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Discussion Is there any possible Switch 2 launch title that isn't the next 3D Mario?

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Everyone is taking for granted the next 3D Mario will be the launch Switch 2 game that will blow everyone's minds.
Let's say however hypothetically Nintendo plans for it to be the holiday game instead.

Is there any other game that has the potential to kickstart the generation as amazingly as BOTW did? Something that both casual and hardcore gamers would be interested in.
 
It's definitely possible, even if I personally consider it unlikely. A new Mario Kart could feasibly launch with it, or something like a new DK game.

But I feel like the most reasonable and likely choice is a 3D Mario. I will be reasonably shocked if that is not the game.
 
I think with all the momentum that the Mario franchise gained through the movie, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Wonder, it's hard to release something at launch that would sell nearly as much as a new 3D Mario could. As mentioned above, I would agree that a new Mario Kart has the possibility to match that but for me it just doesn't feel like the time yet. With the booster courses, there's still plenty life in MK8D.
I know it's more of a niche franchise, but I think that Metroid Prime 4 has the potential to hit like a truck. After the success that Dread was and the beautiful Prime Remastered, I think that the Halo of Nintendo could also be a massive hit. A new Donkey Kong Country or 3D style game could benefit from the Mario Movie's success, though I guess Retro is buisy developing MP4. Maybe another studio could bring a new twist to the DK Country franchise, just like with Mario Wonder?

Yeah... that's just my two cents. What do you think?
 
I didn't think it was a given when we were thinking late 2024 as the launch. But with 2025 being Mario's 40th anniversary, I think it's looking likely that it'll at least come out that year.

But there are dozens of different things the Switch 2 could launch with. Just look at past Nintendo console launches. 3D Mario is far from a staple for that.
 
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I actually doubt it will be. Last original one was Mario 64 right.
Maybe Mario Kart will have the honor this time.
 
I’m going to predict the launch lineup of the successor.

1. Metroid Prime 4 (cross-gen)
2. New 3D Mario
3. Experimental EPD4 title
4. Smaller Kirby game
5. Fire Emblem 4 remake

Somehow I feel like adding Mario Kart and/or DK on top of 3D Mario and Prime 4 is a little of a too good to be true situation.
 
Given the 2025 release I have a lot of trouble imagining how it could possibly release without the next 3D Mario. The only other major franchises that could drive sales the timing seems right for would be Donkey Kong and Mario Kart. Maybe Smash Bros too.
 
There's really no reason 3D Mario "shouldn't" be ready in time for launch. EPD Tokyo will have had 8 years at that point since their last full title to figure out what to do with the franchise. If they somehow need even more time, then the other option I think is the next mainline Mario Kart.

Either way I think Nintendo is going to have a big Mario game be the flagship launch title because this franchise is especially important to them right now because of the entertainment push the series has going for it which no other Nintendo franchise has. Orlando's Super Nintendo World is expected to open in 2025 and the Mario movie sequel is in 2026 so there will be plenty of brand momentum. A flagship Mario game not only reaches the core Nintendo fans but also the wider audience they'll want to sell to.
 
  1. A new 3D Donkey Kong game from the Mario Odyssey team.
  2. Spocco Xtreme Sports
  3. ARMS ATTACHED
  4. Pikmin 4 SuperDeluxe
  5. Metroid Prime Remastered Collection, includes Prime Remastered, Prime 2 ported and upscaled but not given the same treatment, and that's it, inexplicably no mention of 3 or 4.
 
The launch title could be Xenoblade X Definitive Edition, given how long it's going to be between consoles. Sell it as "by the people who made the good parts of BotW's overworld" and we cooking.
 
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My safest bet would be, assuming the Switch 2 is launching early next year, the next 3D Mario will be the first holiday title.
 
I think it is possible Mario seems more fit for the Holidays than a launch title.

An Mario Kart, Donkey Kong Platformer or Mario Spin-off can fill the launch title gap.
 
