Releasing a new console does perhaps lend itself to hefty discussion come any end-of-year round-table, but in another time, another place, Nintendo could have royally screwed themselves with the Switch. Let’s be frank, at the end of 2016 the Wii U’s software line-up was drying up, what games they did have weren’t being warmly received and third-party support was often limited to ports and niche indie titles released on the eShop. Even the most optimistic and/or blind-sided of Nintendo fans are in requirement to admit that the Wii U didn’t meet expectations. Be it the company’s or our own. Call it poor marketing, call it over-confidence in brand recognition, call it poor treatment of third parties. Was it any surprise that the Switch, referred to simply as “NX,” was already being discussed as early as mid-2015, not even three years since the Wii U released?

Nintendo had to make their move and with but a mere tweet showing Mario popping up from behind a curtain the day previous, the NX was unveiled to the world. The name was Nintendo Switch and signs were promising even from that mere three-and-a-half minute video alone. Gone were the awkward lines of “hey, it’s…errr…time to watch some baseball” as was the over-abundance of features pertaining to “…the controller,” leading many to assume this was an add-on peripheral/device for the Wii. Yes there was still something of an overly-cheery, upbeat, middle-class sensibility to proceedings — I’m still waiting to get invited to a roof-top party so I can show off Super Mario Odyssey to all my late-20s/early-30s buds (I haven’t even got past the in-real-life “friends” bit yet) — but the introduction to the Switch was unlike anything the Wii U had put out previous. Clear, concise, direct and above all else, focused on the fact that…yes…this is a brand new console, with new features and new ways to play your games. The contrast was night and day, and a positive first-step for many of us who’ve followed Nintendo for a long time.





Fortunately this was not a fluke: Nintendo’s entire marketing campaign was a tremendous, much-needed step-up. As someone who seldom watches TV anymore, I was surprised to find so many Switch ads running in-between prime-time and evening programming. Adverts and commercials that clearly demonstrated the Switch could be played in a number of ways — the tagline “anytime, anywhere, with anyone” a running-but-effective message for a device that wasn’t trying to compete with PS4 or Xbox One but instead, in typical Nintendo fashion, was happy doing its own thing. And what’s more building on the company’s legacy with handheld gaming and providing a new spin on it. You know Nintendo have done something right when your eight-year-old niece — on a regular trip up to your parents’ house for a Sunday roast — inquires as to whether the device I have set-up in Tabletop Mode is indeed a Nintendo Switch. And here I was thinking kids under the age of ten were all about mobile games nowadays.

This was proof that the Switch (and Nintendo too) was modestly in people’s minds. In an age where Sony/PlayStation and Microsoft/Xbox appear to be the forerunners of what “video games” means to the masses, Nintendo’s marketing and better-invested messaging may not have dethroned that mentality, but at least gave the Switch a feasible means to exist and invest in. No, this was not your glorious 4K-asterisk not-quite-next-gen console with all the biggest-selling games on it. No, this was not your entertainment hub with Netflix/Spotify/Hulu/whatever bundled in. It was an alternative, a console that put video games front-and-center…and could back that up without having to fall back to pre-rendered, non-gameplay, B-roll footage with special effects and alluring sentimentality. Here it is in TV mode, here it is in Handheld Mode, here it is in Tabletop Mode together with other undocked Switch devices that you can then use to play local co-op/multiplayer. And not an underage child/senior in sight…except for perhaps Christmas time wherein 1-2-Switch can be advertised again, nine months after original release.

Such is the nature of the Switch’s hybrid functionality — of being both a home console and a portable device — it’s also led to an interesting extension of Nintendo’s base marketing. One that perhaps they as a company were banking on to some length — in this age of social media and the near-constant flow of digital information — but as we all know wasn’t entirely certain given the preliminary anxieties on how well the Switch would do during its first few months on the market. Not to mention, more importantly, how it would sit with consumers. While I myself may not be the most active on social media, it does fascinate me that the whole “is it coming to Switch?” (or words/phrases to that effect) comments from users have popped up so exponentially whenever a given developer/studio’s Twitter feed, for example, talks of their upcoming games. It’s not only a sign of the console’s commercial success — having only recently passed the impressive 10 million mark — and thus proof that there’s an audience for it, but it likely brings to light the unique concept that the Switch has brought into the modern industry landscape. One people are keen to talk about and one they’re more eager to see particular developers answer to. Even if the response is a friendlier iteration on a simple “no”.



