The Nintendo Switch, having sold significantly more units over its three years compared to its predecessor the Wii U (41 million systems vs. 13 million), has been a good place for Nintendo to find a new audience for games that were released on the previous system. Even later this month the company will be bringing Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE to the system as Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore, which I’m personally excited to dive into, as I never played it on Wii U.
But according to established industry insider Emily Rogers, who has a history of reporting on Nintendo news before it’s unveiled, said in a ResetEra thread that she could confirm at least two more Wii U games will be receiving a Switch port this year.
To look into what games could possibly be left to port over I googled “Wii U exclusives” and found the Wikipedia page for Wii U-only games to realize there are only 38 games with pages of their own that are only playable on the system. So narrowing down the possibilities should be fairly simple.
But looking at what’s here, one of the two mystery ports is probably Super Mario 3D World, as a Mario game, especially a couch co-op one, is just money left on the table if it’s not put on the current, more successful system.
You may also like:
- The 13 Best Games on the Nintendo Switch
- Peep Your Switch Stats With Nintendo’s Year in Review Tool
- Nintendo Has a “Perfect” Image of Mario, Invalidating Other Interpretations
Star Fox Zero is also a contender. While the game’s Wii U controls, which leaned in heavy on the system’s gyroscope capabilities, were met with a fair bit of criticism when the game came out in 2016, a Switch port would be a chance to rework the game’s systems, especially so it could work with the system in dock mode. Because unless Nintendo is actively working on a new Star Fox game, Mr. McCloud and co. could use some love on the Switch, and the series and characters are beloved enough to draw people in.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse seems less likely, as not only has Kirby seen support on Switch already with Kirby Star Allies, Rainbow Curse was pretty reliant on the Wii U’s stylus. Short of packing one in with the game, it’s unlikely Nintendo reworks the entire game to work with a system that doesn’t include one to begin with.
Among what’s left, the two Legend of Zelda remasters, for Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, could keep fans happy between now and however long it is until the Breath of the Wild sequel announced last year. Pikmin 3 could appeal to a lot of people who never had a Wii U, because without it they would have not played a Pikmin game since 2004’s Pikmin 2.
If I was a betting man, I’d say Super Mario 3D World and one of the Zelda remasters would be at the top of Nintendo’s list.
Other than that, I’d be very surprised if Splatoon ended up on the Switch. The sequel’s pretty popular already with support winding down, so bringing the original game seems a little redundant. In another year, Xenoblade Chronicles X would be worth talking about, but Nintendo already has a remaster of the original Xenoblade Chronicles scheduled for 2020. Lastly, while I know there’s a fervent fan base out there, I’m not sure The Wonderful 101 has the staying power in the general public to be on Nintendo’s radar. But stranger things have happened.
