Nintendo will use an episode of its Treehouse Live marketing video series to talk about “upcoming games featured in the Nintendo Switch Presentation” on January 13. In a tweet posted this week, the company promised an “in-depth look” at titles available for the console.
Blockbuster launch line-up
It’s currently unclear whether the video will be restricted to the Switch’s launch games or whether Nintendo will also feature releases coming later in the year. Developers and publishers including Activision, Bethesda, Codemasters, EA, Square Enix and Ubisoft have already confirmed they’re working on games for the Switch.
The Treehouse Live stream will follow a Switch live event in Tokyo on January 12. After the press briefing, Nintendo will be giving journalists some hands-on time with the new console. During the following weekend, the public will be able to experience the Switch at a venue in New York City.
“Gaming without boundaries”
Nintendo officially unveiled the Switch back in October. After months of leaks and speculation, it announced a new “hybrid console” that can be used seamlessly at home and on the go. The main device resembles a tablet computer with game controllers attached to it. It can be docked into a hub and used with a TV or taken out of the house. The controllers can also be detached and used wirelessly, giving players complete freedom of operation.
Nintendo previously described the Switch as a way of breaking down gaming barriers. It will be one device and platform to use wherever you are, capable of playing downloaded content or media loaded from cartridges.
“Nintendo Switch allows gamers the freedom to play however they like,” Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO of Nintendo of America, said in October. “It gives game developers new abilities to bring their creative visions to life by opening up the concept of gaming without boundaries.”
Returning to handhelds
The Switch will be launched in March and pitched as a new way to experience gaming. Nintendo needs the device to succeed after its failure with the Wii U, its last-generation console. Analysts have suggested the Switch could fare better though, taking Nintendo back towards its portable roots.
Nintendo handheld systems including the Gameboy and DS managed to rack up over 100 million sales, a feat later replicated by the original Wii. It’s thought only 13 million Wii U units have been shipped worldwide.
