Based on the information we have so far, the Nintendo Switch doesn’t have a lot of major exclusives coming out this year. Bravely Default 2, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Monster Hunter Rise, and New Pokemon Snap are all releasing in the next few months, while No More Heroes 3 is scheduled for 2021 as well, but outside of those, there’s a distinct lack of major releases confirmed to be coming to the Switch in 2021.
According to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, however, announcements for games coming to the Switch in the next fiscal year (from April 2021 to March 2022) will be made “at the appropriate time”. Speaking to investors during Nintendo’s recent earnings call, Furukawa gave assurances that Nintendo is “preparing a variety of software titles” for the coming months.
“Our software lineup for next fiscal year is a topic we will discuss at the appropriate time,” Furukawa said. “We have already announced our plans to release Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury in February, followed by Monster Hunter Rise in March, and New Pokémon Snap in April. As always, we are preparing a variety of software titles for consumers in the coming
fiscal year.”
Nintendo has shifted its approach to announcing games in recent weeks and months, and major blowouts in general Direct presentations seem to have become a thing of the past, with first party announcements now being made with surprise trailer drops shortly before the games release.
What other games the Switch could be getting this year remains to be seen. Major titles like Metroid Prime 4, Bayonetta 3, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s sequel are all in development, but it seems unlikely that any of them will be out any time soon (the former two especially). This year also sees the 35th anniversary of Zelda, so maybe we’ll see some remasters and new games releasing in celebration, similar to Super Mario’s 35th anniversary last year.