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Discussion Are any of Nintendo's first-party studios still developing Switch games?

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Do you think that any of Nintendo's first-party studios are still working on Switch games?

Something like Pokemon Legends ZA wouldn't count since Gamefreak technically isn't a first-party studio.

My only guesses would be the studio that's (hopefully) working on Donkey Kong, which many assume to be EPD Tokyo, and perhaps NDCube with Mario Party? Although I think that would be reserved for Nintendo's next console.

Metroid Prime 4 is still the only one that's confirmed, although some speculate that it's a cross-gen title.

What do you think?
 
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Personally, I still think there's a better than decent chance that Metroid Prime 4 comes out and is a "Switch 1" game that just has a next-gen patch/upgrade on Switch 2 later
 
I suspect anything that's on switch and isn't releasing this year is being co-developed for Drake. but I don't think that's many games. as for this year, Retro and Metroid Prime 4 I suspect. and maybe a Next Level Games game, maybe

ND Cube could have something, but I think it's better to save it for Drake or have it cross gen
 
I still don't know what cross-gen means in a world where consoles have backwards compatibility.

Unless there are no games in the second half of the year, we're not out of unannounced first party titles. And long banked games have tended to leak (Prime Remastered, Fire Emblem Engage). So it seems likely there is at least one out there.
 
Yeah I'm pretty sure there are some left.

Grezzo Zelda is pretty much a lock IMO. It's been 5 years since Link's Awakening.
 
I think there's less in development than people might expect.

I don't think Switch 1 will continue getting major first party games the way the PS4 did post-PS5, for example.
 
I’d be surprised if there aren’t. A good number of franchises simply don’t need new hardware, so might as well develop it for both systems.

Mario Party already looks and runs great, for example. No reason to limit its audience.
 
Sin & Punishment said:
I think there's less in development than people might expect.

I don't think Switch 1 will continue getting major first party games the way the PS4 did post-PS5, for example.
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Probably for the better, since we'll hopefully see Nintendo utilise their hardware from the get go and not waste 1-3 years of upscale switch games. But i can see remasters still coming to the switch, like metroid prime 2-3 and the Zelda Wii U ports being cross gen, meanwhile all the New games will be exclusives.
 
From first party studios, yes probably a few. They still have to fed the machine till they get the ground running on their next console.

I do think the majority of possible switch game still in dev will be done by outside studios. This year alone the only game that is done by a first party studio has been MvD with NST (LM2 we still dont know).
 
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Yeah, several. Nintendo is not going to abandon the Switch any time soon. I suspect most studios are doing crossgen at this point. I think several may be Switch only though, and will get ported over sooner or later.
 
I mean Intelligent Systems still has that Fire Emblem 4 remake they need to release, and with how long it’s been I’d be surprised if we don’t see Mario Party this year from ND Cube.

Not too sure about anything beyond that though.
 
Donkey Kong, Mario Party and Metroid Prime 4 are probably the biggest ones in terms of Switch exclusive software.

But I believe they'll have a lot of stuff coming after The Succ releases for Switch 1, just like Pokémon Legends Z-A. Mario Party for example definitely doesn't need to make the jump for next gen exclusivity, there's a lot of niche/core-oriented stuff that could use both the spotlight of coming early in the next console's life and having a huge install base.
 
Do they have some? Yes, but it'll mostly be crap like Peach showtimes or the 90 cheap Mario remakes, rather than anything of note. Most, if not all, studios are focused on Switch 2 at this point.
 
I think Nintendo will want to draw a hard line between generations.

Yes, I think it'll be part of the Switch family and branding, but I think they desperately want to avoid another Wii U situation.

And I think that starts with nearly everything being Switch 2 exclusive going forward.
 
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I’d say that most of them have moved on to the new hardware regardless of how big the install base for Switch is. Nintendo make their money from simultaneously selling new hardware and software and people are going to feel less inclined to make the jump to next gen without compelling exclusive software. So the sooner they move over, the better.
 
robertman2 said:
Do they have some? Yes, but it'll mostly be crap like Peach showtimes or the 90 cheap Mario remakes, rather than anything of note. Most, if not all, studios are focused on Switch 2 at this point.
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The idea that the first major solo game starring princess peach is nothing of note is astounding, if nothing else, lol.
 
