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Kimishima Responded To Criticism About The Switch’s Lineup

One of the things that the Nintendo Switch has been receiving criticism for is its lineup, and Nintendo President Kimishima addressed the matter in tonight’s Nintendo investor’s meeting. Kimishima says the company is listening to this feedback, and further explained Nintendo’s approach with the game lineup.

Kimishima showed the first-party titles that will follow the Switch’s launch, “releasing through 2017 in Japan”. He went on to say “some of those who have seen this lineup have expressed the opinion that the launch lineup is weak. Our thinking in arranging the 2017 software lineup is that it is important to continue to provide new titles regularly without long gaps. This encourages consumers to continue actively playing the system, maintains buzz, and spurs continued sales momentum for Nintendo Switch. For that reason, we will be releasing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, ARMS, which is making its debut on the Nintendo Switch during the first half of 2017, and Splatoon 2, which attracted consumers’ attention most during the hands-on events in Japan, in summer 2017.”

Kimishima continued, saying that “we believe that these titles exemplify the concept of the Nintendo Switch, which is to be able to play anywhere with anyone and at any time, and will expand and invigorate competition between players. Splatoon 2 in particular will offer voice chat, a much-requested feature from our overseas fans, using smart-devices and the ability to bring eight Nintendo Switch systems together for eight-person local multiplayer. In this way, we are working to create titles and environments to invigorate the competitive gaming scene so that a wider demographic of customers can enjoy, talk about, and continue playing the Nintendo Switch.”

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82 thoughts on “Kimishima Responded To Criticism About The Switch’s Lineup”

  1. What is a “Good” launch line-up? What do gamers (core or casual) look for in a system launch? I think Kimishima is right, with a very well spread out of games to choose and play from makes sense. If anything Nintendo wants this system to be out there for how the system works and plays not the games because that will come in due time. But, I agree with him because I think the launch line-up is fine.

            1. One spectacular game at launch does not equal a good launch line up. It equals one spectacular game. Its called a line up because its supposed to be a LINE of good games. Zelda and then bomberman and 12 switch is not a good line up.

              1. idk about you, but i’m not about to either blow all of my money on a ton of great games all at once. i much prefer to be able to not have to choose between them, and play them as tehy come out. having to pick between splatoon, mario kart zelda and mario would be awesome, but shitty at the same time for the average consumer/busy adult that this thing caters to.

              2. On the other side of the coin the people below me are right. When the system is 300 and games are 60 its not like your gonna buy five games at launch. Just get Zelda and shut up. Its like a 80 hr game minimum.

              3. Xbox
                Angry Birds Star Wars
                Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
                Battlefield 4
                Call of Duty: Ghosts
                Crimson Dragon
                Dead Rising 3
                FIFA 14
                Fighter Within
                Forza Motorsport 5
                Just Dance 2014
                Killer Instinct
                Lego Marvel Super Heroes
                LocoCycle
                Madden NFL 25
                NBA 2K14
                NBA Live 14
                Need for Speed Rivals
                Powerstar Golf
                Ryse: Son of Rome
                Skylanders: Swap Force
                Zoo Tycoon
                Zumba Fitness: World Party
                Not a strong lineup.
                PS4:
                Angry Birds Star Wars
                Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
                Battlefield 4
                Blacklight: Retribution
                Call of Duty: Ghosts
                Contrast
                DC Universe Online
                FIFA 14
                Flower
                Forced
                Injustice: Gods Among Us – Ultimate Edition
                Just Dance 2014
                Killzone Shadow Fall
                Knack
                Lego Marvel Super Heroes
                Madden NFL 25
                NBA 2K14
                Need for Speed Rivals
                Resogun
                Skylanders: Swap Force
                Sound Shapes
                Super Motherload
                The Playroom
                Trine 2: Complete Story
                WarframeAngry Birds Star Wars
                Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
                Battlefield 4
                Blacklight: Retribution
                Call of Duty: Ghosts
                Contrast
                DC Universe Online
                FIFA 14
                Flower
                Forced
                Injustice: Gods Among Us – Ultimate Edition
                Just Dance 2014
                Killzone Shadow Fall
                Knack
                Lego Marvel Super Heroes
                Madden NFL 25
                NBA 2K14
                Need for Speed Rivals
                Resogun
                Skylanders: Swap Force
                Sound Shapes
                Super Motherload
                The Playroom
                Trine 2: Complete Story
                Warframe
                Meh.
                Wii U:
                Assassin’s Creed III
                Batman: Arkham City – Armored Edition
                Ben 10: Omniverse
                Call of Duty: Black Ops II
                Chasing Aurora
                Darksiders II
                Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
                ESPN Sports Connection
                FIFA Soccer 13
                Funky Barn
                Game Party Champions
                Just Dance 4
                Little Inferno
                Madden NFL 13
                Mass Effect 3: Special Edition
                Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition
                Nano Assault Neo
                NBA 2K13
                New Super Mario Bros. U
                Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge
                Nintendo Land
                Rabbids Land
                Scribblenauts Unlimited
                Sing Party
                Skylanders: Giants
                Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
                Tank! Tank! Tank!
                Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition
                Transformers: Prime – The Game
                Trine 2: Director’s Cut
                Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
                Wipeout 3
                Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
                ZombiU
                Trash.
                Wii, one of the most sucessful consoles:
                U.S. launch: November 19, 2006

