Originally published on Switch Weekly

Issue #313

January 1, 2023

Predicting Nintendo’s 2023

Hey , Chris back in your inbox with the very first issue of Switch Weekly for 2023 — here again for another year of handy Nintendo updates for you. I really hope you’ve had an enjoyable Christmas break (if you celebrate), and I want to wish you a happy new year. Let’s get to it.

Now, I try not to make a habit of predicting things, but I’m up for a bit of fun guess work today, so here’s a few random Nintendo-themed predictions for the year ahead:

‣ Nintendo will not release a Switch successor this year;
‣ Advance Wars 1+2 gets quietly released in the summer;
‣ F-Zero will return in some way ( I’d settle for a HD remaster of GX with online );
‣ Pikmin 4 releases;
‣ The Mario movie will be good, actually;
‣ A new Donkey Kong game of some variety.

I’ll check back in a year to see how I did – but let’s be real, they feel fairly safe. 😅 I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a new Mario game show up either (to launch or be announced around the time of the movie). Also, there was something to that random 1-2 Switch report from last year , so maybe we will see something there (whether we like it or not).

Anyway, as you might expect it’s a quiet week on the eShop, with only around ~15 or so games coming to the Switch over the next week. Full list is below for you as ever.

Finally, after a few requests, I’ve now made a Mastodon account for Switch Weekly — Those of you on the ‘fediverse’ can tap here if you want to give it a follow .

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the newsletter in 2023.

Cheers ,
Chris ✌️

🎮 Currently Playing : Horace

▶ What to expect from Nintendo in 2023 — Following on from my thoughts above, here’s an attempt to map out the year ahead.

IGN // YouTube

REVIEW Sports Story — After a three year wait, the sequel to the much-loved Golf Story snuck out just before Christmas, but sadly the end result is described here as ” damningly mediocre “. I’ve seen plenty of folks note how the game has its fair share of techincal issues too, suggesting it may have been rushed out the door — something an in-game secret room all but confirms. There’s a bigger story here waiting to be told.

Mitch Vogel // Nintendo Life

▶ Digital Foundry end of 2022 lookback — The well-connected DF chaps are always interesting to listen to, and here they discuss the potential for new Nintendo hardware in 2023, and what happened to that long-rumoured Switch Pro.

Digital Foundry // YouTube

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con drift due to “design flaw”, UK consumer group reports — Increasingly starting to feel like this issue (and any resulting legal action) won’t get resolved until we’ve all moved on from the Switch platform…

Ishraq Subhan // Eurogamer

Pikmin 4’s arrival will be no small matter

Chris Scullion // VGC

Aliens Among Us: EarthBound and the American Dream — “EarthBound is praised for its quirky, nostalgic American setting, but something far more profound lies beneath its cheerful surface”.

Cody Wiesner // Superjump

Amiibo figures are a waste of money, but I can’t stop collecting them

Kara Phillips // TechRadar

How Bloodborne paved the way for one of 2022’s breakout hits (Tunic)

Mike Mahardy // Polygon

Tunic may still contain more secrets, depending on how you define ‘secret’, says creator

Rebekah Valentine // IGN

Pokémon didn’t reinvent itself in 2022, and maybe it shouldn’t have to

Ana Diaz // Polygon

Pokemon has had a 2022 full of disappointment and profit

Stacey Henley // The Gamer

In 2022, cozy games went from niche to video game fixture

Makena Kelly // The Verge

🎮 Upcoming Releases

All releases are digital, Europe & U.S. unless otherwise stated.
Release data sourced in collaboration with Switch Scores .

⭐️ = Ones to Watch · 📦 = Physical release · 🎮 = Demo available

Mon

2

Blacksmith Forger — Budget-priced puzzle/arcade pixel forging.
🎮 Gravity Thrust — ‘Lunar landing’ arcade game for four players in which you fly a spaceship through caves.
Vampire Slayer: The Resurrection — A ‘slayers vs vampires’ 3D first-person multiplayer game with online play for 12. M for mature.

Wed

4

Extreme Snowboard — Ice cold sports sim ala 1080/SSX.

Thu

5

Age of Heroes: The Beginning — A twenty dollar match three puzzler.
AlphaLink — Sci-fi themed arcade arena action game with online play.
Lost Snowmen — Puzzle platformer featuring three different snowmen.
Maximus 2 — A fantasy beat-em up brawler with co-op and online. The visuals are almost Scribblenauts-esque.
Neon Souls — Paint invisible platforms with neon ink in this fast-paced parkour platformer.
Pixel Game Maker Series: Pearl vs Grey — Puzzle action, Game Boy style.
Tumbleweed Destiny — Literally a game about tumbling tumbleweed… with 16 player online of course.

⚡️ Quick Links

Hmm, a leak suggests that a limited edition Switch OLED is on the way for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
After hitting cinemas this coming April, the Mario movie will likely end up on Netflix by October ’23.
Always wanted to learn a new language? Babbel will be the most productive 10 minutes of your day. #Ad
The Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai says that he is ‘semi-retired’ .
Nintendo has patched a “severe” vulnerability found in some online Switch games.
Square Enix is seemingly giving up on its Final Fantasy kart racer .
Could F-Zero’s time come in 2023?

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Predicting Nintendo’s 2023

🎮 Upcoming Releases

⚡️ Quick Links

Nintendo’s financial results reveal Switch 2 hits 10 million units sold

Former Nintendo employees reveal what it took to launch the NES in America

The NESBOOK is a Nintendo Entertainment System Companion Coffee Book