There's gotta be a few. Prime 4 is one for sure, but there's a lot of 2024 left and there are sure to be some big first party releases.
 
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Yeah, NST is still working on F-Zero 99 at least. There's probably a few unrevealed smaller titles being developed "only" for Switch 1, but I'd imagine at this point Switch 2 is definitely a part of the planning process, at least with backwards compatibility.

Would not surprise me in the slightest though if some of Nintendo's bigger series are being developed for Switch 2 as we speak. Nintendo definitely wants some heavy hitters early in the next console's life to recreate the Switch's success. Doesn't exactly take a genius to assume that Mario Kart 8 and Tour stopping development around the same time is a leadup to the next Mario Kart, or that Nintendo probably wants an Animal Crossing or Splatoon from EPD 5 in the first year. In a similar vein, I don't think we'll be seeing Namco's Studio S and Studio 2 releasing anything on Switch 1.

Mostly depends on how far away Switch 2 is though. I mean, I remember people thought Splatoon 3 would be cross platform, and it's been a year and a half since it released without any (official) indication of the next console.
 
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I absolutely believe some of the internal and second party teams have at least 1 cross gen title in them. It'd be downright silly to not support the switch's enormous install base.
 
I secretly hope that NDcube is developing for the next console to have a better chance as a long-tail game, since they have proven to have strong sellers. Especially if the next game is a Mario Party game. I felt that it would be a missed opportunity if the next game were on the previous console especially when everyone's going to be looking forward to the successor at that point. In fact, it's hard to say if the open suggestion for Mario Party is a good idea because games released after the official announcement of the next console don't necessarily do well, so it might be like dooming a game to be overshadowed by the big hitters like the inevitable 3D Super Mario platformer.

The best guess is Metroid Prime 4, a game announced many years back but still we don't know much about.

Thank you for reading.
 
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Metroid Prime 4 and the sequel to the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but after that they’re done, promise.
 
Absolutely.

It would be silly to think they're not developing games for a platform that still is going to sell 10M+ units next fiscal year.
 
I am sure there’s still a few small Switch titles being made, it’s going to take a while for a large chunk of that 140m user base to translate to the Switch 2, and Switch software sales are still strong and won’t disappear overnight even as they wind down. It’s not just the early adopters they aim stuff at (although obviously those are the customers they will want to impress with their major titles going forwards).
 
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oldpuck said:
I still don't know what cross-gen means in a world where consoles have backwards compatibility.
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Having different builds.

Backwards compatibility:
Can play the old release

Enhancements: add some checks to maybe remove framerate limiter or such.

Cross plat: whole optimized build for both platforms, not just some trickery. Can take hardware improvements way more into consideration.

At least from where I stand.
 
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I don't think there is anything in active development for Switch 1 from a Nintendo 1st party, other than Metroid Prime 4. I think titles like NDCube's next game and that rumoured DK game by Nintendo EPD have probably gone GOLD already and Nintendo is just sitting on them like they tend to do.
 
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oldpuck said:
I still don't know what cross-gen means in a world where consoles have backwards compatibility.
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Same as it has ever been. It means the games would still have to be tethered to the older hardware. The newer hardware version could have certain enhancements in visuals and performance, but ultimately they can’t take advantage of the full capabilities of the new hardware because they’ll be limited by the restrictions of the previous hardware.
 
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It depends what we mean by "Nintendo's studios".

Out of their internal divisions and subsidiaries, we can assume Retro Studios are still working on Switch given Metroid Prime 4 is still due and has no release date. It's possible EPD 8's 2D action game is in development for Switch rather than the successor, but very difficult to know. I also think there's a possibility that NdCube's next game is for Switch and launches this Christmas. We can assume NERD will continue with NSO support. NST might yet ship more content on Switch, too, given their recent work on smaller scale titles. I'd assume that Next Level Games' last Switch project is Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, which is presumably complete, while the rest of the EPD teams and Monolith Soft have largely moved to the successor.