                Avatar: The Last Airbender
                Call of Duty 3
                Cars
                Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
                Excite Truck
                The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
                GT Pro Series
                Happy Feet
                The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
                Madden NFL 07
                Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
                Monster 4×4: World Circuit
                Need for Speed: Carbon
                Rampage: Total Destruction
                Rayman Raving Rabbids
                Red Steel
                SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab
                Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
                Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam
                Trauma Center: Second Opinion
                Wii Sports (bundled with the Wii console)

                Easy to analyze. Wii Sports, Ingenious. The switch has 1 2 switch, a terrible attempt to reel them casuals back in. Zelda TP, flying off the shelves. In fact,”During its first week, the game was sold with three of every four Wii purchases.”
                The switch:
                1-2-Switch
                The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+
                Human Resource Machine
                I Am Setsuna
                Just Dance 2017
                The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
                Little Inferno
                Skylanders: Imaginators
                Super Bomberman R
                World of Goo
                Its launch is iffy, but its not as bad as the 3ds, a very sucessful handheld.
                Asphalt 3D
                Bust-a-Move Universe
                Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
                Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
                Madden NFL Football
                Nintendogs + Cats: French Bulldog & New Friends
                Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever & New Friends
                Nintendogs + Cats: Toy Poodle & New Friends
                Pilotwings Resort
                Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
                Rayman 3D
                Ridge Racer 3D
                Samurai Warriors: Chronicles
                Steel Diver
                Super Monkey Ball 3D
                Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition
                The Sims 3
                Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
                Don’t you see, no console has a launch lineup good enough for you. A game that is a legend in the making is BY ITSELF, better than:
                Angry Birds Star Wars
                Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
                Battlefield 4
                Blacklight: Retribution
                Call of Duty: Ghosts
                Contrast
                DC Universe Online
                FIFA 14
                Flower
                Forced
                Injustice: Gods Among Us – Ultimate Edition
                Just Dance 2014
                Killzone Shadow Fall
                Knack
                Lego Marvel Super Heroes
                Madden NFL 25
                NBA 2K14
                Need for Speed Rivals
                Resogun
                Skylanders: Swap Force
                Sound Shapes
                Super Motherload
                The Playroom
                Trine 2: Complete Story
                Warframe

            2. I don’t understand why people are so bummed about the lineup. Obviously they aren’t going to play all of their cards at the start. Sure I’d love Metroid, Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, Fire Emblem, and a bunch of other games all to come out at launch. But why the hell would they do that? It wouldn’t make sense. (The biggest bummer, to me, is simply that there is no pack in game. But I can get over that.)

              1. I don’t think anyone expects all the heavy hitters at launch (at least they shouldn’t). But two or three AAA quality games isn’t unreasonable to expect. Switch has Zelda and Bomberman, and unless this is along the lines of Bomberman 64, I don’t think it is AAA. I hope it’s a good game, but AAA I have my doubts about. Other than that, we have 1-2 Switch, which is not AAA quality, and some other games that are either niche or casual (Just Dance).

                But there are some good games that interest me coming later. So I will continue to hold out until next year at the earliest before I consider buying a Switch.

            3. Unless if you’re a HUGE fan of Zelda, there’s no reason to upgrade to the Switch if you already have a Wii U. BotW looks amazing to me and I’m looking forward to playing the Switch version, but I think the majority of fans are waiting until the holidays to get a Switch since that’s when games like Mario Odyssey come out.

