From games to social media: What the Switch 2 Direct says about Nintendo

Nintendo finally lifted the curtain on the Switch 2, its software lineup, and some new social features, revealing more about Nintendo’s cross-entertainment future.

In this blog, we will discuss two big takeaways from the Switch 2 Direct.

Takeaway 1: Nintendo and third parties are coming out of the gate swinging with the Switch 2 software lineup

The Switch 2 software announcement was stacked. As well as third-party games like Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, Fortnite, and EA FC, Nintendo has already announced some first- and second-party games – with a mix of established franchises, underutilised ones, and new IP:

• Nintendo showed Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Drag x Drive, and Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
• FromSoftware, the makers of the cultural phenomenon Elden Ring, announced The Duskbloods
• Koei Tecmo showed off Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which it is developing in collaboration with Nintendo

Already, the Switch lineup is strong for its first year and beyond, but there were some notable absentees, and the top 10 best-selling titles on the original Switch give us a taste of what else to expect:

As you can see, several franchises from the top-seller list are not accounted for on the Switch 2 yet. Of the top 10:

• The Super Mario franchise (including Super Smash Bros.) accounts for 52.6% of the top 10’s copies sold (171.4 million)
• Zelda accounts for 16.6% (54.3 million copies)
• Pokémon accounts for 16.3% (53.0 million)
• Animal Crossing, with just one game, accounts for 14.6% (47.4 million)

While Nintendo clearly came out of the gate guns blazing, it still has plenty of ammo in reserve in terms of Switch 2 exclusives across its biggest franchises. Get more details about the Switch 2 lineup and features here.

Takeaway 2: Nintendo wants to dip its toes into social media

Social is eating entertainment, but the games market is too clever to let the feast continue. Platform games like Fortnite and Roblox have already been biting back in terms of younger generations, and Nintendo looks set to join that club – and include its fandom to boot.

The attention economy is oversaturated. Nintendo is not only competing with other games, it is competing with every other entertainment segment.

To see this in action, look no further than our data on Nintendo Switch Online weekly active users. They actually spend more time on social media, music, and film / movies each week than they do on games:

Nintendo’s cross-entertainment efforts, including Nintendo Music, the Mario and Zelda movies, theme parks, and toys show that Nintendo understands that it needs to leverage music, games, and other entertainment segments to bite back and grow its brand.

“With our initiatives to expand access to Nintendo IP, we aim to continually create touchpoints with consumers and deepen their fondness for Nintendo IP,” said Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo.

“We will continue using Nintendo Account to build positive, long-term relationships with consumers who encounter our game through our various IP initiatives.”

The Nintendo Direct shows that social media is next up. Via Nintendo accounts, Nintendo is giving its fans access to:

• Nintendo Today!, a D2C smartphone app that lets Nintendo deliver daily news and updates directly to its biggest fans – perhaps signalling a step away from problematic platforms like X and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram. This would be smart, given Nintendo’s family-friendly brand and the not-so-family-friendly direction of modern social media
• Nintendo Switch app (Switch Online) is getting some big game-level updates with social media-like features. Zelda Notes for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom includes a second-screen map and character commentary, the ability to share custom-built items with other players, sharable photo opportunities, deeper play data (that Switch Online users can compare with their friends), and daily log-in bonuses
• GameChat (exclusive to paid Switch Online subscribers): a Discord-like service that lets Switch 2 players communicate with friends while playing, stream their gameplay to friends, and have video calls. Nintendo is essentially doing the "alone together’’ thing here, bringing a more social spin to solitary gaming.

Nintendo is taking a chapter from the social media playbook – and one that will be much more family-friendly (and presumably not run by oligarchs).

While the marketing for GameChat shows adults, Gen A is likely the target. A big tell there is that Nintendo heavily underlined its parental controls during that reveal.

The Nintendo Switch looks poised to be a success – not just on the games side but also beyond. Stay tuned here on the MIDiA blog for more Switch 2 updates – as they are already coming in thick and fast!

Curious how Nintendo’s console will impact the games market overall? Download this free report.