo time to develop new original software, since games require many more resources and time to make these days.
Speaking of more rumors: Another one pertains to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a game that doesn’t quite qualify as a port since it will launch on Wii U and Switch simultaneously — or close to it. Part of the latest rumor says it will launch on Switch first, though they’ll nonetheless launch closely to each other. It would be another similarity to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess’ release, which arrived on Wii three weeks before Gamecube. The other part of the rumor involves its release date, which says it won’t release alongside the Switch console. Instead, it will arrive in mid-to-late June. These are just rumors, sure, but if it’s news you don’t want to hear, the chances of it being true increase.
With all of this ostensibly legitimate information seeping out (exacerbated by leaker Laura Kate Dale being blacklisted by Nintendo), perhaps Nintendo should have held their full reveal earlier. This company had a long-standing reputation of running a tight ship, to the point that jokes were made about Nintendo Ninjas silencing leakers before they could spread too much info. That’s become more difficult to control over the years, and sometimes they’re tough to stop before it’s too late — even for ninjas.
The best thing Nintendo can do is try to control them, and prevent some bigger surprises they have in store for January from leaking. But this could mean Nintendo will have to work harder to impress their core audience and those outside it before the device’s launch in March, since this system will be a make-or-break moment for them and their relevancy in the dedicated gaming market.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
