Nintendo ‘is very excited about 2022’ and Zelda likely on track, it’s claimed
“It does sound like Nintendo is going to have a pretty good year”
Nintendo could be set for a strong software line-up in 2022, according to a senior industry commentator.
IGN’s chief content officer Peer Schneider claimed in the latest IGN Games podcast that he was able to catch up with industry sources following this month’s The Game Awards, who assured the journalist over the company’s absence from the show.
“It does sound like Nintendo is going to have a pretty good year next year,” Schneider said (transcribed by Games Radar).
“So, I would not take the absence of big stuff [at The Game Awards] as a sign that maybe Breath of the Wild is delayed or that they don’t have other stuff, because it sounds like… people at Nintendo are very excited about 2022.”
Even without the sequel to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo currently has a significant number of exclusive titles slated for next year.
Currently, its line-up includes Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Bayonetta 3, Advance Wars 1 + 2 Re-Boot Camp, Splatoon 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Triangle Strategy and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.
Nintendo recently said that Switch’s unexpected level of success has enabled the company to invest in new business opportunities, including an $880m expansion of its game development capability.
Nintendo will spend up to ¥100 billion yen ($880 million / £654 million) expanding its internal game development capability and up to ¥50 billion yen ($440 million / £327 million) growing its non-game entertainment software assets such as movies.
Nintendo revealed in November that Switch has shipped 92.87 million units. The company expects the system to overtake Wii (101.63 million units) to become its best-selling console platform before the end of its fiscal year in March 2022.
It also said it’s still internally discussing the concept and launch timing for its next gaming system.