When you take affiliates into account, we can say that Game Freak and presumably Creatures are still working on Switch given a new Pokemon Legends is already confirmed for 2025. Intelligent Systems are shipping another game soon and it wouldn't surprise me to see them bring another Fire Emblem to Switch (though the rumour was this game is already finished, so it's not clear if IS would still be working on Switch projects). I'd expect HAL to at least have another eShop only title on Switch, maybe more than one, and I wonder if Camelot ship something this year like a Mario Sports Mix type title. We know some form of Nintendo remaster for Switch is in the works at Bandai-Namco and is yet to be officially confirmed outside of hiring calls, and it wouldn't surprise me to see another Nintendo-published indieszero title on Switch. Grezzo are another studio I could see shipping a further Switch title.

To sum up - I expect internal divisions and subsidiaries have largely but not entirely moved on, while affiliated developers will keep on turning out Switch games in the next few years.
 
is the DK rumor so believably true that we are taking it as fact at this point? when did that happen?

OT, though, i'm sure there are some. like others have mentioned, smaller things like mario party and FE remakes don't necessarily need the switch 2's power and therefore are great stop gap games. bigger projects that nintendo is expecting 5M+ sales from, though, i doubt are being reserved for the switch any longer.
 
rêverie said:
is the DK rumor so believably true that we are taking it as fact at this point? when did that happen?
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It's a fact that EPD 8 are making a 2D action game of some sort in Tokyo, and that they issued a hiring call for the project in August 2020, but we don't know what it is yet. For context, EPD 10 in Kyoto issued their hiring call for a 2D action game in October 2019, and that turned out to be Super Mario Bros Wonder. If the EPD 8 2D project is for Switch and development went smoothly, it could well be ready or about ready. It might be the final EPD game for Switch and launch later this year, who knows?

Donkey Kong is probably the strongest candidate for what it could be, given the historic standing of the IP as well as the recent activity around it, but it's not confirmed until it's confirmed.
 
In terms of EPD, well, splatoon 3 is obviously still in ongoing development. They also were involved in some 3DS titles in 2017 and 18 (Captain toad 3DS being the last one).

It's extremely unlikely they're dropping the Switch hard; at absolute bare minimum, they're going to have numerous titles from subsidiaries still coming to the platform. I would put money on us getting at least one more Kirby title, whether that's a smaller side game or another remaster. Same for pokemon after Switch 2 launches, even beyond the recently announced Legends title. Grezzo haven't released a Switch game since 2021, so they're definitely cooking something too. And intsys having another Fire emblem game is basically an open secret. NDCube should probably have another party game ready sometime soon as well.

Anyone expecting a hard generation transfer where the old hardware is dropped like a rock as soon as the new one is out is going to be disappointed; no company does that any more because it's just throwing money away, and leaving a chunk of your captive audience with nothing since the vast majority don't buy a new piece of hardware immediately, and leaving them unattended opens the door to them considering changing platforms.

robertman2 said:
This isn't even the first one since Super Princess Peach was in like, 2005.
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I said major. Nobody hands Tose a small handheld title with the intent to call it in any sense major, for the same reason nobody treated say... Hey Pikmin! as worthy of anything more than a shrug of the shoulders, and that's without getting in to the extremely weird sexist tone of the game. Mario Teaches typing
 
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MisterSpo said:
It's a fact that EPD 8 are making a 2D action game of some sort in Tokyo, and that they issued a hiring call for the project in August 2020, but we don't know what it is yet. For context, EPD 10 in Kyoto issued their hiring call for a 2D action game in October 2019, and that turned out to be Super Mario Bros Wonder. If the EPD 8 2D project is for Switch and development went smoothly, it could well be ready or about ready. It might be the final EPD game for Switch and launch later this year, who knows?

Donkey Kong is probably the strongest candidate for what it could be, given the historic standing of the IP as well as the recent activity around it, but it's not confirmed until it's confirmed.
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Given that Koichi Hayashida seems to have moved from EPD 8 to EPD 10, is it possible that those 2D action game hires moved with him and worked on Super Mario Bros. Wonder?

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nenned said:
Given that Koichi Hayashida seems to have moved from EPD 8 to EPD 10, is it possible that those 2D action game hires moved with him and worked on Super Mario Bros. Wonder?

​

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He and one other (former?) Tokyo dev are the only ones credited in Wonder. It’s more likely that Hayashida moved back to Kyoto around 2018/19, which makes his “Development Support“ credit on Mario Maker 2 along with Shiro Mouri make more sense.


