Why Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the Super Mario Bros Film are Essential for Switch's Success

Nintendo has historically faced challenges in transitioning between console generations. Unlike its competitors, the company relies heavily on its own games to drive hardware sales, creating a delicate balance between maintaining interest in existing consoles and preparing for the next generation. This has often led to a decline in momentum towards the end of a console's lifecycle, resulting in a slow start for the subsequent generation. The Switch, however, has maintained a large and engaged audience, with 112 million annual users in 2022. Despite a slowdown in sales, Nintendo games continue to perform well, with record-breaking launches for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Splatoon 3. To stimulate console sales and generate engagement, Nintendo is releasing two major titles: the Super Mario Bros movie and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The Mario movie has already shown promising results, with a special hardware bundle and promotional activity on Mario titles. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is expected to build on the success of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, with a focus on user-generated gameplay and emergent elements. A successful launch of Tears of the Kingdom is crucial for maintaining momentum and potentially converting a large and active audience to the next generation of Switch consoles.