Nintendo as a company has a lot of different game franchises, some are made in-house while others are developed by smaller teams connected toNintendo. With so many different games, there are a lot of franchises owned by Nintendo that haven’t gotten any kind of port or new content for the Switch.
Every single game out there has at least one fan that’s attached to it. However, with these franchises being owned by Nintendo, the large audiences that have played these games are left hanging with nothing new coming for their favorite series.
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Of course, games take a long time to develop and many concepts are shelved in favor of others that are seen to do better financially. It’s very possible that some franchises that were thought to be forgotten by Nintendo are actually getting a new title developed in secret without anyone knowing. However, these things are unknown until confirmed leaks or official announcements are made.
Some franchises likeStar Foxtechnically appear on the console, given that he plays a role inStarlink: Battle for Atlas, but there’s no true representation of the classic game.Metroidis another big one missing from the console, asMetroid Prime 4’s development has been trouble.
Some franchises likeEarthboundhaven’t gotten any new official games since the Gameboy Advance era withMother 3being released in 2006 for Japan only. Other thanSmash Bros.appearances, there hasn’t been anything new for the series in years. However in 2015, an official translation of the originalMotherfor the NES was released for the Wii U under the titleEarthbound: Beginnings. This port however is not available on the Switch. WhileEarthboundis considered more of acult-classic game series, certain series’s that did extremely financially well still haven’t gotten any followup despite their popularity.
Nintendogsis one of these is the famous franchises. Like withEarthbound,Nintendogshas somerepresentation inSmash Bros, but the last game related toNintendogswas released for the 3DS back in 2011. While the Switch lacks certain features such as a microphone and camera, the motion controls could definitely influence some kind of gameplay when interacting with the virtual puppies.
Other notable exclusions include
Another unlucky title that could possibly make an even better home on the Switch isPunch-Out. The last game in this franchise was released for the Wii back in 2009 and created by Next Level Games. Considering the detail that went into the Switch’s motion controls, a boxing game other than the fantasticalArmscould appeal to a lot of players. One fan that wants a newPunch-Outis a previous headliner of the NES game,Mike Tyson, who wants to headline as a final boss of sorts once more.
A game franchise that definitely has rumors flying about it is the real time strategy series,Pikmin. Rumors have swirled around the possibility ofPikmin 3getting ported to the Switchas a surprise during one of the Nintendo Directs or players even getting a new game in the franchise.
The last game for thePikminfranchise that’s currently released isHey! Pikminwhich changes the gameplay to a puzzle platformer, playing more of a spin-off role than an actual continuation ofPikmin’s story. This game was released for the 3DS in 2017.