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nenned said:
Given that Koichi Hayashida seems to have moved from EPD 8 to EPD 10, is it possible that those 2D action game hires moved with him and worked on Super Mario Bros. Wonder?
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I'd say that's extremely unlikely, given Hayashida moved from EPD 8 to EPD 10 at some point prior to Super Mario Maker 2, which he also worked on, well before the EPD 8 hiring call.

The simplest, most obvious explanation is the likeliest one: EPD 8's 2D game is a different game that we haven't seen yet.

Edit - for some reason N75's reply hadn't loaded for me.
 
EggmaniMN said:
All of them are because every game coming out for Switch 2 will be crossgen for half the generation and will work on both.
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Of course not. When you launch a new console, people buy it for the games it gives access to.

However, it's obvious that there will be crossgen games, and so it's clear that games are currently still planned for Switch 1 even if they're released on Switch 2. We already know that the upcoming Pokémon Legends is likely to be one of these, for example.
 
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Outside continued development on F-Zero 99 and Splatoon 3, we're still waiting on Metroid Prime 4. The Tokyo team might have something as well, but I think it's fair to say that every other Nintendo first-party is busy with Switch 2 projects.

Probably a decent number of 2024 and 2025 projects from external/partner devs, though. Camelot and ND Cube are due games based on their normal release schedules, IntSys certainly has a Fire Emblem, HAL is bound to give us something, Game Freak already has Pokémon Legends Z-A on the docket, and Grezzo is a toss-up.
 
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EggmaniMN said:
All of them are because every game coming out for Switch 2 will be crossgen for half the generation and will work on both.
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I would be very very surprised if something like that happens.

On the contraty I think cross-gen titles will be just few exceptions.
They're not Sony or MS, the selling point of their systems is not a tech upgrade but the unique experiences you can "exclusively" get on them.
 
Bait02 said:
I would be very very surprised if something like that happens.

On the contraty I think cross-gen titles will be just few exceptions.
They're not Sony or MS, the selling point of their systems is not a tech upgrade but the unique experiences you can "exclusively" get on them.
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They published something like 20 3DS titles through 2017-end of the 3ds life. In what sane world does anyone imagine they drop support for their most successful piece of hardware ever faster than that? There's going to be a lot of switch 1 software yet.
 
DittoM said:
I mean Intelligent Systems still has that Fire Emblem 4 remake they need to release, and with how long it’s been I’d be surprised if we don’t see Mario Party this year from ND Cube.

Not too sure about anything beyond that though.
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As likely as the game exists, FE4 Remake has yet to be confirmed beyond the same early leaks of Engage's existence. And the earliest leak of Engage presumed that it was an IS/Koei Tecmo co-production specifically with Gust's involvement. (KT/Gust were not involved in Engage at all.)

It's also not inconceivable that the old leak source also saw images of Emblem Sigurd from Engage and wrongfully concluded FE4R is in development. I hope it is, but given the original source, it's not a rock-solid guarantee of a leak.
 
Aside from Retro, I don’t think so. Think every other studio has moved on to Switch 2.

Unless it’s done and waiting to come out this holiday, I’m shocked there wasn’t a single studio working on a Switch 1 Donkey Kong game. Very surprising.
 
Christo750 said:
Aside from Retro, I don’t think so. Think every other studio has moved on to Switch 2.

Unless it’s done and waiting to come out this holiday, I’m shocked there wasn’t a single studio working on a Switch 1 Donkey Kong game. Very surprising.
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Yeah there was, Nintendo Software Technology. :)
 
Linkstrikesback said:
They published something like 20 3DS titles through 2017-end of the 3ds life. In what sane world does anyone imagine they drop support for their most successful piece of hardware ever faster than that? There's going to be a lot of switch 1 software yet.
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None of those game were either big titles or cross gen releases, if I remember correctly.
The Switch will still get support, though I expect the vast majority of those games to be released only for it.
They will still be playable on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility.
 
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Bait02 said:
None of those game were either big titles or cross gen releases, if I remember correctly.
The Switch will still get support, though I expect the vast majority of those games to be released only for it.
They will still be playable on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility.
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Most of those aren't big titles sure, but there are certain quality games there (Like Fire Emblem Echoes, Ever Oasis, Metroid: Samus Return, and Warioware Gold for example) and they actually release games for the system up until early 2019, which is a lot longer than anyone expected.

Also Sushi Strikers and Captain Toad were cross-gen releases.
 
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