Nintendo President Confirms More DLC Coming for Existing “Big” Games

Nintendo’s DLC strategy with the Switch has actually been very interesting. Most titles, such as Splatoon 2, Mario Tennis Aces, and ARMS, have received a bevy of free updates. Games such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Pokken Tournament DX, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and, yes, Splatoon 2 as well, have also received paid expansions.

The company doesn’t intend on stopping with that strategy either. Speaking to investors in a financial call on the heels of their latest financial release, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa stated that the company plans on releasing more DLC and content for its existing big games, citing it as a way to continue to achieve growth and player engagement.

“We need continuous growth. We must keep releasing new software,” he said (reported by Bloomberg Tech reporter Yuji Nakamura—you can see his transcription below). “That includes DLC and other content for big titles that are already out.”

As you can see, he doesn’t specify which games will receive content, but I think we can make some guesses. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 apparently got its final bit of content with Torna- The Golden Country, so we can rule that one out. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild also received its final post launch content with The Champion’s Ballad, so presumably that one is done, too.

Two prominent Switch games that haven’t received any major paid expansions are Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It is entirely possible those will receive something new—then again, for all I know, Nintendo just throws a curveball, and announces another major expansion for Breath of the Wild or something.

Full DLC quote: "We need continuous growth. We must keep releasing new software. That includes DLCs and other contents for big titles that are already out. And more focus on online play. Lastly, more genres and diverse games to draw in people who don't currently play on Switch."

— Yuji Nakamura (@ynakamura56) October 30, 2018