While it might sound strange now with the console consistently setting various sales records around the world, at one point the Pokémon Company’s chief executive officer didn’t think the Nintendo Switch was going to take off.
Eventually, however, Tsunekazu Ishihara warmed up to Nintendo’s home console-portable hybrid when he realized that it was quality games that were helping the console move units.
“I came to realize the key to a successful game is quite simple: software with absolute quality leads sales of hardware,” said Ishihara in an interview with Bloomberg.
“I told Nintendo that Switch wouldn’t be a success before it went on sale, because I thought that in the age of the smartphone, no one would carry out a game console.”
While Tseunekazu’s hesitation regarding the Switch is understandable, especially as 3DS sales continue to dip, Nintendo has once again proven that its recognizable characters and franchises still have the ability to convince players to pick up a traditional video game console. Also, the fact that the Switch is a portable console that can also be plugged into a television is a genuinely novel concept.
While the Switch’s library started off relatively lacklustre with few launch games worth playing, a number of excellent titles have been released for the console over the last few months, with one particular game that will likely be the platform’s biggest release yet, Super Mario Odyssey, set to be released next month.
Other quality Switch games include Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Arms, Splatoon 2, and the recently released Ubisoft bizarre strategy game collaboration Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.
Currently, the Pokémon Company is working on a core Pocket Monster collecting game for the Nintendo Switch. While little is known about the game so far, Ishihara said the following about the project.
“With the Switch, we see it as a chance to create Pokémon that goes deeper and with a higher level of expression. As a result, that makes it an extremely important platform,” said Ishihara.
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