There's no other plan in my head, I literally can't see the Switch 2 launching early 2025 with anything else than 3D Mario as the big launch game.
  • Mario Kart need some rest after the DLC (I still see TV spot for the DLC in France) and will be late 2025 as the earliest (rather H1 2026 according to me).
  • Pokémon Legends ZA isn't Nintendo and will be released a few months after the Switch 2, I think (around april/may 2025 at the earliest, but it might be a late 2025 release as well).
  • Smash Bros will be released later too, I think (2026 ?).
  • Animal Crossing and Splatoon are not general public enough and will be 2026/2027 too.
  • Zelda obviously won't be ready until 2028/2029.
  • Xenoblade X remaster is a niche game (but it could be used as a tech demo) a few months after the launch.
 
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Gimme Xenoblade Warriors over another Mario game that exists to sell merchandise or movie tickets. Xenoblade has prestige.
 
Yamanoi said:
Gimme Xenoblade Warriors over another Mario game that exists to sell merchandise or movie tickets. Xenoblade has prestige.
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This got me thinking that a new Hyrule Warriors game could be a good way to show off new hardware and get a new Zelda game in there. Maybe based on TOTK.

Seem to recall a Dynasty Warriors game in the PS2 launch line-up and maybe Xbox 360 too.
 
I'd say it's the favourite for the day one spot because it has the mixture of mass-market appeal and critical acclaim that can make it a must-buy system seller, while also presumably having been in development for some time and therefore it'd be logistically feasible.

There are other candidates, including EPD 8's other game, which might be Donkey Kong; the next Mario Kart, from EPD 9; maybe the next Animal Crossing, from EPD 5, though I'm leaning towards that landing in 2026; perhaps even a new '2D' Zelda from EPD 3 and Grezzo. I do think EPD 4 will have something either on day one or in the launch window as a lower budget offering, but I'd expect other titles to be spread out throughout the year. Really, Nintendo could have some very good options to spread throughout 2025. It's not as if launching Mario on day one would prevent them from having further Mario titles in launch year; Mario Kart could well only arrive late in 2025, in the traditional Mario October spot, or that might go to the next Mario Party in the event Kart either isn't ready or it launches in summer 2025.

But right now I'd put 3D Mario as the frontrunner, with Mario Kart second. I'd assume Nintendo will launch a blockbuster day one if they can, and that they'llalso want to spread their potential evergreens to maintain momentum.
 
Aurc said:
I thought Mario was our friend. He'll feel betrayed reading this post.
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He needs 70 posts before he can read my posts.

neil said:
This got me thinking that a new Hyrule Warriors game could be a good way to show off new hardware and get a new Zelda game in there. Maybe based on TOTK.

Seem to recall a Dynasty Warriors game in the PS2 launch line-up and maybe Xbox 360 too.
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I think it is too soon for another Hyrule Warriors. Frame rate of Calamity will hopefully run good with backward compatibility. Outside that, the time is perfect for Xenoblade Warriors that leads into a new Xenoblade a year later.
 
Yamanoi said:
I think it is too soon for another Hyrule Warriors. Frame rate of Calamity will hopefully run good with backward compatibility. Outside that, the time is perfect for Xenoblade Warriors that leads into a new Xenoblade a year later.
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Can’t agree. Hyrule is popular and a good way to appeal to Zelda fans at launch. That AoC patch won’t have any impact, if it ever exists.
 
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Definitely. Mario Kart is an option. The Switch didn't launch with a 3D Mario, so it could always be a holiday game. There's also Pokemon, maybe DK, Metroid...all kinds of stuff.

The fact is that the thing is going to sell out for months regardless of whether Mario is there or not. If the game needs a few more months then it wouldn't kill Nintendo to release Mario after the console is already out.
 
The simplest and most obvious answer is Mario kart 9. But I think it will still be a 3D Mario.

