Shinya Takahashi Confirms Unannounced Games Coming To Switch This Year, Including One 'Good Fit' For Online

TheGamer

By Daniel Alvarez

Published Feb 9, 2019

Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi confirmed that the company does indeed have some surprise games being prepped for release this year.

Recently, a major rumor has made the rounds saying that there could be up to 11 unannounced Nintendo Switch games for release in 2019. This comes from Emily Rogers, a known insider in the video game industry. Although there was no confirmation of this, Nintendo has now made a statement that lends credence to the report.

In a recent Q&A financial briefing, the Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer at Nintendo, Shinya Takahashi, confirmed that the company does indeed have some surprise games being prepped for release this year.

Takahashi: "We have titles currently in development that we havenʼt announced yet, some of which weʼre preparing to release this year."

Later in the briefing, Takahashi would reiterate these surprises, but add an intriguing nugget of information about one of the titles.

Takahashi: "In addition to the titles we have already announced for scheduled release in 2019, we're also preparing for releasing software titles which would delight consumers including one that is good fit for Nintendo Switch Online."

Although Nintendo has been relatively quiet so far this year, it appears the company has big plans for 2019. Already scheduled titles include: Yoshi's Crafted World, Luigi's Mansion 3, Animal Crossing, Town, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Pokémon. This is a strong lineup, but perhaps not substantial enough for the entire year. Now that we know Nintendo has multiple surprises in store, the speculation part begins. What could Nintendo have planned for the Switch?

Going back to the report, according to Emily Rogers, there will be quite a few "mystery games," digital-only eShop titles, a new Labo kit, and apparently two Wii U ports. If this is accurate, then it could mean a few different things.

Regarding the Wii U ports, we've already had Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, and most recently, New Super Mario Bros. U. According to King Zell on the Reset Era forums, Pikmin 3 is getting a port. This would make sense, as Pikmin 3 was released early in the Wii U's lifespan, similar to New Super Mario Bros. U. Although not a Wii U port, the Metroid Prime Trilogy on Switch has been heavily rumored.

As for the mystery games, it's hard to speculate with no official information. However, there are things to consider. There is currently no major Mario game on the horizon. Luigi's Mansion is its own thing, and Yoshi does not count either. It's been almost two years since the release of Super Mario Odyssey, so it would not be unreasonable to guess that a Mario announcement is coming. Although it's unlikely that a Super Mario Odyssey 2 will be announced, a "Super Mario Maker 2" announcement seems possible. Mario Maker 2 was also stated by King Zell to be happening. This would line up with the "good fit for Nintendo Switch Online" statement, as Mario Maker would be perfect for online sharing. According to Zell, a 2D Zelda installment is also coming.

For now, we'll have to wait and see if these statements turn out to be accurate. If a Nintendo Direct airs next week, it's possible we'll hear something then.