Odds on Super Mario Maker, Super Smash Bros., and more.
Nintendo’s official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch — previously codenamed NX — included gameplay of several familiar titles. The reveal trailer highlighted both Splatoon and Mario Kart playing on the Switch, but Nintendo has yet to confirm whether these are entirely new entries in the series or the Wii U’s Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon.
If the latter is the case, the appearance of these ports would support rumors reported earlier this year reported by Eurogamer, NintendoLife, and more that several Wii U titles would be ported to Nintendo’s next console. (For all rumors on the Switch, be sure to check out IGN’s wiki on what has been confirmed, debunked, and may still be possible.)
The prevailing rumor stated that four Wii U games would be brought over to the Switch (then the NX): Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. (The initial rumors came days before The Legend of Zelda’s delay to 2017 and its announced development for the Switch.)
With Breath of the Wild guaranteed, what is the possibility of those other rumored games, as well as a few more notable Wii U releases, being ported to the Switch? Let’s look at the possible candidates:
Splatoon
As mentioned before, Splatoon was among the games highlighted in the Switch reveal trailer. Nintendo hasn’t explicitly stated whether this is a new game or a port, but whatever it is, there is definitely going to be new content included, as evidenced by the new stage and customization additions seen in the footage.
Mario Kart 8
Mario Kart definitely appears to be coming to the Switch, but whether Mario Kart 8 or a brand new entry is on the way remains a mystery. The brief glimpses of gameplay do indicate some new additions, but the presentation of the gameplay is identical to Mario Kart 8 and the track on display was available as DLC for the Wii U game.
Assuming a new Mario Kart will eventually find its way onto the system, this footage, and the previous rumors, strongly indicate that Mario Kart 8 — perhaps bundled with all existing and some new downloadable content — is indeed being ported to the Switch.
Super Mario Maker
Another of the rumored games being ported to the Switch, Mario Maker, one of the Wii U’s best-selling games, will definitely appear on at least one other Nintendo system aside from the Wii U. Earlier this year, Nintendo confirmed Super Mario Maker for 3DS would be coming in 2017.
Whether Mario Maker is also ported to the Switch, it would be a shock for Nintendo to leave the franchise entirely off the table. Mario Maker’s emphasis on sharing levels online for other players gives a Switch version of the game a built-in wealth of content for a port or a true sequel.
The one major caveat against Mario Maker’s possibility as a port is that Nintendo has yet to show off the touch capabilities of the Switch tablet, if they exist at all. Building levels in Mario Maker could be done with buttons only, sure, but having a touch screen is inherent to the ease and simplicity of manufacturing Mario challenges on the Wii U.
Will Mario Maker make its way to the Switch? Most likely, but Nintendo could just as easily release a Super Mario Maker 2 as the company could a port at this point.
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the fourth and final game included on that original list of four rumored ports. A Smash port coming to the Switch would make plenty of sense — not only does it keep the game’s community alive on Nintendo’s latest platform, but it’s yet another game to emphasize the Switch’s multiplayer focus that is so apparent in the system’s reveal trailer.
Another rumor earlier this year stated that Smash Bros. would indeed come to the Switch, specifically as a launch title. However, the source for that rumor did not know whether it would be a brand new entry or a port of the Wii U game.
And, with three Smash-series amiibo revealed last year that have yet to release, a Smash port provides a timely opportunity to release them, considering amiibo support has been confirmed to IGN for the system.
A port would allow to Nintendo to collect all of the already released DLC for the game in one package for what seems to be a likely candidate for porting. (Consider how the fourth Smash was available for both the Wii U and the 3DS — the Switch’s functionality as a home and on-the-go system would simply merge both options.)
Super Mario 3D World
Footage of a Super Mario game was shown off during the Switch’s reveal, but no other details were provided. While this could likely be a new, Switch-developed Mario game, the footage could in fact be from a Super Mario 3D World expansion if the flagship Wii U Mario game is also making its way to the Switch.
Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101
Platinum Games is included among a list of third-party companies partnering with Nintendo to support the Switch. While Platinum could be producing an entirely new game for the platform, the company has two Nintendo-published games on the Wii U, Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101, that could be ported to the Switch as a continuation of that partnership.
Plus, we’re still waiting on that Bayonetta amiibo announced in 2015 to release — pairing it with a Bayonetta 2 re-release could make for an easy launch bundle.
Pikmin
Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed a “Pikmin 4” is in development for several years, but that it fell down the list of priorities this year. A Pikmin game is coming to 3DS in 2017, and a port of the Wii U’s Pikmin 3, one of the platform’s earliest Nintendo titles, could also be a potential candidate for porting.
These are what we think are some of the likeliest candidates from the Wii U to be ported to the Nintendo Switch. Do you agree of how likely these are to come to the system, or do you have other suggestions for what should be ported? Let us know in the comments below.
Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.