I think that for the launch of the switch 2, there will be a big exclusivity and also a crossgen game. This would send a good message, valuing the launch while not abandoning the installed park of switch 1.

If the flagship game of the launch of the switch 2 is Mario, I can imagine Prime 4 in crossgen. If it’s Mario kart, then Donkey Kong would make sense and be complementary. So I think that when we know the big game of this end of year for Nintendo we will have some answers for the future.

And of course, I expect another more experimental launch game. Maybe using a Nintendo IP, maybe a Star Fox but with an innovative concept.
 
I'm very excited for Legends Pokémon Z-A alone as I loved Legends Arceus and think it's the best Pokémon game we've had in years by far.

It's not that good looking but at least it's cohesive overall in its art direction, and it's technically solid actually; no big glitches or issues for instance and great performance, as it's pretty much 30fps everywhere with no drops.

It's the first game in this new series so if it's that floor, the new one could be really amazing and I can only imagine what they can achieve on new hardware.
I'm surprised to even talk about a Pokémon game this way but I'm very confident!
 
neil said:
This got me thinking that a new Hyrule Warriors game could be a good way to show off new hardware and get a new Zelda game in there. Maybe based on TOTK.
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I do, too, think that a new Nintendo collab Musou is inbound.

The bigger question, at least to me, is if it'll be a) Zelda (again) or b) Mario. Zelda would make sense for reasons you suggest, but a Mario Musou still remains something on Koei's "dream list" that has yet to be realized, and something I could easily see them moving on to for the next big Nintendo Musou effort.

Last few years, we've gotten several Fire Emblem games, a Type Moon game, and a Touken Ranbu game, which can be all things checked off one of the oldest longstanding list of items that Koei either wants to do, or were requested to.

Either way, I'm interested in seeing what's next. Though granted, Koei hasn't even showed us what DW10 looks like yet...
 
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Launch title is so hard, 3D Mario feels like a safe bet but we have zero(??) rumors about first party Nintendo games for Switch 2 so who knows.

Assuming Q1 2025 is the target date - I really think Nintendo wants that huge big year 1 like they had with Switch. And based off nothing really:

There's going to be 3D Mario - it's time and it draws attention
There's going to be a Mario Kart - it's time and it's just a huge juggernaught of a seller which Nintendo wants out early, maybe not launch early but close enough
There's going to be a more mature title of sort - Monolith Soft game? Metroid Prime 4? Platinum Games? I bet one of those is a slam dunk
There's going to be a new IP - Party? Experimental? Something totally off the charts? Yeah I'm sure.
There's going to be something Zelda - Same as with 3D Mario, new Zeldas always draw attention. I dont think it's Musou but could be a new 2D, could be a remake could be something related to TotK.

Also not so sure, but has a lot of things going for it - A new Donkey Kong, but that could also be for 2024. But maybe.


Whatever happens - I am very excited about what's to come - been a long time since I felt this way and honestly, I'm cool with waiting until a few months before launch to know :> (I dont think heavy speculated June reveal is a thing)
 
Mario Kart could work. Not DK though, no one cares about DK. All this attention they have seemingly been giving to DK over the last couple of years is to have people give a damn about DK again, but we are not quite there yet.
 
i think the 1-2* punch of 3D mario launch title and mario kart X ~3-4 months later is undeniably the best setup.

*unrelated to the best launch title of all time, 1-2 switch.
 
Cubs017 said:
Definitely. Mario Kart is an option. The Switch didn't launch with a 3D Mario, so it could always be a holiday game. There's also Pokemon, maybe DK, Metroid...all kinds of stuff.

The fact is that the thing is going to sell out for months regardless of whether Mario is there or not. If the game needs a few more months then it wouldn't kill Nintendo to release Mario after the console is already out.
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Despite following on from industry shaking massive successes, neither the Wii U Nor 3DS were sold out for months. It's killer software that drives the demand for Nintendo hardware, not the other way around.