The Switch isn’t the most powerful hardware out there and if we’re going to show balance and non-bias here, you can’t shy away from the fact that it’s not without its issues on not running games at that desired (a standard, some might rightfully perceive) 1080p/60FPS performance. An issue that’s only to get increasingly more prevalent as we get closer and closer to the point in time wherein both Sony and Microsoft will be ready to unveil what comes next. By no means a perfect and/or flawless machine by any stretch — be it in terms of its hardware, its software or indeed its services — but maybe as a means to make-up for its less-than-stellar capabilities (least for the time being), be it from Nintendo themselves or the very many fans who’ve already fallen in love with the thing and are acting as a kind of marketing surrogate, there’s a greater interest and desire to see third party games on the Switch than there ever was on the Wii U.

In that respect, the Switch has seemingly stolen Vita’s [likely only] grace at being a humble “portable indie machine” in that respect. While you may be able to get these games already for PC or other consoles, Nintendo’s focus on the system’s novelty and portable ease of use seems to be one that AA studios are warming towards. Blurring the line between “home” and “portable” console, the Switch is a device that doesn’t detract either or. Even if they may run at a lesser resolution or frame-rate, the reason why DOOM on Switch was such a surprising but compelling announcement was because of this very reason. id Software’s 2016 first-person shooter…on the Switch?! You have to remember that Bethesda, for a long time, had stayed well clear of putting anything out on a Nintendo platform and yet in 2017, we had news of Skyrim, DOOM and Wolfenstein coming to the Switch — the latter of which arriving sometime early next year. Studios have already spoken of Nintendo’s seemingly improved mannerisms and attitude towards them too; dev kits being provided much more easily and efficiently, Nintendo themselves opening up more and not showing nowhere near the same level of corporate conservatism towards what and what couldn’t be on the platform.



As a result, the eShop in itself is a much more interesting service to scour and explore. Whether it’s the simplified interface (though I would like the option to buy multiple titles rather than having to pay for each one separately) or the general feeling of being this more balanced but curated selection that focuses solely on games — rather than add-on’s, DLC, trending items and other non-video game products — independent titles are given an equal platform to shine and express themselves alongside the bigger first-party games or third-party, AAA outings. The likes of SteamWorld Dig 2 or Golf Story are given just as much space as something like Super Mario Odyssey or FIFA 18 — helped in due part to their promotion in the ongoing series of Nintendo Directs.

Call it an obvious and inevitable business decision — on the need to excite/aspire third party developers to their platform — but it’s something the general public seem to be constantly giddy about. On hoping a particular release or sought-after game will be coming to Switch…or announced as supporting somewhere down the line. Nintendo have of course relied on ports or re-releases of older games in 2017 to some capacity and while “[Game] coming to Switch” will always be an attractive press release to share, there’s going to be a point where these games must release for the console at the same time as their PC/PS4/Xbox One counterpart. There are signs that this transition is already starting to take shape (some developers/publishers proclaiming their own surprise-come-comitment to developing more for the console) but with the Switch’s graphical limitations in place and the PS5/Xbox One-Two-Whatever likely two, three years away from being discussed, software is what will be key if the Switch wants to maintain Nintendo’s surprising turn-around. And I’m not just talking remasters or Switch iterations already available.



But I don’t think many would deny that Nintendo’s more behind-the-scenes discussions haven’t seen a significant improvement in the forefront, where it inevitably matters. And this is long before we actually delve into the successful strategy that’s been their actual release scheduling in 2017. I see ads and commercials for the Nintendo Switch and rather than some clambered desperation to appeal and appease in equal parts, I see a company who’ve learned (and are still learning) from past mistakes. What’s more I see a company/a console more than happy with the perception that the Nintendo Switch is an alternative console and not the be-all/end-all to dominate. The PC is still king when it comes to third-party, non-exclusive games and the PS4 has once again offered some healthy competition, but ten million units sold doesn’t lie.

Nintendo have done something right this year and it’s great to see them landing a figurative touchdown, critically and commercially, when it comes to actively promoting their new product. The Switch is a charming and delightful piece of kit full of genuine enjoyment — whether it’s at home or on the go. It’s good to see it feasibly supported in software beyond its first-party outings with consumers vouching for Switch support and actively promoting those lesser games not adorned by Nintendo’s own brand logo, proving that the market for such a thing is very much there to be accounted. But it’s Nintendo’s messaging and marketing that deserves the credit it’s due for not just turning the company’s fortunes around, but giving the Switch a wholly unique identity for both consumers and developers in this highly-competitive market. 2018 will of course be an even-tougher year and one the Big N really need to capitalize on. They can start by fixing that horrid excuse for voice chat for starters. But as someone having grown up with Nintendo software/hardware, it’s good to see a company of such historic legacy acknowledging past mistakes and in the end rounding 2017 off on a remarkable high.