            4. Unless if you’re a HUGE fan of Zelda, there’s no reason to upgrade to the Switch if you already have a Wii U. It’s just a port and casual games like 1,2 Switch and Arms they might not even care about. BotW looks amazing to me and I’m looking forward to playing the Switch version, but I think the majority of fans are waiting until the holidays to get a Switch since that’s when games like Mario Odyssey come out.

    1. The positive thing to say about the weak launch line-up is that it will be easier on the wallet xD It also makes it easier to buy all the titles when they come spread, rather than one gigant piece of wallet raping stack of games xD

      1. Well, I’m already looking at almost $500 for the Switch, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and a Limited Edition copy of Disgaea 5.

  2. I would have liked more at launch but I also am not privy to how the development chain works with games, the number of companies involved and how long the process is. If that means less at launch but within 18 months or so, let’s say by the system’s second holiday season there are tons of high quality titles then that is optimal.

    Let’s see if it delivers. First 9 months look good.

      1. I guess i am just talking about if the flow of games continues consistently and hopefully grows. I also think this holiday looks good and i expectmore to be announced.

    1. What you described is a WiiU scenario. Switch won’t secure 3rd party support if it doesn’t pick up pace BEFORE the second holiday. So let’s hope this portable, bring your switch over to play with friends, thing works.

      1. I don’t think so… it will have to pick up steam of course, but also if there are games coming every month after six months and on, then it will be doing better in my opinion. Wii U I think had more games, certainly 3rd party games, at or near the launch window

            1. I just don’t understand why Nintendo felt the need to go this route rather than make it built-in to the system and just use it straight up. Seems like back peddling to me. You’re probably right but idk how it could honestly cost that much more. It’s not like Nintendo is necessarily skimping on the Switch or anything……(there’s a joke there I know)

              1. well believe it or not, they are a lot people who like they phone so much they will do everything with their phone. So using your phone to have a chat option is actually a smart idea.

                Lot of people love to use their phone with apps, And because of that, it will encourage people to buy this game and therefore make the system more popular. technically I don’t think it would have cost a lot to implement this functionality. I think is it a business decision.

  3. I think with how quickly new content is coming after launch day its perfectly fine for the Switch to not have everything on launch day. They have a good assortment of casual and hardware games, that will easily hold me over until more games come out a week or two after launch day.

  4. It’s honestly fine with me because I rarely if ever get a system at launch. Rarely do systems have a bunch of must-have games right out of the gate.

    Right now, they’ve set the Switch up for being an excellent holiday gift, with plenty of must-have games out by then and getting Super Mario Odyssey.

  5. Breath Of The Wild alone will make the Switch a day one buy for me. Can’t wait…..only a little over a month left to wait on ” true ” greatness

  6. The thing about Nintendos first party games is , sure there isn’t one coming out constantly, but when they do , you are usually engaged for months until the next great title comes out. Heck I’ve played Mario Kart 8 to death and beyond and I’m still looking forward to buying the Deluxe version for the battle mode and hope they add a few more tracks in the future .

  7. I’m OK with the launch just wish Bomberman didn’t cost so much. Looks like 30 dollars max. I would have liked to buy Zelda for single player and Bomberman for multi player but don’t have funds for both.

        1. I know your pain gamingfan3009 i logged over 1860 hours on splatoon on the wii u i’m quite the competitive player.

            1. im going to be on the system all this week coming as i got a week off as i just finished my exams 5 and a half hours ago so i’m going to binge on splatoon
              and a bit of xenoblade chronicles x

      1. When you want to Nintendo to compete with the other console companies, you have to take the good with the “bad”… You have to think that the online was limited because they couldn’t allocate as many resources to a free service before and if they are going to charge that enables Nintendo to make the online experience better and more “up to date”

      2. King Kalas X3 {Greatness Awaits at Sony PlayStation 4! Hopefully it will also await us at Nintendo Switch if Nintendo doesn't FUCK things up again!}

        If we need a damn smartphone or tablet to even use these features that should come standard on a console in this day & age, they should get rid of paid online because it’s a total rip off & scam otherwise. On this subject, I have to agree with this guy for once. If I knew Nintendo was gonna do something so retarded, I wouldn’t have been asking for paid online on a Nintendo console in the past year or two. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. Dumbtendo always has to be unique from the competition even if that uniqueness is more of a detriment than an advantage. Nintendo seriously needs to kill off that part of their psyche before it buries them. It already fucked them over with the Wii U. Hopefuly they’ll clarify this bullshit BEFORE March 3rd.