They'd have to be mad to not go with a 3d mario at launch since 3d Zelda is off the table.

Pokémon also never shows up the first calendar year of new hardware, the Pokémon company likes a base to already exist before they even entertain it
 
I think the impact of BotW launching with Switch will make Nintendo certain that they need a huge blockbuster release to go out alongside their next console. Since 3D Zelda is out due to the recent release of TotK, 3D Mario seems like the logical choice since it’s been so long since Odyssey.
 
I could see Shin'en bringing something to launch. They are wizards and I look forward to seeing what they do with the new hardware.
 
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The only two somewhat comparable titles would be a brand new Mario Kart and Pokemon Legends Z-A, although I think this would be the Holiday 2025 title. Animal Crossing is a wild card, but In o not consider it to be a franchise appealing to the hardcore. Thus, it would require to have a core title alongside it.

Nonetheless, I stringly believe 3D Mario is launch and Legends ZA is Holiday 2025. Mario Kart I would place it on year 1 as well (summer).
 
Linkstrikesback said:
Despite following on from industry shaking massive successes, neither the Wii U Nor 3DS were sold out for months. It's killer software that drives the demand for Nintendo hardware, not the other way around.

They'd have to be mad to not go with a 3d mario at launch since 3d Zelda is off the table.

Pokémon also never shows up the first calendar year of new hardware, the Pokémon company likes a base to already exist before they even entertain it
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These are different times, though. I wouldn't say that the Series X or PS5 had much in terms of heavy-hitting exclusives at launch and those were sold out for months.

People are going to buy up and scalp the shit out of this, unfortunately.

It doesn't have to be Mario is my point. Mario Kart would sell consoles. DK could be a killer game. Pokemon is at least hinting at being cross-gen. There are options.
 
Nah, unless there’s a new Smash, Mario Kart or 3D Zelda ready at launch day, which there won’t be
 
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rêverie said:
i think the 1-2* punch of 3D mario launch title and mario kart X ~3-4 months later is undeniably the best setup.

*unrelated to the best launch title of all time, 1-2 switch.
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This. Console launch and 3D Mario in early March, then Mario Kart in late June, and maybe Animal Crossing for the holidays. There will be other games of course but those are your main pillars.
 
Wockio said:
Mario Kart could work. Not DK though, no one cares about DK. All this attention they have seemingly been giving to DK over the last couple of years is to have people give a damn about DK again, but we are not quite there yet.
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And that's why DK needs to be a launch title. To get people there
 
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Cubs017 said:
These are different times, though. I wouldn't say that the Series X or PS5 had much in terms of heavy-hitting exclusives at launch and those were sold out for months.

People are going to buy up and scalp the shit out of this, unfortunately.

It doesn't have to be Mario is my point. Mario Kart would sell consoles. DK could be a killer game. Pokemon is at least hinting at being cross-gen. There are options.
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They really weren't different times. Case in point; the ever infamous, Rettbone.

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People absolutely tried to scalp them, the exact same way people did the PS5, the products just simply weren't desirable enough to make it possible to do without strong first party software. And the 3DS spoke for itself having to have an emergency price cut and an outright apology from nintendo, they were having such a hard time shifting units.

Sony aren't playing the same game nintendo are at all, since they're still the defacto default for 3rd party software and get to be sold as such. Nintendo needs to turn up firing on all cylinders, same as they did on Switch.
 
still maintaining that the next Animal Crossing's coming out next year alongside The Next 3D Mario and Mario Kart... but imo, next autumn seems like a very good time for The Next 3D Mario given it's yer man's Big 4-0 (he is truly oji-san now, just as Shigsy predicted) and all three seem like Big Megaton Sellers that you kind of pace out a little and don't just rush out Day 1, so I'm going to go for "a big impressive thing that makes you go Wow, Gotta Get A Switch 2!" (this is probably not Metroid Prime 4, but I could very well be wrong there) and a couple of smaller, tech demoey titles.
 
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