After what felt like an eternity, the Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been revealed. Though the Nintendo Switch 2 might just be the worst kept secret of the gaming sector, there’s a lot to be excited for as many of the leaks surrounding the hybrid device turned out to be spot on. These leaks say a lot about how powerful the Switch 2 will be compared to its predecessor.
During the aforementioned trailer, fans were treated to a sneak peek at a single game for the Switch 2. We weren’t shown too much, but it’s clear that Nintendo is working on what appears to be the ninth iteration in the Mario Kart series that’s set to either be a launch title or a game released early into the Switch 2’s lifecycle.
As many of us already know, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been the undisputed top-selling game on the Nintendo Switch since release. Last we heard, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had achieved 64.27 million sales worldwide as of September 30, 2024, but it’s certainly pushed even more units since then.
Overall, it’s a smart business decision for Nintendo to be paying attention to what’s been working for them with the previous console generation. A new Mario Kart for the Switch 2 will be enough to sell consoles by itself.
Of course, this also implies that Nintendo might intend to promote some of their other biggest hits from the Nintendo Switch for the Switch 2. As such, follow ups for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate seem likely.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is known to be the second most popular game on the Switch with a total of 46.45 million units sold. It was originally released on March 20, 2020.
The third best-selling title on the Switch was Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It’s also the best-selling entry in the entire franchise, representing about 45.97% of its total sales by itself. Since it was released on December 7, 2018, it has managed to sell over 35.14 million units worldwide.
Fourth place ended up going to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with 32.29 million sales. However, it should be noted that Breath of the Wild already had a sequel recently released on the Switch hardware with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Although it might be a while until a brand new entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise is released, we’ve heard a number of “leaks” suggesting that Nintendo has been testing a beefed up version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild specifically for the Nintendo Switch 2. Perhaps they’re planning to repackage both titles as a remastered collection.
Finally, Super Mario Odyssey achieved a respectable fifth place finish with 28.5 million sales. There are a few rumors going around that indicate that Nintendo could be working on some sort of “open world” Mario game that’s even bigger than Super Mario Odyssey on the Switch 2.
In any event, Nintendo will likely want to use their top-selling titles from the Nintendo Switch to promote the new console. This is potentially very good news for fans of the Super Smash Bros. franchise.
Incidentally, Masahiro Sakurai revealed not too long ago that he had been working on a secret game project since April 2022. The project proposal for this project was apparently whipped up at “lightning speed” back in July 2021 when Sakurai was still juggling Kazuya and Sora DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Regardless, it’s interesting to note that this mysterious game has been worked on for longer than the period of time that spanned from the start of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s development to the release of its first teaser trailer.
It seems that we’re once again caught in a waiting period for more information regarding the Switch 2. Nintendo is set to potentially reveal more games sometime in April 2025 — which would make it about three years since Sakurai began development on his secret game project.
More than likely, we’ll be finding more out about Sakurai’s secret game project here in April. Though it would be best to temper expectations in case it’s something else entirely, signs are looking very promising for fans of Super Smash Bros.
Source: Event Hubs