    1. I also won’t be buying Splatoon or any online-focused games. Hopefully I get my fill of MK8 online while its free – I refuse to pay for a third online service

  8. Lineup is good, definitely. Others consoles (both Nintendo and competitors) had weaker lineups.
    Though third parties lacks badly and Arms should prove himself, will see if it will be really good.

    Maybe it’s time for Nintendo to say farewell to third parties and begin to expand herself with new internal studios and by buying external studios (like ti it was with Rare and Square) and say to third parties “Hey, this is my market, I’m happy if you want to take a slice of it, if not we are already independent… hello”.
    To me Nintendo need to grow up and then NO ONE will have any worry about support for their consoles.

    Voice chat over smartphone isn’t ideal, but it’s ok.

    1. the voice chat thing…. I think it has to do, still, with blocking out the younger gamers. Sucks, but Nintendo is as Nintedo does sometimes and people just have to deal with it. Lots of options for other games if that is what people want

      1. Maybe it’s a form of protecion for younger gamers too, but I know many 8 years old with phone these days and eventually they could just disable the functionality in the OS.
        Also non everyone has Wi-Fi and it seems a clunky way to implement things.
        It’s not something I care for but surely it should attract unneeded criticism to the platform. I wish a more clever approach for Nintendo.

  9. It wouldn’t be so bad if we got a new Mario Kart instead of the previous one with a battle mode. Seriously, BotW is the only game I’ll be getting on the Switch until around Christmas time, that’s almost an entire year.

    1. You’re right on that, but think at people like me that didn’t considered the Wii U (as a console).
      It’s a game for us, to call us back.
      You have Arms in that same timeframe, a new IP.
      Also the game was gorgeous back then, difficult to do better, and hardware is pretty much the same in power.
      Anyway there are 5 new characters, 2 new items and 4 new battle maps and you can play it when you trip away from home. I’m in.

  10. So, instead of very few games for the wiiu, they have again very few games, but they spread them through the year.

    You should have plenty games on day 1 AND have enough game through the year!!!!

    Are they really this stupid????
    .

  11. that totally doesn’t actually address the issue. Zelda is the only major game at launch – which is fine 1st party-wise. But thats unacceptable regarding 3rd parties. Why can’t Skyrim, at the very least, be a launch game?

      1. You miss the fact that Sony launched their system in the fall with happy third parties. Nintendo launch theirs in March, a time not really welcomed by third parties. You should consider that.
        Though I don’t know why we don’t get Dragon Quest, it should have been still ‘something’.
        Skyrim will launch in a timeframe welcomed by western developers, hopely polished enough.

  12. It’s probably me but the way I understand the statement is that Japan will have some line up but we don’t have a firm plan for the rest of the world……and the rest of the world means North America only…. So I don’t even entertain the idea that he remembered there are another continents called Europe And Oceania..

  13. King Kalas X3 {Greatness Awaits at Sony PlayStation 4! Hopefully it will also await us at Nintendo Switch if Nintendo doesn't FUCK things up again!}

    The barebone launch line-up isn’t the most pressing matter with the Switch, though. The biggest problem is the possibility you’ll be getting scammed & ripped off paying for online when those online features aren’t even standard on the fucking console because you’ll need a fucking smartphone or tablet to use said features. Nintendo needs to kill off it’s inner retard known as Dumbtendo before it buries the Switch just like it buried the Wii U. “Here’s a “free” app on your smartphone or tablet. You can use it for online stuff on Switch because this shit doesn’t come standard on the console like it does on PS4 & Xbone. Once again we’re gonna be an entirely generation behind the competition. But it’s okay. As long as we have fanboys & casuals to blindly buy our rip off paid online, we don’t need the rest of you people. *proceeds to give those of us not liking this bullshit the middle finger* Hahaha! Fuck you, bitches!” Maybe one failed console wasn’t enough to teach Nintendo a lesson & need a second one in a row. Probably won’t happen since they’ll have handheld gamers by the balls & that alone might get them through this mid-gen upgrade.

    As for protecting little kids, since parental controls is gonna be a smartphone app, just let parents lock stuff like online behind a parental wall. This way they can protect fucking kids & still give the rest of us a good online system without ripping us off by making us pay for a damn so called free app on smartphone or tablets when that shit should be fucking standard on consoles these days!

    If this is about stopping piracy, is Dumbtendo that strong within you, Nintendo!? This won’t make a fucking dent because they’ll find a way around this. They always, fucking, do! So… don’t be fucking stupid!

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